Biz News: O.C. Fair seeks employees for this year’s summer run

The Orange County Fair is looking to hire 1,300 seasonal employees for this summer’s fair, themed “Acres of Fun.”

The festivities are scheduled to run July 12 through Aug. 11.

Positions include livestock attendants, guest service concierges, costumed characters and plumbers.

To apply, visit ocfair.com/jobs or call (714) 708-1563.

Laguna’s Las Brisas debuts new look and menu

Las Brisas restaurant in Laguna Beach recently completed renovations including new seating, a redesigned bar and lounge and a new dining and beverage program under Executive General Manager Michael Gaines.

The restaurant at 361 Cliff Drive, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary but dates to 1938 as the Victor Hugo Inn, also features a new weekday happy hour and live music on select nights.

PIMCO names Nobel Prize winner as advisor

Newport Beach-based Pacific Investment Management Co., or PIMCO, has named Richard Thaler as its senior advisor on retirement and behavioral economics.

Thaler, a professor at the University of Chicago, won the Nobel Prize in economic sciences in 2017.

For PIMCO, his role is “to enhance the firm’s commitment to better understand human behavior and how it impacts decision-making, including how individuals make decisions in saving for and spending during retirement,” according to a news release.

Thaler’s position comes as PIMCO establishes a new long-term partnership with the Center for Decision Research at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Montage names three new chefs

The Montage Laguna Beach resort recently named three new chefs: Executive Chef David Serus, The Loft restaurant chef Joosung Lee and Studio restaurant sous chef Robert Rando.

Serus’ credits include 17 years for Ritz-Carlton properties. In 2013, he was given the prestigious title of maître cuisiniers de France (master chef of France).

Lee, who has more than 15 years’ experience, has worked at Charlie Palmer in Costa Mesa and the Montage Beverly Hills, among other properties.

Rando studied at the Culinary Institute and has worked at various properties along the East Coast, including Topper’s on Nantucket island.

Newport company acquired by JPMorgan

JPMorgan Chase recently acquired InstaMed, an electronic payment company for healthcare reimbursements based in Newport Beach and Philadelphia.

The $500-million acquisition is not expected to cause any staff reductions. About 100 people are employed at InstaMed’s Newport Beach office on Irvine Avenue.

General contractor opens Newport Beach office

BNBuilders, a general contractor specializing in projects for life sciences, education, healthcare, public and technology clients, is opening an office in Newport Beach.

The 4,000-square-foot facility at 4000 Westerly Place near John Wayne Airport will serve clients in Orange County, Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, according to a news release.

H.B. insurance firm announces new acquisitions

Confie, a Huntington Beach-based provider of personal and commercial insurance, recently acquired two agencies in California and Alabama.

The sale prices for Best Rate Insurance, based in the Mobile, Ala., area, and Luxor Insurance, which has three locations around Southern California, were not disclosed.

Fountain Valley hospital receives top honor

The MemorialCare Imaging Center recently made Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley the only Orange County hospital to earn the highest level of American College of Radiology accreditation as a breast imaging center of excellence, according to a news release.

Orange Coast also received three-year terms of accreditation for its positron emission tomography, computed tomography, nuclear medicine and magnetic resonance imaging.

Newport plastic surgeon named president of Rhinoplasty Society

Dr. Jay Calvert, a plastic surgeon with practices in Newport Beach and Beverly Hills, was recently named president of the Rhinoplasty Society.

Calvert specializes in surgery of the nose.

“I am inspired every day by the amazing work my colleagues in the rhinoplasty specialty do and I am humbled and grateful for this appointment,” Calvert said in a statement.

Newport firm acquires office building in Washington state

Newport Beach-based KBS, a commercial real estate firm, recently acquired an office building in Redmond, Wash.

The five-story Offices at Riverpark, built in 2008, has about 106,000 square feet. KBS plans to modernize the lobby and install new amenities for tenants, according to a news release.

The acquisition price was not disclosed.

Newport’s TicketGuardian changes name

TicketGuardian, a Newport Beach-based technology platform, has consolidated its brand and changed its name to that of its parent company, Protecht.

Protecht offers services for the live-events industry, including fraud detection tools, fan engagement, checkout flows and bot detection. Its products include FanShield, TourShield, EventShield, RegShield and FraudGuardian.

Deli chain to expand to Fashion Island

Sessions West Coast Deli will open its fourth location, and second in Newport Beach, in September at Fashion Island, according to a news release.

The new restaurant will be at Macy’s, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. It also will have barista service and sell beer and wine.

Stretching studio comes to Eastside Costa Mesa

A fitness studio that offers stretching exercises has opened in Eastside Costa Mesa.

StretchLab, owned by Matt and Denise Christensen, is at 281 E. 17th St.

For more information, visit StretchLab.com or call (949) 548-5500.

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