Christina Brock: February 2009 Archives

The San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board has announced that John Gibson and Phil Cothran have been elected as its new chairman and vice chairman, respectively. Gibson and Cothran were nominated by a committee of the Workforce Investment Board and elected to their positions by the full board.

Gibson, on the Workforce Investment Board for four years, is a 20-year veteran of the accounting and finance industry. Cothran, a past chairman of the board and a board member for 10 years, owns Cothran State Farm Insurance in Fontana.

In response to the mandatory state workers' furlough announced by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Roni Deutch Tax Center, 583 E. Foothill Blvd., No. 7, Upland, is offering free tax returns to the first 50 state employees to have their returns processed.  Information: (909) 297-5721.

Area residents who earned less than $60,000 last year and elderly and disabled locals are all eligible for free income-tax preparation again this year, thanks to the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program at Cal State San Bernardino. The 2009 program runs through April 11 at various locations. 

Free tax assistance will be available:

Information: (909) 537-3992 or www.cbpa.csusb.edu/vita.

Cal Poly Pomona alumnus Daniel Benner has joined HMC Architects as a principal in the firm's Ontario office. According to a news release, Benner's experience includes more than 25 school-district clients throughout the state, the 60,000-capacity Glen Helen Regional Park amphitheatre in Devore and  Wilma Amina Carter High School in Rialto.

At HMC, Benner will continue to focus on schools and civic projects. 

Temecula Valley Bancorp Inc., which operates Temecula Valley Bank locations across the region, including Corona and Ontario, recently reported a net loss of $11.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2008, driven primarily by a $23.7 million provision for loan losses, compared with a net loss of $3.6 million in the immediate prior quarter and a net income of $3.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2007.

For all of 2008, following a $38.8 million provision for loan losses, the company's net loss totaled $16 million compared with earnings of $15.1 million for 2007.

Read the full release here:

J. Derek Halvorson has been appointed president of Providence Christian College in Ontario, effective July 1. The board of directors unanimously approved the appointment of Halvorson, currently regional director of development for Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga. He will succeed Jim Den Ouden, who is retiring after being president of Providence since June 2004. 

Douglas C. Earnhart, senior vice president in the Ontario office of Lee & Associates and a 25-year veteran of commercial real estate sales, has been elected 2009 president of the AIR Commercial Real Estate Association. Earnhart succeeds Bart Reinhard of CB Richard Ellis.

Earnhart has been an AIR member since 1989 and is also involved in a number of other organizations, including the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, the Economic Development Strategy Committee of Chino, and the Boy Scouts of America.

Ontario and Community Bank's Ontario office are partnering to present a small-business finance seminar, "Combating the Credit Crunch in 2009," which will focus on survival strategies for Inland Empire small business owners. The seminar is scheduled from 8 to 11 a.m. Feb. 26 at the Ontario Convention Center, 2000 E. Convention Center Way. Cost: $20 if preregistered, $25 at the door. Parking is free. 

The three-hour event is designed to teach business owners techniques to improve their chances of obtaining financing in the midst of the current credit crunch. Attendees will be taught hands-on skills as well as have opportunities to meet bankers and "alternative lenders." Information: (909) 937-8529

The San Bernardino Valley Enterprise Zone will host a workshop on employment laws from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Feb. 25 at the Gonzales Center, 670 Colton Ave., Colton. 

According to a news release, "The workshop will provide an update and a better understanding of the existing and new employment labor laws, which employers are responsible for understanding and complying with."

The event is sponsored by the Inland Valley Development Agency, Colton, San Bernardino Economic Development Agency and the San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency. Reservations are required by Feb. 20. Reservations and information: (909) 382-4100, ext. 230, or e-mail info@sbvez.com.

The Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce's 13th annual Taste of the Chino Valley is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. March 2 at the newly opened Chaffey College Chino Community Center, 5890 College Park Ave. Last year's event attracted between 800 and 1,000 people. Sponsorships are still available. Tickets are on sale at the chamber office. Cost: $15 in advance; $20 at the door. Information: (909) 627-6177

Members of the Inland Empire Economic Recovery Corp. visited legislators and policy-makers in Washington recently to tell them about their efforts to tackle the Inland Empire's foreclosure and economic woes, according to a news release. 

