Jan. 07–Huntington Beach-based surfwear company Quiksilver is extending its brand name to a new action-sports hotel concept called Quiksilver Hotels & Resorts International. The exclusive licensing agreement encompasses use of Quiksilver’s brand and retail presence, but QHRI is a separate entity from the publicly traded surf-apparel company.
Matteson Capital, the Newport Beach developers behind the QHRI project, began raising a first round of $250 million in November. Over the next three to five years, the money will be used to build and acquire a handful of properties that feature amenities like on-site concert venues, skate parks, surf pools and indoor skydiving, in partnership with big names like Kelly Slater and Tony Hawk.
“Quiksilver had a vision to extend its brand into hotels. It’s designed to be a family-friendly, three- to four-star chain — more a place where people can travel with families and have their kids be active,” said Jay Rogers, president of Alpha Strategies Investment Marketing, the firm in charge of QHRI’s marketing efforts. “The hotel development group is constantly looking at new properties and taking over existing brands, not only in Hawaii and Bali and Costa Rica, but inland areas as well, like Anaheim and Orlando next to Disney.”
According to Rogers, the first property will likely open in Palm Springs, where QHRI is developing a 35-acre tract of land for a flagship resort.
– Jennifer Wang
On the move
Paula Serios is the new chief marketing officer at Word & Brown Companies, a group of businesses in Orange that develops health benefit plans and employee benefits services. Serios previously served as CMO for Silverado Senior Living, an Irvine operator of assisted living communities and at-home care and hospice services.
Bryan Sullivan joined LoanDepot.com LLC, a Foothill Ranch mortgage lender, as executive vice president and chief investment officer. He previously worked as a portfolio manager at Pacific Investment Management Company LLC in Newport Beach.
Milestones
Erik Ring, an associate at LPA Inc., a sustainable design architecture firm in Irvine, is one of 51 building experts selected to become LEED Fellows by the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that promotes sustainability in the building industry. The annual LEED Fellow designations recognize exceptional contributions to the sustainable building community. Ring is design director for LPA’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering group.
Clear Catheter Systems Inc., an Anaheim medical device maker, won the ICI Innovation Award competition last month during the 2013 Innovations in Cardiovascular Interventions medical industry conference held in Tel Aviv, Israel. A panel of judges selected the company to receive the Best Business Start-Up Award for its PleuraFlow device, which prevents chest tube clogging after heart surgery.
New ventures
WWT International Engineering Services LLC in Anaheim is a new operating entity of WWT International Inc., a company that makes products used for oil drills. The Houston-based firm reorganized its operations to serve what it identified as three main types of customers. The Anaheim business will develop custom solutions for customers in the oil and gas industry. It is led by WWT Vice President Norman Bruce Moore. The other two companies are WWT International Drilling Tool Services LLC and WWT International Coiled Tubing Services LLC, both based in Houston.
Alkemists Laboratories, a Costa Mesa testing lab for natural products and dietary supplements, is now named Alkemist Labs. The company completed a rebranding project and introduced a new logo that includes a beaker inside a hexagon.
Summit Healthcare REIT Inc., a real estate investment trust in Irvine, acquired a 26,000-square-foot assisted living facility in Redding for $3.5 million. It’s the company’s first acquisition since it changed its name from Cornerstone Core Properties REIT Inc. in October.
