A horn sounds, a twirl of colorful silk waves by, kisses on the cheeks are exchanged by family members, and the Iranian New Year has arrived. Farhang Foundation’s annual celebration of Nowruz (the Iranian New Year) was back this March and included a special concert by Orange County’s Pacific Symphony Orchestra under the direction of musical director Carl St. Clair. Presented in collaboration with the Farhang Foundation and held at Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa, the Nowruz Concert also featured acclaimed composer and conductor Maestro Shardad Rohani presenting his own exclusive composition of the beloved Dance of Spring Overture to welcome spring.

Notable Iranian composers included Hossein Yousefzamani and Shahin Yousefzamani, and special guest performers included two of Iran’s most notable female artists, vocalist Mojgan Shajarian, daughter of the late master Mohammad Reza Shajarian, as well as master guitarist Lily Afshar. Guests also experienced the Grand Haft Sîn display – a symbolic and traditional Iranian tablescape celebrating the arrival of spring featuring an eye-catching centerpiece of Nowruz displayed in Iranian households to ring in the New Year with good wishes for all, along with Iranian dance performances by the Melieka Fathi Dance Company and traditional Nowruz musicians as a pre-show and intermission celebration in the lobby.

Haft Sîn Display at Pacific Symphony (Photo credit: Vafa Khatami)

Melieka Fathi is a choreographer, instructor, performer of classical Iranian dances and the founder and artistic director of the Melieka Fathi Dance Company. She has worked with world-renowned artists and organizations to preserve and expand upon Iranian arts within diaspora communities. The company’s unique style is defined as a blend of historic roots and diasporic inspirations.

Celebrated on the vernal equinox in Iran, Afghanistan, China, the United States, India, Tajikistan, Turkey, and beyond, Nowruz (meaning new day), is welcomed with vibrant displays of culture by more than 75 million people around the world. The event is nonreligious and universal to all by celebrating the arrival of spring.

“It was such an immense pleasure to be back in person and to be able to present the Nowruz Concert with the Pacific Symphony to music lovers once again,” said Alireza Ardekani, Executive Director, Farhang Foundation. “After being away for two years as the result of the pandemic-imposed hiatus, welcoming our sold-out audience to this annual celebration was so memorable and moving.”

Mojgan Shajarian (Photo credit: Vafa Khatami)

Farhang Foundation is a member-supported nonreligious, nonpolitical, and nonprofit foundation established in 2008 to celebrate and promote Iranian art and culture for the benefit of the community at large. The foundation supports a broad range of academic and cultural activities in Southern California by funding university programs, diverse cultural programs such as the celebrations of Nowruz, musical performances, film screenings and festivals in Southern California.

“We have been counting the days until we can once again experience the Nowruz Concert in person here in Orange County. It is such a joyous day to be able to celebrate this ancient Iranian tradition with hundreds of other audience members,” said Newport Beach resident Sima Jalalvand. “I am so thankful to Farhang Foundation and the Pacific Symphony for their commitment to celebrating Nowruz in Orange County.”

(Photo credit: Vafa Khatami)

Another attraction to the annual celebration is the Nowruz Banner Design competition which brought in a record number of entries this year and has turned into a highly anticipated tradition ahead of the celebrations. It provides artists across the globe the opportunity to have their work decorating the streets of Los Angeles and Costa Mesa. This year’s winning designs were awarded to Iranian artists Najva Erfani from Iran (Los Angeles banners) and Rashin Kheiriyeh from the United States (Costa Mesa banners). The banners were displayed starting earlier in the year through the date of the celebrations to announce the festivities taking place.

If you missed this year’s events, then stay tuned for next year’s dates by visiting www.farhang.org

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Irvine-based innovative global higher education institution Westcliff University has embarked upon a partnership this year with one of the largest and most active angel investor networks in the nation, Tech Coast Angels (TCA), to infuse entrepreneurship inside and outside the classroom and create real-life learning opportunities for students by enhancing the school’s entrepreneurial culture.

Westcliff University has been around for almost 30 years in Orange County and has Colleges of Business, Education, Technology & Engineering, and Law, with a focus on the adult student population. Online programs have been available for over 10 years now given their expertise in technologies. Even campus classes infuse a lot of technology into the classroom. As a result, during the pandemic, Westcliff easily managed the transition as they were already in a learning management system that was housed online, and a lot of the faculty members already had experience teaching online. The university has over 4,000 students, the majority of them at the Irvine campus. Other campus locations include Cerritos locally and Miami, Florida, on the east coast, with plans to expand further, hopefully to Canada next.

“What has really been successful for us is supporting the students as much as we can throughout the whole educational journey and experience that they have at Westcliff. We want to make sure that we help them become successful,” says President and CEO Dr. Anthony Lee. “We teach them life skills, how to be better personally and professionally, guiding them along the way. We have a very strong academic resource center, writing center, tutors, and a big focus on making sure we prepare students for graduation and getting jobs after graduation.”

The curriculum offered has a focus on valuable practical and relevant skills, preparing students for the workforce, aligned with the university’s belief in the entrepreneurial mindset required, whether starting a business or working for another company. Westcliff recently opened the Westcliff Prep Academy which serves middle school and high school students.

“We’ve always thought about how important it is to have a lot of those skills that aren’t normally taught at those levels which are so important to life and to communication, interpersonal skills, but also an entrepreneur mindset, which means being able to think critically, being creative, trying to make sure that we look at risk versus reward, having an ROI on things,” shares Dr. Lee. “We noticed those skills could be improved for some of our students and what better way to help prepare them for college than by educating them earlier on and infusing those very important skills for their future.”

