Member of the Month Archive

Irvine's Great Park to Welcome New Community of Single-Family Homes

Thursday, July 30, 2020

(Orange County Register) Irvine’s Great Park residential community will get 38 new houses with starting prices planned in the mid-$1 million range. The New Home Co. will build the Atlas community — single-family homes ranging from 3,360 to 3,647 square feet with up to five bedrooms and five bathrooms — at the Rise neighborhood at the Great Park Neighborhoods. Sales are expected to begin in early 2021. The home building industry has been adapting to rapidly changing homebuyer tastes. In recent years, a preference for smaller, more-affordable housing nudged many developers to create smaller residences. But the ongoing pandemic that forced many families to spend more time at hom...

Economic Vitality Council Examines Disruptions Caused by COVID-19 Pandemic, Preparation for Future Disasters

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

During its mid-year July meeting held online, the Greater Irvine Chamber Economic Vitality Council (EVC) discussed lessons learned from the Coronavirus pandemic and steps the Chamber can take to help better prepare Irvine businesses for possible future disruptions. While assisting Irvine businesses the last few months, the Chamber and City of Irvine management team found that this pandemic revealed the extent to which Irvine businesses were or were not prepared to respond, manage or mitigate the disruptions caused by COVID-19. In breakout sessions, EVC members used these insights to identify ways to help businesses now and in the future. “The Chamber is in a unique position to leverage our networks...

Irvine Gateway Experts Webinar Series Continues the Work of the Greater Irvine Chamber’s Foreign Direct Investment Initiatives

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

While the Greater Irvine Chamber continues to build on the momentum of its foreign direct investment programs, the work is being reimagined as the world responds to disruptions caused by the Coronavirus crisis. To continue to offer expansion-ready U.K. life science and technology companies with the information they need to make the decision to expand to Irvine/Orange County, the Chamber offers advice provided by experts in their field through the Irvine Gateway Experts webinar series. Topics include: VISAs and Immigration Organizational Preparedness U.S. Healthcare Market Entry International Banking FDA Approval Workforce Development Credits and State Incentives Funding and Capital Networks Taxes Legal Considerations for Establishing a Business in the U.S. OCTANE LaunchPad Accelerator To access the Irvine Gateway Experts webinar series, visit irvineglobalmarkets.com/foreign-direct-investment/irvine-ready-gateway The Greater Irvine Chamber remains connecte...

Data Leader Picks Irvine as Global HQ

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

(Irvine Standard) Dean Stoecker, CEO of Irvine-based Alteryx, knows data. He values it for what it is: vital to the success of any organization in essentially all industries. “Every industry … has a dependency on data and analytics,” he says. “For example, predicting what player to recruit or knowing what products customers are likely to buy is entirely data driven.” The Alteryx platform takes a task that would normally require hours or days and condenses it into seconds. The result, according to Alteryx, is quicker decision-making, tighter inventory, more efficient staffing, tailored marketing and streamlined operations for industries from health care to government, financial services, retai...

OCO Global, a Valued Partner of the Greater Irvine Chamber

Wednesday, July 01, 2020

In 2017, the Greater Irvine Chamber made an audacious decision to conduct an aggressive foreign direct investment (FDI) campaign in the U.K. We knew we had successful and happy international companies in Irvine. And we knew that we had the assets and an exciting, innovative ecosystem here. What we needed was an independent professional evaluation of our proposed initiative targeting the life science sector in the United Kingdom. Enter OCO Global. For 20 + years, OCO Global has been working with cities, states, and economic development organizations to help build and execute successful strategies to attract international investment. Choosing them to wor...

Business Expectations in Orange County Show Major Improvement

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

(Orange County Business Journal) Almost a quarter of Orange County businesses expect to be at pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year, while the hiring and profit outlook has also improved, according to a survey conducted by economists at California State University, Fullerton. The survey of expectations for the three-month period starting July 1, is one of the strongest indications so far Orange County may have turned the corner on the recession and is heading back to growth. The overall outlook index, known as the OCBX, improved appreciably to 62.9 for the third quarter from 22.7 in the current three-month period. “This is th...

