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Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.

subsidiary received a contract from Pfizer to provide engineering services for Pfizer’s Focus Freeze Dry project in Puurs, Belgium. The project expands Pfizer’s current production facilities. The Pasadena-based technical, professional and construction services firm did not disclose the contract value.

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Cherokee Inc.

said Tuesday that it signed an exclusive agreement with Roots Canada to represent the Roots brand in the U.S. Under the terms of the agreement, Cherokee, a Van Nuys-based licensor and global brand management company, will create licensing opportunities for the Canadian athletic lifestyle brand. Privately held Roots Canada operates nearly 150 branded stores in Canada, six in the United States and 15 in Taiwan.

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Jakks Pacific Inc.

announced that it signed a global licensing agreement with Hasbro Properties Group, the intellectual property development arm of Hasbro Inc., to develop and market “art activity items” based on the My Little Pony brand. The agreement covers products marketed under Jakks’ Flying Colors and Vivid Velvet brands. Shipments to retailers are expected to begin this fall.

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L.A.-based

Southwest Water Co.

reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $410,000 (2 cents per diluted share), compared with net income of $2 million (12 cents) for the like period a year earlier. Operating revenue for the quarter rose to $47.5 million from $44 million in the comparable quarter of the prior year.

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Plains Exploration & Production Co.

, a U.S. oil producer, has agreed to buy oil and natural-gas fields in Southern California from an unidentified, closely held company for $119 million. The properties, located in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, produce the equivalent of about 2,000 barrels of oil a day, Houston-based Plains Exploration said in a release Tuesday. The fields have proved reserves of about 17.4 million barrels of oil equivalent and may have additional deposits, the company said. The acquisition is expected to close early in the second quarter.

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Merv Griffin, the creator of hit game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, announced the formation of

Griffin & Co., LLC

, a real estate investment banking firm that will structure joint ventures and raise equity and debt capital for owners and developers. Griffin has worked in the real estate industry before: Over the past 20 years, he has bought and sold 17 radio stations, six casino resorts and riverboats, and 17 hotels.