Ambassador of the Month Archive

Sight Restoration Center to Open at UC Irvine

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

(Orange County Business Journal) In the latest boost to Orange County’s thriving ophthalmology industry, the area will house the second center in the U.S. to restore sight to patients blinded from severe ocular surface disease by 2023. The Holland Foundation for Sight Restoration is building its first “Center of Excellence” at UC Irvine’s Gavin Herbert Eye Institute on the western edge of the university’s campus, where it expects to recreate the ocular transplant program at Cincinnati’s Center for the Restoration of Sight. The foundation plans to open five other centers across the country over the next few years. The Holland Foundation was founded i...

City of Hope to Expand Supportive Care Program for Cancer Patients With $10M Gift From The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States and a national leader in providing cancer patients with best-in-class, integrated supportive care programs, has received a $10 million gift from The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation. The partnership between City of Hope and The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation will support City of Hope’s efforts to give patients across its cancer care system expanded access to its evidence-based supportive care medicine offerings and to advocate for establishing supportive care as a standard practice for cancer care in the United States. Beginning a...

Why are Los Angeles, Orange County Economies Together So Often?

Friday, May 20, 2022

(Orange County Register) Jonathan Lansner of the Orange County Register addresses a common question: “Just curious. Why do you always lump Orange County and Los Angeles together in your analysis and articles? Living in O.C., it would be preferable to see the data separated. For example, in homeownership, I would assume that O.C.’s rate of ownership is much higher than L.A.’s.” Lansner's Answer: That’s a good and common question I’ve received over the years. The column in question looked at “real-time” homeownership data from the U.S. Census Bureau that estimates 45% of households in the L.A.-O.C. region lived in a home they owned in 2022’s firs...

London Chippy Brings a Taste of the UK to Irvine’s Trade Marketplace

Monday, May 16, 2022

(Daily Pilot) London Chippy chef and co-owner Arjun Neil Bhakta said each time he traveled to the United Kingdom with his British Indian parents, they were always sure to visit a chippy. “Whenever we went to London to visit family, the first thing they would always take me to — that they would rave about — is fish and chips,” said Bhakta. While fish and chips can be found on restaurant menus throughout Orange County, there aren’t as many concepts devoted solely to the dish. “Chippies,” British slang for fish and chips shops, are hard to come by locally. So when Bhakta’s friend and busines...

Kaiser Permanente Orange County Hospitals Earn Place on Newsweek’s Best Maternity Hospitals 2022 List

Friday, May 13, 2022

Kaiser Permanente Anaheim and Irvine Medical Centers have been awarded on Newsweek’s list of Best Maternity Hospitals 2022, a prestigious award presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. “We are proud of this accomplishment, which is a testament to the exceptional care provided by our physicians and staff,” said Mark Costa, senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente Orange County. “Having two of our hospitals recognized is a tribute to our dedicated care teams whose top priority is to provide our members and patients with high-quality personalized maternity care as they embar...

Patients Help Start Healing Garden at City of Hope OC's Irvine Cancer Care Center

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

(Orange County Register) The first plants for a “healing garden” will be dug into the ground Wednesday at the City of Hope’s new Orange County oncology center, laying the groundwork for a tranquil oasis for its patients and staff that will be lush with varieties that also carry potential medicinal benefits for people undergoing cancer treatment. Donning aprons and gardening gloves, patients and their families will help workers from Lowe’s – the home improvement company donated $1 million for the garden’s creation – in planting the species chosen because they are native to California or have health value, such as peppermint an...

Orange County Teen Develops & Partners with Irvine Ranch Conservancy to Pilot Wildfire Prevention Device

Monday, May 09, 2022

(Orange County Register) Since the fifth grade, Ryan Honary has been developing a technological solution to better detect – and therefore prevent – wildfires, after witnessing the devastation of the 2018 Camp Fire in northern California. After years of innovation, including awards and grants for his impressive artificial intelligence-driven concept, the Newport Beach 14-year-old is now getting the opportunity to test his network of sensors in his community’s backyard. “I’m really excited,” Honary said. “I always talk about it, but I never really had it happen until now.” In a new partnership, Honary is working with the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, a nonprofit working t...

