Dena Maloney, dean of the College of the Canyons economic development department, has a simple credo about the significance of the business education and job training programs offered at her school: “Companies need to have their employees with the latest skills so they can compete and grow and thrive and enhance the community.” It’s a philosophy that drives the dozens of business education programs at colleges across the region from a course at Los Angeles Valley College on how to handle testy customers to organizations at California State University Northridge designed to help small- and family-owned businesses thrive. In fact, College of the Canyons has turned business education into something of a cottage industry in the Santa Clarita Valley. Through its Economic and Workforce Development Division, the two-year community college has no fewer than a dozen customized training, consulting and education seminars geared towards educating business leaders and employees. The most active is the Employee Training Institute, a program started in the early 1990s that teaches a wide variety of on-the-job skills, from the purely technical such as how to solder to sociological such as how to be a better manager. “They range from production job training for hourly workers all the way to management skills and leadership skills for supervisors and team leaders,” Maloney said. Over the past 10 years, the Institute has trained 10,000 people in 1,500 firms and generated more than $4 million in training and business funds, according to the school. College of the Canyons is also one of 12 California community colleges with a comprehensive technology training center, initially developed to provide engineers to Boeing and Lockheed. The school has also partnered with a number of local educators, including Ventura College to create the 126 Corridor Biotechnology Education and Training Collaborative and Pierce College to launch the Small Business Development Center. The college has also partnered with local businesses and trade groups. In August, it received a $344,000 grant to develop an automotive technology program, which was partially funded by the Santa Clarita Valley Auto Dealers Association. Its Welding Technology Program this summer received national accreditation from the American Welding Society, making the college one of the few AWS testing facilities in the state. On-site and on-campus Elsewhere, colleges large and small have been reaching out to the business community in the case of the Professional Development Center at Glendale Community College for more than two decades. “We’re in tune with what people need and how to make it happen,” said Program Manager Pamela Welden. “It’s been successful.” That’s accomplished at Glendale by offering an innovative slate of hands-on training seminars and technical seminars both at its Montrose Training Center and Glendale Environmental Management Center and through an extension program. For companies, the free, state-supported workshops are a chance for employees to brush up on computer skills, management techniques or new technologies. Welden said the programs are tailored to what a company needs. “All training is customized, very experiential and relates directly to the productivity changes required at the employees’ place of work,” Welden said. Officials from Vought Aircraft Industries, for example, turned to the Center to help restructure their organization to meet the demands of a global market, Welden said. Staffers took part in seminars for more than five years, she said. Other clients range from small- and mid-sized business such as Chatsworth-based Classic Cosmetics to national companies including Ducommun AeroStructures of Gardena and Burbank’s Crane HydroAire. Practical applications To handle the different needs, the center has to adapt theories into practical techniques, Welden said. “The end result is that the supervisor and the manager has a set of tools that help them harness the power of the team, this raises the self esteem of the supervisor and every member of the team,” she said. “We work with the students and managers and the upper echelon in the business organization.” It’s a similar goal at California State University, Northridge, which runs a variety programs to link businesses with education, said Matt Rinnert, director of development and alumni relations for the university’s business school. The Center for Small Business & Entrepreneurship, for example, links senior-level business students with small business owners to develop marketing and business plans while the Family Business Center serves as a networking group for family-owned companies. CSUN also operates the Center for Management and Organization Development, a nonprofit that provides consulting to businesses that want to improve management practices and performance, Rinnert said. “That’s the best example of the jobs training we do,” he said. Emphasis on technology In Camarillo, the heart of the so-called 101 Biotech Corridor, technology is the name of the game. At California State University Channel Islands, the Business and Technology Partnership pairs business execs, educators and students to focus on the role of technology and business. Los Angeles Mission College in Sylmar runs Team Research Approach in Laboratory Science, a program developed by instructors Angela Echeverri and Mike Reynolds to place talented students in high-tech biomed internships. This summer, two interns were placed with MannKind Corp., a Valencia biopharmaceutical firm. Another biomed firm helping out locally is Amgen Inc., which last year provided a $210,000 grant to California Lutheran University to help secondary and elementary school teachers attending the Amgen Summer Science Institute, which focuses on technology and science platforms for students. Amgen also helped launch a new interdisciplinary course on the development of biomedical product from concept to approval. The Thousand Oaks school also runs the Executive Roundtable, a discussion with local executives from Baxter BioPharmaceuticals, Universal Studios Hollywood, Countrywide Financial and Advanced Bionics. Back to basics While technology is stressed in Ventura County, other colleges are taking a back-to-basics approach. Lennie Ciufo, director of the Los Angeles Valley College Job Training Program, said that many workers need help with basic English and math skills. “We’re not getting that fundamental skills training,” he said. “There’s a lack of writing skills in businesses.” As a result, Ciufo’s programs along with traditional career training such as computer applications focus on how to use communication skills to handle employees, provide critiques and give presentations. “Managerial skills are really communication skills,” Ciufo said. “That is mostly what we do.” Communication is also a major focus in the customized classes at the Economic & Workforce Development Department at Los Angeles Pierce College in Woodland Hills. Courses focus on administration skills, navigating industry-specific terms, environment technology, manufacturing efficiency and how to address sexual harassment.