The announcement of the Prep Academy has received great feedback from the community said Dr. Lee. “We’re trying to be different and focus on skill sets that will help prepare even high school students, for example, to get a job once they graduate. We have a web development coding boot camp for learning coding skills. We’re going to have mobile game development skills that they’ll be learning. It’s a variety of things that we’re going to expose them to, especially on the technology side.”

There is also a partnership with Tech Coast Angels that Dr. Lee is thrilled to share. “TCA is a huge organization. It’s one of the biggest angel investment groups in the U.S. And having the opportunity for our students, our faculty, to watch Shark Tank-style pitch sessions is going to be fun and educational.” Students will learn what investors look at when they want to evaluate a possible business, what areas to focus on when trying to start a business or running a business that’s already mature. “A lot of these things are very relevant across the entire curriculum for us, and I think having ‘living case studies’ (is what we like to call it) for our students is going to just enrich the educational experience that we’re going to have.”

Setting up a campus in Irvine was a strategic decision. “Irvine is a hub to Fortune 1000 companies. We want to position ourselves to be close to the companies that hopefully will be hiring our students upon graduation and some of them have for sure. We’re continuing to foster those relationships,” says Dr. Lee. “Orange County also has a growing entrepreneurial ecosystem that’s been flourishing and getting better. We have students that come from over 100 countries worldwide. Being able to be in a great location, very business oriented, safe and a great lifestyle city to live in as well, we wanted to provide that kind of environment and atmosphere for our students.” Westcliff University also believes strongly in community services and supports several nonprofit organizations such as United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County, Laura’s House, Together We Rise, Toys for Tots, Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, American Cancer Society, 2nd Harvest Food Bank Orange County, Mercy House Living Centers Santa Ana, and Red Cross.

Westcliff’s seven core values include integrity, accountability, social responsibility, global citizenship, diversity, equity, and inclusion, collaboration, and compassion, all of which are crucial to its culture. Dr. Lee adds, “If you’re able to lead with compassion and show people that you care and you really want to truly, sincerely help them and be there to support them, then that makes things so much easier as you’re working with them toward a common goal of student success.”

Westcliff has two information sessions scheduled on April 26. The webinars provide an opportunity to hear from student ambassadors and the admissions team and address any questions regarding the application process, scholarship opportunities, English language requirements, and much more.

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“I love the Mountains to Sea Trail that cuts through to Irvine. I jump on at Bison and MacArthur and ride to the Spectrum or Tustin Marketplace for lunch,” says Don DiCostanzo, founder and CEO of Pedego Electric Bikes. “One of the best bike tracks in the country is up there.” He would know. As founder of the award-winning national electric bike company, DiCostanzo has accounted for hours of biking all over the country and shares his passion for fitness and fun with many Pedego clients nationwide. The fact that the company recently announced $121 million in sales, reporting an average of 44.34% increase in sales annually over the decade and more it has been in operation, is proof of its rising popularity despite, or even courtesy, the changing landscape dictated by the global pandemic.

Visit their Official Pedego Owners Group on Facebook which is 9,300+ strong and growing and you’ll see the involved and enthusiastic conversations the community engages in daily. Even celebrities have been seen renting and buying Pedego bikes – DiCostanzo’s recent update shares former pro basketball player Shaquille O’Neal stopped at the Pedego Boca Raton in Florida to buy his third Pedego, which needed a few modifications for it to fit his over 7-ft.-tall body. (At 6 ft. 5 in. tall himself, DiCostanzo rides the Interceptor: Platinum Edition.) The brand has been featured on Forbes, AAA and several national publications spotlighting its ease of use, increasing clientele and national growth. And to think it all started here in Irvine.

“Our very first address was in Irvine… we’re basically Irvine born and bred,” says DiCostanzo. “And we opened a store right on the bike path in Irvine in the shopping center where Target is,” he says of the 3800 Barranca Parkway location. “Irvine has a great business environment. We liked the retail space that was available, that proximity to restaurants.”

The Irvine Pedego dealership website also shares an Irvine Round Tour itinerary that highlights several spots to enjoy while on your electric bike, including South Lake Gazebo and Island, Shady Canyon Hiking and Biking Trail and Quail Hill Loop Trail. What started out years ago as a solution to a need – DiCostanzo wanted to enjoy being able to ride uphill without worrying about the struggle to get there – is now a booming business.

Fast forward to the present and Pedego has 200 retail stores across the country including six in Orange County. Customers can try the bikes at every one of these locations and rent them before choosing to invest in one of the 18 different models available in different sizes and colors, along with accessories. “I encourage people to try one before they buy one. There’s no reason for anybody to make an investment in a product like this without trying out the different models to find what’s right for you,” he says. Most importantly, there is service offered after sale, whether that’s new tires or a tune-up and a five-year warranty on almost all products. The top market is California. Outside of the U.S., there are 14 stores in Canada and Pedego has operations in Mexico and Bermuda.

Pedego lifestyle photo in San Francisco, California. (Photo courtesy of Pedego Electric Bikes)

Where electric bikes were once simply considered a novelty and possibly convenience for those that could afford it, Pedego has made it affordable and accessible as a leisure and health brand.

“Our customers themselves are promoters because they testify to us all the time about how they’re getting healthy,” says DiCostanzo, mentioning the active Facebook group that Pedego owners interact on, sharing details of their riding experiences. “When the business started, it was purely recreation. People just bought these bikes to go out and ride with their friends and have a good time, get some exercise, but now it’s evolved. People are using it for transportation, to the post office or run errands or even go to work. And that happened as a result of the pandemic.”

