Speaking to a gathering of the United Chambers of Commerce, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner assessed his department’s performance in his first year in office and gave goals for 2008. Poizner said in an interview after his speech at UCC’s annual “Celebrating Business” recognition dinner that quick response by his department to the October wildfires in several areas of the state was the top accomplishment of his first year. He said 25,000 of the 37,000 insurance claims made after the fires have already been paid. “It’s been a very busy time,” the former Silicon Valley executive and high school teacher said. Despite those accomplishments, Poizner said he was frustrated by what he called the “wrong direction” in which the state was going. “Our long-term health and prosperity are in jeopardy,” he said. Poizner called the state’s highway system “terrible” and said California wasn’t keeping up with changes in the world economy. “Most people in Sacramento are oblivious to the changes in the global economy,” he said. He lamented that for the first time, 40 percent of Silicon Valley venture capital is being invested outside of California and claimed that the state needs to pay better attention to job creation. Poizner said his goals for the coming year include lowering insurance rates by combating insurance fraud. “I’m going to make sure insurance companies pass through these costs to consumers,” he said. He also said he intends to help further fine tune the state workers’ compensation system which he said has become more business friendly since it was revamped in 2003 (when the total cost of premiums was $32 billion). Now premiums have fallen to $20 billion. The commissioner also said he would focus on getting more uninsured drivers off the road. He said 25 percent of drivers in the state are uninsured. At the UCC event, several companies and individuals were honored for their contributions to the local business community. The honorees were: Individual of the Year Lulu Mercado, nominated by the San Fernando Valley Filipino American Chamber of Commerce. Small Business of the Year Mooney Industries Precision Machining Inc., nominated by the Canoga Park/West Hills Chamber of Commerce; and Deats Design, nominated by the Woodland Hills/Tarzana Chamber of Commerce. Medium Business of the Year Gelb Group, nominated by the Encino Chamber of Commerce. Large Business of the Year Northeast Valley Health Corp., nominated by the Sun Valley Chamber of Commerce. Public Safety Official of the Year LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore, nominated by the Encino Chamber of Commerce. Tami Ginsburg Celebration of Service Award Lee McTaggert, nominated by the Sun Valley Chamber of Commerce. UCC’s 2008 Chairman Stephen T. Holzer also honored outgoing Chairman Pamela Corradi for her service to the organization.

When one thinks of manufacturing in the Valley, the industry most likely to come to mind is aerospace. While that industry has no doubt flourished in this area, the Valley has also become a hub for jewelry manufacturers over the years. Some of the estimated few dozen jewelry manufacturers in the Valley,a large number situated in Glendale and Burbank,have been a force here longer than others. A case in point is Joseff Precision Metal Products in Burbank. With goods featured in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, not to mention the runways of Paris and Milan, the company launched in 1921. “We manufacture costume jewelry to sell and to rent to the studios,” general manager Tina Joseff explained. “Since the beginning, that’s what we started doing. Mostly, we’re a boutique type shop. Most of our pieces are reproductions from pieces that have been used in the movies.” Tina Joseff’s father-in-law, the late Eugene Joseff, was inspired to start the business when he complained to industry insiders about repeatedly seeing movie stars wearing contemporary jewelry in period films. They told him, “See if you can do any better,” according to Tina Joseff. By all appearances, Eugene Joseff did. In the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s, he emerged as one of the top Hollywood jewelry designers, earning him the moniker “jeweler to the stars.” Joseff manufactured the gold and silver cigar box Clark Gable used in “Gone with the Wind,” the pearl-and-aquamarine-jeweled necklace worn by Bette Davis in “Elizabeth & Essex” and a belt Elizabeth Taylor wore in “Cleopatra.” Jewelry featured in the films “The Ten Commandments” and “The King and I” was also provided by Joseff. More recently, they provided the jewelry featured in the cave scenes of “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Because the company, which settled in Burbank in 1940, has a historic following, it does not engage in advertising. “Generally, we do word of mouth,” Tina Joseff said. Thus far, the business seems to be largely unaffected by the writers strike. Asked what impact the dispute has had on the company, Tina Joseff answered, “That’s hard to say. Perhaps (it has been) a little bit. If they aren’t producing anything, no one’s renting anything.” Even if the strike continues, Joseff has another industry to fall back on: aerospace. That’s right. The company has adopted the slogan “from jewelry to jets.” While the company still manufactures jewelry and produces a small line of costume jewelry, it has long manufactured aerospace parts. The origins of Joseff’s foray into this industry date back to 1941, when the company began