San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane and two other members of the corporation board, county Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt and Arrowhead Credit Union President Larry Sharp, visited each member of the Inland Empire's congressional delegation during the two-day trip, according to the release. The officials also met with officials from the U.S. Department of Treasury, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Republican Housing subcommittee.

This week, San Bernardino Associated Governments -- which represents the county's 24 cities as well as the county -- approved a work plan that will provide $50,000 to help the corporation and HUD host home-foreclosure prevention seminars.

Yucaipa-based Ingen Technologies Inc. CEO Scott Sand appeared in a recent installment of CEOCorner. In the segment, Sand provided listeners with company updates and a brief inside look at the most compelling features and recent developments of Ingen Technologies. Details of the interview can be heard at the company profile for Ingen Technologies on the InvestSource Inc. Web site, www.investsourceinc.com, or on the CEOCorner Web site, www.ceo-corner.com.

Universal Surveillance Systems in Rancho Cucamonga has reached the milestone of 25 patents -- 22 U.S. and three international -- issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for retail security loss prevention technologies. The company has an additional 18 patents pending. Information: (800) 488-9097

Read the entire press release here: 

AeroVironment Inc., the Monrovia-based maker of unmanned surveillance planes and efficient energy systems, will hold a job fair/open house to recruit 25 to 30 more workers on Thursday Feb. 12.

AeroVironment is seeking employees for its Efficient Energy Systems division. Companywide, the business is looking to hire more than 100 people. 

The job fair will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel Monrovia, 924 W. Huntington Drive.

REOMAC, a not-for-profit trade association serving the mortgage default industry nationwide, has announced its board of directors for 2009. The new board includes Frank Lougher with Citi Residential Lending in Rancho Cucamonga, whose term began Jan. 1.

The Inland Empire Investing in Real Estate Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Old Spaghetti Factory, 11896 Foothill Blvd., in Rancho Cucamonga. Information and registration: Online at www.weeklyclubs.com or (877) 285-8669.

Mimi's Cafe will celebrate the opening of its new Fontana location at 16933 Sierra Lakes Parkway with a "Meet Me at Mimi's" event at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 12. In addition to a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the Fontana Chamber of Commerce, more than $3,000 worth of free gift cards will be presented to the first 75 adults in line.

Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona has received a $50,000 commitment to honor a member of the first graduating class of the university's College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. Dr. Herbert Mendelson, founder of Mendelson Orthopedics in Livonia, Mich., has pledged to donate $50,000 to the school in memory of his brother, a member of the college's charter class in 1978. Dr. Sol Mendelson graduated from the college in 1982 and was a general practitioner in Temecula for 24 years. He died in 2006.

In appreciation of the gift, Western will name a patient-care unit at its new Patient Care Center "The Dr. Sol Mendelson Memorial Interprofessional Patient Suite."

US Bank has appointed commercial lending professional Jared W. Johnson to its staff. Johnson will assume the role of business banking officer. He has spent the past three years working as a business development officer for Enterprise Funding and Resource Capital. Johnson will be based in the Ontario region. 

Cal State San Bernardino will hold an International Business Fair on Thursday, Feb. 12. The event, themed "Languages Mean Business," will "let students network with area employers, stress the importance of learning a foreign language and gain awareness of other cultures to successfully compete in today's global economy." The event will be from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the university's Santos Manuel Student Union Events Center. The fair is free and open to the public. University parking is $5. Information: (909) 537-7848 or via e-mail

Western University of Health Sciences has received a $5.1 million commitment, one of the largest donations to the Pomona school in its 31-year history. 

The gift from Drs. Daljit and Elaine Sarkaria of Orange has three parts:

Jennifer Johnson has been hired as the new national sales manager for the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa. Johnson has worked in hotel sales for more than a decade. Her primary focus will be on working on increasing awareness of the resort in the Los Angeles area. Information: (909) 336-1511 or www.laresort.com.

For the fourth quarter of 2008, Pasadena-based Community Bank is reporting a net income of $3.4 million, a 26.1 percent decrease from the $4.6 million earned in the same period of the previous year. The bank, which holds assets of $2.5 billion, reported net income for the year ended Dec. 31 at $16.8 million, a 7 percent decrease from the $18.1 million earned the previous year. 

According to a news release, the bank's reserve for loan losses as of Dec. 31 totaled $22.3 million or 1.24 percent of the total. The bank's provision for loan losses for the year ended 2008 was $7.7 million.