He recounts one customer who purchased a Pedego bike because she was relegated to working at home. Another customer was able to stop medicating thanks to their fitness streak with their Pedego bike, and the feel-good stories go on. The physical and mental benefits of electric bike riding find DiCostanzo hearing words like freedom, recreation, and fun all the time from Pedego owners and renters alike. And the average age of the rider has extended to cyclists in their 90s as you don’t have to be worried about hills or headlights, or enough stamina to get home. Its #1 selling bike model though is the Pedego Element, a fat tire electric bike that comes in six colors, caters to a wide variety of heights and appeals to a younger demographic.

Jon and Molly Krick, owners of Pedego McDowell Mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo courtesy of Pedego Electric Bikes)

Pedego is also a frontrunner in promoting diversity and inclusion in the outdoor recreation space. “We do everything to be inclusive. …  We’re always conscious of it,” DiCostanzo shares, with efforts simply ingrained in the company culture, considering the diverse audience the brand caters to, rather than a conscious effort to have to be involved in diversity efforts. “We’re a member of PeopleForBikes and they’ve got a whole policy that we follow in how to do inclusion, so we follow the guidelines of the industry.” That aside, some of the local organizations he supports include Free Wheelchair Mission and HomeAid. Pedego models catering to the disability community include the Stretch electric cargo bike, which is designed to have a passenger ride at the back, and the Tandem electric bicycle built for two.

Continuing its winning streak and planning for further expansion in the next few months, Pedego will be launching three new electric biked models in December at the annual dealer conference in San Diego that will be rolling out in 2022 and updating all existing 18 models available on the website and at dealers now. Where every industry has one ubiquitous brand, it’s DiCostanzo’s goal to be that one ubiquitous brand when people think of electric bikes. “And we’re winning for two reasons,” he says. “The first is we’re very good at what we do and it’s all we do. We don’t do anything but electric bikes and accessories. And the second is everybody else just wants to sell electric bikes. But we’re out to build a brand and community with our customers.”

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When Angeline Dukes sent out a tweet early last July, “Sooooo, when are we doing a #BlackInNeuro week?”, little did she know the response she’d receive. The Ph.D. candidate at University of California, Irvine’s Department of Neurobiology and Behavior added Founder of BlackInNeuro to her accomplishments within just days of that viral post. Soon, the first meeting was held with 22 organizers attending to bring the event to fruition. Within three weeks, the inaugural edition of Black in Neuro week was held with participants from across the world tuning in to hear their counterparts from the industry speak on informative panels and partake in educational exchanges.

On the tweet that started it all, Dukes says, “With everything that was going on last summer with the murders and the police brutality and the awareness of racism in the country and worldwide, being a Black researcher on campus and in the country in general, I am one of the few Black students in my department and we don’t have a Black faculty, so it wasn’t really like I had anyone to talk to about it and my feelings with that.”

Angeline and Elana doing outreach at the Orange County Black history parade last year (Photo courtesy of Angeline Dukes)

Hoping to connect with people on the topic via social media and seeing all the “Black in X” weeks trending on Twitter, as a result of the Black Birders Week sparked by the racist confrontation experienced by a Black man birding in New York’s Central Park, Dukes sent out that pivotal tweet. “I loved seeing all this Black excellence in all these fields, but I really wanted to meet people in my field who are Black neuroscientists.”

Dukes is a first-generation American and college graduate, the child of Trinidadian and Haitian immigrants. She graduated from Frisk University in Nashville, TN, an HBCU (historically Black college and university) with a bachelor’s degree in biology. In 2017, she joined the neuroscience program at UCI, and has been living in Irvine since with her husband, while the majority of her family resides on the east coast. She is studying the long-term effects of adolescent exposure to nicotine and cannabinoids. She would like to become a neuroscience professor teaching at an HBCU to get more students aware of the field of neuroscience, something that she didn’t know much about growing up as she had never met a Black neuroscientist.

“The biggest goals for Black in Neuro are to amplify and celebrate Black scholars in their field, the work that we are doing is so incredibly important. But also fostering a community where people feel welcome and know that they belong,” she shares.

Duke’s classmate and Black in Neuro co-founder Elena N. Dominguez says, “Joining in on Black in Neuro Week was one of the best decisions I have made because it led to a network, a pool of once out-of-reach resources, and long-lasting friendships. Organizing this effort happened at lightning speed with such impressive and talented individuals, and before we knew it, we created this international movement that is still a force to this day. The response was not expected, to say the least.”

Each day of the week was given a specific theme to best address all of the topics the group wanted to touch upon, including NeuroRacism and Black Women in Neuro. There was also a day on mentoring and outreach. “We know how important that is and a lot of people may want to do more outreach now in the Black community, so we wanted to make sure it was done properly, and that people weren’t harming the communities more than helping them,” says Dukes. All panels are recorded and freely available via the YouTube channel linked on the site.

Black in Neuro zoom meeting (Photo courtesy of Angeline Dukes)

“It was amazing how willing people were to give their time and energy to this. We had so many different experts,” she shares. In fact, the event attracted sufficient sponsorship from other organizations and individuals that the monies raised afforded payment for all speakers – typically a rarity with regard to independently organized inaugural events. “That was really important because we want to make sure that Black people are getting paid for their time talking about their research, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) efforts, racism … they deserve to be paid for all of that.”

