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The Orange County Register, Calif., business briefs column(Orange County Register, The (CA) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Feb. 8--CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF DIEDRICH COFFEE RESIGNS AFTER REORGANIZATION: Diedrich Coffee Chief Executive Stephen V. Coffey confirmed late Thursday that he has resigned from the Irvine coffee roasting company. In a memo released to The Orange County Register, Coffey said it was time for him to leave now that Diedrich has repositioned itself as a coffee roaster. In late 2006, Coffey led the effort to scrap most of the Diedrich Coffee cafes in Orange County. Many were sold to Starbucks in a move that remains a sore spot for many Diedrich coffee lovers. "With the successful turnaround and repositioning of the company well underway, the time is right for me to turn over the reins and pursue various other business opportunities," Coffey stated. Coffey will be replaced by J. Russell Phillips, who has served on the Diedrich board of directors since April 2007. Diedrich Chief Financial Officer Sean McCarthy confirmed Coffey's resignation. FDA APPROVES BIOLASE'S MARKETING OF LASERS: Dental laser maker Biolase has won approval to sell lasers for use by plastic surgeons and dermatologists, the Irvine-based company announced Thursday. Jake St. Philip, chief executive, said the company remains focused on dental treatments, but the approval by the Food and Drug Administration opens possibilities for "licensing, partnerships and in some cases future product offerings." The FDA clearance allows Biolase to market its Waterlase MD Derm laser for dermatology treatments ranging from skin resurfacing to diagnostic biopsies. It can also be sold to plastic and general surgeons for cutting into soft tissue. HOUSE IN EMERALD BAY LISTED FOR $44.5 MILLION: An Emerald Bay house is being quietly shopped for $44.5 million. If the deal were ever done, it would beat the record price of $35 million recently set in Newport Beach for a residence previously owned by actor Nicolas Cage. Of course, there's the $75 million Portabello seaside mansion on the market in Corona del Mar, too. Broker Stephen Sutherland of Prudential California's Architectural Collection says he's been marketing the $44.5 million Emerald Bay property for about two months. He knows of a few interested parties who could pay for it "without blinking." The lure is the lot, not the modest three-bedroom house on the property. The seller, a trust for the benefit of Jill Hankey, wants the deal to be a two-year option ($6 million upfront) to allow the owner to acquire a new property to shelter profits from 56 years of ownership. NETWORKS IN MOTION AWARDED PATENT: Aliso Viejo's Networks in Motion announced Thursday that it was awarded a patent that will let the company expand its location-based search services to include user reviews of businesses. The patent, No. 7,321,826 for "Point of Interest Spatial Rating Search Method and System," allows for searching based on location on a GPS-enabled device, while also using subcategorical searches such as finding "seafood" within "Mexican food." The patent, awarded Jan. 22, appears to be designed for an in-car navigation device. To see more of The Orange County Register, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ocregister.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Orange County Register, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |