Stump Speech for Pyott? Carter Backs Kiani’s Cause

David Pyott was his sharp-witted self and then some at last week’s British American Business Awards at the Hotel Irvine. Fresh in the former Allergan CEO’s repertoire was a persuasive piece of public speaking that laid out a case to cut the U.S. corporate tax rate, which he said threatens to stifle innovation and push more corporate centers of gravity for job creation offshore. Pyott wrapped up by urging members of the crowd to tell elected representatives that the “trickle is turning into a flood” of U.S. companies going offshore in deals driven by favorable tax situations. The combination of Pyott’s cogent performance and what sounded like a catchphrase at the end of the talk put the Insider in mind of an early rendition of a stump speech … The awards highlighted technological innovation and came from the British American Business Council, by the way. Honorees included: Oakley Inc.’s Colin Baden; John Storbeck of the Disneyland Resort; Chad Cardenas of Trace3; and Ingram Micro’s Ramesh Nair … Pyott isn’t alone in campaigning for a cause—Irvine-based Masimo Corp.’s Joe Kiani has long been working the hustings for his Patient Safety Movement Foundation, which aims to eliminate deaths from infections and other preventable factors by having hospitals, device makers and others in the healthcare industry share pertinent data. Kiani tapped another pretty good campaigner—Jimmy Carter, the original Washington outsider—to help out. The former president and his wife, Rosaylnn, were scheduled to host a private fishing trip with representatives of institutions that have “demonstrated the most lives saved through their commitments,” according to the foundation. They hail from the Sacramento-based Hospital Quality Institute, Intermountain Healthare in Salt Lake City, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and all were scheduled join the Carters at the Brigadoon Lodge in Georgia as the Insider went to press … The Insider hears that 91-year-old Carter declined an offer to back out of the fishing trip, which was scheduled before his recent cancer diagnosis … Good to hear outgoing Irvine PD Chief Dave Maggard won’t be leaving the city once he sheds the uniform. He’s well on his way to doctorate in education from Pepperdine, and tells the Insider he’ll “continue to do something meaningful”—and plans to do so within a reasonable commute from his family’s Irvine home … 2-Paper Town: From the OC Register on Sept. 16: “Santa Ana halts short-term rentals while it studies issue;” and L.A. Times on the same day: “Anaheim halts new short-term rentals”… 2-Paper Oddity: Neither story noted the coincidental timing or similarity of actions in OC’s two most populous cities … No shortage of data and analysis on OC’s fastest-growing private companies, the basis of this week’s special issue (see related stories, pages 1, 4 and 5; lists, additional coverage, Data Drills in Special Report that starts on page 21). Look to the left for something lighter—and decide for yourself if Larry Weng (top), CEO of PNH Technology Inc. in Irvine, which made the list of fastest growers in small-company category, was separated at birth from martial arts master, action star and movie director Jet Li (bottom).