H Mart opens its newest grocery store Friday in the Westpark neighborhood of Irvine.
It’s the second H Mart in the city, the fourth in Orange County and the 15th in California.
The store at 3825 Alton Parkway debuts at 10 a.m. Aug. 12. Daily hours will be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The New York-based grocer is known for its array of Korean groceries, fresh fish and produce, a kimchi bar and more.
The store’s food court is especially popular. In Irvine, customers will find myriad Korean food options including noodles, tofu and barbecue, hamburg steak and katsu and sushi, spicy wheat cakes and street food, chicken, hotdogs and beef soup. Japanese ramen also will be available.
The Tous les Jours bakery will serve coffee and beverages, bread, pastries, sandwiches, salads, cakes and other desserts.
H Mart Westpark also is hiring employees for most departments. For more information, email west.hr@hmart.com or call 657-210-1202 (English), 214-430-6729 (Spanish) and 562-318-3455 (Korean).
Orange County United Way and Ingram Micro have launched ‘Closing the Digital Divide,’ to help residents in need by donating used technology devices. Seen here are Trung Thai, left to right, Lisa Locklear, Sue Parks and Todd Zegers. (Courtesy of Orange County United Way)
New program looks to bridge the tech divide
Orange County United Way and Ingram Micro have launched ‘Closing the Digital Divide,’ an effort to help residents in need by donating used technology devices. Ingram Micro donated 100 laptop computers and 400 refurbished smartphones and accessories to kick start the effort.
“Through the Closing the Digital Divide effort, we want to ensure that Orange County residents can excel in work and school, participate in and contribute to a thriving local community and learn about and apply for jobs and college,” said Susan B. Parks, president, and CEO of Orange County United Way. “By creating more access to technology, we’re allowing them the chance.”
Avanir Pharmaceuticals in Aliso Viejo was the first company to join the effort by donating almost 300 used devices.
The money generated from recycling the items was used to buy 50 laptops for families who are part of Orange County United Way’s United for Financial SecuritySM initiative programs.
If you’d like to donate items, accepted tech goods include laptops, servers, printers, headsets, projectors, and speakers, among others. For each item donated, Ingram Micro will arrange for pickup, erase all company data and software, clean and prepare the systems and provide all appropriate donation receipts.
For more information, contact Doug McKay at DougM@UnitedWayOC.org or 949-263-6125.
On the move
Adam Kanter is the new chief of the Neurosurgery Division of the Hoag Specialty Clinic at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian. The tenured professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center will serve as the associate executive medical director of the Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute for Hoag. To contact Kanter’s office and schedule an appointment, call 949-764-6090.
Panasonic Avionics Corp. in Irvine has made several executive appointments following the launch of Astrova, its in-flight entertainment seat-end solution. Satyen Yadav joins the company as chief technology officer on Aug. 8. He will be responsible for leading all aspects of the company’s software and systems engineering teams, cloud, hardware, and IT/security. John Wade joined the company as vice president of connectivity solutions on Aug. 1. He will be responsible for the overall strategy, performance, and day-to-day operations of the connectivity business unit. Tom Eskola takes on a new role as vice president of Panasonic’s technical services. He joined the company more than 10 years ago and succeeds Sean Gavin, who is leaving the company in mid-August.
Lucy Ito is the interim CEO of Santa Ana-based Orange County’s Credit Union, effective July 11. With 30 years of experience, she most recently served as the president and CEO of the National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors before she retired from that position in December 2021. Ito is both an Orange County resident and longtime member of Orange County’s Credit Union.
Charlie Nobles has been named vice president of sales at Blueprint CFO, a Newport Beach-based accounting firm. The company offers CFO services to emerging and mid-sized companies and expects to grow in California and beyond. Nobles’ past experience includes a tenure as the executive director of the for-profit American Sailing Association, as well as chief operating officer of The Planetary Society, where he worked with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye to expand space advocacy in Washington and grow membership, among other roles.
Appointments
Irvine resident Michael Rillera has been appointed to the State Council on Developmental Disabilities. He has been a registered nurse, quality coordinator and improvement adviser at Kaiser Permanente’s Regional Administrative Offices since 2012 and a member of the Orange County Regional Advisory Committee for the State Council on Developmental Disabilities since 2012. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rillera is registered without party preference.
Milestones
Irvine-based Financial Planning Ministry, a nonprofit for planned giving, celebrated 40 years of ministry with a gala at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim. FPM announced several milestones during the event: reaching 143 partners, expanding to all 50 states, 40,389 families served.
Mergers
Laguna Hills-based Parentis Health has acquired Quality Life Homes residential home care facilities, expanding its Verona Court Residential Care Division. The Quality Life facilities, located in Laguna Niguel, will transition to the Verona Court brand, expanding Parentis Health’s footprint. The deal closed July 1; terms were not disclosed.
Correction
Anaheim Transportation Network is a nonprofit agency. Due to an editor’s error, Transdev was incorrectly cited regarding the agency in last week’s Status Update column.
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.
