December 2011 Archives

The Inland Empire United Way has announced that OHL, a logistics company with multiple Inland Empire warehouses, is the charity's "Company of the Month" for December.

OHL's relationship with Inland Empire United Way includes workplace giving, food drives, and corporate sponsorships. OHL gave $5,000 to the charity's Challenge for Children program, which is aimed at helping disadvantaged children in the region.

The company occupies warehouse space in Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana. OHL is headquartered in Tennessee.

The School of Business Administration at UC Riverside plans to begin its third global residency program in January when students are scheduled to travel to Mumbai, India.

In Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, undergraduate and graduate students as well as alumni are set to attend lectures and visit business and cultural sites.

Scheduled lecture topics include India's transitional economy, Mumbai's economy, and India's economic future.

UC Riverside has previously established one-week residency programs in England and China. School leaders plan to create future programs in Brazil and Russia.
The California Association of Realtors will run television and radio announcements warning homeowners to avoid mortgage fraud.

The announcement is written for on-air personalities to read. The script includes the following line:

"These offers may seem 'too good to be true' because they are. Don't fall for it. In most cases, charging upfront fees or payments for a mortgage modification is not just a rip-off, it's illegal."

Information: www.car.org.

The California Board of Equalization has appointed Jaime Garza as the board's new deputy director for external affairs.

Garza will responsible for communicating on behalf of the board to the media and public. He is a former journalist and most recently worked as a public information officer for the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

The Board of Equalization's duties include the collection of sales and use taxes, hearing tax appeals and administering property taxes.

The California Board of Equalization has appointed Jaime Garza as the board's new deputy director for external affairs.

Garza will responsible for communicating on behalf of the board to the media and public. He is a former journalist and most recently worked as a public information officer for the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

The Board of Equalization's duties include the collection of sales and use taxes, hearing tax appeals and administering property taxes.

The Inland Empire chapter of the California Society of CPAs gave its distinguished service award to UC Riverside professor Michael L. Moore.

The group gave the award to Moore in recognition for his research into international taxation and tax policy. Moore is also co-author of the book "U.S. Tax Aspects of Doing Business Abroad."

The society's Inland Empire chapter gave its public service award to Vicenti, Lloyd & Stutzman. The company is a Glendora public accounting firm involved in several received community activities, such as donating blankets and clothing for the needy and building a playground for a boys' group home.

Mining company Molycorp reported that the company has permission from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to look for rare earths metals at a location near its mine at Mountain Pass.

"This is an important milestone in our heavy rare earth strategy, and we expect to begin drilling immediately," Molycorp CEO Mark A. Smith said in a statement. "We anticipate results from the drilling program in the second quarter of 2012."

Mountain Pass is near the 15 Freeway on San Bernardino County's side of the Nevada State Line. Molycorp's mine there is the only place in the United States where rare earths metals are extracted from the earth.

Molycorp's preliminary exploration of the site shows a relatively high percentage of heavy rare earths metals including terbium, dysprosium, europium and samariam. Rare earths metals have a variety of high-tech applications.

The Leapfrog Group, an organization representing many private and public sector health care purchasers, included Kaiser Permanente's medical centers in Fontana and Riverside on its "Top Hospital" list.

No other Inland Empire hospitals made the list.

Leapfrog Group named 65 U.S. hospitals to the list. Making the list signifies that Leapfrog observed low incidences of medical errors, reduced mortality for high-risk procedures and reduced readmissions.

A total of 17 Kaiser Permanente facilities up and down California made the list.

U.S. home prices increased by a slight 3 percent on a quarter-over-quarter basis during the three months ending Nov. 30, Clear Capital reported.

The trend was different in the West, however, where housing prices fell 0.8 percent during the past three months. Markets with high-levels of foreclosed homes, such as the Inland Empire, were not subject to the same kind of price stability that Clear Capital observed elsewhere.

In the Inland Empire, home prices fell 2 percent during the past quarter. Roughly 42 percent of homes on the market in the San Bernardino-Riverside-Ontario area were foreclosures.

In Greater Los Angeles, home prices fell 1.7 percent during the past closure. The area's foreclosure had a foreclosure saturation of 28 percent.

Clear Capital's offices are in Truckee.

San Bernardino Mitsubishi and Subaru of San Bernardino will provide oil changes and vehicle
inspections in exchange for donated toys worth at least $20, the dealership announced.

The toys are to be donated to Loma Linda Children's Hospital.

The offer is limited to Mitsubishi and Subaru owners. The dealership is at 645 Auto Center Drive, San Bernardino.

Information: 909-884-7700.

The California Society of Tax Consultants, Inland Empire Chapter plan to welcome Amy Smith of the Internal Revenue Service as the featured speaker for the group's next meeting.

Smith is scheduled to provide an update of federal tax issues.

The meeting, which includes dinner, is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at DoubleTree Hotel Claremont, 555 W. Foothill Boulevard.

Admission will cost $30 for chapter members with timely reservations, $45 for first-time guests with reservations or $45 for others.

For reservations, call: 888-853-9670.

For information, call or email Randi Stern at 909-597-2721 or rcs225@verizon.net.

Claremont Dental Institute plans to give away free toothbrushes and provide tours during a grand opening scheduled to take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Dec. 15.

Dentist Vijay Patel<NO1> cq<NO> previously practiced in Montclair before moving to a new office.

Claremont Dental Institute is at 601 E Foothill Blvd. Claremont.

Information: 909-625-4101.

The Inland Empire United Way has five new board members drawn from the inland business community.

The new board members are:

  • Rick Battistoni, General Manager for Costco in Fontana
  • John Greaves, district operations manager for UPS's airport operations in Ontario
  • Richard Mueller, president of Ameron Water Transmission Group in Rancho Cucamonga
  • Karen Racusin, senior vice president for U.S. Bank, based in Ontario
Keith Matthews, vice president and branch manager for Citizens Business Bank in Ontario.
Information: www.ieuw.org.

Pomona Chamber of Commerce executive director Frank Garcia said he will get in the ring with Pomona native and champion boxer Sugar Shane Mosley.

Garcia, said however, that the event won't follow traditional boxing rules.

"The only way they're going to let me get in the ring is, we have to wear these huge gloves," Garcia said, referring to

Garcia vs. Mosley is set to take part during the chamber's Thursday Wednesday mixer. The event is set for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Diamond's Love Foundation, 127 E. Commercial St., Pomona.

Information: 909-622-9092.

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Covering the local business scene for Inland Empire with the latest news.

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