With the unexpected success of the event, Dukes and the Black in Neuro team knew they had to continue the good work. They hosted a mini-conference toward the end of 2020 to showcase the research being done as Black scientists. Undergraduate students, graduate students, post-docs and faculty from over 65 countries shared and presented their research.

“We hope people who attended gained knowledge in figuring out how to make actual changes at their own institutions so that they not only recruit more Black scholars but are also able to have a sustainable environment where they want to stay,” says Dukes. The Black in Neuro team plan on having this be an annual event and look forward to hosting again this year. Meanwhile, monthly programming has included socials, sessions on virtual interviewing tips, getting into graduate school, mentoring and other relevant topics.

Adds Dominguez, “Never in a million years did I believe that our following and support would amount to this much or that a couple of grad students and postdocs would be able to instill this much change in such a short time. I would say the best part is how we went from seeing each other in the twitterverse in passing tweets to becoming this machine that is continuously solving DEI problems that academic institutions have had decades to fix. The big difference is that we did it in less than a year.”

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Earth Day celebrations this April at local nonprofit Irvine Ranch Conservancy (IRC) were marked with the recognition of two historic moments in the organization’s contributions to the area: the anniversaries of the city of Irvine’s Open Space Initiative and the designation as the first-ever California Natural Landmark. What many may not know is that the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, which comprise a significant part of the native habitats found in Orange County, was once one of the state’s earliest and most productive large-scale agricultural enterprises.

“Much of the land was in agriculture and ranching from before the beginning of the 20th century and it continued that way for over 100 years,” said IRC president and CEO Michael O’Connell in a recent press release on the occasion. “It is really only in the last 35 years or so that the undeveloped land changed from ranching to protected natural open space.”

Bommer Canyon (Courtesy of Irvine Ranch Conservancy)

While original plans for the area only accommodated for about 10 percent of open land, this was later upped to more than 50 percent, the results of which current residents of Irvine and Orange County can enjoy, and are maintaining and conserving for future generations. One of the primary reasons for that increase was the efforts of locals to protect the land from further development via the Irvine Open Space Initiative passed by voters on Earth Day 1988.

Another was the development of a conservation plan under the Endangered Species Act called the Natural Community Conservation Plan, which identified and provided for the regional protection of plants, animals and their habitats while allowing compatible and appropriate economic activity. Celebrating the spirit of Earth Day while honoring local shelter in place advisories, Irvine Ranch social media channels looked back at the history of the lands to educate area residents.

IRC was founded in 2005 to ensure these protected lands were cared for and enjoyed in perpetuity. The next year, nearly 40,000 acres of open space was designated a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. National Park Service, and the state of California designated the same lands as the first California Natural Landmark on Earth Day in 2008. Both designations required exhaustive, independent peer-reviewed scientific evaluation by a team of academic scientists.

West San Gabriel River Trail (Courtesy of IRC)

Although there are more than 600 designated National Natural Landmarks in the U.S., the Irvine Ranch is the only place to receive this honor for both its biology and geology. To learn more about the history of the land frequented by the community, visit Irvine Regional Park, where interpretive signage provides more details. There are also signs at trailheads and staging areas on Quail Hill and Orchard Hills that share about the agricultural history of the Irvine Ranch.

Signage at Bommer Canyon at the cattle camp area talks about the history of the area as a cattle ranching operation. The Waterworks trail that heads into Weir Canyon explores some of the history of agriculture in this region through the lens of all the old water irrigation equipment that’s still there. Clearly, there’s a lot to see and learn if you want to when you’re actually out on the land once again.

Meanwhile IRC has quite a few projects in the works at the moment at different stages of completion. “Most typically are 10-year projects. We have a few of those that are in various stages like Bee Flat Canyon, which is part of Limestone Canyon, and Agua Chinon on Silverado Canyon,” says communications manager Scott Graves. One of the new projects IRC is working on is trying to bolster the coast live oak population by planting hundreds of acorns and little tree tubes to grow them into little seedlings.

Once they start to sprout sometime in the fall, and provided outdoor activities can recommence, the public can help plant them throughout Limestone Canyon. “It’s a project that the public and our volunteers can get involved with and see it from seed to tree. For years to come, they’ll be able to hike through Limestone Canyon and see one of the trees that they planted, and how it supports the local wildlife,” shares Graves.

Admittedly, the “pandemic pause” has brought its positives too. “If there’s any silver lining to what’s happening right now, with the stay at home orders and the pandemic, is we’ve been able to bring some backburner projects to the front,” he says. “We are able to spend really good quality time analyzing data that has been collected over the last few years to evaluate the progress on various restoration works or how successful different activities are.”

Looking toward the future, IRC will continue its mission to restore more than 5,000 acres of native habitat and grow a community of active, engaged supporters. On plans for reopening post COVID-19, Graves says, “People can expect things to be different, especially at first. It’s going to be a learning process for us as we try to figure out the best and safest ways to get people to enjoy the land responsibly. Nothing yet is decided. However, the land hasn’t changed. The trails haven’t changed. It just might look a little different.”

To learn more about Irvine Ranch Conservancy and the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks visit IRConservancy.org.

Black Star Canyon hike (Courtesy of Irvine Ranch Conservancy)

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When 17-year-old Andrew was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of muscle cancer, his recovery post chemotherapy and radiation treatment included homemade organic shakes to help gain his appetite and strength. The only shakes available in the market at the time were made with synthetic and unhealthy ingredients. This unexpected brush with illness and the path to recovery as a cancer survivor set in motion the launch of a $300 million brand and business, with founder Dr. Andrew Abraham establishing his nutritional food company, Orgain, in Irvine. 

