Scott Olivet might not be putting in 80-hour work weeks anymore, but he’s far from slowing down; see Kaitlin Aquino’s front-page feature on the latest passions of Olivet, the former CEO and chairman of sunglass maker Oakley, and current executive chairman of high-end camera maker Red Digital Cinema, both based in Foothill Ranch.
Jim Jannard, the founder of Oakley and Red Digital, evidently hasn’t entirely kicked the entrepreneur itch, either. That’s despite a 2019 statement that the famed exec, who developed a persona akin to a mad scientist, was retiring, citing health issues.
Jannard recently unveiled his latest business, M-Experiment, after over a year of teasing a new venture on his Instagram page.
M-Experiment, which lists its HQ in Lake Forest, currently offers lines of Oakley-esque sunglasses starting around $90 and running up to $185, along with shirts and other apparel. The glasses feature “the most advanced materials with a dash of mad science,” the company says.
Jim’s son, Jamin Jannard, runs the company, according to an Instagram post. The duo are “back to scratch their design itch, and just have some fun,” according to company marketing materials.
Olivet’s docket remains busy, but don’t discount him linking up with Jannard again.
“Our weekly lunch meeting was scheduled for an hour, but usually lasted three,” Olivet, who succeeded Jannard as CEO at Oakley, told the Business Journal in 2019, at the time we reported on Jannard’s retirement. “These were the most inspiring hours of my week.”
Cary Hyden and Doug Corbin are also rethinking retirement; see Katie Murar’s story on this page for more on what the duo, who each have ties to Children’s Hospital of Orange County, are doing to address youth mental health, via their new venture Omada Foundation for Children.
Hyden, who stepped down from Latham & Watkins around the start of the year, has kept a busy social schedule of late, this month attending both the Business Journal’s Women in Business Awards event and Tilly’s Life Center’s ninth annual “I Am Giving” gala on Oct. 7 in Irvine.
The latter event raised nearly $500,000 for its mental health initiatives that directly benefit teens. Other attendees included Sabra Health Care REIT CEO Rick Matros and U.S. Bank’s Candice Nakagawa, an award presenter at this month’s Women in Business Awards event.
The American Land Title Association (ALTA), the national trade association of the land title insurance industry with over 6,000 member companies, has tapped a familiar local name as president for the 2023-2024 year: Don Kennedy.
Kennedy, managing director of Santa Ana-based First American Title Insurance Co.’s Agency Division, is a third-generation ALTA president. He follows his father’s, Park Kennedy, presidency in 1993-1994 and his grandfather’s, Donald P. Kennedy, presidency in 1983-1984.
“They have passed down to me a legacy of character and leadership that has shaped my career,” said the younger Kennedy.