making castings for radar, guided missiles, computers and electro-mechanical systems for various aerospace products. Ties to Hollywood Like Joseff, American Metal Arts in Canoga Park is a jewelry manufacturer with ties to Hollywood that has also branched out to other industries. When the company started in 1985, however, jewelry manufacturing was its sole focus, particularly of miniature jewelry pins. Much of the jewelry American Metal Arts produces is used for promotional purposes for company logos, pendants, medallions and the like according to founder Michael De Medina. The company has also made reproductions for movies and television. De Medina’s background as a sculptor led him to manufacture customized pieces as well. “I even made customized jewelry for the movie and television industry,” he said. The highlight came in the 1990s, when De Medina was asked to make a pair of sterling silver shoes for Michael Jackson. “It took quite a while,” he recalled. “We worked for his people, his costume designers.” Medina has put his sculpting ability to direct use by manufacturing customized bronze sculptures for clients such as 21st Century Insurance. His work can now be seen in the Warner Center Marriott lobby in Woodland Hills. In addition to sculpting, De Medina has spent the past ten years or so branching out into the awards arena by manufacturing customized trophies. He said that making this move was a must, as countries such as China, Thailand and India have provided stiff competition in the jewelry manufacturing field. “The international market is a killer,” he said. While companies working with foreign manufacturers usually have to purchase large orders, De Medina stays afloat by being available to make small orders. He makes a point to collaborate with clients throughout the entire manufacturing process. “We work together with the client, so it’s very intimate. It’s not at a distance,” he said. Despite persistent competition from abroad, De Medina has no plans to abandon the jewelry manufacturing aspect of his business. At the end of this year, he even plans to launch a Christian jewelry line called Heavenly Jewelry. China Competition Felice Jacobson, owner of FM Designs Inc. in North Hollywood, can relate to De Medina’s struggles to survive as a jewelry manufacturer in the face of intense competition from overseas. “China is my biggest competitor,” Jacobson said. Jacobson has been in business with her husband, Abel Rojas, for 16 years. She has manufactured jewelry for fashion retailers Wet Seal and Paul Frank, as well as for the fashion end of the surfing industry. FM Designs also manufactures wallets and key chains. While China may be her biggest competitor, Jacobson believes her company has an edge. That’s because, like American Metal Arts, FM Designs, does small orders. “And China doesn’t do it,” she said. “It’s to our advantage to do the lower quantity orders.” Jacobson also believes that clients benefit as well. “It’s a definite advantage for our customers. It’s cheaper for them,” she said. Moreover, “They have a hands-on say about what they’re designing and what the finished product is going to be.”

No red carpet will spread out before the Alex Theatre in Glendale this month as it has in years past at Oscar time. The carpet, the photographers, the catered dinner are all integral parts of the annual gala fundraiser sponsored by the theater and the Set Decorators Society of America for its members to watch the Oscar broadcast on a big screen. This year is different because of the ongoing Hollywood writers strike that has crippled scripted television production throughout the region. With set decorators out of work and facing dwindling finances, it didn’t seem appropriate to go ahead with the event and ask people lacking a steady income to celebrate the entertainment industry, said Elissa Glickman, marketing director for the Alex. The decision to cancel the Oscar-watching gala was made prior to the cancellation of the annual Golden Globes broadcast, another result of the strike. “When they did that, we [the event committee] looked at each other and said ‘We made the right choice,'” Glickman said. Whether the Academy Awards broadcast takes place as scheduled on Feb. 24 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood remains up in the air. That in turn causes nervousness in the Valley and anywhere there are business owners relying on the Oscars event to bring in work caterers, florists, limo companies, party supply companies, clothing and jewelry stores. While the fundraiser didn’t bring in a large amount of money for the theater, the event was a great branding opportunity for the historic venue, Glickman said. The entertainment industry’s biggest night means millions to the regional economy. If cancellation of the Golden Globes meant a loss of an estimated $80 million, imagine the damage if the same happens to the Oscars. Advertising Age did just that and came up with $4 million spent on post-Oscar parties; $26.5 million for limos, security personnel and gifts for the nominees; and $100 million in publicity for the stores providing clothing and jewelry for the stars. That’s not to mention the millions in advertising not going to ABC, the network broadcasting the show. ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co., one of the media companies striking writers have picketed since starting their walkout Nov. 5. Cancellation of the Golden Globes was estimated to have cost NBC Universal between $10 million and $15 million in lost ad revenue. Taking a Hit L.A. Party Rents in Van Nuys provides the red carpets, sub-flooring and canopies for some of the lower-tier awards shows. For the Oscars, it gets called upon to provide set-ups for some after-parties. Even with the Oscars just a month away, it was still early to be notified by clients, said vice president Kevin Dwyer. Due to the strike, Dwyer added, he was not anticipating a lot of work coming the firm’s way. The company took a “massive” financial hit with the cancellation of the Golden Globes. With no stars passing by flocks of photographers, an L.A. Party Rents red carpet was not necessary. The company was more fortunate with the Grammy Awards and the Screen Actors Guild award going ahead as planned. “January is a notoriously slow month but the awards shows keep us alive,” Dwyer said. Although not involved with the Academy Awards, the creative team at mDots in Universal City dodged a bullet when the Guild said it would not picket this year’s Grammy Awards at the Staples Center. mDots created the on-air graphics to be seen during the broadcast Feb. 11 and projected on screens at the venue. As for the Golden Globes, even though the show was significantly scaled back, mDots delivered a full graphics package, said creative director Marty Wall. Not having the graphics shown on television means that potential clients could not see what the company is capable of doing, Wall said. The strike has dried up much of the work at Sandy Rose Floral Designs in North Hollywood. Owner Corri Levelle kept busy in late January working on a design for the elaborate floral displays for the Oscar green room sponsored by Architectural Digest. The academy has to proceed as though the show will go on as scheduled because it is easier to cancel at the last minute than to pull the broadcast together in the last minute, Levelle said. “Every little job helps but not nearly enough to make our overhead, that’s for sure,” Levelle said.

San Fernado Valley Chatsworth Waste: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne hosted a hazardous waste recycling event for city and county residents at its facility in Chatsworth on Jan. 26 and 27. Residents were invited to drop off used motor oil, electronic equipment, cleaning supplies, used motor oil and filters, cell phones, televisions, batteries and other items. “Pratt & Whitney is committed to protecting and being good stewards of our environment, and we are proud to be part of this community-wide effort to make sure hazardous waste is disposed of properly,” said environmental manager Jerry Tucker, Jr. Glendale Seminar: The Oak Society of the Healthcare Foundation at Glendale Adventist Medical Center will host a seminar on common ear, nose and throat conditions Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. in its main auditorium at 1509 Wilson Terrace. Ear, Nose & Throat Surgical Associates will present the event, featuring discussions on snoring and sleep apnea, presented by Dr. Carl B. Ermshar; vocal disorders presented by Dr. Hrair A. Koutnouyan; and the neck mass presented by Dr. David K. Yun. The event is free for Oak Society members and $10 for nonmembers Registration: (818) 409-8100. Delegation: A delegation of 18 members of the Chinese Institute for International Labor Studies visited Glendale Community College Jan. 23 to learn about interpreting labor laws pertaining to issues such as working hours, breaks, salaries and holidays. During the visit, Vicki Nicholson, associate vice president of human resources at GCC, gave a presentation to the visiting delegates, detailing specific practices at the college. Encino Growing: Online marketing agency AvatarLabs moved into a new 4,000-square-foot studio with room for future expansion. The company specializes in creating online rich media and enriched websites for major Hollywood films. They have provided online marketing for three of the top holiday films “National Treasure: Book of Secrets,” “I Am Legend,” and “Alvin and The Chipmunks.” North Hollywood Rummage: A rummage sale by members of the Motion Picture Costumers Local No. 705 takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 9 in the parking lot of prop shop History for Hire. More than 30 members will have clothing, fabrics, furniture and other items for sale. The proceeds benefit the local’s welfare fund for financial assistance to members adversely affected by the ongoing television and film writer strike; and to the members themselves. “It’s like we are selling the clothes off our back to pay our bills,” said Buffy Snyder, business representative for the local. The welfare fund has been “inundated” with requests from members whose paychecks disappeared as primarily television work halted after the start of the Nov. 5 strike, Snyder said. History for Hire is located at 7149 Fair Ave., North Hollywood. San Fernando Luncheon: The San Fernando Valley Financial Development Corp. hosted the annual San Fernando Mayor’s Business Luncheon Jan. 30 at the Casa Torres Banquet Hall. The annual event gave business owners and community leaders alike the opportunity to learn about new projects and services available to them in the city. During the event, Mayor Julie Ruelas presented information on projects underway, such as the Pacoima Wash Project, the new trolley system and historic preservation. Sun Valley Sculpture: LA ProPoint has been commissioned to contribute to the new Seily Rodriguez Park in Hollywood. The Sun Valley-based company will