Stratus Financial LLC, a Newport Beach-based provider of financing for student pilots seeking commercial flight training, was ranked No. 1 in the Business Journal’s 2024 and 2025 lists of fastest-growing locally based private companies. Now, Stratus COO Brandon Martini has taken his high-flying success to an even loftier goal: opening Read More
NONPROFIT Monica Pleasant has been named Vice President of People & Culture at Illumination Health + Home, the Orange County-based nonprofit dedicated to disrupting the cycle of homelessness. Previously an HR leader at Medtronic and Edwards Lifesciences, she now leads talent strategy and employee experience for more than 350 staff across medical respite Read More
People often ask Fred Hill what he is most proud of. Some expect him to talk about football: winning a national championship at USC in 1962, playing in the 1963 Rose Bowl, leading USC in receptions, earning Second-Team All-America honors and being drafted by both the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Read More
Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill are moving their shared headquarters to a larger, 254,000-square-foot campus on Alton Parkway in Irvine, marking Orange County’s largest new office lease in five years. Taco Bell, Orange County’s largest restaurant chain, and its sister brand will exit their five-story, 181,000-square-foot headquarters at Read More
Take a behind-the-scenes look at Fred Hill’s McDonald’s legacy, his family, and the memories that shaped a lifetime of service to others.
Levain Bakery opens its first Orange County location at the Fashion Island shopping center in Newport Beach on Friday, Sept. 4, on the Macy’s side near Barnes & Noble and Starbucks. The New York City-born bakery, known for its six-ounce cookies, was founded by Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald in 1995 and Read More
Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County is delighted to announce the appointment of a new Board Chair and five new Board Directors. Maria Zlidar Richards will serve as Board Chair for a two-year term. She joined the Board in 2022, having served as Vice Chair, Secretary, and Governance-Nominating Committee Read More
PUBLIC RELATIONS Courtney Betley Reveille, the independent advertising and communications agency based in Costa Mesa, has expanded its creative leadership team with the appointments of Steve Harbour as executive creative director and Courtney Betley as creative director. The additions strengthen the agency’s creative offering as Reveille continues to grow its Read More
Pacific. That word can mean many things. For Alexander Shelley, who begins his inaugural season as Pacific Symphony’s new Artistic and Music Director this September, just the name Pacific Symphony is evocative. “It doesn’t immediately evoke a specific location, but the word pacific, for me, serves as such a beautiful Read More
