Sure, Angelenos are getting richer. But they’re not getting rich as quickly as people in the Bay Area. That was one of the conclusions of last week’s quarterly update by the UCLA Anderson Forecast, which painted a generally rosy picture of the state’s expected economic growth this year but said that the personal income gap between L.A. and the Silicon Valley will grow wider in the years ahead. Indeed, the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto reported that the average per-capita income in Los Angeles was $78,163 (adjusted for inflation) in 1990, and $90,867 in San Francisco. In 1999, the average household income was $84,661 in L.A. and $109,647 in San Francisco. So, while the average income in L.A. rose by a modest 8.1 percent over this period, in San Francisco it jumped 20.7 percent. And with huge volumes of venture capital and Wall Street money pouring into the Bay Area, most economists expect this trend to continue for the immediate future. “If we had been talking 10 years ago, we would have seen the reverse situation,” said Michael Dardia, an economist with the Public Policy Institute of California in San Francisco. “Then, it looked as if Los Angeles was outpacing San Francisco, but the next thing was that 100,000 aerospace jobs in the L.A. region disappeared.” While the numbers might seem like bad news for Southern Californians, they actually could point to a dangerous situation for the Bay Area. None of the economists contacted by the Business Journal foresee an imminent collapse of the Bay Area’s high-tech industry, like the one that ripped through L.A.’s defense and aerospace industries in the early ’90s. However, there is concern that the Bay Area’s reliance on one industry exposes the region to the same kind of downturn, whether through a long-term bear market or through global economic upheaval. L.A.’s more-diversified economy, meanwhile, would weather such events with comparative ease. “The collapse of the Asian export market two years ago took the edge off the growth (in the Bay Area) for awhile,” said Tom Lieser, executive director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast. “It showed the vulnerability of the region to that kind of event.” By contrast, Los Angeles experienced little, if any, negative impact from the Asian financial crisis because there are no dominant industries here that rely on exports to Asia. Workforce differences Underlying L.A.’s rather slow increase in personal income, relative to the Bay Area, are important differences in the two areas’ workforces, which in turn create differences in the industries that flourish in the respective areas. For example, U.S. Census data shows that, in 1997, 34 percent of the workers in the San Jose/San Francisco region had bachelor’s degrees, compared with just 22 percent of the workers in L.A. County. In addition, 13 percent of the workers here had less than a high school education, compared with only 7 percent in San Jose/San Francisco. The education gap means that low-wage industries such as apparel and other non-durable goods manufacturing have done well in L.A. because of the area’s big supply of low-skilled workers, many of whom are immigrants from Mexico and Central America. In the Bay Area, on the other hand, the concentration of highly educated workers has been an important magnet for high-tech businesses. Clearly, there is plenty of high-tech action in L.A. (by some accounts just as much as in the Bay Area). But the impact of the industry here is defused by the presence of many more low-paying jobs in low-tech industries. In fact, a recent report by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor shows that the number of people in L.A. who live in poverty has risen 64.5 percent since 1990. While Los Angeles has become the point of entry for low-skilled immigrants, the Bay Area is home mostly to high-skilled immigrants who are attracted by the labor shortage in the Silicon Valley. Given the almost complete absence of affordable housing in the Bay Area, few poor immigrants in search of a better life have been moving there. “People are poor, but they are not dumb,” said Lieser. “Everybody knows that in San Francisco, the door is pretty much closed.” Growth constraints The extremely tight labor and real estate markets in the Bay Area, however, are expected to work as an impediment to future growth, causing companies that do not absolutely have to be there to look for space elsewhere. Unemployment in parts of the Bay Area is below 2 percent, which many economists once thought would be impossible. The office vacancy rate in San Francisco is only 1.3 percent. “That’s good news for Los Angeles, where there is still some space left and where unemployment is still higher,” said Ted Gibson, chief economist with the California Department of Finance. “It’s a good thing to have a little slack left when there is a tight labor market.” Likewise, the skyrocketing housing market in the Bay Area will make it harder for companies in the area to attract new workers, economists say. “They are way ahead of us in terms of economic recovery,” said Leslie Appleton Young, chief economist with the California Association of Realtors. “In Los Angeles, the median home price is still $25,000 below the previous peak. In Santa Clara, it’s $150,000 above the previous peak, and in San Mateo it’s almost $200,000 (above the peak).” According to Appleton Young, home prices in the Bay Area are driven up by the large number of tech executives who have made a fortune on stock options in Internet companies and who are eager to transfer some of their stock market wealth into more tangible assets. In Los Angeles, the housing market is a lot less feverish. Although prices have been rising steadily, the increase has been slowing in the last few months.

