Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Business

Is Mike Metzler on the way out of the Santa Ana Greater Business Alliance?

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Mike Metzler

One of our sources is reporting that the organization formerly known as the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce is going to be undergoing a change in leadership, perhaps as soon as January.

Mike Metzler has served as President and CEO of the Greater Santa Ana Business Alliance for many years.  I have lived in Santa Ana for over fifteen years and cannot remember a previous head of the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce.

Metzler apparently is going to retire next year.  There have been rumors for over a year that the Board of Directors of his organization was unhappy with the direction they were going in.

Metzler’s executive staff has zero Latinos on it.  That is hard to believe in a city like Santa Ana, which has an overwhelmingly Latino populations.  His staff is also bereft of Asians or other minorities. Continue reading→

A night out at McCormick & Schmick’s in Santa Ana

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Lobster at McCormick and Schmick's

The McCormick & Schmick’s restaurant located at the CityPlace in Santa Ana has picked up a lot of business over the last year.  They have in fact hosted four functions this year with over 100 people, in their meeting rooms. 

I met two friends to McCormick’s tonight for dinner.  We arrived about a half hour early and took a seat in their bar area, at a table for four.  We were still trying to figure out our drink orders when our hostess mentioned that her manager was going to bring over a lobster, and she handed us each a slip of paper to write down our guess as to the weight of the lobster.

The lobster appeared to be gigantic.  The General Manager, Larry Sherman, brought it over to us on a big platter.  We took turns eyeballing it and then we each decided to submit different guesses.  Kerry wrote down three pounds, two ounces.  I wrote down two pounds, fourteen ounces.  And Jay wrote down two pounds, eight ounces.

We sipped our Mojitos while we waited to find out if we had guessed correctly.  The lobster ended up weighing in at two pounds, twelve ounces.  Jay had the closest tally without surpassing the actual vote.  Hurrah!  Sherman was happy to transfer it to our dinner table, where we devoured it as our appetizer.  It was paired with asparagus and roasted red potatoes and served with melted butter.  Delicious!  But the night was just beginning. Continue reading→

Habit Burger Grill in Santa Ana opens for business

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Habit Burger at the CityPlace in Santa Ana

Habit Burger Grill’s first Orange County location officially opened today, at the CityPlace Shopping Center in Santa Ana. 

For the uninitiated, Habit Burger is said to be the West Coast’s best burger. 

The first Habit Burger Grill stand opened more than 30 years ago in Goleta, a small beach haven near Santa Barbara. The Habit now operates four units in the Santa Barbara region including one on State Street.

Two more Habit Burgers are coming to Fullerton and Lake Forest, according to the O.C. Register.  Their corporate offices are located in Irvine. Continue reading→

Senator Correa helps launch new Lee’s Sandwiches in Santa Ana

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Lou Correa at Lee's Sandwiches

State Senator Lou Correa celebrates the opening of the new Lee’s Sandwiches in Santa Ana

It is a big deal when a new business opens up in Santa Ana, particularly during the awful economic crisis our nation is currently undergoing.  Perhaps that is why so many local politicians showed up at the new Lee’s Sandwiches in Santa Ana yesterday to celebrate the opening of this new franchise.

State Senator Lou Correa enjoyed an iced coffee while touring the new restaurant.  Other local elected officials who attended included State Assemblyman Jose Solorio, Santa Ana Councilman Vince Sarmiento, and a representative from Supervisor Janet Nguyen’s office.  Orange County Clerk-Recorder candidate Hugh Nguyen was also there.

The new Lee’s is located at 3350 South Bristol St. in Santa Ana.  Click here for a map of this new location. It is located in the Target shopping center, with frontage on Bristol St.  Continue reading→

New Lee’s Sandwiches opening in Santa Ana today

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grilledchicken

UPDATE: The Lee’s Sandwiches in Santa Ana is opening today! They are having a grand opening at 9:30 am, with free samples.  Go try their delicious $3 sandwiches!

They are located at 3350 South Bristol St. in Santa Ana,” according to the O.C. Register.  Click here for a map of this new location.

Lee’s Sandwiches are served on fresh baked 10-inch baguettes.  The bread is simply unbelievable.  My wife’s favorite is the chicken, which is pictured above.  That one includes thinly sliced jalapeno and cilantro.  Santa Ana residents are going to really love these sandwiches!

And these sandwiches cost far less than Subway’s offerings, usually about $3 to $4 each.  Other products include delicious iced coffees, pastries and products imported from Vietnam and other Asian countries.

Here is more information about Lee’s Sandwiches, from their corporate website: Continue reading→

Free dinner with Bad Santa at the Memphis at the Santora, tonight!

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Memphis

Dinner with Dave, at the Memphis at the Santora, on Wednesday, December 9th!

It’s the return of Bad Santa photos!

Join us for Dinner with Dave this Wednesday for an evening of holiday festivities and Free Dinner starting at 10pm!

Allensworth will be playing at 10pm with the anticipated arrival of last years unforgettable Bad Santa! Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s Road Less Travelled features green products and more

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Road Less Travelled Store

Have you been to Santa Ana’s The Road Less Traveled Store?  The Road Less Traveled is an environmentally & human conscious store dedicated to bringing alternatives to every aspect of life.

Here is what they are up to this month:

Truffles: Simple & Sinful – $35
December 13 (sun), 11am-2PM
Learn how to make decadent chocolate treats from C-Salt Gourmet owner, Courtney. Create a number of yummy flavors and make decorative boxes.

