SAN FERNANDO VALLEY Pacoima AWARD: Ed Rose, Founder of Pacoima-based nonprofit MEND- Meet Each Need With Dignity – was presented with the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Public Service in Washington D.C on June 19. The Award is a component to the Jefferson Awards Program, which recognizes individuals for work in the community. The program was founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard and is often referred to as the “Nobel Prize for public service.” Rose has been involved in the Valley community for years, having founded MEND with his wife Carolyn more than 40 years ago. “It first started with furniture and clothing,” Rose said in a prepared statement. “And then we got a storefront. We just kept growing.” The nonprofit targets individuals living in poverty. It has grown to serve more than 30,000 people a month with services that range from food to health care. SANTA CLARITA CRUISE: Carnival Corp., parent company of Valencia-based Princess Cruises, announced the opening of its new Carnival Japan office last month, launching the Princess brand into the growing Japanese market. Carnival Japan represents the largest deployment ever by a global cruise line in the Japanese market, the company said. Carnival Japan Inc. was formed in March to sell Princess Cruises and other Carnival brands in Japan. From April to July of next year Princess will operate an 87-day program featuring a total of nine cruises on seven different itineraries sailing from both Yokohama and Kobe. The cruises are nine to 12 days in length. Alan Buckelew, Princess’ president and CEO, and Jan Swartz, the line’s executive vice president of sales, marketing and customer service, attended the office opening and ribbon cutting festivities. “Having a strong, dedicated team in Tokyo underscores our commitment to Japan homeport cruising and we’re excited to have such an experienced and passionate team in Tokyo supporting this new program,” Buckelew said in a prepared statement. The Princess cruises were especially designed with Japanese customers in mind. The first ship, the Sun Princess, is set to sail in April, 2013. CONEJO VALLEY Westlake Village ACQUIRE: The Ryland Group Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the Charlotte and Raleigh. N.C. operations and assets of Timberstone Homes, which will provide the Westlake Village homebuilder 870 new lots and homes for future sales. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal is expected to close within 10 days. Earlier this year, Ryland also purchased significant land assets from Westport Homes in Indianapolis, providing Ryland with an additional 504 lots for future delivery. Ryland expects to offer Timberstone’s current workforce the chance to continue to work for the company’s Charlotte and Raleigh operations. Timberstone ranked as the ninth largest builder in Charlotte in 2011. Of the 870 lots and homes that come with the deal, 154 homes are currently sold and under construction. “We are pleased to announce this acquisition, in addition to our earlier purchase of the Indianapolis assets, which is consistent with our strategy of building on our existing market experience while at the same time leveraging the talent from another highly reputable homebuilder,” Larry Nicholson, Ryland’s CEO and president, said in a prepared statement. Ryland said it will honor all Timberstone customer service and warranty obligations under a contractual relationship between the two companies. Agoura Hills NONPROFIT: The Boys and Girls Clubs of Conejo and Las Virgenes announced the opening of a new Club in Agoura Hills. Slated to open on August 22, the new club will be on the campus of Lindero Canyon Middle School and serve students in grades six through eight. The club’s programs will be held during lunch hour and after school and include homework time, a Kid’s College Program, fine arts and sports and fitness. The nonprofit has five other existing clubs on middle school and elementary campuses in Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Calabasas and Newbury Park. “We are so thrilled to offer this new club to the Agoura community,” said CEO Mark Elswick, in a prepared statement. “We look forward to providing many new and exciting programs to the area youth and helping the kids build their futures.”