Damian Chapa opened his specialty boutique, Candlemania, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City two years ago, just as a craze for scented and other designer candles was in full swing. Chapa spoke to reporter Jennifer Netherby recently about staying afloat as a boutique with fierce competition from big and little players. “We started out with candles and essential oils and incense. Now we’re starting to build up our offerings in ceramics, pottery and candleholders. It’s sort of evolving into a spiritual place. We’ve got things with Buddha, the Star of David, crosses. The Circle of Friends is our bestseller. It’s a group of people holding each other, it’s based on an Indian legend. It’s a candle and when you turn the lights out, the shadows dance on the walls. “I’ve always loved candles. My living room is filled with candles. They’re very serene and they make you feel very comfortable. And in this town, there’s a lot of stress. “I’ve been here, it’ll be two years in June. I’m in the entertainment business. I write and act. I was in ‘Blood In, Blood Out.’ I was looking for something to do in the down time. I took the money I made from my acting career and opened the store. “I want to open four or five more stores eventually. We have three or four employees now. We’re a small shop. But our doors are still open. “There’s a lot of competition. When we moved in, there was a candle shop across the street from us that we didn’t even know about. We’re different from Kmart and other stores that sell candles. All of my candles are made with essential oils. We make a lot of the candles ourselves. And I have friends that make the other candles. They range in price from $3 to $29. “We get a lot of young people coming in. The store is very eclectic. The walls are midnight blue. We’ve got the religious items. We never really planned that, it just kind of evolved. I study religions, and every religion has a bit of intrigue to me. “When we first started, it was kind of difficult being on the boulevard. We’re a little set back from the street. We don’t get much walk-in traffic. It was hard to get word out about ourselves. “The thing about candles is, they burn out, so you have to come back. That helps with repeat business.”

Exec. Search Firms

Entertainment Lisa Haller was appointed senior vice president of sales at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City. She will be responsible for integrating sales strategies for travel, special events, and corporate and special markets while being involved with product development, telemarketing and e-commerce strategy. Haller was previously vice president of sales for Homestead Village Guest Studios. Gary Marsh was promoted to executive vice president of original programming at Disney Channel in Burbank. He will oversee development and production for all original movies, series, specials and documentaries. Marsh was most recently senior vice president of original programming. Also, Tina Treadwell was promoted to vice president of talent and alternative programming. She will continue to oversee all talent development and casting. Treadwell was previously executive director of talent development and music specials. Adam Sanderson was named senior vice president of marketing at Disney/ABC Cable Networks in Burbank. He will oversee marketing activities including consumer and trade advertising, national and local promotions and brand management for the networks’ channels. Sanderson was most recently vice president of marketing at Disney Channel. Also, John Rood was appointed vice president of marketing. He will oversee the positioning and execution of strategic marketing plans and day-to-day management of advertising and promotions teams. Rood was previously director of promotions and branded foods for Warner Bros. Consumer Products. LeeAnne Stables was appointed senior vice president of marketing at GameWorks, a video game and entertainment center chain based in Universal City. She will be responsible for all marketing activities, including brand strategy, advertising, promotions, public relations, corporate partnerships and sales. Stables was most recently head of promotions at E! Entertainment Television. Government Mary Alvord was named Burbank’s assistant city manager. She will oversee day-to-day internal operations of the city. Alvord was most recently Burbank’s director of parks, recreation and community services. Also, Michael Flad was appointed Burbank’s director of parks, recreation