“I started Orgain in 2009 with the sole purpose of looking to improve the health and wellbeing of people’s lives. It was a time when nutritional products that were marked as being nutritious were using ingredients that were far from being good for you,” says Abraham. “I felt that there was a big need in the space to build a brand and company that has a completely different approach. We wanted to focus on what we could do to improve the lives of millions of people and the path for me was clean nutrition.”

Today the company is positively influencing millions of lives not only with its wellness products but also through giving to others with initiatives in the same realm. Orgain recently launched its Grants for Greater Good program seeking companies that are an extension of its mission in helping to make people healthier holistically through cleaner nutrition, active lifestyles and mindfulness. Applications for the grants opened February 1 and will be accepted until March 20, with companies across the U.S. eligible to apply for one of three $50,000 grants.  

(Courtesy of Orgain)

“We are very fortunate to be in a position to offer these grants, the response has been extremely positive. We are learning about a lot of companies across the nation that are doing some wonderful things,” he shares. “In addition to the grant money, I am happy to guide companies to navigate the path to success and learning from my mistakes. I have learned the hard way how to make something work and succeed and I know starting a company is not easy. I am trying to help companies avoid the same pitfalls that I made so they can accelerate their success.”

Abraham can attest to the challenges any entrepreneur steering a startup experiences. As the naïve one-man show behind the business for the first few years, he now realizes guidance from a few seasoned industry leaders would have provided much-needed impetus. “I was flying blind in the beginning and took a sink-or-swim approach,” he says. “Also, everyone underestimates the amount of resources they need, I certainly did. I did not realize how much time it would take, how much of my energy would be devoted to the brand.” 

Orgain first introduced ready-to-drink nutritional shakes and protein shakes as its core product offering. Then came powders, with the company offering the number one selling plant-based protein in the country. Nutrition bars soon followed as well as products for kids All dairy based products are organic or grass-fed dairy, and the 100 percent plant-based products can be used by anyone, including vegans. Products are now available in more than ten countries including China, Mexico, and Canada, either in stores or online. 

Dr. Andrew Abraham (Courtesy of Orgain)

“We really are after the mainstream market — those that are looking to improve their health and wellness every day,” says Abraham. “We have over 100 SKUs overall, and the brand has grown by leaps and bounds. Innovation is top of mind for us, it’s part of the company that I lead, and it’s a hyperfocus of mine because we are constantly trying to push the envelope in nutrition.” That persistence to constantly innovate found the company launching multiple new products this year. 

One of the exciting items debuting is a plant protein pancake mix. Other products include collagen zero waters, organic sport plant-based powders and sport energy, recovery and protein powders. Among Orgain’s bestsellers are the plant-based protein powders and a clean protein shake that has 20 grams of protein, extremely low sugar and tastes like chocolate milk. Additionally, the kids’ protein product is one of the fastest growing items — a nutritional shake perfect for picky eaters, positioning the brand as the nutrition company for the whole family.

“I make a smoothie every morning using the plant protein powder. My favorite is peanut butter or chocolate peanut butter flavor,” he shares. “I use our clean protein shakes after a workout or when I need a snack during the day. I have two sons age 9 and 10 and they use the kids’ protein after soccer practice. We are trying to solve the need for the chocolate milk that may have 8-9 teaspoons of sugar, so we pride ourselves in using far less sugar, using organic ingredients and really serving a need for children.” 

The company has also expanded into the sports nutrition category, catering to athletes looking for cleaner products. Orgain has a 30-gram, plant-based protein powder, and a pre- and post-workout powder, where instead of using artificial stimulants and caffeine, food-based ingredients such as organic beets, organic turmeric and organic ginger take center stage to help with recovery and inflammation. All of Orgain’s clean nutrition products are non-GMO and made without soy ingredients, and most are USDA Certified Organic.

Future plans include numerous new products, more brand awareness with a new national marketing campaign, and growth in terms of staff, space and market success. The company’s 80+ staff members work from the Irvine HQ, and a larger facility is being built down the street to move into in the next few months. “I’ve been able to surround myself with a wonderful team that has really helped to grow the brand and accelerate the scale,” says Abraham. “It’s been wonderful to hire people that are driving the business forward in the same way that I am.”

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What do you do when an integral part of your existence is threatened by forces outside your control? You move heaven and earth to save it, of course! A few years ago, Taco Bell’s original location — lovingly named “Numero Uno” — established by founder Glen Bell in 1962 in Downey, California, found itself in a somewhat similar, albeit less severe, conundrum. The company immediately began the process of saving the existing building, which had long since ceased operation as a branch of the much-loved Mexican-inspired, quick-service restaurant brand but nonetheless held an important place in its history.

“As part of our communications team, we have a room that we call the fishbowl that has monitors rotating real-time social listening,” shares Matt Prince, senior manager, public relations and brand management. “On there one morning, they talked about how the first Taco Bell was in threat of being demolished and we had no idea.” A local publication in Downey mentioned the impending doom of the original location. Though it had only operated there until about the mid-‘80s, with several other businesses calling it home until 2014, the landowners had decided to move forward with a new development. 

Taco Bell Numero Uno (Courtesy of Taco Bell)

The plan to save Numero Uno was to raise the building from its foundation, put it on a flatbed truck and drive it from Downey to the Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine. The route map was shared publicly ahead of the move in November 2015, turning it into a social event for fans. “This moment in time for Taco Bell was a great piece of history. We wouldn’t be able to have Taco Bell today if it wasn’t for this individual restaurant,” says Prince. “It’s so inspiring to see this 400-square-foot building the size of a two-car garage where it all started to become the global brand that it is today. We knew there would be an appetite for people to be a part of the journey.”