As the Orange Line busway nears its first anniversary, transit officials already envision how to build on its success. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board on Sept. 28 directed staff to contract out for environmental and engineering studies to extend the line north on Canoga Avenue to the Metrolink station in Chatsworth and possibly as far as the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway. The 60-foot Metro Liners began running east-west along the 14-mile route through the center of the San Fernando Valley from North Hollywood to Woodland Hills with much fanfare on Oct. 29, 2005. The Valley has hit the jackpot with the success of the $324 million dedicated bus route, said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. “It’s an inexpensive but very high class way to move people,” said Yaroslavsky, who also serves on the county Metropolitan Transportation Authority board. “It’s a pleasant ride; it’s a scenic ride most of the way.” The most recent rider numbers from the MTA show 19,531 average weekday boardings for August. Transit officials expect the number to go up as returning students use the bus to get to the community colleges and high schools along the route. In its first full month of operation the Orange Line had 16,360 average weekday boardings. In May, the line attracted its highest monthly total of 21,828 average weekday boardings, a number the MTA hadn’t expected until 2020. “One thing that strong ridership ensures is the service level is going to get better and not worse,” said Bart Reed, executive director of The Transit Coalition. “That bodes well for the San Fernando Valley.” Justin Yarnell, administrative assistant at The Center for the Living and Learning, said that employees at the Van Nuys not-for-profit agency have been encouraged to use the Orange Line. So far, more than half of the 22 workers there use the line, Yarnell said. “We focused on those who needed it because they did not have their own transportation,” he added. The busway has not been without its problems, at least initially. Collisions between buses and cars took place that resulted in minor injuries to passengers and drivers. To increase safety, the buses slowed down at all intersections and photo enforcement cameras were installed at key intersections. The bus line is now among the safest operated by the MTA, Yaroslavsky said. But one weakness pointed out by Reed was the lack of connections to other bus routes crossing the Orange Line. Current service is not always available when it is needed by riders, particularly in early morning and evening hours and on weekends, Reed said. “That is not acceptable to employers,” Reed added. Yaroslavsky said improvements could be made to other bus lines, especially on the Van Nuys Boulevard corridor, but the Orange Line is still a boon for the people who live in the area. SAN FERNANDO VALLEY Calabasas Speak: Eloqui, a Calabasas-based public speaking training and consulting organization, has published a book to help those who are shy, nervous or just hoping to hone their public speaking skills. “The Speaker Survival Guide: 101 Eloqui Tips for Successful Public Speaking,” condenses the training offered by the company and covers such subjects as more effective internal communications, pitching business and handling media interviews. Northridge Care: Northridge Hospital Medical Center is one of a growing number of medical facilities to offer the families of patients a free webpage they can update to keep friends of loved one apprised of a patient’s condition. Called CarePages, the free service allows families to post contact information and visiting hours as well, and it allows viewers to post comments on a patient’s message board and send e-mails. Pacoima Language: Providence Health System has launched a new program to reach out to Latino seniors in need. Called “Familias Ayudando Familias,” the program features 28 Spanish-speaking volunteers and counselors who go out into the community and offer assistance to senior citizens. This can include driving seniors to doctor’s appointments, completing yard work, reading letters or even grocery shopping. The project, funded through a grant from the California Endowment, operates out of the Guardian Angel Church in Pacoima. The Providence Health System San Fernando Valley Service Area includes Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank and Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills. For more information or to volunteer, call (818) 953-4445. Encino Festival: The 19th Annual Taste of Encino was held on Oct. 8 sponsored by the Encino Chamber of Commerce. Several restaurants showcased both ethnic and American food amid events such as an arts and crafts fair, four stages of entertainment and a business and home expo. A portion of the proceeds benefit area schools and community betterment projects. Sherman Oaks Award: Leigh S. Leshner, a solo practitioner in Sherman Oaks, has been awarded the Beverly Hills Bar Association Barristers Lawrence J. Blake award. Leshner, who was formerly an independent producer, primarily practices in the areas of transactional entertainment and business law. She is a BHBA Barrister board member, a member of the group’s Entertainment Law section executive committee and chairperson of the Vintage Boutique, an