City of Hope OC Presents Greater Irvine Chamber 2022 Celebrate Irvine

Wednesday, May 04, 2022

City of Hope Orange County is the presenting sponsor for the Greater Irvine Chamber Celebrate Irvine event on Wednesday, June 16, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., at Irvine Marriott, 18000 VonKarman Ave. “Irvine has so much to celebrate, and City of Hope will add to this eventful year as we open The Lennar Foundation Cancer Center this year,” said Annette Walker, president, City of Hope Orange County. “We’re grateful to be part of this thriving community where visionary leaders join with us to create a better and healthier tomorrow.” City of Hope is investing $1 billion to develop and operate a comprehensive cance...

Award-Winning Greater Irvine Chamber Career Edge Program Issues First-Ever Certification

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

The award-winning Career Edge program has issued its first-ever soft-skills certification to seven students from high schools in Irvine who successfully completed all four sessions of the 2021-2022 series. At the conclusion of the series in April, graduates of the program also earned a letter of completion & recommendation from the Greater Irvine Chamber. The sessions offered were: Successful Business Etiquette and Effective Business Communication taught by Massiel Pérez-Calhoon, Ed.D., adjunct faculty at University of Massachusetts Global; and Practical Critical Thinking & Problem Solving taught by Edward R. De La Torre, Ed.D., assistant professor at University of Massachusetts Global. The final session, Resum...

Goodwill OC's Tierney Center for Veteran Services Receives $300,000 Funding

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Congressman Lou Correa awarded the Tierney Center for Veteran Services with $300,000 in community projects funding support to continue growth of the center as a destination for veteran services and community collaboration. A check presentation and celebration was held on April 18 at the Tierney Center in Tustin. “Even with 107,000 veterans calling Orange County home, our county has historically been a place where veterans are underserved. This funding will allow us to truly start to change that,” said Nicole Suydam, President and CEO of Goodwill of Orange County, operator of the Tierney Center for Veteran Services. “This investment into th...

OC Companies Present Greater Irvine Chamber’s 2022 Business Outlook

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Top Orange County companies joining MemorialCare in presenting the Greater Irvine Chamber 2022 Business Outlook event are Economics Sponsor Torrey Pines Bank, Community Sponsor Orange County Soccer Club, and Business Sponsors City of Hope Orange County, GDR Group, FivePoint, Parker Aerospace, and University of California, Irvine. Business Outlook also hosts tables by Albertsons, Allergan an AbbVie Company, Bank of Southern California, Chapman University, Cox Communications, Edwards Lifesciences, Google Fiber, Greater Newport Physicians, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, Kaiser Permanente, New York Life, Southern California Edison, Octane, SoCal Gas Co, Waste Management, UCI Chief Executive Roundtable, Wells Fargo, and Zillow Group. Held in conjunction wit...

City of Hope OC’s Physician-in-Chief, Dr. Edward Kim is Guest Speaker at Greater Irvine Chamber’s May 5 Government Affairs Meeting

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Edward S. Kim, M.D., M.B.A., physician-in-chief at City of Hope Orange County and vice physician-in-chief at City of Hope National Medical Center, will be the guest speaker at the Greater Irvine Chamber’s Government Affairs meeting on May 5, 8 a.m. Dr. Kim will provide an update on City of Hope’s soon-to-open Lennar Foundation Cancer Center at City of Hope Orange County, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center at FivePoint Gateway in Irvine. He will also speak about City of Hope’s Orange County network of care and plans to open the county’s only cancer specialty hospital in 2025. Lennar Foundation Cancer Center at Cit...

John Wayne Airport Mask Rules: Latest Policies For Travelers

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

(Patch) A federal judge struck down the federal travel mask mandate Monday, meaning face coverings to protect against COVID-19 are no longer required on planes, trains, and, in most cases, subways and buses. At John Wayne Airport in Orange County, the mask mandate was dropped in alignment with the judge's ruling. "Guests and employees have the option to wear a mask during travel or while working. Travelers are advised to check with their airline and destination airport for local guidelines," airport officials said in a statement. On April 18, Florida federal Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle said in the 59-page decision striking down the trave...

