La Salsa opening donates about $1,000 to SOS

The opening of La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill in Costa Mesa on Oct. 4

gave volunteers a chance to contribute to an organization that provides

financial assistance and food to the needy.

About 300 guests attended the grand opening of La Salsa Grill at 279

East 17th St., where they sampled complimentary items from the menu,

heard music from a five-piece salsa band and raised more than $1,000 for

Share Our Selves. The nonprofit volunteer organization formed in 1970 by

members of St. John the Baptist Church in Costa Mesa provides emergency

assistance to Orange County’s poor and impoverished.

La Salsa has 92 locations nationwide.

Newport Beach agency changes its name, focus

Point B, a leading Southern California-based health care agency, has

renamed itself BLVDest to underscore the Newport Beach company’s new

approach to brand marking and communication.

“Marketing and sales managers today are tasked with achieving higher

sales goals and accelerating product adoption and market share growth,

often with fewer resources and greater accountability than ever before,”

said Stacey Howmann, an agency representative.

Services the firm provides include product and technology launches,

customer loyalty programs, branding and product life cycle extension.

Clients include TLC Laser Eye Centers of Newport Beach and Jostra Bentley

of Irvine.

Newport Beach bank off to an impressive start

Newport Beach-based CommerceWest Bank completed an impressive first

week of operation in October with $2 million in new deposits and $2.5

million in loan operations.

The bank finished its initial public offering in 60 days, raising

$10.5 million. Typically, California banks take about 120 days to

complete the task.

Ivo Tjan, the bank’s 28-year-old president and chief executive, is the

youngest chief executive of a major bank in the country. He is a former

regional vice president of Eldorado Bank in Orange County. Great Western

Bank deemed him the fastest and youngest manager to be promoted to vice

president in the bank’s history.