fabricate and install nature-inspired fence sculptures created by artist Ricardo Mendoza. “It has been a pleasure experiencing the LA ProPoint team’s professionalism and thorough attention to detail in realizing my design,” Mendoza said. “They have successfully managed a challenging installation with smart composure.” Other LA ProPoint projects include the Hollywood Bowl, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Launch: New marketplace, the Indoor Shopping Plaza, celebrated its grand opening Jan. 26. Many of those evicted from the Valley Indoor Swap Meet in Woodland Hills can be found in the new venue. More than 75 vendors call it home, selling jewelry, footwear and apparel, electronics, sporting and home goods, party supplies, toys and more. The facility has approximately 45,000 square feet and is open Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is at 7200 Vineland Ave. at the corner of Sherman Way. Sylmar Products: QPC Lasers Inc. showcased its next generation of laser products at the SPIE Photonics West Conference and Biomedical Optics exhibition in San Jose. Both events are the largest annual conferences featuring the latest innovations in optics, lasers, biomedical optics and imaging technologies. QPC exhibited a 120-watt eye-safe model laser for medical and defense applications; and a 425-watt near-infrared model for fiber amplifier pumping and direct industrial applications. Van Nuys Anniversary: Valley Presbyterian Hospital is celebrating its 50th anniversary, with a kickoff in the hospital’s historic hallway on Feb. 6. Donated by Albert L. and Jo-Linda Greene, the hallway display features a gallery of framed photographs from the past five decades. The theme of the celebration is “Doing What Matters.” In honor of the anniversary, there will be 50 days of celebration activities, including a birthday party for all born at the hospital since 1958, with a special appearance by Katherine Hollingsworth, the hospital’s firstborn. Woodland Hills Invest: Wataire International has hired Premier Media Services as its public and investor relations firm based on the firm’s track record in creating custom investor awareness campaigns and their contacts within the investment community. The year should be a banner one for Wataire, a manufacturer of water generation and purification products, said CEO Robert Rosner. “We have carefully invested a considerable amount of time and money developing the right projects and we took the same care in selecting Premier Media Services,” Rosner said. SANTA CLARITA VALLEY Santa Clarita Goal: The Michael Hoefflin Foundation will present a professional soccer match between Chivas USA and Columbus Crew at 5 p.m., Feb. 23 at Cougar Stadium, College of the Canyons. Proceeds from the game benefit the Foundation and its financial and emotional support to children and their families facing childhood cancer. General admission tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for youths 18 years and under when purchased before Feb. 18. After that date tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for youths. For more information contact the Foundation at (661) 250-4100. CONEJO VALLEY Thousand Oaks Radio: KCLU-FM won six Golden Mike Awards, for its coverage of recent wildfires and other local stories. The station, based at California Lutheran University, won in the category for stations with news staffs of five or fewer people. The Golden Mikes are given by the Radio & Television News Association of Southern California. News director Lance Orozco, program director Jim Rondeau and reporter John Palminteri received an award for best live coverage of a News Story for “Zaca Fire Flare-Up.” The station also won for its coverage of the Ranch Fire and the 2006 election; for feature stories on volunteers in a literacy program, and of a breast cancer survivor; and a story on an organization helping women start their own businesses. [W/PIC OF OROZCO] Series: The third Corporate Leaders Breakfast Series hosted by Cal Lutheran on Jan. 29 focused on trends in higher education. Featured speakers were Eva Conrad, president of Moorpark College; Dr. Richard Rush, president of California State University, Channel Islands; and the Rev. Howard Wennes, interim president of CLU. Hugh Ralston, president and CEO of the Ventura County Community Foundation, moderated the panel. ANTELOPE VALLEY Palmdale Forum: The City of Palmdale’s Public Safety and Community Relations Department hosted a Business Watch forum for business owners and employees interested in crime prevention Jan. 22 and Jan. 24 in the Joshua Room of the Larry Chimbole Cultural Center located at 38350 Sierra Highway in Palmdale. Agenda topics included theft and fraud trends and their impact on business, how to identify counterfeit currency, credit cards and travelers checks. [W/PIC] Housing: Palmdale will host a free, walk-in Housing Rights clinic Feb. 21 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the city’s Development Services Building, 38250 Sierra Highway. These clinics take place the third Thursday of every month and provide an opportunity for residents to ask questions and receive answers about fair housing, rent increases, repairs and more. The Housing Rights Center assists homebuyers, tenants and housing professionals with free counseling services on fair housing law, public education seminars on housing discrimination and housing discrimination complaint investigation. Information: (661) 267-5126, (800) 477-5977 or www.hrc-la.org.

