News and notes from around the greater San Fernando Valley area SAN FERNANDO VALLEY Van Nuys AWARD: Nancy Hoffman Vanyek, CEO of the Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce received the Russell E. Pettit Memorial Award at the Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.) annual conference in Las Vegas last month. Given annually, the award honors a chamber executive in the West who has dedicated his or her career to helping those in the chamber business attain higher professional standards and capabilities. Hoffman Vanyek, the 41st recipient of the award, was recognized for her support of her peers and co-workers as well as her leadership in raising funds for the W.A.C.E. Foundation. Northridge MALL: Northridge Fashion Center announced it will be adding two new restaurants and an outdoor amphitheater to the shopping center this year. Scheduled to open in the fall, restaurants Elephant Bar and Yard House will join the center’s roster of dining establishments which currently includes, Macaroni Grill, Claim Jumper and California Pizza Kitchen. The outdoor amphitheater will serve as an area for live entertainment, concerts and programs. Daniyel Gordon, senior general manager of the Northridge Fashion Center, said in a statement that the shopping center is a “natural gathering spot for the community that appeals to so many people because of its excellent restaurant choices, Pacific Theatres 10Plex and the weekly Farmers’ Market.” These are not the only changes to the mall this year. The shopping center, owned and operated by General Growth Properties, announced last month that it commenced renovations on interior and exterior areas of the mall. Woodland Hills GROWTH: Prescriptive Music, a Woodland Hills-based music branding firm, announced its sales grew 40 percent over the past year, marking three consecutive years of growth. The company has provided music programming services for restaurants, retailers and hotels since 1999. The company’s roster of clients has grown exponentially to include hotels and restaurants in China, Macau, The Maldives, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates. The company’s restaurant business, which includes big-name clients such as The Cheesecake Factory and Umami Burger, has been its largest growth sector, accounting for about 30 percent business over the past year, the company said. “As the hospitality industry continues its strong rebound, we have seen a surge in client growth, companies wanting to differentiate themselves from their competitors by using innovative music branding,” Allen Klevens, founder and chief operating officer of Prescriptive Music, said in a prepared statement. SANTA CLARITA ADVERTISE: The city of Santa Clarita launched a $200,000 advertising campaign aimed at tourists from Phoenix and San Diego. The multimedia campaign is being funded by the Santa Clarita Tourism Marketing District. Launched in February, the ads will appear on prime-time television, radio and billboards in Phoenix and San Diego and will run through April. “The new tourism campaign is exciting and fun and puts Santa Clarita front and center in two respected destinations,” Mayor Laurie Ender said in a prepared statement. “We know residents in the Phoenix and San Diego area are already visiting and we hope the new campaign reinforces our position as a fun, convenient and affordable Southern California getaway.” The campaign is a collaborative between the City of Santa Clarita and the Santa Clarita Tourism Marketing District. The group hopes to brand the city as an affordable and memorable family destination by promoting the area’s theme parks, shopping, spa, dining, and golfing attractions. The new tourism marketing campaign is being tracked and evaluated by the partners to determine its effectiveness and whether a similar campaign in these markets or other target markets will be developed in the future. Funds for the campaign come from a 2 percent assessment on rooms sold through participating Santa Clarita Tourism Marketing District hotels. CONEJO VALLEY Agoura Hills HOSPITAL: IPC The Hospitalist Company, Inc. continued its expansion with the acquisition of Asana Integrated Medical Group (AIMG) of Agoura Hills. The facility-based medical practice also has operations in Phoenix, Ariz. The move helps IPC, a national hospitalist physician group practice company based in NOrth Hollywood,, expand further into Southern California and the Southwest. AIMG provides a range of acute and post-acute behavioral health clinical services with a provider team of psychiatrists, psychologists and nurse practitioners. IPC said it expects the acquisition to add approximately 65,000 patient encounters annually. “The coordination and integration of behavioral health services is an increasingly important component of managing the care continuum in both the acute and post-acute care settings,” IPC Chairman and CEO Dr. Adam Singer said in a statement. “This acquisition also provides IPC the opportunity to explore ways of improving patient outcomes and reducing costs through the improved coordination of behavioral health with our other facility-based services.” Dr. Nitin Nanda, president and CEO of AIMG, is both a practicing geriatric psychiatrist and assistant clinical professor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and clinical assistant professor in medicine at the USC Keck School of Medicine. Dr. Nanda will join IPC as a practice group leader and regional medical director. AIMG’s clinical team currently practices in more than 50 hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.