Kids Beading – $25
December 13th (sun), 3-5PM
All you need to know to make earrings, bracelets & necklaces! Easy step by step instruction, how to booklet & all materials included! Continue reading→

Free Santa Ana Business Emergency Response class on Dec. 10

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H1N1 Business Preparation

The Santa Ana Police Foundation is offering a FREE Business Emergency Response Team (BERT) class this Thursday, Dec. 10, starting at 7:10 a.m., to 8:45 a.m. at Temple Beth Sholom, which is located at Tustin Ave. & Fairhaven, at 2625 N. Tustin Ave., in Santa Ana.

If your business is willing to host a future event please let the foundation know by clicking here. 

Also, please RSVP by clicking here.

Session one: “What do YOU need this year?”

Bill Cunningham will lead a working session to identify the specific training YOU need for YOUR business. We have a powerful outline of sessions available to us already, and this session will fill in the blanks with specifics as you describe them to us. CLICK HERE to see the sessions in place.

**Please sign up now** Continue reading→

Steven Greenhut signing his new book on Thursday, near Mainplace

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The Forum Press
is pleased to announce the
1st Southern California Book Signing Event for:

Steven Greenhut
author of
Plunder

PLUNDER!

How Public Employee Unions are Raiding Treasuries, Controlling our Lives and Bankrupting the Nation Continue reading→

7-Eleven celebrates the grand opening of its newest store in Santa Ana

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7-11 logo

Paul and Manjeet Ghuman are opening their new 7-Eleven store on Saturday, Dec. 19.  They will offer raffle prizes, free samples and meal deals!  The Ghumans are supporters of their local community want to continue their involvement. They are currently the sponsors for the Westminsters Founders Day Parade, and the Fountain Valley Tree Lighting Ceremony. They also donate products for the Riverview West Neighborhood Association Meetings, Santa Anita Neighborhood Association Meetings, and the Path of Hopes Thanksgiving Dinner.

Here is the press release announcing their grand opening celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony:

The Sign of Convenience Opens its Doors in Santa Ana

7-Eleven Celebrates the Grand Opening of its Newest Store with Fun-Filled Events, Music and Refreshments

WHAT: 7-Eleven will celebrate the opening of its newest location in Santa Ana on Saturday, December 19th with a grand opening celebration. The festivities will include a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening as well as an appearance by a DJ, as well as free samples, meal deals and raffle prizes for the community. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s new Yost Theater is ready to rock!

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Yost Theater
The Yost Theater is ready to rock again!
Dennis Lluy has been working hard to clean up and beautify Santa Ana’s historic Yost Theater – and apparently his task is at last done.  Here is a message from Lluy about the NEW Yost Theater:
Hello friends,

For the past 18 months, I have been transforming the Yost Theater into a world-class performance venue. It will be fully complete, along with a restaurant, in 2010.

We are finally at a stage to host international touring acts. This Saturday Nov. 7 we are proud to present Mum, an experimental Icelandic pop group whose music is characterized by soft vocals, eccentric beats and colorful effects, and a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments. Hildur Gudnadottir of Mum opens the evening with a solo performance followed by Icelandic group Sin Fang Bous.

Continue reading→

O.C. Hispanic Chamber mixer will focus on using technology to grow your business

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Tech Mixer

Don’t miss this month’s Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce mixer, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 6 to 8 pm, at the OCHCC Courtyard, located at 2130 E. 4th St., in Santa Ana.  The cost if free to members or just $10 for non-members.

The mixer will feature a presentation by Oscar Madrid and Ana Aguilar, both of Verizon Wireless, and Maria de Lourdes “Lulu” Sobrino, founder and CEO of Lulu’s Dessert Corp.  They will be talking about:

  • How to use the Internet on your PDA or cell phone to enhance your business
  • Case studies of how OC companies have done this to organize themselves, grow and succeed in small business
  • How one business owner used such technology to grow her business into a multi-million dollar enterprise. Continue reading→

Fish Grill Factory now open in Santa Ana

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Fish Fry

It is hard to believe that new restaurants are still opening in town, considering the recession, but here we go again.  The new Fish Grill Factory has opened in Santa Ana.  Here is an excerpt from a review in the OC Weekly:

Well, a week ago I checked in for the Grand Opening, and it was exactly as I had imagined, but in grander scale that I did not expect. The room seemed like it could hold three California Fish Grills (and one Malibu Fish Grill). The menu? Ambitious. The appetizers number nine items, and include something called a guacamole egg roll. Garlic butter and Cajun are saucing options, but also mango. There’s white roughy, but also giant scallop. How did it all taste? Well, that’s where you come in. Dish if you had a dish.

Click here to read their menu.  Click here for a map. Continue reading→

Senator Correa Calls upon the Governor to Approve Vital Small Business Bill

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Lou Correa Business Workshop

(From file: State Senator Lou Correa making a presentation last year during his “How to Improve Your Small Business” workshop in Orange County)

News Release
For Immediate Release
October 26, 2009

Contact: Lina Hamilton (916) 651-4034
 
Senator Correa Calls upon the Governor to Approve Vital Small Business Bill
  
SACRAMENTO, CA – State Senator Lou Correa Orange County) issued the following statement urging Governor Schwarzenegger to sign Senate Bill 66 (SB 66), introduced by Senator Curren Price (Los Angeles):

Continue reading→