As a youngster, Michael Arens would go on family vacations in Florida, where he saw the “red tides” and fish kills that would close local beaches, causing disappointment because the native of St. Louis wanted to swim in the ocean. During a high school speech class, he heard a classmate Read More
After dealing with stagnant revenue in the last few years, Juice It Up breached $50 million in total system sales for the first time in 2024. The Irvine-based chain saw sales hover around the $45 million mark since 2022. But as it introduced more grab-and-go and heated snack options, sales Read More
Biola University is one year into building a new $74 million studio facility for its fast-growing Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts, which now houses the second largest undergraduate program on campus. “It was designed to accommodate the growth that already is happening within the Snyder School,” founding Dean Read More
Twenty-seven of the largest restaurant chains headquartered in Orange County generated $37 billion in systemwide sales for 2024, an 8.5% increase from last year. While local headcounts fell 6.4% to 20,900 people across the board, that’s not stopping OC-based restaurant companies seeking to grow stores over the next five to Read More
Naveen Poonian, chief executive of iBase-T, sees a silver lining in the tariffs being imposed by President Donald Trump. The tariffs are causing manufacturers to relocate to the U.S., which in turn is forcing them to become even more efficient, he said. That trend benefits iBase-t, which has developed software Read More
Shaheen Sadeghi has never followed the crowd. For most of his retail and development career, he’s been out front, paving a path that others have followed. More than 30 years ago, the former Quiksilver president left the fashion industry to start LAB Holding LLC, a Costa Mesa-based venture rooted in Read More
The González family of Northgate González Markets still have not seen a lull in customer traffic since the opening of the 70,000-square-foot Mercado González store in Costa Mesa over a year ago. Joshua González, one of 32 third-generation family members who work at the Anaheim-based company, said they had expected Read More
Forever Ageless Inc. is seeing continued growth for its aesthetics treatments and services. Since the Newport Beach medspa won a Business Journal Family-Owned Business Award in the medium-sized company category last May, business has grown about 9.8%, which is “great for our industry,” according to Zara Cerni. “We were still Read More
Editor’s Note: Brothers Wing Lam, Ed Lee and Mingo Lee opened the first Wahoo’s Fish Taco location in Costa Mesa in 1988. The Tustin-based restaurant chain has more than 40 locations throughout California, Texas, Nevada and Japan. Ed Lee is also the founder of Toast Kitchen & Bakery in Tustin. Read More
Join us in celebrating the strength, resilience, and legacy of local family-owned businesses at the 26th Annual Family-Owned Business Awards. This special section honors 47 outstanding nominees across Orange County whose passion, innovation, and commitment to excellence continue to shape our community. The event takes place on June 12, 2025, Read More