and community services. He will be responsible for parks, senior and youth transportation, and all recreation services. Flad was previously assistant city manager in Ukiah, Calif. Health Care Neil T. Higashida was promoted to vice president of pharmacy programs for HealthNet in Woodland Hills. He will be responsible for managing member pharmacy benefits. Higashida was previously associate vice president of pharmacy programs. Patricia Modrzejewski was named executive director of foundations for the San Fernando Valley service area of Providence Health System in Burbank. She will be responsible for the Providence St. Joseph and Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Foundations. Modrzejewski was most recently vice president of development for Northridge Hospital Foundation. John A. Volkober was appointed vice president and chief financial officer of the health management division of WellPoint Health Networks in Thousand Oaks. He will oversee financial operations, actuarial services, underwriting, pricing, data administration and network management. Volkober was previously vice president and chief financial officer at Omni Healthcare in Sacramento. Laboratories Jeanette Campbell was named certified industrial hygienist and corporate health and safety officer at Columbia Analytical Services in Simi Valley. She will expand the indoor air quality services to clients and assist with outsourcing needs. New Media Mason Wiley was appointed vice president of membership marketing at CUShopper, an online and off-line shopping service for credit union members based in Burbank. He will be responsible for all database marketing, Web site design, promotional efforts, collateral production and branding. Wiley was most recently creative director at Universal Pictures Marketing. Real Estate Gary DiMartino was named partner at Told Partners in Woodland Hills. He specializes in selling investment properties throughout Southern California. DiMartino was formerly an associate vice president in the investment services group of Grubb & Ellis’ San Fernando Valley office. William Mulkey was named vice president of Investment Real Estate Associates in Sherman Oaks. He focuses on selling multifamily properties in Los Angeles. Mulkey was most recently a senior associate at Marcus & Millichap. Retail Mike Vizvary was promoted to vice president of marketing communications at Guitar Center in Agoura Hills. He will oversee advertising, promotions, public relations and corporate branding strategies. Vizvary was most recently director of advertising. Also, Edward Chan was promoted to vice president of information systems. He will be responsible for all IT matters. Chan was formerly director of information systems. Telecommunications Eric Brown was promoted to vice president and general manager for the northern region of Time Warner Communications’ Los Angeles division in Chatsworth. He will oversee operations for cable systems in the West Valley, San Fernando, Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, South Pasadena and San Marino. Brown was formerly vice president of marketing.

Cornerstone International Group over the past decade, Cornerstone International Group has grown into one of the largest executive search firms in the nation. It has rapidly expanded by acquiring stakes in other recruiting firms around the world, creating a network that boosted company revenues to $170 million in 1999. While Cornerstone tied with Agoura Hills-based Independent Resource Systems for L.A. revenues in 1999 both reporting $6 million Cornerstone’s companywide revenues put it at the top of the list. Over the next year, Cornerstone will shift its focus more toward high-tech placement, said Chairman and Chief Executive William Guy. “Technology in general is experiencing tremendous growth and simultaneously a tremendous shortage of talent,” Guy said. The firm is also working to raise its own visibility and brand name over the coming year. It will continue to buy stakes in firms worldwide as part of that effort, Guy said. Cornerstone’s revenues increased 15 percent in 1999 over the previous year, as demand accelerates for executives. “A lot of companies were gun shy in the early 1990s (about hiring backup executives),” Guy said. “Now, if they want to grow, there’s no one to promote. They don’t have any bench strength to promote and they’re playing catch-up.” Cornerstone was founded in 1967 in Los Angeles and now has 45 offices in the United States and offices in every continent.