Bryan Starr Touts Irvine’s Resilience in Irvine Standard

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

(As published in the Irvine Standard) Strong communities are made up of resilient and innovative individuals and businesses – those that courageously continue to work to find solutions, especially during times of crisis. Irvine is perhaps better positioned to weather disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic than any other city. The visionary Irvine Master Plan, established 60 years ago, and responsible city management throughout our city’s history has laid the groundwork for the best possible outcome of these unprecedented circumstances. World-Class Health Care Irvine is further bolstered by world-class health care institutions and medical personnel – all that are addressing COVID-19 and coming u...

Staybridge Suites Now Open, Adding to Irvine’s Diverse Hotel Portfolio

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

The newly-built, 168-room Staybridge Suites Irvine hotel is now open, and is located in the heart of the Irvine Business Complex, just minutes away from the John Wayne Airport. Business and leisure guests alike will enjoy the Staybridge Suites as it delivers a break from the travel norm. “We are excited to be part of the Irvine hotel community. By creating a ‘feel like home atmosphere,’ we offer more than just unconfined space but a greater sense of community and life balance that provides a sense of normalcy for all our guests,” said Sean Hashemi, general manager, Staybridge Suites Irvine. The ne...

SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Advance Program Reopened to All Eligible Small Businesses and Nonprofits Impacted by COVID-19 Pandemic

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

To further meet the needs of U.S. small businesses and nonprofits, the U.S. Small Business Administration reopened the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance program portal to all eligible applicants experiencing economic impacts due to COVID-19 today. “The SBA is strongly committed to working around the clock, providing dedicated emergency assistance to the small businesses and nonprofits that are facing economic disruption due to the COVID-19 impact. With the reopening of the EIDL assistance and EIDL Advance application portal to all new applicants, additional small businesses and non-profits will be able to receive these long-term, low-interest loans and emergenc...

OCTA, TCA are Confident of Survival Past COVID-19

Monday, June 15, 2020

(Orange County Register) Orange County’s transportation agencies are in good shape, officials said, to manage the financial fallout of the coronavirus, despite expecting to receive hundreds of millions less in revenue than planned for before the pandemic hit. With money from the CARES Act, a federal coronavirus relief bill, the Orange County Transportation Authority has enough funding to run buses at pre-coronavirus levels when it is time. Still, a $66 million drop in revenue that is generated from a half-cent sales tax means the agency may have to slow the progress of some freeway widening and other transportation projects. Also, cities will ge...

Students Complete Greater Irvine Chamber Workforce Development Program, Exhibit Ethics

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Nearly 30 students, from Irvine High School and Portola High School, completed the semester-long Greater Irvine Chamber Ethics Forum program, created for students by the Chamber’s Business and Workforce Development Committee (BWD) in partnership with Irvine Unified School District and Vital Link. The program is designed to teach students by introducing, instructing, and promoting the process of ethical decision making, using common ethical dilemmas to determine criteria and to respond appropriately. Students learn why critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creative problem solving are critical to ensure successful situational outcomes. “The world we live in is filled with problems that have a lo...

A Healthy Market for Healthcare Development

Tuesday, June 09, 2020

(Orange County Business Journal) Orange County has seen a consistent batch of new office product built over the latter part of the latest market cycle, adding several million square feet of high-end inventory in markets including Irvine, Tustin, and Newport Center. The cycle has been a boon to multifamily developers, too, with thousands of mid-rise units springing up in former commercial spots across the county. With a pandemic-created recession now in its early stages, and questions over the length and severity of its impact, a different sector looks poised to withstand a likely decline in new construction: healthcare. Several billion dollars’ worth o...