Orange County Unemployment Rate Falls to 3.1% in March

Friday, April 15, 2022

(Orange County Business Journal) Orange County’s unemployment rate fell to 3.1% in March from a revised 3.7% in February and below the 7% rate seen in March last year, according to the state’s Employment Development Department. The state’s unemployment rate was 4.2%. The March U.S. unemployment rate was 3.8%. Nonfarm OC employment gained 9,800 jobs from February to March when 1.63 million were employed. OC employment is up 91,700 jobs from the same period a year ago. The county remains below the February 2020 pre-pandemic employment level of 1.68 million jobs. Eight of the 11 industry sectors saw job increases. For the second straight month, leadin...

Infusion Bays at City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center Designed Around Patient Preferences

Friday, April 01, 2022

When designing Lennar Foundation Cancer Center, City of Hope Orange County put patients' needs first, placing special importance on the infusion center. Stepping into the treatment space located on the top floor of the Lennar Foundation Cancer Center, the warmth of the sunlight fills the area from its large windows that look onto Saddleback Mountain, allowing strength and stability to flow in. It’s a patient-centered, peaceful environment that is comfortable and calm. “We’ve taken extra care to center the infusion bays around the patient experience,” said Wendy P. Austin, RN, MS, AOCN, COA, NEA-BC, FACHE, the senior vice president of operations fo...

KTimeHR Celebrates 25 Years of Assisting Employers

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

KTimeHR, a California-based provider of human-resource and employee-administration services, celebrated its 25th anniversary in March. KTimeHR’s solutions for employers include human resources, compliance guidance, paperless payroll processing, employee benefits, and insurance services. President Murphy Megonigal attributes KTimeHR’s longevity and success to “our exceptional team and innovative, easy-to-use technology.” KTimeHR is ranked as one of Orange County’s “Best Places to Work” according to the Orange County Business Journal, and has the distinction of being listed as one of Orange County’s “Top Workplaces” for the past ten years. KTimeHR is an affiliate of Kimco Staffing Services, a premier Orange County-based staffing company. For more information, visi...

State's Largest Landlord Irvine Co. Finds Office Takers in New Normal

Wednesday, March 09, 2022

(Orange County Business Journal) The Irvine Company believes that there’s a clear future for the local office market, and officials at the real estate firm say it’s a future that emphasizes higher-end properties and a flight to quality by tenants. Orange County’s largest office landlord has the figures to back up those claims. The Newport Beach real estate firm says that it leased nearly 10 million square feet of office space to about 1,000 companies in 2021, across its entire portfolio. That total “matches or exceeds the company’s performance during the pre-pandemic economic boom years of 2017-2019,” it said in a statement. Irvine Co. i...

Leading-Edge Technology at City of Hope OC’s Lennar Foundation Cancer Center to Provide Advanced Treatments

Friday, March 04, 2022

Glimpses of Hope - March 2022 Update: Lennar Foundation Cancer Center at City of Hope Orange County will be the most advanced cancer center in the region, purposefully designed to be high touch and high tech. Patients will receive exceptional, compassionate care from our world-renowned cancer experts. They will benefit from innovations designed to get them back to their lives sooner and that make their care experience easier and more convenient. "Our comprehensive cancer center will be the center of innovation and home to the most advanced cancer treatments and technologies available," said Annette M. Walker, president, City of Hope Orange County. "Thi...

Orange County Microbusiness Grants Available

Monday, February 14, 2022

Local underserved microbusinesses and entrepreneurs that have been impacted by COVID-19 can apply for funding from the County beginning Feb. 14. The Orange County Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant Program will provide $2,500 grants to microbusinesses and entrepreneurs facing barriers to accessing capital, including businesses owned by women, minorities, veterans, individuals without documentation, individuals with limited English proficiency, and business owners located in low wealth communities. To learn more and apply, visit oconestop.com/grant-relief-programs. For questions about the program or assistance submitting an application, call the Orange County Business and Economic Recovery Call Center at 714-480-6500.

