Veronica Beard, a ready-to-wear fashion brand, is opening its newest retail store this fall at Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

The brand known for its Dickey jacket was created in 2010 by two Veronicas, sisters-in-law Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard. Their mission was to create “a modern uniform for today’s women.”

“We make the uniform for women, it’s sophisticated and sexy and colorful,” Miele Beard told Forbes in April. “We are known for our quality and our fit. And our dickies. That jacket is 40% of our business.”

The line includes an array of colors and fits. The Fashion Island boutique will be opposite Bloomingdale’s, carrying the brand’s full lineup of Dickey jackets and denim, outerwear, dresses, tops, skirts, footwear and accessories.

The Fashion Island store is the company’s fifth standalone store in California and 30 in all.

Hoag Health Center Dove Canyon, newly opened in Trabuco Canyon, will be open seven days a week, providing primary care, internal medicine and Hoag Urgent Care services. (Rendering courtesy of Hoag)

Medical center opening in Trabuco Canyon

Hoag’s newest health center is celebrating its south county debut Aug. 26

Hoag Health Center Dove Canyon in Trabuco Canyon will be open seven days a week, providing primary care, internal medicine and Hoag Urgent Care services.

The center will host a grand opening from 9 a.m. to noon with tours, food demos, blood pressure screenings and more. PGA pro Michael Block will be there, too, from 10 a.m. to noon.

The center will begin seeing patients on Wednesday, Aug. 30. For more information, go to hoag.org/dove-canyon.

Address: at 31951 Dove Canyon Drive,

Poppy Bank, a Santa Rose institution with assets nearing $6 billion, has opened a Laguna Hills branch. (Photo courtesy of Poppy Bank)

New bank opens in Laguna Hills

Poppy Bank, a Santa Rose institution with assets nearing $6 billion, has opened a Laguna Hills branch.

The full-service bank marks its second Orange County branch. The other is in Costa Mesa.

“Despite the many recent challenges in the economy and the banking industry, Poppy Bank continues to thrive,” said President and CEO Khalid Acheckzai. “We are thrilled to be joining the Laguna Hills community…”

Address: 24231 Avenida De La Carlota, Suite 130

Full-time employees at Spectrum now can get 100% of tuition costs covered for certain degrees and certificates in a new Charter Education Benefit program. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Spectrum offers paid tuition for full-time employees

Full-time employees at Spectrum now can get 100% of tuition costs covered for certain degrees and certificates in a new Charter Education Benefit program.

Charter Communications, which operates the Spectrum brand, said it will cover the costs for more than 101,000 employees to “start, continue or complete their education, expand their skill sets and grow their careers with the company.”

The program includes a catalog of 300 online programs and degrees from at least 30 universities and learning providers including eCornell, University of Denver, Ohio University and Spelman College.

Spectrum also is covering qualified program-related expenses such as books, supplies and enrollment fees.

“Creating meaningful opportunities for career mobility results in a more knowledgeable workforce, which ultimately benefits our customers as well,” said Paul Marchand, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Charter.

The program is supported by Guild, a career company that helps employers provide higher education to employees.

For more information, go to charter.guildeducation.com/partner

John Wayne air traffic ticks up again

Passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport rose 3.8% in May compared to May 2022.

The early summer numbers for JWA show 1,041,342 passengers passed through gates in May vs. 1,003,582 last May.

Here are more May numbers provided by the airport:

Commercial aircraft operations (8,266) decreased a scant 0.2% while commuter aircraft operations (422) decreased 17.9%.

Total aircraft operations, such as takeoffs and landings, decreased 9.5% (22,748).

General aviation activity slipped nearly 14% but accounted for 61.7% of the total aircraft operations.

The top three airlines in May 2023 based on passenger count were Southwest Airlines (331,150), American Airlines (175,111) and United Airlines (160,495).

Noël Mika Bahamón is the new chief marketing officer at Newport Beach-based Go Rentals. (Photo courtesy of Go Rentals)

Peiti Feng is the new chief marketing officer and Michael Lanzon is the new chief sales officer at MobileX, a wireless mobile carrier in Irvine. (Photo courtesy of MobileX)

Michael Lanzon is the new chief sales officer at MobileX, a wireless mobile carrier in Irvine. (Photo courtesy of MobileX)

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On the move

Noël Mika Bahamón is the new chief marketing officer at Newport Beach-based Go Rentals. She has experience launching, managing and growing businesses. She previously worked as an executive at Walt Disney Co., first in international business development and then as a creative executive in Walt Disney Imagineering. Go Rentals is a family-owned car rental company that emphasizes service. It built its brand reputation by specializing in the private jet industry.

Peiti Feng is the new chief marketing officer and Michael Lanzon is the new chief sales officer at MobileX, a wireless mobile carrier in Irvine. Feng previously worked at Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA and will lead MobileX’s marketing initiatives. Lanzon, formerly with TracFone, Simple Mobile and Boost Mobile, will lead the company’s sales department.

CoolSys buys another company

Brea-based CoolSys acquired Philadelphia-based Lima Co., a service provider of commercial and industrial HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing and energy services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The expansion marks one of several for CoolSys, which has grown to 3,000 employees nationwide in recent years.

Tania Vallejo of Orange County was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve as a judge in the Orange County Superior Court. (Photo courtesy of the office of Gov. Newsom)

Appointments

Tania Vallejo of Orange County was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve as a judge in the Orange County Superior Court. She has served as a commissioner at the court since 2022. Vallejo earned her law degree from Whittier Law School, fills a vacancy created when Judge Glenda Sanders retired.

Eastvale resident Vasco Deon Kidd has been reappointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to the Physician Assistant board of directors. Kidd has been an associate clinical professor at UC Irvine’s School of Medicine Department of Orthopedic Surgery since 2021 and director of the Advanced Practice Providers Program at UCI Health since 2019. This position does not require Senate confirmation; compensation is $100 per diem. Kidd is registered without party preference.

The Orange County Register’s 16th annual Top Workplaces program opens for nominations Sunday, May 28. (Southern California News Group)

Top Workplaces nominations closing soon

The nomination period for the Register’s 16th annual Top Workplace program has been extended to Aug. 18.

Any organization with 35 or more employees in Orange County is eligible to participate and includes public, private, nonprofits and government agencies.

Participation is free.

Workplaces are evaluated by their employees using a 24-question survey.

The list of winners will be announced in late 2023

To nominate online, go to ocregister.com/nominate or call 714-442-2768.

Status Update is compiled from press releases by contributing writer Karen Levin and edited by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to sgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.

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