Underwear Makes Good With Wood
Men’s apparel maker turns to trees to clothe customers’ trunks.
Maker of men’s undergarments branches into wood-fiber apparel.
Expansion Plan Leads Lender Into Orange County
ACQUISITION: Royal sees opportunity to broaden Chinese-American base.
After buying a Ventura County bank in 2011, Royal Business Bank in downtown Los Angeles has made another acquisition, this time in Orange County.
Tech Helps L.A. Beat National Venture Capital Trend
The tech-heavy startup scene in Los Angeles helped the region buck a national trend last year, drawing more venture capital investments as the nation saw an overall decline.
BBCN's Kang to Resign as CEO
BBCN Bancorp Inc. said that Alvin Kang, the bank holding company’s chief executive, will resign effective Jan. 31. Kang is also resigning from his post as a director of the company.
Trucking Firm In Union Drive
SHIPPING: Toll labors to line up drivers for Teamsters.
Trucking company Toll Group pledges to ring up more unionized drivers at the Port of Los Angeles.
Chinatrust Moves On Under Eye of Regulators
BANKING: Lender taps new CEO as it cleans up money-laundering issues.
Regulators force Chinatrust to play it safe after the bank came under scrutiny for money-laundering issues.
Shoring Up
Former aerospace engineer Randy Herrel now works on blueprint to bring back the crowds to Catalina.
Former aerospace engineer Randy Herrel now hopes to relaunch Catalina Island as a tourist destination.
Hanmi Financial Seeks Suitors
Koreatown’s Hanmi Financial Corp., the holding company that owns Hanmi Bank, is on the hunt for a buyer or merger, the company announced Wednesday.
Century Park Buys Fire Research Corp.
El Segundo’s Century Park Capital Partners LLC continues to expand its holdings in the fire and emergency equipment business, acquiring manufacturer Fire Research Corp. through a portfolio company.
Wheeler Dealer
Mobi Munch’s investment raising and corporate deals are helping steer food trucks into the mainstream.
Equity Firm Had Its Fill of Restaurant Franchisee
INVESTMENT: Brentwood held Pacific Island for unusual eight-year stretch.
West L.A. private-equity firm Brentwood Associates usually holds on to its investments for six years or so.
M&A Buyers Finding Few Targets
Buyers go hungry as dearth of sellers drops number of merger and acquisition deals this year.
Getting Crack At Fish Eggs
Beverly Hills Caviar looks to spread product to masses with mall vending machines.
Beverly Hills Caviar looks to spread product to masses with mall vending machines.
Added Layers
Cardboard Firm Folds in Businesses
Used Cardboard Boxes repackages its business model to include corporate clients.
Investors Go for Extra Servings of Coffee Company
BEVERAGE: Shares of Farmer Bros. heat up on rumored McDonald’s deal. deal.
Investors super-size shares of coffee company Farmer Bros. after reports of deal with McDonald’s.
Food Importer-Exporter Plans to Chill Out at Port
SHIPPING: Baker to build Long Beach complex’s first cold storage facility.
Vernon’s Baker Commodities Inc. plans to build what would be the only cold storage warehouse within the local port complex.
Traffic Drops at Port of Los Angeles
A transfer of cargo to Long Beach combined with the late-November strike led to one of the worst months this year for the Port of Los Angeles.
Lens Company Eyes Tax Break
HEALTH care: Staar sees growth in California – for now.
Tax breaks have lens maker Staar bringing manufacturing back to California – for now.
Engineering Services Firm Builds Presence in Brazil
EXPANSION: Parsons acquires company to score work in growing market.
Pasadena’s Parsons Corp. is the latest local engineering and construction firm to buy a company in Brazil, a nation with a growing economy, vast infrastructure needs and a preference for local talent.
Both Sides in Port Strike Agree to Mediation
Port clerks and their shipping company employers agreed Tuesday to work with a federal mediator in an attempt to end a strike that has shut down most of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for the past week.
Firm Brews Beer Brand To Serve as Promotion
MARKETING: BeCore sees New Vaudeville as means to showcase business skills.
BeCore stages a promotional coup with its own beer brand, New Vaudeville.
Firm Maps Out Future of GPS Tracking Devices
LOGISTICS: GTX makes case for using product to trace luggage location.
New GPS tracking devices made by downtown L.A. company GTX Corp. can be turned off remotely and turn themselves back on based on how high they are or how fast they’re moving.
Internet Ad Firm Looks To Connect as Publisher
MEDIA: Woven steps into editorial content with deal for men’s site BroBible.
Online ad firm Woven is stitching together a network of editorial sites to display its advertorial content.
Retailers Want Federal Intervention in Port Strike
The nation’s largest retail trade group on Thursday called on President Barack Obama to help end a strike that has shut down most cargo operations at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Clerk Strike Widens at Port of L.A.
Striking port clerks on Wednesday shut down most container terminals at the local ports. Three of six terminals at the Port of Long Beach remain open, while just one of seven terminals is open at the Port of Los Angeles.