annual fundraiser. CONEJO VALLEY Agoura Hills Sweep: Don’t call the city of Agoura Hills star struck. The city has a policy of removing signs on public streets, and it doesn’t make ex-ceptions, even when the offender is a television show. When “Clean House,” a reality show from E Entertainment’s Style Network, that streamlines pack rat families by clearing out their clutter and selling it at a yard sale, put up signs to advertise the sale to the neighborhood, the city of Agoura Hills removed them. It was standard operating procedure for the city, which in August alone took down 170 yard sale signs placed on public right of ways. “The city instituted the policy a few years ago because things were starting to get out of hand,” said Mike Kamino, director of planning and community development for Agoura Hills. But the move was surprising enough to the show’s producers and stars that the cast members, led by host Niecy Nash with “yard-sale diva” Trish Suhr, John Eric Bentley and Matt Iseman, who oversee renovation efforts, and interior designer Mark Brunetz made mention of it on the episode. Kamino took the city’s dubious five minutes of fame in stride. “I guess we’d rather be famous for that than something else,” he said. SANTA CLARITA VALLEY Santa Clarita Wild: The Santa Clarita chapter of the Junior Chamber of Commerce traveled to Washington, D.C., last month to lobby for support of legislation protecting local lands and rivers. Jaycees Michael Grenetz, Anjanette Butler, Jenny Ketchepaw, Ian Swift and Michael Cruz met with U.S. Rep. Buck McKeon and senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein. The trip was sponsored by the California Wild Heritage Campaign. Title: Glendale-based American Coast Title opened a Santa Clarita escrow division Sept. 26. The new outlet, at 28494 Westinghouse Place, offers real estate title insurance and escrow services. Privately-owned American Coast Title was founded in 1988. It is underwritten by Houston-based Stewart Title Co. Valencia Wine: The second annual Loose Goose Wine Festival was slated Oct. 5-8 at Bridgeport Park. The main event included tastings from 100 vineyards from as near as the Sonoma and Napa valleys and as far as South Africa. The event also featured exhibits, booths, a golf tournament and seminars on pairing the correct wine with meals. The festival brings in more than 2,500 people. Stevenson Ranch Branching Out: Lockheed Federal Credit Union opened its third Santa Clarita Valley location here on Sept. 25. “The opening of this branch goes a long way toward our strategic goal of providing members access to multiple branches in and around their work and home,” said Dave Styler, president and CEO of LFCU. The branch will offer home and auto loans, commercial real estate loans, checking and money market accounts along with other services. Membership in the credit union is open to anyone who lives or works in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Those who attended the Professional Services Executive Roundtable in Westlake Village recently probably expected the keynote speaker, Guitar Center CEO Marty Albertson, to talk about gross margins and inventory control and all the other things that are key to the retail industry. What they got was a look behind the numbers that, until recently, made the Westlake Village-based company a Wall Street darling with an average annual earnings growth of 18 percent in the last five years. There was Albertson, a once-aspiring record producer living in Haight Ashbury who started working at Guitar Center as a salesman and rose to head the $1.8 billion public company, talking about passion and dreams, about the soul of the musician and the gift of music. To the 30-odd members of PSER, a loosely knit band of CEOs, CFOs and other senior-level executives mostly working in the Conejo Valley and organized by Carlo Brignardello, a principal with CRESA Partners, Albertson told a story of what propelled Guitar Center. Founded in 1964, the retailer of guitars as well as other instruments and recording equipment, grew up in the heyday of rock and roll. And while those early customers have since grown and, for the most part, given up dreams of becoming the next rock icon, that fantasy still drives the business. “To some of you, Guitar Center maybe represents a dream you once had,” Albertson said. “We represent these dreams to a lot of people.” Today, many of Guitar Center’s customers are baby boomers who are bringing their children to the stores along with imaginings that sons and daughters may be able to accomplish what fathers and mothers did not. Most of the salespeople at Guitar Center stores are musicians whose passion for music, along with Guitar Center’s policy of allowing shoppers to spend as much time as they wish to in the store and try out any of the instruments displayed, has helped to develop a loyal customer base,” Albertson said. Musical Wal-Mart It also helps to put a different sort of face on the company. With about 187 stores and an average 25 percent share in most markets – anywhere from 40 percent to 60 percent market share in some Guitar Center is, in many ways, the Wal-Mart of music stores. When the company went public in 1997 the money it raised was pumped into developing a sophisticated infrastructure that gives Guitar Center scalable distribution, inventory control and other systems and allowed the company to open some 30 to 40 new stores a year and still get an average inventory turn of three and one-half times a year, compared to twice a year for most music stores. Guitar Center has been on an aggressive buying spree, acquiring a number of small music store chains as well as online businesses. The company has amassed a mailing list of 20 million names that it mines regularly and, with about $400 million of its revenue coming from direct sales, Guitar Center is among the top 50 direct retailers in the country. Albertson himself did not demur when he discussed how he regards the company’s competitive position in the marketplace. “We don’t wake up every day and put our sites on the mom and pop store next door,” he said. “But the customer has a choice. And we choose to take a proactive stand and go after the customer. I’ve received notes from businesses who feel we were the reason they went out of business. The reality is you have to grow or get grown over.” The company, Albertson said, is built on three core principles, clarity of vision well communicated to the workforce, discipline of execution drilled down to every level in the company and teamwork. And of course, the dream. “The true gift is to be able to play music,” Albertson said. “To be able to sit down and really appreciate the interaction with an instrument is unique.”

BEST CHARITABLE GIVING PROGRAMS TO PROMOTE EDUCATION Ralph M. Parsons Foundation The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation is one of a handful of mega philanthropic organizations in the United States. Lucky for Valley groups, many of its donations go to Southern California organizations, contributing millions of dollars every year. Pierce College, one of the nine Los Angeles community colleges, has received most of the local donations over the past few years. Since 1999, Parsons has donated $250,000 directly to the school and $200,000 for the Los Angeles Pierce Symphonic Winds. That was followed up last year with a $250,000 donation to build two agriculture-based learning centers in a future farm market the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Teaching Kitchen and Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Theater. Groundbreaking is scheduled for early 2008. Elsewhere in the region, Parsons in 2004 gave $250,000 to the College of the Canyons for its University Center capital campaign to bring comprehensive higher education programs to the Santa Clarita Valley. It has also donated to the California Community Colleges Foundation of Sherman Oaks, California State University Northridge Foundation and more than $100,000 to California Lutheran University. The foundation was created in 1961 as the charitable arm of the Ralph M. Parsons Co., a Pasadena engineering firm. Chris Coates Ahmanson Foundation Spend a few hours in Los Angeles and it’s likely you’ll stumble on the name Ahmanson pretty quickly. The name appears on a downtown theater, a ranch in the western Valley and countless plaques on countless buildings. It’s for good reasons; over the years, the L.A.-based Ahmanson Foundation has donated tens of millions of dollars to museums, cultural institutes, schools and nonprofits. Launched in 1952 by the financier and founder of Home Savings of America Howard F. Ahmanson and wife Dorothy, the foundation over the years has become one of the powerhouse philanthropic entities in Southern California, contributing funds to the Music Center and USC. In the Valley, the Foundation has also been selective but nonetheless generous. Last year, Ahmanson gave $800,000 to the California Institute of Arts in Valencia for student scholarships. It also provided scholarship funds to California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks and more than $100,000 for a new elevator installed last month at Cabrini Hall at Woodbury University’s 22-acre campus in Burbank. The nonprofit is also an extensive contributor to private parochial Valley schools. Chris Coates Verizon The Thousand Oaks-based charitable arm of the telecommunications giant Verizon Communications Inc. has been an active philanthropist in the Valley, mostly to Los Angeles Valley College. Involved: Verizon sponsors education programs. Since 2001, the group has given the community college $80,000 and has worked with actor Sean Astin and his wife, Christine, to create the Sean & Christine Astin Family Literacy Scholarship at Valley College in 2003. The scholarship has helped 30 Valley College students with a total of $60,000 in tuition. It also donated $40,000 to Antelope Valley College in 2004 and $25,000 in 2003 to the Los Angeles Educational Partnership to purchase computers for the parent center at Telfair Elementary School in Pacoima. The Foundation has also been a major financial contributor to the Valley Economic Development Center Pacoima work-force development initiative; Conejo Valley Adult School and Lancaster-based Grace Resources Inc. to develop a computer literacy and job development program. The Foundation also supports online resource centers for nonprofit managers to access national training and business partners and educational resources to help K-12 teachers. Chris Coates

BEST EMPLOYEE TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAMS Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne strives to have the best educated workforce in the world. Fitting in with that goal is a tuition reimbursement program that rewards employees for continuing their education whether it is related with the job duties or not. All employees receive funding for class registration, tuition, academic fees and textbooks. “They are all paid up front, which I think is different from other companies where you go through the program first and after you pass you get reimbursed,” said Debra Bergman, director of educational relations. Additional incentives are given for completing degree programs. For instance, after earning a bachelor’s degree or higher the employee receives $10,000 in common stock or 500 in stock options. After earning an associates degree the employee receives $5,000 in common stock or 250 stock options. Students receive up to half of their classroom time as paid time off for studying, up to three hours a week. “Professional development, personal development, enriching to one’s family situation, and helpful to promotions is what comes to mind from the program,” said David Steinhart, an employee development specialist. Mark R. Madler Northrop Grumman Defense contractor Northrop Grumman looks to its long-term success with the generous tuition reimbursement program offered to employees. Northrop pays for single course and degree and certificate programs that are directly job-related, related to the company’s or operating sector’s present and anticipated business operations; certified by management as directly applicable and necessary for the benefit of the department; contribute to improving the employee’s performance in his or her current job or occupation; and qualify the employee for opportunities within the company. The program is valuable to employees and the company alike, said company spokesman Tom Henson. The employees benefit from the encouragement to pursue higher education goals, and Northrop Grumman is able to help current employees make greater contributions to the success of the company over the long term, Henson said. “The program also helps attract talent from outside the company,” Henson said. “We know candidates compare our policy with the policies of our competitors as they consider their options, so it is a good thing to be able to offer. Relevant fields covered by the program are those that are considered relevant to company business, including engineering, mathematics, computer science, physical sciences, systems engineering, management, finance and business administration, human-resource management, knowledge management, and modeling and simulation. Northrop Grumman has locations in Woodland Hills and Palmdale. Mark R. Madler Sage Publications As a leading publisher of text books and reference material used around the world it is only natural Sage Publications encourages its employees to continue their education. The 41-year-old company’s philosophy is built on tenets that education is valuable and engaged scholarship is at the heart of society. Thousand Oaks-based Sage provides a 100 percent reimbursement for an employee’s initial associate or bachelor’s degree. Up to $5,000 per year is given for a second bachelor’s degree or master’s degree. In addition to that, Sage pays in full for classes that are career related and reimburses up to $500 per calendar year for personal interest classes not connected with earning a degree. “We’ve had this tuition program for many years and have enhanced it over the years,” said Roberta Isaeff, vice president of human resources. The company’s commitment to education even extends to the children of employees. This year Sage began a program to pay up to $500 per semester for new textbooks, Isaeff said. “All of our education programs are widely used and people really do appreciate it,” Isaeff said. To additionally promote continuing education, the company recently sponsored an education fair in which 20 university and colleges attended to tell about their programs. Mark R. Madler

The co-founder of Precision Dynamics Corp. has filed a lawsuit against two top managers and three members of the board of directors claiming they put up roadblocks for him to participate in running the company. The 25-page complaint alleges a power grab against Precision Chairman Walter Mosher by President and Chief Executive Officer Gary E. Hutchinson, Chief Financial Officer Mark Segal and board members Jonathan G. Lasch, Robert B. Kraemer, and Robert F. Foster for control of the privately held San Fernando company. The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court seeks to oust Lasch and Foster from the board, find that Segal failed to carry out his duties as inspector of the election of board members, and find that Kraemer and Hutchinson, majority shareholders in the company, failed to hold a shareholders meeting in compliance with state code and breached their fiduciary duty by taking steps to keep Mosher, 72, from electing a board member of his choosing at an August shareholders meeting. The suit accuses the defendants of attempting to get around safeguards for Mosher, a minority shareholder, to keep intact the company he created. “Mosher has been informed that the other directors are now considering selling new shares to private investors, thereby diluting Mosher’s ownership interest