Sure enough, on the route that day there were people with signs on corners, cheering along the way as some followed the entourage while honking their horns. “The sight of the giant building being taken down the street was enough to stop traffic; the look on people’s faces, whether or not they knew what was happening, was priceless,” shares Prince. “We moved the building at about 11 p.m., had a police escort, and about 20 to 30 fans that were caravaning behind us. I was right behind the building with a livestream camera on my truck, there were helicopters above. It was probably the closest I’ll ever get to a high-speed chase, it was pretty invigorating.” 

The truck carrying the building moved at about 24 mph and took a little under two hours to get to Irvine, where the building is resting safely at the parking lot of the headquarters, wrapped and protected in its current condition, awaiting the verdict on its next phase of life. Lease extension negotiations put a pause on plans to renovate it to its original glory from 1962, but discussions have resumed now that the company has renewed its office space at the Irvine Spectrum campus until 2030. Taco Bell has always been headquartered in Southern California, and a majority of that time, about 40 years, has been in Irvine specifically. 

Taco Bell Numero Uno (Courtesy of Taco Bell)

“We have great ties to Southern California and Irvine. The biggest challenge for us as a brand is growth, so we felt that over the next 10  years, this space had enough opportunity for us to grow,” shares Prince. “Irvine’s a wonderful place to do business, we have a lot of history here and wanted to keep it going and stay where our roots were.” The Yum! Brands subsidiary also announced in the new year its commitment to making all consumer-facing packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025 worldwide, and continues to champion easy and accessible vegetarian options around the world. 

The company has come a long way from opening its 100th restaurant in Anaheim in the ’60s and going public with 325 restaurants in the ’70s, to launching its Taco Bell mobile ordering and payment app, retail collaborations and pop-up dining experiences in the past decade. Part of that growth has also included efforts such as its Feed The Beat program, which has helped support more than 1,700 new artists and bands since 2006, and the Taco Bell Foundation, established in 1992, that has reached more than 3.5 million young people across the country.

The foundation has awarded more than $83 million in grants and scholarships, focused on education and career readiness. Its Live Más Scholarship, first launched in 2015, is an opportunity for students anywhere in the country to focus on their passions beyond what is typically seen through scholarships today that are often academically- or athletically-inclined. “We wanted to provide some financial benefit to people who have a passion for creativity,” says Prince. This year, $6 million in scholarships will be awarded, bringing the total to $17 million. “It has been amazing to be able to donate so much money back to the creative spirit,” he adds.

While Taco Bell’s corporate headquarters continues to flourish at its Irvine home, the fate of Numero Uno remains undecided yet. Unable to part with more details at this time, Prince shares the goal is to do something for fans and guests to visit and experience the history of Taco Bell. “My goal with the future of Numero Uno would be to have more open fan-engagement experiences for the public, whether it’s a museum or space that changes based on what’s happening with the brand,” says Prince. “It’s not as easy to just put it somewhere and call it a day. We want to make sure we do it right.” 

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A newly released report by Truth in Accounting, a think tank that analyzes government financial reporting, ranking America’s largest 75 cities, has placed the city of Irvine as #1 in fiscal strength, for the third straight year. Irvine earned the distinction of the most fiscally healthy large city in the United States based on calculations as to how a city would fare financially after all bills are paid. 

A surplus score of $4,100 per taxpayer places Irvine at the top of only 12 cities recognized as “Sunshine Cities” — determined by the amount of money left over after all of a city’s bills are paid, divided by the estimated number of taxpayers in the city. According to the 2020 Financial State of the Cities (FSOC) report, Irvine’s money available to pay bills improved by more than $3 million from the previous fiscal year, with revenues exceeding expenses once again. 

Unlike most cities, the city government has enough resources available to pay all of its bills, including public employees’ retirement benefits. This means elected officials have truly balanced their budgets with $626 million available in assets to pay $245.5 million worth of bills. The city also earned a B grade, landing in the top 16% of cities surveyed, in meeting balanced budget requirements, with a Taxpayer Surplus of $100-$10,000. 

Irvine Mayor Christina Shea (Courtesy of City of Irvine)

“The city of Irvine is proud to receive this distinction for the third consecutive year,” said Irvine Mayor Christina Shea, in a press alert. “This ranking confirms the City Council and city staff remain committed to ensuring resident tax dollars are being wisely managed. Maintaining a balanced budget, with the highest level of transparency, is essential to this City Council.” 

This is the fourth annual FSOC report, a comprehensive analysis of the fiscal health of the nation’s 75 most populous cities based on fiscal year 2018 comprehensive annual financial reports (CAFRs). The total debt among the 75 most populous cities amounts to $323.2 billion — most coming from unfunded retiree benefit promises, such as pension and retiree healthcare liabilities. 

Of the cities surveyed for the report, 63 do not have sufficient funds to pay their bills, resulting in taxpayer burdens and earning the majority either grades of C or D on their fiscal health. No cities were awarded an A grade, while four cities (Philadelphia, Honolulu, Chicago and New York City) ranked the least healthy nationwide, clocking in with an F and taxpayer burdens amounting to greater than $20,000. 

TIA has been publishing the FSOC reports for five years. The first year included the 10 most populated cities. The second year increased to 50, and for the last three years that number has gone up to 75 most populated cities. The nonpartisan mission of TIA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization composed of business, community and academic leaders interested in improving government financial reporting, is to educate and empower citizens with understandable, reliable and transparent government financial information. TIA drew their data for the most recent report from fiscal year 2018 audited CAFRs.  

