Brace yourselves. That’s the clear message from Ara Aslanian, co-founder and chief executive of Glendale tech firm Inverselogic Inc., when he looks at 2020.
“The ransomware attacks we experienced in 2019 will unquestionably continue,” Aslanian says. “Discovering vulnerabilities and educating the public on cyber-hygienic practices will continue to be a priority.”
But Aslanian also sees a silver lining developing in the next few years. “The biggest game-changer,” he says, “will be the rollout of the 5G network, which will facilitate smart cities and transform the health care, manufacturing and energy industries.”
• • •
The latest addition to the Sunset Strip, Ian Schrager’s West Hollywood Edition hotel, celebrated its opening last week with the kind of glitzy gig you’d expect from the man who helped create Studio 54 and the Skybar. The hotel, a partnership between Schrager and Marriott International, has nearly 200 rooms and Insta-ready views. The opening featured performances by Janelle Monáe and Chaka Khan, and a red carpet that attracted Lenny Kravitz, CeeLo Green, Dylan McDermott and too many other bold-faced names to list here.
• • •
Center Theatre Group, a cornerstone of downtown’s revitalized Music Center, has named four members to its board of directors. Theater investor and philanthropist Jill Chozen; JPMorgan Chase executive George Hausler; NoMad Los Angeles Hotel Managing Director Philip Pavel; and Bonnie Vitti, president of the Louis and Harold Price Foundation, have all joined the nonprofit organization. The move follows the hiring earlier this year of Meghan Pressman as CTG’s managing director and chief executive.
• • •
This one’s a chip shot. Valero’s Wilmington Refinery is giving a $400,000 helping hand to 16 local children’s charities. The money comes from the refinery’s share of proceeds raised by the Valero Texas Open, a PGA tournament sponsored by the oil and gas company that was staged earlier this year in San Antonio.
