Biz News: Allergan plans 557 layoffs at Irvine base
Allergan Inc., the maker of Botox, plans to lay off 557 workers at its Irvine headquarters effective June 4, according to a notice filed this month with the California Employment Development Department.
The Irvine headquarters lost 129 jobs in October and 371 in November, according to a report published this month by the EDD.
In March, Actavis completed a $70.5 billion acquisition of Allergan.
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Hoag ranked among nation’s top 100 hospitals
Hoag Hospital of Newport Beach has been recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of the 100 Great Hospitals in America for 2015.
Hoag, the only hospital in Orange County to make the list, also received the designation in 2012 and 2013.
“We are honored to be recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review and be included with the most prominent and forward-thinking hospitals across the nation,” Robert Braithwaite, Hoag’s president and chief executive, said in a statement. “This further reflects our commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to this community.”
To develop the list, Becker’s Hospital Review, a monthly publication geared to hospital leaders, conducted research and evaluated hospital ranking sources such as U.S. News & World Report, Truven Health Analytics and Healthgrades.
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Quick Bridge Funding expands to Irvine
Orange County-based Quick Bridge Funding is moving to new headquarters in Market Place Center in Irvine.
Previously located in Orange, the company has increased its physical footprint to 17,000 square feet at 410 Exchange, Suite 150, in Irvine, according to a news release. In addition, the company opened an East Coast satellite office in New York City.
The Orange County Business Journal recognized Quick Bridge Funding as the fastest-growing mid-sized company in 2014, the release states. The firm currently employs 94 with plans to expand its workforce.
“We’re thrilled with the growth and expansion of Quick Bridge Funding. It’s an exciting time to be in the business-to-business alternative lending space, and we’re working hard to stay ahead of our industry’s strong growth curve,” said CEO and President Ben Gold in the release. “The additional space will allow us to continue to invest in our people and technology infrastructure.”
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CommerceWest recognized for premier performance
Irvine-based CommerceWest Bank was recognized as a 2015 Super Premier bank by The Findley Reports for the third consecutive year, according to a news release.
The Findley Reports has recognized the financial performance of banking institutions in the western United States for 50 years.
The Findley Reports rank all banks to provide banking industry insight. They published their list starting with Premier banks in the 1960s. In the 1970s, they added Commendable, meaning the banks meet three out of four performance criteria, and then Super Premier banks, which achieve a higher level of performance.
“Our team is honored to be recognized as a Super Premier performing bank for three consecutive years,” said CommerceWest CEO Ivo A. Tjan in the release. “We remain focused on maintaining our solid performance, executing our strategic goals for 2015 and providing more small and medium businesses with a unique experience that can only be found at CommerceWest Bank.”
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Coconut’s Fish Cafe coming to Irvine, Newport
Maui-based Coconut’s Fish Cafe announced plans to open locations this year in Irvine, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach and said it is seeking franchisees.
The island-themed restaurant specializes in fresh fish tacos.
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Medical device maker moving to Irvine
MRI Interventions, maker of ClearPoint, a minimally invasive neurosurgical system that enables surgeons to operate while patients are in MRI scanners, reportedly plans to close its office in Memphis, Tenn., and move to Irvine.
MRI Interventions is developing ClearTrace, a system similar to ClearPoint but for heart surgeries.
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Financial services firm opens Irvine office
Aspiriant, a wealth management firm based in Los Angeles, last week announced the opening of an Orange County office at 1 Park Plaza in Irvine.
The company now has eight locations across the United States.
Irvine forum to feature tech industry leaders
Microsemi President and Chief Operating Officer Paul Pickle will kick off the keynote addresses at the Technology Investor Forum set for 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 5 at Hotel Irvine.
Other keynotes will be delivered by Walter O’Brien, CEO of Scorpion Computer Services and the inspiration for the CBS television series “Scorpion,” and Orange County entrepreneur Hayes Drumwright, CEO of PoP.
The event also is scheduled to include discussions led by representatives of Boeing, Broadcom, Microsoft, CoreLogic and Mucker Capital.
Hotel Irvine is at 17900 Jamboree Road. For more information or to register for the conference, visit TIF2015.com.