Power Source is Community’s Choice

Wednesday, February 09, 2022

Businesses and residents in Irvine — along with those of Buena Park, Fullerton, and Huntington Beach — have an option to choose whether they would like to utilize 100% renewable power offered through the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) or remain with Southern California Edison (SCE) for their electrical power. On Feb. 8, the Irvine City Council unanimously approved the Orange County Power Authority as the default power profile for residential and commercial service for 100% renewable energy choice. All Irvine residents and businesses will be, by default, powered by OCPA unless they choose to opt out. According to the City o...

For Southern California airports, Super Bowl LVI is a Whole New Ballgame for Air Travel

Friday, February 04, 2022

(Orange County Register) Just down the street from SoFi Stadium, a stone’s throw from LAX and neighboring rocket builder Space X, Levi Stockton stood among a shiny fleet of private jets inside a hangar at Advanced Air, where his company operates private charter flights, among an array of services, at Hawthorne Municipal Airport. On this day — a little more than a week before Super Bowl LVI — things are relatively quiet here, save for the occasional thunder of a Gulf Stream taking off or the chop/chop of a small helicopter approaching, as he walked out onto the edge of the smal...

Intentional Design of Lennar Foundation Cancer Center at City of Hope Orange County Creates Hope and Healing

Friday, February 04, 2022

Glimpses of Hope - February 2022 Update: When Lennar Foundation Cancer Center opens its doors in Irvine later this year, it will be unlike any other comprehensive cancer center. Patients and their families will see and feel the difference as soon as they enter. Natural light will stream through the many windows. Soothing colors of earth, sky, and sand will cover the walls. Stone, metal, and wood elements will be prominent throughout, with beautiful art inside and glimmering water features outside that create inviting spaces. Water and fire also serve as inspiration. In the waiting room shown above, for instance, warm woo...

Irvine Schools Ranked The Overall Best In Orange County

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

(Patch) Irvine schools are the overall best in the Orange County area, according to Niche's 2022 rankings. Irvine Unified School District shined in categories related to academics, diversity, college prep, teachers and sports, but struggled in categories like resources and facilities, clubs, and food. The 2022 Niche rankings considered multiple factors and data from the U.S. Department of Education for a comprehensive look at a district. This year's analysis considered state testing scores, SAT and ACT testing scores, racial and economic diversity, surveys of student and parent experiences, athletic opportunities, and more. The most heavily weighted category was academics, accounting for 50 percent o...

Big Goals for OC Roadways

Wednesday, January 05, 2022

(Orange County Register) Continued work and future project planning on major freeways and toll roads throughout Orange County promise to make 2022 another busy year in transportation activity. Construction should ramp up on the 405 improvement project — entering its last full year before completion — and crews will continue making headway on the last two-thirds of work to be done on the 5 Freeway widening between the 73 and El Toro Road. After years of planning, a project to widen a key stretch of the 55 Freeway should begin midway through the year, launching a four-year construction process. And the OC streetcar, connectin...

Irvine: At the Heart of Orange County’s Medical Technology Ecosystem

Friday, November 12, 2021

UCI’s Edwards Lifesciences Foundation Cardiovascular Innovation and Research Center enters a new era with its latest philanthropic gift. National Institutes of Health experts say that people who are fortunate enough to survive a brush with COVID-19 may go on to suffer poor cardiovascular health in the future because of the infection. As these millions stand to join others with heart disease – the leading killer of men and women worldwide – the need for affordable, accessible, advanced treatments is becoming increasingly urgent. Scientists and engineers in UCI’s Edwards Lifesciences Foundation Cardiovascular Innovation and Research Center (CIRC) have been anticipating this outcome since th...

Bryan Starr Discusses the Legacy of Irvine’s Master Plan in Podcast

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

In a recent radio interview with OC Talk Radio, Bryan Starr, President and CEO of the Greater Irvine Chamber and its destination marketing and economic development divisions, discussed the legacy of Irvine’s Master Plan, the city’s many assets, and the Chamber’s role as convener, champion, and catalyst for economic vitality in the greater Irvine area. “Everything comes back to the master plan,” Starr said, referencing Irvine centered around what is now University of California, Irvine. “The initial step, right away, made us a city of innovation, a city of education, that has been perpetuated into the 21st century.” Impact OC Talk Radio...

Ambassador of the Month Archive

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