Paul Harrington was on a road show to raise money for his company when he took a detour to Canada to carry the Olympic torch.
The chief executive of Van Nuys-based Easton Bell Sports interrupted his meetings with investment bankers and analysts to fly to Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia, on Nov. 16. The next day he carried the torch about 440 yards before handing it off to the next runner.
Harrington, 47, got the gig through a nomination from Jim Easton, the company chairman and a member of the International Olympic Committee. “The wind was about 40 miles per hour, so the most difficult part was keeping the flame lit,” Harrington recalled. “Behind the runners there’s a truck with the flame from Greece in case the torch goes out. I joked with the other runners, saying ‘You don’t want to be the person who has to run back to the truck.’ ”
Harrington immediately returned to the investment road show, which was managed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. Easton Bell raised $350 million from bond sales during the tour.
Harrington told the Business Journal: “My road show included New York, Boston, San Francisco – and Port Hawkesbury.”
The Vancouver Winter Olympics will commence Feb. 12.
Boy Phones It In for Charity
Jeffrey Cohen, a partner in the downtown L.A. law firm Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, played a fatherly role in turning a childish pastime into a high-tech charity fundraiser.
Cohen’s son Cameron, now 11, developed a benign bone tumor in 2009 that put his leg in a cast for nine months. Unable to participate in athletics, the boy turned his energies to computer programs, particularly applications for his iPhone.
After taking a summer class on how to write code, Cameron created an app called iSketch that allows users to draw or paint on their iPhone.
At first, Cohen said, he assumed it was a simple diversion for his son and he didn’t think anything would come of it. “But the more he talked to us in a language we didn’t understand, the more we knew he was on to something.”
With the help of his father, Cameron got iSketch licensed for sale by Apple Inc. on its Web site. In appreciation for the care he received at UCLA Medical Center, he is giving a large portion of the revenue to Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA. The money is designated to purchase electronic entertainment and toys for child patients.
The experience shows that “today an 11-year-old kid can make a difference,” said Cohen. “At first, it was about Cameron and his sense of accomplishment. But now that sales are starting to accelerate it’s important to give back to the community.”
Staff reporter Joel Russell contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].