What does all of this mean for Irvine residents?

“The largest benefit is that elected officials are being held accountable because they are only spending the taxes collected. Elected officials are also truly balancing their budget, not using accounting gimmicks to pretend their budgets are balanced while putting the city in debt. Unlike cities that have a taxpayer burden, residents of Irvine will not be paying taxes to cover prior years’ costs,” shared TIA founder and CEO Sheila Weinberg. In the press alert issued by the city of Irvine, she stated, “We need more city and state governments to use good accounting practices to truly balance their budgets.”

Sheila Weinberg (Truth in Accounting)

“In 2009, because states and cities were not including the full amount of their pension and retiree health care liabilities on their balance sheets, TIA started to recast government balance sheets as if those liabilities were included,” shares Weinberg. “We felt that without knowing the true financial condition of their governments, elected officials and the public could not make knowledge financial decisions. We took it upon ourselves to provide this information. At that point we started doing the Financial State of the 50 States and in 2014 we started to do the Financial State of the Cities.”

For Irvine, this is another feather in its cap since incorporation in 1971. The past few years have witnessed Irvine receive national recognition as one of America’s safest cities, with personal finance website WalletHub ranking Irvine #1 safest city in California in 2019, and most successful master-planned urban communities. To fully understand the city government’s true financial condition, TIA recommends visiting the data-z.org database, where all past reports can be viewed along with the latest figures. Irvine residents can certainly rest assured that elected city officials are balancing the budget truthfully and at the highest level of transparency.  

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The worldwide phenomenon that is Mario Kart Arcade GP VR is now in our very own backyard. And, it is the only location — in not just the U.S. but also the world — where you can enjoy this virtual reality experience. Irvine’s K1 Speed, the indoor go-karting attraction, now has a VR Zone Portal with an amusement arcade offering the latest video games straight out of Japan. If you aren’t a member of the $152.1 billion gaming industry, this is probably not news to you, but for any child of the ’90s that grew up playing with Mario and his pals, the fact that Irvine is now virtually home base for the fun bunch gives much cause for applause.

Fans of the game are finding their way to the VR experience from all over the world for a chance to jump into four different karts, each representing one of the characters: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Yoshi. The karts are equipped with rumble seats, pedals and steering wheel, so there’s no doubt you truly are a part of the action. Once in the kart, players wear an HTC Vive VR headset, headphones with mics, and Vive Trackers on their hands to be transported to the virtual world of Mushroom Kingdom, racing for the top step of the podium with, of course, ample twists and add-ons such as fun weapons. The game was introduced in Irvine this June. 

“The Mario Kart experience is here because this location is attached to our corporate headquarters, so we are able to facilitate easier in terms of approvals and setup. Working with Bandai Namco, that’s what they wanted too, so we can fine-tune the product here in terms of pricing, use of space, product offering, before we roll out to the masses,” says Randall Hoppe, advertising and brand marketing manager at K1 Speed. A former dirt track racer turned marketing aficionado, he has been with the go-kart racing leader for over six years and has worked professionally in the live sports/entertainment industry, including with NASCAR and ISC, for more than a decade. 

(Courtesy of K1 Speed)

Hoppe is excited for more people enjoying the VR Zone Portal, which has been an absolute hit thus far with all guests. Other experiences here include Ski Rodeo, a next-generation skiing simulator, and Argyle Shift, where the player becomes a futuristic test pilot on a mission in Japan in the year 2145. He is certain the haunted house experience being introduced this month for Halloween and available until a little later this fall, will also get a good response; Hotel Escape Terror is a fully immersive game where players are trapped in a haunted hospital, and offers something completely different from the other arcade area offerings at this time.

Says Nick Iftner, Virtual Reality Sales at Japanese video game company Bandai Namco, “Teaming up with K1 Speed Irvine was a no brainer. The employees are detail-oriented, hardworking and well-versed in walking new customers through the procedure of racing. That hands-on approach was exactly the involvement we want all VR Zone Portal customers to experience. We also knew that K1 would be a supportive partner and would ensure both of our brands develop and grow during our time together. It is easy to pick a partner when both sides are equally excited with what the other brings to the table.”

(Courtesy of K1 Speed)

At 70,000 square feet, the Irvine facility is not the largest among K1 Speeds’ 40+ locations worldwide but it is the top location in terms of volume, revenue and customers processed. Onsite are two racetracks (adults and children) with 45-mph thrills, and a full restaurant in the Paddock Lounge, with upscale food options and beer and wine. Everything is brand new, including 100 percent electric, state-of-the-art karts that are the newest fleets in the US, with remote access to easily control speed levels as required. Shares Hoppe, “Everything we do we try in this building, so essentially this location is the test kitchen of our entire product offering.”

While the venue is ADA-compliant to welcome people with disabilities, the karts themselves are not equipped to handle that segment of the audience yet. Hoppe shares though that will be addressed within the next six to 12 months. “We had an event last year for Red Bull Wings for Life, a charitable event for those with spinal cord injuries, where we had an adaptive cart. So we are in the process of developing hand-controlled carts and retrofitting a certain number of carts in each location. It’s a slow and expensive process, but we understand that those who are not fully mobile should enjoy this too.”