Coronavirus Rebound: Irvine’s Great Park Home Sales Back to ‘Normal Velocity’

Tuesday, June 09, 2020

(Source: Orange County Register) Homebuying at Irvine’s high-profile Great Park Neighborhoods has rebounded to “normal velocity,” says the project’s chief executive, Emile Haddad, CEO of FivePoint Holdings. In mid-March, Coronavirus had forced “stay-at-home” orders that throttled the economy and pushed home sales at the Irvine project to zero. The company’s project on the long-shuttered airbase had 553 sales last year — that’s almost 11 a week — ranking it among the nation’s Top 20 best-selling master-planned communities. And in 2020’s first 11 weeks, builders on FivePoint land had made sales contracts at a nearly 14-a-week pace. A strong economy, cheap mortgages — and the debut o...

US-United Kingdom Trade Discussions Feature First-Ever Virtual Negotiations

Tuesday, June 09, 2020

(CalChamber) This spring marks 75 years since the end of battles in Europe in World War II. Since 1945, transatlantic cooperation has been all important for the nation’s peace, democracy, shared values of freedom and the rule of law. The United States maintains a deep trade and investment relationship with the United Kingdom, which officially left the European Union on Jan. 31, 2020. Now that the two countries are able to enter into a formal free trade agreement (FTA), negotiations are underway and a second round is scheduled to begin the middle of June. The California Chamber of Commerce believes strengthening economic tie...

Greater Irvine Chamber Awards John Colvin Memorial Scholarships for the Sixth Year

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

For the sixth year, the Greater Irvine Chamber awarded John Colvin Memorial Scholarships, this year totaling $11,500, to students who have been accepted to or are currently enrolled in a four-year degree program at a university or college in Irvine. Eligible students must have a 3.0 GPA or higher, a demonstrated commitment to a fitness lifestyle, and an objective of contributing to the health and economic vitality of Irvine and California in the future. The 2020 scholarship recipients were announced during the Chamber’s digitally presented Orange County World Trade Week. They are UC Irvine students Anganette Emily Cisneros, Jada Perez, and Isabela Zavalos...

Stephen Armstrong Named Greater Irvine Chamber 2020 Partner of the Year

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Stephen Armstrong, president and co-founder of MAPLE Business Council and principal of 360 Marketer, was named the Greater Irvine Chamber 2020 Partner of the Year for his support and volunteer leadership of the Chamber’s international development initiatives. For a number of years, Armstrong has helped grow the Chamber’s international presence, promote trade between Canada and Orange County, and tout Irvine for trade and investment. As a co-founder of MAPLE Business Council, Armstrong has forged a solid bridge between Canada and California. He is a champion of trade and investment, having executed several successful missions to Vancouver and Toronto to promote Irvin...

Suavecito Named Greater Irvine Chamber 2020 Exporter of the Year

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Santa Ana-based cosmetic product company Suavecito was named the Greater Irvine Chamber 2020 Exporter of the Year for its successful export strategies. This annual award, this year presented digitally during the Chamber’s Orange County World Trade Week Forum, showcases an Orange County-based business that has expanded its markets through successful export strategies. Launching the company in 2010, Suavecito’s founders began distributing their original product to friends and family. They have since scaled the company, successfully growing their markets, and now export their products to more than 55 countries around the world including Canada, Mexico, and Russia. The Suavecito brand now boasts mor...

Orange County World Trade Week Captures Global Audience

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

In its sixth year, the Greater Irvine Chamber’s annual Orange County Work Trade Week Forum (OCWTW) captured a global audience with attendees tuning in to the digitized event from countries including Canada, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and various states in the U.S. A lineup of speakers and panelists from across the globe delivered information on the current state of international trade as it relates to the economic disruptions caused by the Coronavirus. Mark O’Connell, CEO, OCO Global, calling in from Belfast, Ireland, in his keynote discussed Globalization: Pandemic, Populism, and Power, bringing attention to sectors hit hardest by the pandemic including travel and hospitality, aerospace, and transportation, and energy and infrastructure. O’Connell als...

More Important Than Ever: Maintaining and Improving Free Trade, Investment

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

(CalChamber) The world has quickly changed over the last few months and during these strange and uncertain times, the importance of international trade has been on display across the world. Supply chains have been put to the test and global connectivity has proven vital in quickly securing much-needed supplies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. The World Trade Organization (WTO) stated in an April 2020 report that it expects world trade to fall drastically by between 13% and 32% in 2020 as normal economic activity and everyday life has been disrupted by the pandemic. The WTO expects a recovery i...