So, you have a web site. Have you really taken a look at it lately? Was your last entry in your “Press Releases” section from 1999? Has anyone commented on it recently? Coming to the realization that it is time to enhance or improve your site is similar to that nagging knowingness that its just time to lose some weight. You feel it coming and ignore it for a while, until you finally take a close look in the mirror and you know. The bar has been raised on what types of web sites are acceptable in the marketplace. No longer is a static HTML page memorable or even noteworthy. Your web presence is your ever-present commercial, and it better be “sticky” or worth book marking or you’ve permanently lost an opportunity to make an impression. This is like sending an introvert to a trade show why bother? With emerging technology in web design, there are many ways to convert your site into a showpiece. Install a micro-site on your home page to highlight a new product-highly animated graphics and voice-over explanations or selling points can entice and educate more effectively than a brochure. Offer the micro-site on CD to those who request it. Add a site introduction before or after your home page-with original music or sound. Re-engineer the navigation to your site-are your buttons still on the left side of the home page? Your web site can be your most effective brochure and a significant enhancement to your overall marketing plan. It should be dynamic, fresh and in-style. Your receptionist should confidently direct every curious caller to the site for an immediate great first impression. Your site should reflect the quality of work you produce, it should not appear as an afterthought. A successful site is not necessarily an on-line store. It is a marketing piece that is remembered for its message and its ability to succinctly inform the visitor what you do and why you are better than your competition. Take a close look at your site .is it time? Its certainly more fun to renovate your site than go to the gym! Jessica Bass is a website consultant for Quick Source. She can be reached via www.q-source.com

In 1998, just as the entertainment industry started to rein in much of its office expansion, M. David Paul & Associates was knee-deep in its latest development the 650,000-square-foot Media Studios North at the former site of the Lockheed Skunk Works plant in Burbank. Entertainment had been fueling much of the office leasing activity in Burbank, but when the industry retrenched, it cast a big shadow over the real estate market. But there was no slowdown at Media Studios North. The first two phases of the project leased quickly, and the firm is now breaking ground on the third phase. The fourth will begin in about six months. M. David Paul, company founder and general partner, has been in the business for more than 30 years. In college, he tried engineering and later law, but neither suited him. What he really liked was the idea of building things and seeing people benefit from the fruits of those labors. Since starting the company in 1973, Paul has developed 2.5 million square feet of space and renovated another 1 million. His latest project involves the purchase of a five-acre parcel in Burbank for a speculative project known Media Center Gardens. Question: What made you confident that Media Studios North would lease successfully, despite the slowdown in entertainment-industry expansion? Answer: By then we had already filled up the first building, and we were well on our way to leasing the second building. It was a concern when entertainment companies kind of pulled in their vision for new space, but we found there were a lot of other kinds of companies that were still expanding. And they loved the environment we were developing out there, which is not only a garden office park but had all covered parking, great workout facilities, entertainment facilities, putting greens, volleyball courts, commissary, jogging trails, flowers, gardens and shade trees. Q: What about the third and fourth phases of that project? How concerned are you about demand leveling off? A: We have a number of tenants who have expressed interest in the project. There is very little space available in Burbank. We think that with our quality of product, we will be standing alone with less competition than we’ve seen in prior cycles. We’re going ahead with the third and fourth phases on a speculative basis. We will have phase three open in December of this year, and phase four will be open by the end of the second quarter of 2001 with the most incredible gardens and feature areas. Q: What kinds of features are you planning? A: We’re still playing with all of that, but we have a very artsy bridge over a water course. It will be quite spectacular. We’re adding a basketball court and a paddleball court. Q: Business hours seem to be shifting from the traditional 9-to-5 work week to a 24/7 schedule. Did those changes influence the way you built Media Studios North? A: We’ve always felt that people spend more waking hours at work than they do at home, and now, with the variety of hours, we think it’s more likely than ever that will continue. So we have a private health club that’s for tenants only with showers and lockers. You have the ability to get exercise, to relax or sit under a tree and read. There’s no question that there’s a market for having amenities like that. We had the opportunity to do those things because we had about 19 acres. Usually we are doing infill work where we have room for just one building and one garage. Q: The previous developers were unable to secure a tenant for Media Center Gardens after trying for several years. Does that concern you? A: It’s a large enough project that previously had been designed to go in one phase, which is a lot of space to put into the market at one time. We have broken it up into two phases. We will have two buildings when we’re finished, one of about 235,000 square feet and one of about 350,000 square feet. Q: What will the rental rates be at Media Center Gardens? And do you think it will be more difficult to attract non-entertainment companies at those rents? A: They will be higher than what we’ve been charging out at (Media Studios North), but they will be in line with what we charge across the freeway. (The company also owns Central Park at Toluca Lake in the Media District.) We’re between $2.40 and $2.50 (per square foot) plus parking (at Media Studios North). And