The inventory of the last remaining Amigos Flooring store will be sold as part of the bankruptcy proceedings of the former high-flying retailer. Cintek System Inc. will purchase the inventory for $200,000 and will take over the lease for the store in the 13000 block of Saticoy Street in North Hollywood unless a bidder offering a higher amount steps forward. The liquidation marks an inauspicious end to a company noted for its fast growth which then filed for bankruptcy protection when its fortunes turned. At its height, Amigos had nine locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties, with headquarters in Woodland Hills. The North Hollywood store was the last remaining one. Cintek, a flooring importer based in Compton, appeared in the Valley bankruptcy court Feb. 6 to buy the equipment, goods and furniture at the store along with the names, trademarks and logos of Amigos Flooring and Amigos Flooring Monster. “Part of what they are buying is the name and the goodwill of the company,” said Steven Spector, an attorney representing the company. “Presumably they will infuse working capital into a new entity that will be successful.” The North Hollywood location will still be called Amigos and the intention of Cintek is a return to the business plan of low overhead and factory-direct pricing that made the company successful in the first place, said national sales manager T.J. Blackburn. The Saticoy Street store has been operating while the bankruptcy case has wound its way through the court process and Cintek plans to keep the 11 employees still working there. Blackburn worked at Amigos through March 2005 as the purchasing director, a position he described as being second-in-command to founder and CEO Michael Cope. Cintek supplied flooring materials to the chain. Moving away from the warehouse atmosphere and leasing fancier buildings with higher rents was the company’s primary mistake, Blackburn said. “When there was a downturn, they couldn’t make it,” Blackburn said. Cope founded Amigos in 2001 in North Hollywood. It quickly grew to nine locations employing more than 135 people. The change in strategy started with a West Covina store, which was pricier than other locations the chain had at the time. It was located near the freeway and did well because of the real estate boom. The chain’s next location on Topanga Boulevard in Woodland Hills followed that same process of tonier digs. Those were heady days for Amigos. The company ranked No. 4 on the Business Journal’s Fastest Growing Private Companies list in 2005 with a one-year growth rate of 130.5 percent. It also landed at number 24 in the Hot 100 for 2005 list at Entrepreneur.com. But by early 2007, Cope was filing for bankruptcy protection, closing five stores and letting 25 employees go. In its court filings, Amigo’s delineated unsecured debts of just under $2 million, mostly attributable to suppliers, landlords and advertising expenses, and a secured loan for $1.5 million from Bank of America. The documents do not specify assets. In an April 2007 story in the Business Journal, Cope stated the filing was necessary to extricate Amigos from the leases on the closed stores. “The only way to get out of those long-term leases is with a Chapter 11,” Cope was quoted in the article. “One landlord worked out a favorable deal, but others put the screws to us. That, in combination with the inflexibility of some of our bigger creditors, forced our hand.” Attempts to reach Cope through Spector were not successful. He is no longer working for the company. Although he was gone from the company by the time of the bankruptcy and store closures, Blackburn called it “sickening” how far Amigos fell, taking with it the employees who lost their jobs. With the knowledge gained from when he worked there Blackburn said he wants to get Amigos back to what it used to be. “It still has people who pull up in the parking lot all day every day,” Blackburn said. “There are a lot of people who had a good experience who don’t know about the bankruptcy.”

