CENTRAL AREA
DOWNTOWN
Office Opening: Charles River Associates, a business consulting firm with headquarters in Boston, has opened an office at the U.S. Bank Tower. The office, which will offer its services to local law firms, corporations and accounting firms, will be headed by Brian Palmer and Ben Sheppard.
EXPOSITION PARK
Research Funding: University of Southern California has received a $25 million charitable gift from former WellPoint Inc. chief executive Leonard Schaeffer and his wife, Pamela. The money comes atop a $1.2 million donation in 2009 used to establish the university’s Leonard Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, and will be used to further research to control health care costs and improve patient outcomes worldwide.
WESTSIDE
CENTURY CITY
Plane Deal: International Lease Finance Corp., a Century City company that leases aircraft to commercial airlines, has delivered an airplane to Myanmar Airways International. The Airbus A320-200 is a single-aisle airplane that seats about 150 passengers.
beverly hills
Theater Technology: RealD Inc., a Beverly Hills licensor of 3D technologies, has signed an agreement to outfit a chain of Chinese theaters with its 3D projection technology. Womei Theater Chain, based in Beijing, has begun work with RealD to install equipment for 100 screens over the next two years.
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY
WOODLAND HILLS
Retail Acquisition: Growlife Inc., a Woodland Hills indoor horticulture company, has acquired Urban Garden Supplies, a small Los Angeles retail chain that sells hydroponic garden equipment such as containers and LED grow lights. The transaction gives the company a brick-and-mortar presence in the hydroponics retail industry.
NORTH COUNTY
VALENCIA
Gym Expansion: Total Woman Gym & Day Spa, a southern California chain of full-service gyms and day spas, has opened a location on McBean Parkway in Valencia. The gym is the 13th location for the Westlake Village health club company.
TRI-CITIES
PASADENA
Technology Acquisition: OpenX Technologies Inc., a digital and mobile advertising technology company in Pasadena, has acquired JumpTime Inc., a Culver City technology company that helps publishers calculate content value. A goal of the acquisition is to help publishers get the highest price for ads. JumpTime founders Michele DiLorenzo, Andres Rodriguez and Anke Audenaert will join OpenX.
– Bethany Firnhaber