the new Gardens project will probably be about (40 cents more per month). Q: How did your company get started? A: When we started in September 1967, we were called Wilshire Center Development Co., and we were going to specialize in the development of the Mid-Wilshire area along Sixth Street between Vermont and Western avenues. We developed two projects and then we decided that the end was coming to Mid-Wilshire as we knew it. That was 1973. We could just feel a change coming. People were starting to go to the suburbs. The area wasn’t connected well to freeways and we just thought we would try to be at the front end of the move instead of the back end. At that point I bought out my partner and we developed the building at Third Street and Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica and have been here ever since. Q: What has been your strategy in building the company? A: When we moved here we made it a point to start specializing in trying to build the nicest office product in what I would call smaller, defined communities. I think we’re pretty much infill developers. We’re not the kind of company that goes into Irvine or the far end of the Conejo Valley and starts building stuff in competition with other people. We’re much more comfortable with finding an infill project in an established community and building the best that can be built there. Q: Isn’t it tempting to go where the new frontier is? A: I’d much rather be an infill developer. We think there’s less competition. And there’s an opportunity to do something different than the masses. Q: You’ve been doing this for over 30 years. What is the biggest change you’ve seen in the industry? A: When I started, the industry was made up almost exclusively of small developers. Today you have a lot of REITs controlled by the marketplace of stocks and bonds, making it much harder for them to speculate on uncommitted space and leaving us as one of the few with enough vision or craziness to attempt such a feat. Because of that, today there is hardly any available space in Glendale or Burbank or the Westside of Los Angeles, and there’s very little being put up on the horizon. So the choices today are fewer than they’ve been since I’ve been in this business. SPOTLIGHT M. David Paul Title: General partner Organization: M. David Paul & Associates Born: Idaho, 1937 Education: Bachelor’s degree in finance from Cal State Long Beach, one year of law school at UCLA Personal: Married, two adult daughters, one granddaughter

When a Southwest Airlines commuter jet ran off the runway at Burbank Airport and smashed into a nearby gas station earlier this month, it made more than a dramatic visual on the nightly news: It provided more ammunition for airport officials who want a new terminal. The current facility is 400 feet closer to the runways than is deemed safe by the Federal Aviation Administration, and airport officials have argued for years that the old terminal is an accident waiting to happen. Now they hope the FAA and others will take notice. “(The safety issue) has become palpable since the accident. You can certainly sense it,” said Victor Gill, an airport spokesman. “Whether it will cause any fundamental change in attitude (on the part of the FAA or other policy makers), I don’t know the answer.” The crash is the latest twist in a seemingly never-ending fight over airport expansion. When Burbank Airport and the city of Burbank hammered out a compromise last August to allow development of a new air terminal, officials on both sides said the decades-long controversy appeared headed for resolution. But with the compromise now under fire from the airlines, political leaders and the FAA, it’s clear the flap is anything but over. Burbank officials are refusing to process the airport’s development plans until the FAA gives its approval to the compromise, dubbed the “framework agreement.” But that agreement calls for the nighttime closure of the air terminal, and the FAA is precluded by federal law from doing anything to impede air commerce. As the standoff between the city and the FAA enters its seventh week, officials on both sides see no quick resolution to the dispute. A group calling itself Restore Our Airport Rights, or ROAR, submitted 7,400 signatures to the Burbank city clerk on March 14 in an effort to place a measure on the February 2001 ballot. The group wants to bar the City Council from approving an air terminal exceeding 200,000 square feet and impose a curfew on flights between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., along with a 10 percent cap on the growth of flights and passengers. However, City Clerk Judie Sarquiz informed ROAR members she would have to reject the signatures because the group failed to identify its officers on the petitions, as required by law. “She feels horrible about it, but she doesn’t have any choice,” said Burbank City Manager Bud Ovrom. “It goes back to these being well-intentioned amateurs.” Ovrom said if the measure ever makes the ballot, it will have a good chance of being approved by the voters. “Everything they ask for is everything people want: a smaller terminal, a curfew and cap on fights,” he said. “It’s pure mother and apple pie.” However, he doubts the measure could withstand scrutiny in the courts. Burbank Mayor Stacey Murphy last month announced that the city would suspend work on the development agreement for a new terminal and fired off an angry letter to the FAA after the agency’s director, Jane Garvey, criticized the compromise in a letter to an area newspaper. In her letter, Garvey indicated that parts of the expansion deal might violate federal law, but didn’t specify which parts of the agreement might be problematic. Garvey has yet to say specifically what’s wrong with the agreement, but city and airport officials suspect Garvey is opposed to a provision that calls for closure of the air terminal from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., a proposal that has come under attack by the airline industry. Burbank city and airport officials are scheduled to meet with Garvey on April 7 in an effort to revive the stalled terminal plan. Burbank officials say it’s too early to tell if the Southwest mishap will help prod the FAA into seeing things the city’s way. “Yes, the plane happened to veer off and go into the street, but it could just as easily have veered into the air terminal,” said Ovrom. “I hope it does light a fire under the feet of the FAA.