and voting power potentially to (32 percent) or less based upon the amount of money to be raised,” the lawsuit states. Selling additional shares of Precision stock is no longer being considered as far as its known but was still indicative of the actions taken against Mosher, said his attorney Howard Gould. Going to court shows the frustration by Mosher concerning his inability to participate in the running of the company, Gould said. “It’s obvious that he feels he is not getting the voice in the company he should have,” Gould said. Attempts to reach Lasch, Hutchinson, Segal and Foster were not successful. The case is scheduled to be in court on Oct. 16. Mosher, a graduate of Glendale Community College and UCLA, founded Precision Dynamics in 1956 with three investors. The company is one of the largest manufacturers in the San Fernando Valley and a leader in designing, manufacturing and distributing identification band systems primarily for the medical and hospitality industries. Precision Dynamics employs 500 people in both San Fernando and Mexico facilities. Mosher and Kraemer have known each other for a “very long time” but have not always been business partners for that time period, Gould said. Hutchinson joined the company in 2002 and was elected that year by Mosher and Kraemer to the board. Lasch is chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of ORFID Corp., a company formed by Precision Dynamics and Convergent Ventures to develop radio frequency identification technology. Lasch is also a managing partner with Convergent Ventures. Mosher, Hutchinson and Kraemer serve on advisory boards of ORFID Corp. Foster is an adjunct professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management where he also serves as director of the Global Access Program. He is a member of the Tech Coast Angels and the Pasadena Angels, both angel investing organizations, according to his biography at the Anderson School website. Key to the lawsuit is an agreement between Mosher and Kraemer allowing them to elect themselves and three independent non-employees to the board. The agreement was amended following Hutchinson becoming company president and chief executive. Although the agreement states that “initially” Lasch and Foster were to be board directors, Mosher understood that he was not required to keep voting them onto the board, the lawsuit said. Also, in April 2005 Lasch and Foster told Mosher they would step down if he requested, the suit continued. Mosher argues in the suit that as head of ORFID Corp., Lasch is no longer an impartial outsider on the Precision board “and is ineligible to serve in such capacity and should be removed as a director.” The lawsuit also focuses on the Aug. 14 shareholder’s meeting at which Mosher cast votes to have Lee K. Alpert on the board. Mosher cast no votes for Lasch to retain his board seat, the lawsuit said. The suit argues that Segal acted improperly by not counting the votes Mosher cast for Alpert. “Defendants improperly prevented Mosher from voting his shares as he chose, caused the votes to be counted improperly, and willfully and intentionally interfered with the proper results of the election,” the suit said.

Crown Media Holdings Inc. has agreed to sell the domestic rights to its film library for an expected $160 million. Studio City-based Crown Media, which owns and operates the Hallmark Channel, said it has entered into a definitive agreement with RHI Enterprises LLC in order to reduce debt and for operating purposes. The library consists of over 600 television movies, miniseries and series. Crown Media sold the international rights in 2005 to a group of investors. The company retains the right to continue to broadcast selected titles on the Hallmark Movie Channel for up to two years. RHI is a producer and distributor of content for television.

Shoe Pavilion Inc. reported preliminary sales for the third quarter ended Sept. 30 increased 28.1 percent to $31.8 million versus $24.8 million for the third quarter ended Oct. 1, 2005. The chain saw a 3.7 percent increase in comparable store sales compared to the like period in 2005. Shoe Pavilion said it expects a loss in the range of $100,000 to $300,000 or $0.01 to $0.03 per diluted share for the quarter compared to income of $293,000 or $0.04 per share for the prior year quarter. “Our performance for the third quarter was not in line with our expectations since comparable store sales, while good, came in below our expectations and total net sales were lower than expected, particularly in the month of September,” said Dmitry Beinus, chairman and CEO. Beinus added that the quarter’s results were also impacted by expenses connected with the opening of seven stores. The company plans to open 20 to 22 stores in fiscal 2006.

The Woodland Hills healthcare provider HealthNet Inc. plans to expand its Medicare Part D prescription drug plan offerings to all 50 states and Washington, D.C., starting next year. The company also plans to enter the private fee-for-service Medicare Advantage market by offering plans in seven states, including California. Health Net had been offering Medicare Part D to 10 states.

The Reseda Neighborhood Council holds its planning and zoning committee discussion meeting. 7 p.m. Canoas Banquet Hall 18136 Sherman Way, Reseda (818) 832-7540 resedacouncil.org