The bank's capital ratios remain "exceptionally strong," according to the release, exceeding regulatory requirements for a classification of "well capitalized."

Community Bank has sites in Corona, Fontana, Ontario, Redlands and Yucaipa. Information: www.cbank.com.

After Cal State San Bernardino's College of Social and Behavioral Sciences hosted a December summit on the economic crisis, its organizers, led by the college's dean, Jamal Nassar, set out to make sure the summit continued to serve the community beyond the half-day event. According to a news release, the result is the Economic Crisis Resource Guide and Web site

Across the top of its page, the Web site lists links to city, county, state and nongovernmental agencies that can assist the community with foreclosure prevention, personal investment and retirement assistance, employment information (including job searches and unemployment benefits), business assistance, health issues, including mental health and emergency medical and mental-health needs, public services and non-emergency health and social services.

Daniela Bliss of Countrywide Bank will host a series of free seminars on reverse mortgages in Diamond Bar. The classes will focus on the "features, benefits, qualifications and uses of a Countrywide reverse mortgage." The seminars are from 11 a.m. to noon Feb. 13 and March 13 at the Diamond Bar Community Center, 1600 S. Grand Ave., and from 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 18 and March 4 at the Diamond Bar Public Library, 1061 Grand Ave. There will be no selling at the events, officials said. Attendees will receive a free copy of "Keeping Family Records." Reservations are requested. Information and reservations: (866) 501-4551

Moss Bros. Dodge in San Bernardino has become Moss Bros. Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge - San Bernardino, consolidating the vehicle lines under one roof.

Serving the Inland Empire since 1921, the Moss Bros. Auto Group has taken steps toward securing a greater selection of vehicles at its San Bernardino site at 1100 S. E St.

"This is an exciting time for us and the entire Auto Group has high expectations for our newly expanded store in San Bernardino," Glenn L. Moss Sr., president and CEO of Moss Bros. Auto Group, said in a news release. Information: (866) 329-5555.

Medical-device manufacturer Ingen Technologies Inc. in Yucaipa announced at the end of January that it has received its first order from the National Guard Hospital based in Saudi Arabia. The company has registered with the Central Contractor Registration as the primary registrant database for the federal government. This registration will allow Ingen to sell its medical products to the National Guard. Information: http://www.ingen-tech.com

Summit Career College, 851 S. Cooley Drive, Colton, will hold its inaugural Community Action Partnership Encounter from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 23 at on the school campus.

College officials hopes the event becomes an ongoing outreach and networking project to engage business organizations at the local and state levels. According to a news release, "These cooperative efforts will focus on creative financial resources and solutions that can support our students with direct assistance in order to ease their barriers of obtaining a higher education." Information: (909) 422-8950

Investing in Real Estate Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at Johnny Carino's Italian Grill, 3801 Grand Ave., Chino. Topics for the meeting will be short sales and credit repair. Registration: http://www.weeklyclubs.com or (877) 285-8669.

Trilogy at Glen Ivy in Murrieta has selected MERIT as the new property-management company for the adult community of nearly 2,000 residents. MERIT will assist the board of directors with daily operations. MERIT took over management responsibilities on Feb. 1.

EHS Medical Group, a medical professional corporation that owns and operates physician networks throughout n California, announced last week the acquisition of Inland Valleys Independent Physician Association, also referred to as Redlands IPA. With a membership of 50 primary and 500 specialty physicians, the IPA provides care to nearly 8,500 patients in Riverside and San Bernardino and Riverside counties, and will continue to operate as Inland Valleys IPA. Information: http://www.ehsmd.com/EHS_InlandEmpire.html

Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona has received a $50,000 commitment toward honoring a member of the first graduating class of the university's College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. Dr. Herbert Mendelson, MD, founder of Mendelson Orthopedics in Livonia, Mich., has pledged to donate $50,000 to the school in memory of his brother, Sol, a member of COMP's the college's charter class in 1978. Dr. Sol Mendelson graduated from COMP the college in 1982 and was a general practitioner in Temecula for 24 years. He  passed away died in 2006.

In appreciation of the gift, WesternU will name a patient-care unit at its new Patient Care Center "The Dr. Sol Mendelson Memorial Interprofessional Patient Suite."