When Weiser Litho opened in Westlake Village in 1987, it faced stiff competition: Within a two-square-mile radius were 13 other print shops. Owner Paula Weiser and her former partner (and ex-husband) began by printing fliers for pizza parlors and doing other small jobs. For the first few years, business grew slowly. Then in 1996, five years after buying out her ex-husband’s stake in the business, Weiser decided something had to change. She went where most other printers hadn’t gone before adding a design department that allowed the company to handle everything from ad conception to printed product. That led to a quick jump in revenue and a steady stream of design work. Revenue has grown from $1.2 million in 1996 to $2 million in 1999. And Weiser estimates that a full 50 percent of her clients now use the design department. “I saw a niche not being filled at all, no one was even tapping it,” Weiser said. “The print (job) is a given, we’re going to get (that work). But now people are coming in for the design.” Weiser hired three designers to start the department. At first, customers were unsure about handing off their advertising tasks to the newcomer. “There was a level of skepticism,” said creative director Tom Nance. “Then we knocked their socks off.” Weiser and Nance decided to promote the design unit as a way to attract clients to the printing business. They entered design competitions in Ventura County to build credentials and even started their own ad campaign for Weiser Litho. It paid off, with the firm winning 14 awards in the Ventura County Advertising Federation Addy Awards in 1999. In the beginning One of the company’s first design clients was Rick Lemmo, vice president of corporate communications for Caruso Affiliated Holdings. Lemmo began working with Weiser in 1997 when he was at a radio station. “I liked the idea of having everything done in one shop, and that they know their limitations or lack of limitations (in print work),” Lemmo said. “There are a lot of wonderful ad agencies in Ventura County. But the thing with an ad agency is, once you have the design, it’s handed to the printer. With Weiser, it’s their baby.” The design department often creates ads and fliers from scratch. “We want clients to come in and say, ‘We have nothing more than a napkin drawing and the product,'” Weiser said. At times, Weiser Litho also reviews work done by other agencies to make sure it fits the client’s needs. Weiser believes clients find it easy to use the in-house designers because they are in sync with the printers and can quickly go back and forth to make sure the design is what the client wants. While the design functions have boosted business, Weiser said focusing on customer service has helped retain clients. “Quality printing is a given in this industry,” Weiser said. “What makes us different is our customer service and design department.” For example, calls are returned as quickly as possible. Same-day quotes are offered on jobs, and thank-you notes are sent when a job is completed. “We make it overkill with follow-ups,” Weiser said. Awaiting new press Weiser Litho was housed in a 1,500-square-foot space in the early 1990s, but moved to a 7,600-square-foot office to handle growth. In the process, it has added more and more printing equipment to handle larger jobs. In April, it will christen a new $1.1 million press. Weiser now has ongoing contracts with some of the top companies in the Conejo Valley area, including JVC, Landmark Theatres and Amgen. Though she still works just as much with small clients and even home-based businesses, things have changed dramatically since the company was started in 1987. Weiser, a former dance teacher, said she reluctantly entered the printing business but soon found it offered a new creative challenge. The company started under the name American Speedy Printing and in the beginning was a two-person operation, with Weiser handling sales calls and her former partner handling the printing. “It was a typical mom-and-pop shop,” said Weiser. Business grew by word of mouth while she pursued a conservative growth strategy. But that doesn’t mean she’s not focused on beating the competition. “We want to create a niche for ourselves that makes us different in our clients’ minds,” she said. “Every day I ask myself, ‘What did I do to beat the competition today?'” SPOTLIGHT Weiser Litho Year Founded: 1987 Revenue in 1996: $1.2 million Revenue in 1999: $2 million Employees in 1996: 9 Employees in 1999: 19 Core Business: Printing and design Goal: To build a reputation for design as a way to drive printing business