Within the community, K1 Speed is well known for giving back via hosting charity events and fulfilling donation requests aplenty. Recent efforts include a charity toy drive for Shriners Hospitals for Children – Salt Lake City, and every Christmas the company hosts toy drives for Toys For Tots and food drives around Thanksgiving, as well as donates proceeds National Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. “We do a good job of balancing large-scale campaigns, but also micro-level within the community,” says Hoppe. “Our brand recognition in California is strong. Next to our Florida locations, Irvine is one of our highest tourism venues.”

However, not many are fully aware of the existence of this “only one in the world” Mario Kart VR experience housed inside K1 Speed Irvine. With the company established as a racing brand, and the new VR entrant on the premises faring better than any of the product offerings, Hoppe expects more Mario Kart lovers will seek out the experience into the holidays and the New Year. So if you are in Irvine or headed in that direction, make a pit stop at the K1 Speed racetracks for not just an adrenaline rush on go-karts, but also a new high of virtually racing into another land.  

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For a few hours on October 12, some of the biggest names in innovation will be “hanging out” in Irvine for a very special event, simply called Very Special Innovation Fair, hosted by new community member STEM³ Academy, now occupying a brand new campus right on Von Karman Avenue. Microsoft, SpaceX and Raytheon are just some of the companies collaborating with the pioneering school at this event, to encourage STEM enthusiasts of all ages and abilities, and their parents, via some pretty cool concepts. 

“This will be the first time we are offering the event in Orange County now that we have opened the school here,” says Dr. Ellis Crasnow, director of STEM³ Academy and STEM education at The Help Group. He is a pioneer in developing new teaching models for empowering students across the autistic spectrum and an entrepreneur engaged in transforming lifelong opportunities for special needs students. “It’s really an opportunity for us not only to show the community what it is we do and what our approach to education is but we also have a lot of relationships with a lot of industry and commerce who will be there to show what they do, making this a collaboration between community, parents and industry.”

Dr. Ellis Crasnow (Courtesy of STEM³ Academy)

The Help Group’s STEM³ Academy is the only K-12 school in the nation to provide a STEM curriculum to students with social and learning differences who benefit from more individualized educational instruction. With two existing campuses in the Los Angeles area, STEM³ Academy recently opened the doors to its first campus in Irvine for the 2019-2020 school year. The school prepares students for meaningful careers in a variety of fields, such as engineering, cyber-security, biomedical, coding and the humanities. 

“I am so thankful to have a STEM³ campus in Orange County for my son, he is thriving in the enriched environment created by the staff,” says J.J., a parent of a student enrolled here in Irvine. “Dr. Crasnow has a genuine fondness for kids like my son, and has been hugely helpful in getting him to this unique school. My son loves going to school each day!” 

In addition to STEM³ Academy, The Help Group Learning Center is also housed on the same campus and supports both special needs and general education K-12 homeschooled students in academic and nonacademic subjects. Founded in 1975, The Help Group is the largest, most innovative and comprehensive nonprofit of its kind in the U.S. serving children, adolescents and young adults with special needs related to autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities, developmental delays and other emotional challenges. 

Children on the autism spectrum have a number of natural abilities and aptitudes, which lend themselves to STEM pursuits. One in particular that Dr. Crasnow mentions is they often have superior abilities with visual discrimination, the ability to look at two images which are very nearly similar and pick out what the differences between them are. Another area is in debugging software for computer programs, as they are skilled with finding errors in code. That gift also comes into play in quality assurance. 

And while big corporations hiring those on the spectrum might appear a tad bit altruistic, the truth is it really pays them to go after that sector of the population for a couple of reasons. For one, this is a section of the population that has been very underserved and underfocused for a very long time. Secondly, there’s a huge demand for skilled labor such as data analysts and software engineers, that isn’t being met, resulting in companies having to look for talent in places where they haven’t traditionally.

Dr. Crasnow’s excitement for what the community will experience at the fair is palpable as he highlights some of the activities and companies that will be at the event. They include virtual reality experiences, coding, 3D painting and mixed reality by Microsoft, an L.A. Zoo interactive exhibit, hands-on science project by Discovery Cube, aerospace hardware display by Raytheon, the ultimate drone demonstration by DroneBase and PAGO Paper Engineering, among several other uniquely positioned experiences. 

“It’s been a very rewarding experience sharing drone technology with the bright and curious students of STEM³ Academy. Dr. Crasnow and the staff are so passionate about what they do, and have been a pleasure to partner with. This will be our third time exhibiting at the Innovation Fair and we look forward to seeing the excitement of the kids (and their parents) experiencing drones in person,” says Erik Till, head of marketing at DroneBase, one of the vendors at the upcoming Very Special Innovation Fair.  

(Courtesy of STEM³ Academy)

This is the first year that the Very Special Innovation Fair is in Orange County (previous editions have been held in Los Angeles). The free, family-friendly event is a showcase of discovery and imagination that is equal parts science-fair, high-tech exhibition, art show and community carnival. Inspired by the maker movement, it will include activities and experiences offering the opportunity to build things, participate in experiments and demonstrations, and take various gadgets for a test drive, among other experiences.

The response from the Irvine community toward the new campus and its offerings has been phenomenal, according to Dr. Crasnow, who was very active in the community even before the school opened, speaking at a variety of venues on why STEM is important for kids with special needs, what the value is and what the academy’s particular approach to education is. He says, “We want to be part of the community, to be supportive and transparent, show everyone what we are doing, and we invite them to participate with us.”

Very Special Innovation Fair is on Saturday, October 12, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at STEM³ Academy Orange County, 17861 Von Karman Ave, Irvine.

Learn more on  stem3academy.org/innovation-fair/.

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