Venture Capitalists See OC's Strong Ophthalmology Sector

Friday, May 15, 2020

(Orange County Business Journal) Despite concerns the coronavirus will bring a slowdown or halt to venture funding, the largest ophthalmic-focused venture capital firms and funds in Orange County are moving ahead with investments. Bill Link, who runs Flying L Partners’ Newport Beach outpost, and Aliso Viejo-based Visionary Ventures Managing Director Jeff Weinhuff, recently caught up with the Business Journal. Both investors expressed optimism about their recent investments, not only because of the quality of the companies, but because, they say, their focus on early-stage and generally pre-commercial companies assumes less risk than those in commercial stages. Last month, Visionary Ventures led and Flying ...

EV Charging Company Moves US Headquarters to Irvine

Tuesday, May 05, 2020

(Orange County Register) Noodoe EV, a Taiwanese maker of electric vehicle charging systems, has moved its U.S. headquarters to Irvine from Walnut. Company CEO Jennifer Chang said the move to a bigger facility was fueled by a growing demand for the company’s products in North America. Last year, Noodoe installed nearly 1,000 EV charging stations at U.S. casinos, hotels, parking lots and shopping malls. The company entered the U.S. market three years ago but has been servicing Europe and Asia for about eight years. Chang said Noodoe chose Irvine based on its “incredible talent base in all things tech.” “Like Noodoe, Irvine is growing fast,&rdquo...

Great Park Projects Shift to Next Phase

Tuesday, May 05, 2020

(Orange County Register) With many of the sports and nature amenities completed at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, development is shifting to several new buildings, including a firefighting museum and a public safety training center. The city also was expected to finalize a lease for the new Wild Rivers water park, after signing one in December for a relocated Pretend City Children’s Museum. In the northwest corner of the park, the planned Fire Museum and Safety Learning Center will include interactive exhibits, displays and information about the history of firefighting and fire prevention education. Its estimated $25 million cost will b...

West Coast Organizations Promote Trade to Fuel Economic Recovery

Tuesday, May 05, 2020

(CalChamber) The California Chamber of Commerce, the Pacific Northwest International Trade Association, and the Washington Council on International Trade shared their support and principles for trade rebound this week in Pacific Northwest International Trade Associationa joint letter to President Donald J. Trump with copies to U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, and the congressional delegations of California, Oregon, and Washington. As the U.S. economy slows, it is critical that international trade and investment opportunities are expanded, market access for domestic products abroad are promoted, and disincentives that impede the global competitiveness of U.S businesses and farmers are eliminated. California, Oregon, and Washington ar...

David Feldberg Earns Q2 2020 Rainmaker Title with $2 Million in Closed Business Referrals

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

David Feldberg has earned the Greater Irvine Chamber’s title of Rainmaker for the second quarter in 2020 with $2,221,500 in closed business referrals. His performance in the Wednesday Leads Group contributed to the group’s total of $4,344,427, making it the top-earning Leads Groups for total closed business from referrals during the period. “The Greater Irvine Chamber continues to be a great source of business for me year after year. Joining the Chamber is, without a doubt, the single best business decision I have ever made for my business,” said Feldberg. “Each year that I am involved, I further cement the friendship...

Online Processing of Export Documentation Now Available Through Greater Irvine Chamber

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

The Greater Irvine Chamber has always been a valued resource for Irvine and Orange County exporting businesses for the processing of export documentation, among many other areas of business growth support. Now, for added convenience, especially during these times of social distancing and remote working, the Chamber offers exporters an online solution. Digital export documentation of Certificates of Origin, Free Sale, and Good Manufacturing Practices, are available through the Greater Irvine Chamber’s online processing service. Beginning April 16, companies can upload documents to the site for review and approval. Processing fees will be waived for the first Certificate of Origin uploaded (one per company...

