Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce
Our mission is to advance the economic vitality of greater Irvine.
Our mission is to advance the economic vitality of greater Irvine.
Retail sales in the U.S. jumped by the most since September 2017 and first-time filings for unemployment benefits dropped to a fresh 49-year low, as a strong labor market gives American consumers the wherewithal to keep the economy chugging along. The value of overall sales in March rose 1.6 percent, boosted by gains in motor vehicles and gasoline stations, after an unrevised 0.2 percent decrease the prior month, according to Commerce Department figures. That exceeded all forecasts in Bloomberg’s survey calling for a 1 percent gain. Buying Again A Labor Department report released showed initial jobless claims fell last week to 192,000, the lowest since September 1969. Economists had projected an increase. “The labor market is alive and well,” said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Amherst Pierpont Securities LLC. Income gains support consumer spending and “as long as the labor market is doing well there is good reason to expect consumer spending should do fine.” With first-quarter gross domestic product figures due April 26, the surprisingly strong retail report spurred economists to further increase projections. Analysts raised economic growth forecasts for the period Wednesday after a report showing the trade deficit unexpectedly narrowed in February. The economy had showed signs of slowing heading into 2019, before the U.S....
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Senior U.S. and Chinese officials are scheduling more face-to-face trade talks in an effort to reach a deal by early-May that President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping could sign later that month, two people familiar with the plans said. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin plan to travel to Beijing the week of April 29, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The next week Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will come to Washington for negotiations. During his visit, officials want to announce the sides have struck a deal and details of a signing summit, probably set for late May, they said. A spokeswoman for Lighthizer declined to comment on the trip. On April 4, Trump said it might take four weeks to put together a framework for the deal and two weeks more to get the details on paper. Trump, speaking at an event at the White House on Wednesday, said he thinks the negotiations will be “successful” and that an update would be announced shortly. The world’s two biggest economies are locked in negotiations to end the nine-month trade war that has roiled markets and threatened global growth....
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Destination Irvine received a Gold Award from Hermes Creative Awards for the organization’s meeting-focused video “Meet in Irvine, CA.” The meetings-focused video was produced to showcase the destination’s assets to meeting planners. The organization’s 2018-2019 Irvine Visitors Guide received an Honorable Mention. Hermes Creative Awards is an international awards competition for creative professionals involved in concept, writing and design of traditional and emerging media; and recognizes outstanding work in the industry while promoting the philanthropic nature of marketing and communication professionals. Over 6,000 entries from throughout the U.S., Canada and dozens of other countries were received in this year’s competition. The awards are administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. For more information on Irvine as a destination, contact Wendy Haase.
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Greater Irvine Chamber Leaders Circle member MemorialCare is now the official healthcare partner of Angels Baseball. Both organizations look forward to working together to promote healthy lifestyles for baseball fans and the general population across Southern California. Two years ago, the MemorialCare brand was launched on the brand pillars of Patient Centricity, Ease and Access and Systemness. During that time, the healthcare organization shared that it would be looking for opportunities to build brand awareness externally and seize opportunities to elevate the brand. “With this partnership we will delight children at our very own MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach with visits from Angels players, participate together in mission-driven fundraisers that support the communities we serve, and have a strong brand presence at the games,” said Tammie McMann Brailsford, RN, chief operating officer, MemorialCare. “All of these elements together will create awareness of our new master brand name, MemorialCare, and will help consumers connect the dots between all of our entities fostering systemness.” MemorialCare is a nonprofit integrated healthcare delivery system that includes Long Beach Medical Center, Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Medical Center, and Saddleback Medical Center; award-winning medical groups – MemorialCare Medical Group and Greater...
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