The expander made by Microfabrica Inc. looks like a car jack albeit one that wouldn’t even hold up a toy car. Smaller than a dime, these expanders are used to retract tissue or deliver a stent into the body during surgery. The company’s EFAB manufacturing process makes these and other intricately designed devices in one piece, eliminating assembly of individual pieces. “There is almost a magical quality to it,” Microfabrica CEO Vacit Arat said of how the company makes these pieces. For the past year, Van Nuys-based Microfabrica limited availability of their products, which they refer to as “building blocks,” to select medical device makers. But starting with the Medical Design & Manufacturing West trade show in late January, they have made them available to all manufacturers in the field. The building blocks the aforementioned expanders plus micro-needles that deliver drugs just below the skin, 1mm-diameter turbines, micro-chainmail, and miniature ratchets, hinges and springs were first incorporated into existing products to prove they worked. Now, Microfabrica encourages medical device makers to use the pieces when they are designing new equipment. “When you have something in your hand it is much easier to visualize how it works,” said Ira Feldman, vice president of business development. There are also non-medical uses for the pieces. As part of Los Angeles County Technology Week, Feldman promoted the building blocks for defense applications during the emerging company showcase on Jan. 31 at Loyola Marymount. Whatever their use, cost savings results because of the more efficient EFAB process used to make them. The process is licensed by the company from USC. When such tiny devices are assembled piece by piece, the assembly alone eats up a large proportion of their cost, Feldman said. At Microfabrica, the pieces are designed using special software and then built in successive layers much the same way semiconductors are created. In a matter of weeks thousands of samples can be replicated. Along with the cost savings, another advantage Microfabrica brings is innovation. “It is making things possible that could not have been manufactured before,” Arat said. Founded almost a decade ago, the company receives its funding from venture capital firms and corporate and private investment. In December, the company, along with Boston University and Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School, received a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health Bioengineering Research Partnership. Microfabrica will help the venture develop minimally invasive medical instruments for complex surgical repairs while the heart is still beating.

Microsoft Corp. has made an unsolicited offer to buy Yahoo! Inc. for $44.6 billion, according to media reports. The move is believed to be Microsoft’s way to challenge Google Inc. in the online search and advertising markets. In the Valley, Yahoo! has its search marketing division in Burbank. Sunnyvale-based Yahoo! said in a statement that it would “carefully and promptly” study Microsoft’s bid, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Walt Disney Co. board of directors extended by five years its contract with President and CEO Robert Iger. Iger’s new contract to head the entertainment conglomerate expires in January 2013. Since Iger became chief executive in September 2005, Burbank-based Disney posted record revenues and net income. The new contract calls for Iger to receive a minimum $10 million performance-based bonus; and a long-term incentive award of $9 million. “Bob is a talented and visionary leader, under whom Disney has posted increases in growth and profitability that have consistently exceeded expectations,” said board Chairman John E. Pepper Jr. “We are confident he will continue to lead this extraordinary company and talented management team to new levels of creative and business success.” The Disney board also approved a new five-year contract for senior executive vice president and CFO Tom Staggs. The new deal calls for Stagg to receive an annual salary of $1.25 million beginning in April with increases of $75,000 for 2009 and 2010 and $50,000 in 2011 and 2012.

Providence Holy Cross Medical Center has received the HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award for the third consecutive year. The health care ratings company stated that Holy Cross is in the top 5 percent for overall clinical quality among all hospitals in the nation. HealthGrades also recognized Holy Cross for its pulmonary, stroke, women’s and gastrointestinal care. Holy Cross is one of 14 California hospitals and one of 155 hospitals nationwide to receive the Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence Award for three years running. HealthGrades released a study today indicating that the 269 hospitals nationally that received this award had mortality rates that were, on average, 27 percent lower than other hospitals, and major complication rates that were 5 percent lower. Each year, HealthGrades conducts comprehensive studies of hospital quality in America, producing ratings for 4,971 non-federal hospitals in 27 diagnoses and procedures.

Teledyne Technologies Inc. expanded its marine instrumentation operations with the acquisition of an English-based manufacturer of sensing and navigation systems. Thousand Oaks-based Teledyne subsidiary Teledyne Limited made the purchase of S G Brown Limited and its affiliate TSS International Limited for $57.7 million. TSS International makes equipment used by the offshore energy, oceanographic and military marine markets. Those products complement Teledyne’s acoustic navigation, imaging and communication products, said Teledyne President and CEO Robert Mehrabian. TSS reported revenues of $23.9 million for its fiscal year ending March 31.