Veggie Grill raises $20M in private equity funding
Veggie Grill, a Santa-Monica based chain of vegan restaurants, has raised $20 million in common-stock funding from both current shareholders and new investors, the Los Angeles Times reported. A large portion of this investment was contributed by Brentwood Associates, making the private equity firm the biggest single shareholder. According to Dow Jones, Bill Barnum and Rahul Aggarwal of Brentwood [...]
OWC’s Tracy Williams moderates panel with AP, Reuters, CNN and LA Times on social media in newsrooms
In a world of ever-emerging social media sites and tools, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs are still the go-to social media sources for newsrooms across the country, according to the top-tier journalists who spoke on July 19 at the panel “The ‘New’ Newsroom: How Social Media Has Impacted the Way Newsrooms Operate.” According to the [...]
Ortho Mattress nominated for two awards
The only made-in-California mattress chain Ortho Mattress recently announced it is competing for top mattress store honors in both The Los Angeles Times‘ second-annual Readers’ Choice and the San Diego Union-Tribune‘s Readers’ Poll contests. Voting is open until Sunday, July 1, for the LA Times contest on its Web site at www.latimes.com/readerschoice and by text message [...]
Demand for interpretations grows exponentially
More than 200 languages are spoken in Southern California, and the demand for companies that offer over-the-phone interpretations is growing exponentially, reports the Los Angeles Times. Language Line Services, a Monterey, Calif.-based company with annual revenue of $300 million, is the global industry leader and the company that banks, hospitals and other industries rely on [...]
Spectrum Athletic sells Texas locations to Gold’s Gym
El Segundo-based Spectrum Athletic Clubs announced the company is selling its 11 Texas locations to Gold’s Gym International. Spectrum Athletic Clubs is returning its focus to Southern California, where it plans to add to its dozens of gyms, reported The Los Angeles Times. Spectrum Clubs was purchased by Los Angeles-based private equity firm Brentwood Associates in 1999. No [...]
Franchising comes easier to experienced developers
Franchisers have stepped up incentive programs to help entice would-be entrepreneurs in a down economy, reports The Los Angeles Times in a recent article. But longtime franchisees caution that success, if it comes, will take time. For example, entrepreneurs may have trouble franchising or getting a loan for just one restaurant, according to Brentwood Associates [...]
The Los Angeles Times blogs about Southland Entrepreneur of the Year winners
Andrew Khouri blogged on the Los Angeles Times Web site yesterday about the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year gala held at the Beverly Hills Hilton on Tuesday. The seven Southland winners will move to the next round of competition, going up against regional winners nationwide this fall. The Los Angeles program began in 1987, [...]
Cleantech Feeling the Love from Venture Capital Firms – The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times
According to Ernst & Young and data from DowJones Venture Source, cleantech venture capital jumped 54 percent in the first quarter of 2011. While the number of deals decreased from 79 in Q1 of 2010 to 69 this quarter, total money raised increased to $1.1 billion from $743.3 in the same period last year. From [...]
Venture capital sweeps into clean-tech industry
By Tiffany Hsu Los Angeles Times Click here to view the full article Venture capitalists spent the first quarter of the year dousing the clean-tech industry with more money, hiking investment in solar and other green companies. Though the number of deals fell to 69 from 79, companies raised $1.1 billion in the first three [...]
