Richard J. Gannotta has been named chief operating officer for UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange. Gannotta is currently senior vice president with NYC Health + Hospitals in New York. He will join UC Irvine Health in March. Previously, he served as senior vice president for the Northwestern Memorial Health Care system, where he was president of the system’s flagship Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and was responsible for managing Prentice Women’s Hospital.
Orange County’s Credit Union has promoted Art Armas to vice president of business services. Gigi Elmasry, Kari De Santis, and Azul Sanchez have been promoted to assistant vice president as regional branch managers.
Jessica Nutt has been promoted to lead designer and co-owner at Design Works, an interior design firm in Irvine. Her new duties will focus on project management, product procurement, social media and marketing activities.
John Bifone is the new vice president of operations at Irvine-based Juice It Up! raw juice bar. Bifone previously served as chief operating officer for Calabee’s, a franchise company that includes Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Millie’s Restaurant & Bakery concept. In this role, Bifone will lead operational initiatives as part of the company’s growth strategy.
New venture
Rainguard Water Sealers in Newport Beach has signed a three-year agreement with Texas Motor Speedway as the title sponsor of the annual Verizon IndyCar Series race held in June at the motorsports facility. The multi-year deal will begin with the a race scheduled for June 10 at the Fort Worth-based speedway. The race, “America’s Original Nighttime IndyCar Race,” will be rebranded the Rainguard Water Sealers 600 and serve as the ninth event on the Verizon IndyCar Series’ current 17-race schedule for next season. The agreement is the first title sponsorship for the company. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Grants
Bank of America is accepting applications for grants aimed at programs that provide economic mobility resources in Orange County. Nonprofits offering services such as workforce development, education, shelter and hunger relief will be considered for this grant cycle. The deadline to apply is Feb. 24. More details can be found at bankofamerica.com/foundation.
In memoriam
Chapman University will dedicate a suite in the A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research in memory of its long-time economist Esmael “Essie” Adibi. The school received a donation from SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, where Adibi served as a board member and on various committees for 17 years. The suite now will be known as the Esmael Adibi, Ph.D., Memorial Director’s Suite. Adibi died in April 2016.
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