Whit Peterson Promoted to Senior Director of Economic Development and Government Affairs at the Greater Irvine Chamber

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Whit Peterson has been promoted to Senior Director of Economic Development and Government Affairs at the Greater Irvine Chamber. Since joining the Chamber’s professional staff in 2016 as Director of Government Affairs, the scope of Peterson’s work has expanded to include facilitating decision-making incentives and transition benefits to qualified life science companies in their expansion to Irvine, made available through the Chamber’s Irvine Gateway soft-landing transition program. “Whit has proven to be an effective liaison for executives navigating the Irvine business landscape as they consider and plan expansion to our city,” said Bryan Starr, president and CEO, Greater Irvine Chamber. “His knowledge of busines...

UK Companies Look to Expand in Irvine

Wednesday, March 04, 2020

The Greater Irvine Chamber economic development team led by the organization’s Executive Vice President Linda DiMario visited London in February for scheduled meetings with expansion-ready U.K. companies looking to grow in the U.S. This visit was an extension of the Chamber-led foreign direct investment initiative underway for the last three years. The goal of this most recent visit was to illustrate to more life science and technology companies that Irvine/Orange County is a smart choice for the expansion of their company into the U.S. “We have signaled to U.K. life-science and technology sectors that Irvine and its innovation ecosystem are seriou...

University Lab Partners, Irvine Company, Greater Irvine Chamber Executives Welcome OC’s First Wet-Lab Incubator

Wednesday, March 04, 2020

Celebrating the grand opening of University Lab Partners (ULP), Orange County’s first wet-lab incubator, ULP Founder and President Ken Beall, Irvine Company President Doug Holte, and Greater Irvine Chamber President and CEO Bryan Starr welcomed guests to the Feb. 27 program at UCI Beall Applied Innovation. “University Lab Partners is an important addition to Irvine’s life science and med-tech startup community; it provides a home for early-stage bioscience and med-tech companies that need an environment where they can work to advance their technology forward,” Starr said. “ULP provides a unique opportunity for small companies in these sectors to successfully scale int...

Canada, California, and the Future of Work

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

By Rana Sarkar, Consul General of Canada, Northern California We are living in a time of economic upheaval and transformation, largely due to forces of globalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Dynamics of this new industrial change–such as automation and artificial intelligence, and the rise of the “gig” economy–are dramatically altering how Californians, Canadians and citizens around the world live and work. Many technological developments originate in Silicon Valley, yet governments worldwide and at all levels must grapple with how these developments affect their citizens. As Canada’s Consul General to Northern California, I am fortunate to be able to share Canada’s approach t...

Greater Irvine Chamber EVP Linda DiMario Discusses During Podcast Reasons Irvine is an Ideal Home for Global Companies

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Linda DiMario, executive vice president, Greater Irvine Chamber, spoke to Irvine’s strength and attractiveness as a hub for global companies in a recent episode of Going Global With America’s Best Cities, a podcast of Global Trade Magazine. DiMario, who leads Economic Development initiatives at the Chamber including business attraction and foreign direct investment, discussed the reasons global companies and companies involved in exporting find Irvine the ideal place to do business. “It’s because our companies are working in a very compatible environment in which they can grow and prosper and experiment…without fear of risk. We are a very much 21st-century sector-drive...

Hoag Promise Campaign Still Going Strong After Hitting $627M Goal 18 Months Early

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Hoag Hospital Foundation has surpassed the $627 million Hoag Promise Campaign goal 18 months ahead of its Dec.31, 2020, target thanks to more than 22,000 donors who made 83,000-plus Hoag Promise Campaign gifts. Hoag will continue raising funds for the Hoag Promise Campaign until its end date in a bid to meet or exceed its ambitious clinical fundraising priorities within the larger Campaign. “Health care will never stop evolving and innovating, and Hoag will never relinquish its vision of providing leading-edge care in all of our service lines,” said Flynn A. Andrizzi, Ph.D., Hoag Hospital Foundation president. “Philanthropy is the key t...

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