After two years of shuttered gyms and limited indoor access, James Innocenti, a Planet Fitness franchise owner, is back in expansion mode.
Innocenti is celebrating the debut of his 12th Orange County fitness center Tuesday, May 3 in Lake Forest.
During the pandemic, Innocenti closed all of his Planet Fitness gyms in an effort to keep his employees and patrons safe from the coronavirus.
“We weren’t one of those gyms that defied orders and stayed open,” he said in an interview in March 2021. “We wanted to make sure that when we reopened we did it in the safest way possible.”
Planet Fitness’ grand opening celebration runs from 4-6 p.m. with prizes and refreshments provided by In-N-Out’s food truck and Handel’s ice cream.
Innocenti owns 21 facilities in California and a combined 76 in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and New York under his Planet Fitness Supreme operation. His company is donating $1,000 to the local Boys & Girls Club to celebrate the Lake Forest debut.
The newest Planet Fitness is taking the place of a shuttered Crunch gym at 23633 El Toro Road. For more details on memberships and hours, call 949-322-3733.
The Ronald McDonald House Orange County will host its 2022 Walk for Kids on Saturday, May 21. (File photo: Kevin Lara / Orange County Register)
Walk for Kids is Saturday, May 21
The Ronald McDonald House Orange County will host its 2022 Walk for Kids on Saturday, May 21.
Money raised will benefit critically ill children and their families. All of the walk’s proceeds go to helping families with hospitalized children stay together and near the resources the children need.
The Walk for Kids campaign wants to raise $4 million for local programs supporting families in Inland Empire, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Orange County, Pasadena, and Ventura. The walk also supports the largest child oncology camp in the nation, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times.
Contributors or walkers can participate by donating at walkforkids.org, or by going to an Orange County McDonald’s restaurant through April 30 to participate in the in-restaurant fundraiser. Donations can be as small as $1.
Registration for the walk begins at 7:30 a.m. with the opening ceremony at 8:30 a.m. The walk takes place from 8:45 a.m. to noon at Championship Stadium at the Irvine Great Park.
Address: 8272 Great Park Blvd, Irvine 92618
On the move
Cypress-based Hybrid Apparel, a wholesaler of licensed, branded and private label apparel, hired Faith Garcia-Ross as its chief operating officer and Ed Massura as chief supply chain officer. Garcia-Ross joins Hybrid from GXO Logistics, where she was most recently the divisional president of the emerging markets division. Massura was most recently the senior vice president of product supply chain at Torrid, where he led and directed sourcing and operations development and vendor management operations.
Olive Crest acquires Hope Refuge in Santa Barbara
Santa Ana-based Olive Crest, a provider of abuse prevention services and care to children and families, has acquired Hope Refuge in Santa Barbara. The ranch-style facility has provided safety and services for female victims of sex trafficking since 2013.
Hope Refuge will operate as a program of Olive Crest. The nonprofit said it is expanding into Santa Barbara to serve children and families in crisis.
Programs at Hope Refuge will continue without interruption.
Chuck and Sally Cook, co-founders of Hope Refuge, will remain involved as employees of Olive Crest, serving in fund development and community involvement roles for the new Santa Barbara region, Olive Crest said in a statement.
Orange-based Illumination Foundation raised $1.3 million at its ninth annual Chef’s Table Culinary Gala. Seen here from left to right: Illumination Foundation board member and Chef’s Table co-chair Karen Jordan; President and Managing Partner of Elite OC Productions Linda Young; Client Development Director of Lugano Diamonds Bill Peters; Illumination Foundation board chairwoman and Chef’s Table co-chairwoman and CEO of Assured In-Home Care Jacqueline DuPont-Carlson; Illumination Foundation President and CEO Paul Leon. (Courtesy of Werkit Photo)
$1.3 million raised for Illumination campus
Orange-based Illumination Foundation raised $1.3 million at its ninth annual Chef’s Table Culinary Gala held March 27 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. The nonprofit will use the money to further its mission to disrupt the cycle of homelessness
The executive chef at Disneyland Resort and 35 other chefs from local restaurants made dishes for 360 individuals, business and community leaders at Chef’s Table.
Proceeds will support an intergenerational campus in Santa Ana that will provide housing for seniors and families.
High school students win at Youth Business summit
Students at Westminster High School have won first place at the National Finance Competition sponsored by Virtual Enterprises.
The educational nonprofit helps students start and run a simulated business. In September 2021, Westminster High students launched ROOTS, a simulated hair care company promoting diversity by catering to different hair types with products offering natural ingredients and sustainable packaging.
The competition took place at VE’s annual Youth Business Summit, a week of virtual and in-person business competitions, which drew more than 1,000 in-person and 10,000 online participants.
At the same conference, San Juan Hills High took third place in the National Business Plan competition after creating Tronic Bikes, a mock, digital-only electronic bike company. Everlasting, a virtual app and smart refrigerator company also created by San Juan Hills students, finished in the top 20 for its business plan.
$350K for MOMS OC
MOMS Orange County has received a three-year, $350,000 grant from UniHealth Foundation. The money will go toward providing bilingual group health programming for new moms, new dads, while also expanding home visitation for new moms experiencing anxiety and depression. Other programs include specialized one-on-one education and support for victims/survivors of domestic violence. MOMS Orange County is dedicated to newborn and pregnancy health.
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.
