Bd Systems Acquired by SAIC
Bd Systems said it has agreed to be purchased by Science Applications International Corp of San Diego. Bd, based in Torrance, employs 330 people and is a provider of engineering and information technology services. Science Applications is the largest employee-owned research and engineering company in the U.S., with annual sales of nearly $8 billion and more than 43,000 employees worldwide. The transaction is expected to close in September. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Abraxis Gets New CFO
Los Angeles-based biopharmaceutical maker Abraxis BioScience Inc. said that Lisa Gopalakrishnan has been named executive vice president, finance and will serve as chief financial officer beginning August 10. According to Abraxix, Gopala has experience with Fortune 100 corporations, both domestic and international and most recently served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Intermix Media Inc. the former holding company of Myspace.com. Gopala will succeed Ronald Pauli, who served as interim chief financial officer.
Northrop Gets New Laser Facility
Northrop Grumman Corp. said that it is consolidating its solid-state laser division and has begun construction on a dedicated facility for those operations in Redondo Beach. The 11,000 sq. ft. Directed Energy Production Facility at the Space Technology sector’s Space Park campus has been specifically designed for high-energy lasers and weapon system applications. No new jobs were created due to the consolidation but Northrop said they expect the small sector to begin growth in the next few years.
Web Site Operator Hit With Fraud Charges
The Securities and Exchange Commission said it has filed civil fraud charges against Beverly Hills resident Nicholas Czuczko, accusing him of unfairly profiting by promoting stocks on the Web site thestockster.com. The SEC said it is seeking to bar him from serving as an officer or director of any public company in the future, in addition to forcing him to give up any improperly earned money. The SEC claim alleges that Czuczko started the Web site last December and portrayed it as a publisher of independent, unbiased research. However, the SEC says his recommendations were biased in favor of stocks he held and planned to sell.