Port Clerks Strike Could Spread
A strike Tuesday by port clerks has shut down the largest cargo terminal at the Port of Los Angeles and threatens to spread to all port terminals in Los Angeles and Long Beach pending a ruling by a local labor arbitrator.
Will Medbox Reap Windfall of Legal Marijuana?
DRUGS: West Hollywood company’s shares spike after votes to legalize pot.
It’s not often a chief executive tells investors their company’s stock is vastly overvalued.
Beasts Mark Territory in Century City
Chamber sponsors sculpture garden on Avenue of the Stars.
Century City chamber helps civic pride take shape with street display of animal statues.
Plan for New Oil Terminal Sinks at Port of L.A.
ENERGY: Bountiful production outlook capsizes giant project.
Domestic oil prospects help scuttle plan for import terminal at Port of Los Angeles.
Private-Equity Firm Moves on Logistics Pickup
ACQUISITION: Riverside buys MNX with eye on shipping special cargo.
Global private-equity group Riverside Co. sees money to be made in shipping sensitive cargo such as organs, blood samples and critical airline parts, a specialty of Inglewood logistics company MNX.
Having Kids Gives Birth To Business
Hunt for baby products spurs mom to launch Plush trade show.
Jina Park’s baby products trade show was born from her desire to find the best items for her kids.
Stock Tougher to Defend After Iraq Troop Pullout
Investors refuse to enlist in Aecom shares after Iraq troop pullout lowers company revenue.
Growing Buzz
RETAIL: Growlife, maker of hydroponic greenhouses for pot, sets up shop in its first brick-and-mortar store.
Growlife sees a budding opportunity in opening brick-and-mortar shops for its hydroponic pot products.
OSI Denies Faking Body Scan Tests
OSI Systems Inc. has denied allegations that it faked test results for the company’s airport body scanners.
Traffic Up at Port of Long Beach
Traffic was up at the Port of Long Beach last month, with nearly 9 percent more cargo moving through the port than during the same month last year, according to figures released Thursday.
Port Traffic Up in Los Angeles
Cargo traffic at the Port of Los Angeles was up slightly last month, though the boost came entirely from an increase in the number of empty cargo containers leaving the port, according to figures released Wednesday.
Keg Stand
Craft brewers tap downtown to crack local market
A bevy of brewers drafts plans to bottle up L.A.’s craft beer market.
Glasses Maker Has New Vision
Superfocus debuts second design for its adjustable lenses.
Adjustable lens maker Superfocus looks to company’s second line of frames to spur sales.
Builder Props Up Performance, Stock
Support builds for Tutor Perini stock after recent earnings beat analyst expectations.
New Course
Developers vie to turn Ports O’Call into seaside star
Competing developers look to shore up Ports O’Call’s appeal by re-creating it as a seaside attraction.
Company Looks to Lock Up Internet Shoppers
SHIPPING: Scaled-down Elephantrunk offers secure drop-off for packages.
Vanessa Troyer and Chris Farentinos first created the Elephantrunk in 1999.
Harbor Commission Considers Temporary Home
Long Beach port officials might soon get a change of scenery: jets and runways instead of ships and cargo cranes.
Quarter Mixed at Tutor Perini
Tutor Perini Corp. reported a 25 percent increase in third-quarter profit. That beat the Wall Street consensus, although revenue was lower than expected.
Samsung on Road to Build
CONSTRUCtiON: Firm to focus on public-private projects.
Samsung may be best known for its phones and TVs, but now it’s planning on building roads and bridges here, too, thanks to public-private partnerships.
Case Study In Luring Students
W Hotel hopes to book more UCLA Bruins with discount package.
HOSPITALITY: W Hotel in Westwood looks to hit the bookings with a discount deal for UCLA students.
TrueCar on Road Again After Overhaul
Automotive: Car pricing site makes big shift to appease dealers.
AUTOMOTIVE: Pressure from dealerships and regulators drive car-pricing site TrueCar.com to back away from its focus on the absolute cheapest prices.
Bracelets Aren’t Just for Charm at Rock Shows
TRACkING: Precision Dynamics expands from health care to concerts.
If you’ve ever worn one of Precision Dynamics Corp.’s identification bracelets, chances are you aren’t having too much fun.
Small Users Help Turn El Segundo Into L.A.’s Hottest Office Market
Real Estate Quarterly: South Bay
Pop quiz: Which area has the healthiest office market in Los Angeles County? Here’s a hint: It’s not Santa Monica, Beverly Hills or West Hollywood, all recent contenders for the title.
Port Traffic Mixed
For September, the Port of Los Angeles has posted its best monthly numbers in two years. But neighboring Long Beach port reported a small decline in cargo traffic.
Making Tracks
Anschutz company rolls vintage rail cars into downtown L.A.
Philip Anschutz’s American Railway Express makes tracks to L.A. to line up party rentals for its three vintage cars.
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