Airports Lydia Kennard was promoted to executive director of Los Angeles World Airports. She will be responsible for strategic direction and operations for Los Angeles International Airport, Ontario International Airport, Van Nuys Airport and Palmdale Regional Airport. Kennard was most recently interim executive director for the organization. Entertainment Cindy Clark was named director of development for the entertainment operations at Dick Clark Productions in Burbank. She will develop new entertainment properties and also serve as a producer. Clark was previously director of development for Universal Studios. Karen Randall was promoted to executive vice president and general counsel at Universal Studios in Universal City. She will continue to oversee all legal operations and will be responsible for labor relations, government affairs and oversight of the health safety and environment department. Randall was previously senior vice president and general counsel. Also, Brian Rogers was promoted to vice president of finance and administration at Universal Creative, the design and creative division of Universal Studios Recreation Group. He will be responsible for financial control and reporting, estimating and scheduling functions, cost tracking and administrative policies. Rogers was previously senior director of finance. Vince Roberts was promoted to senior vice president of operations and technology for the broadcast engineering division of Disney/ABC Cable Networks in Burbank. He will be responsible for overseeing engineering, broadcast operations, information services and technology development for the firm’s cable channels. Roberts was previously vice president of engineering and operations for Disney Channel. Kevin Tsujihara was named executive vice president of new media at Warner Bros. in Burbank. He will oversee all new media endeavors and initiatives, including Warner Bros. online and Entertaindom, and will continue to be responsible for strategic planning and new business development. Tsujihara was most recently senior vice president of strategic planning and development. Health Care Clare N. Resnick was promoted to vice president of finance for the public entities unit of WellPoint Health Networks in Woodland Hills. She will oversee all financial matters for the department, including forecasting and budgeting, governmental reporting and monthly closing. Resnick was previously director of internal reporting and state programs for the company. High Tech Brad Plunkett was named vice president of engineering at Digital Theater Systems in Agoura Hills. He will be responsible for all day-to-day engineering activities. Plunkett was most recently an executive engineer with Harman International in Northridge. Gregory A. Thomas was appointed president and chief operating officer for the transactional content group of TVN Entertainment, a pay-per-view provider based in Burbank. He will oversee the division, which develops, delivers and markets pay-per-view entertainment programming and home shopping. Thomas was previously chief operating officer at Guthy-Renker Television. Also, James P. Riley was named senior vice president for the division. He will be responsible for distribution and marketing efforts. Riley was previously with Rainbow Programming and E! Entertainment Television. Insurance Bruce W. Marlow was named president and chief executive officer at 21st Century Insurance in Woodland Hills. He will be responsible for overall strategy and regional expansion. Marlow was previously president of independent agency markets and senior vice president of Allstate Corp. Landscaping Richard A. Sperber was promoted to chief operating officer at Environmental Industries, a site development, landscape and horticultural services contractor in Calabasas. He will oversee operations for the company’s five divisions. Sperber was previously president and chief operating officer for Valley Crest and Environmental Golf divisions of the company. Law Sue M. Bendavid-Arbiv was elected partner at Arter & Hadden in Woodland Hills. She practices in employment law and general business litigation. Bendavid-Arbiv was previously an associate with the firm. Personnel Lara Cortez was promoted to manager at General Employment Enterprises in Woodland Hills. She will be responsible for managing the branch. Cortez was previously a technical recruiter for the firm. Real Estate Marcus H. Feder was named senior associate at Grubb & Ellis Co.’s industrial services group in Sherman Oaks. He will focus on industrial sales and leasing in the San Fernando Valley and Ventura County. Feder was previously with Lee & Associates. Transportation Erin McGoldrick was appointed head of the certified refrigerated transporter program at Allen Lund Co., a transportation brokerage and logistics firm in La Canada. She will coordinate the training course. McGoldrick was previously with Friedman, Billings, Ramsey in Arlington, Virginia.