Our mission is to advance the economic vitality of greater Irvine.
Our core initiatives are to be a catalyst for local economic growth, champion for the business community with all levels of government, and to convene greater Irvine stakeholders.
Concordia University Irvine (CUI) has named George W. Wright as the Dean of its School of Business and Economics. Wright has been serving in various leadership roles, most recently as Administrative Dean, at the school since 2008. In his new role, Wright will oversee academic policy and curriculum for graduate and undergraduate degree programs, as well as guide constituent relations. Wright’s goal is to integrate best business practices with real-world experiences from an ethical and moral perspective so that students graduate with a solid foundation to serve as impactful global leaders. “George Wright’s breadth of experience from the board room to the classroom, combined with the respect of his peers, made him the obvious choice to lead the School of Business and Economics,” said Concordia University Irvine Provost Peter Senkbeil. Dean Wright began his career at Concordia as the Assistant Dean of the School of Business and Economics. The Certified Public Accountant serves in a variety of senior leadership boards and committees at the university. Prior to entering higher education, Wright held leadership positions in strategic planning, accounting, and information technology in the global mining industry for more than 30 years with companies such as U.S. Borax Inc./Rio Tinto. Wright earned his graduat...
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The Greater Irvine Chamber will present the 2020 Greater Irvine Chamber Woman of Influence Award as part of its Women of Influence event set for Friday, March 6. The recognition will be awarded to a nominee with demonstrated exemplary professionalism, commitment to providing leadership in their community, and who serves as a mentor or a source of inspiration for other professional women. Nominee must meet the following criteria: Be employed by an active organization located or operating in Orange County. Have a proven track record of professionalism and integrity. Provides leadership, serving her community or industry. Is known to motivate other women within the workplace. Be present at the Women of Influence luncheon on Friday, March 6, 11:30 a.m. – 2:15 p.m., at the Hotel Irvine, 17900 Jamboree Road. Nominate here. The deadline to submit nominations is Feb. 21. The 2019, and first-ever, recipient of the Greater Irvine Chamber Woman of Influence Award was Susan DeGrassi, director of cause, Antis Roofing and Waterproofing. “I truly appreciate the recognition by the Greater Irvine Chamber as this year’s Woman of Influence. I value the many mentors I’ve had during my career, and that I’ve played a part in using my gifts and resources to help guide and serve others. It is amazing to m...
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U.S. employers added 145,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate held steady at 3.5%, signaling that the job market remains strong at the start of 2020 even if hiring and wage gains have slowed somewhat more than a decade into an economic expansion. A snapshot from the Labor Department showed hiring slipped from robust gains of 256,000 in November, which were given a boost by the end of a strike at General Motors. For the year, employers added an average of roughly 175,000 jobs per month, compared with about 223,250 per month in 2018. Annual wage growth fell in December to 2.9%, down from an annualized average of 3.3% a year earlier, a possible sign that some slack remains in the labor market and that unemployment could fall even further from its current half-century low. The picture of a slowly-but-steadily improving economy – plus low inflation – likely gives the Federal Reserve comfort in keeping interest rates low, which has been a boon to stock markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed Friday with a slight loss of 0.3% after briefly climbing to a record-level of 29,000 in the morning. “We’re starting 2020 in very good shape,” said Gus Faucher, chief economist a...
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In his economic forecast presented to well over 500 business and community leaders at the Greater Irvine Chamber’s 2020 Business Outlook, Chris Thornberg, founding partner, Beacon Economics, expressed overall optimism regarding economic growth in the year ahead. “Despite all the pessimism in the last 12 months, the economy is just fine...this expansion is going to continue,” said Thornberg. Remarking on Irvine’s strong economy, Thornberg noted that the city’s younger population is growing, indicating a strong labor market and housing availability. “This is a model that everyone can and should be focusing on,” he said about the pace of high-density, entry-level housing development. Opening speaker Chris Schwarz, associate professor of finance and faculty director of the Center for Investment and Wealth Management at the Paul Merage School of Business at University of California, Irvine, was also optimistic for what 2020 will bring. “I don’t see any reason there’s going to be a crash next year,” said Schwarz in his analysis of financial market trends and their predicted impact. Keynote speaker Chris Thornberg, founding partner, Beacon Economics. Kaitlynn Irvine, Greater Irvine Chamber; Kathy Lamm, Farmers Insurance; Danni Remington, Pacific Western Bank; Massis Chahbazian, The Printery. Opening speaker Chris Schwarz, of the Paul Merage School of Business at University of California...
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