HBCool a window on nightlife

Dave Brooks

In the shadow of the oceanfront resorts and the endless array of surf

shops exists a smaller, albeit less sober, tourism industry. At its

best, a thriving bar culture, and at its worst, a bunch of drunks.

The Huntington Beach tourism community has worked hard to market

Surf City as an overnight destination. But there’s a void in the

city’s growing nightlife culture. A new group of local businessman

are hoping to create a resource for those looking to enjoy a night on

the town.

Brothers Cliff and Scott Goldman have teamed up with Aloha Grill

bartender Lance McCart and token local Mark Driscoll to roll out

their latest Web creation, HBCool.com -- an interactive bar and

nightlife guide to Surf City’s watering holes.

“So much comes out of Huntington Beach and we wanted to try and

incorporate some of those things into one place,” said McCart, who’s

helping to transform the site. Besides the restaurant and bar

listings, HBCool is a digital marketplace for a variety of local pub

gear and small clothing companies. Visitors to the site can buy a

T-shirt from the Longboard or a Rockin’ Fig surfboard.

“A lot of these companies don’t have a marketing budget or Web

presence, and this gives them a venue to sell to the world,” Cliff

Goldman said.

HBCool.com also includes local Web logs, or blogs, from local

barflies as well as original articles on Surf City counter-culture. A

recent cash infusion has allowed the foursome to launch a new

marketing campaign, including sponsorship of beach volleyball sisters

Katie and Tracy Lindquist. The group has also teamed up with local

photographer Brett Hamilton Bayless, local artist Larry Taugher and

pro surfers Johnny Kissel and Bud Llamas.

The group’s guerrilla marketing strategies are starting to pay off

-- Cliff Goldman estimates the site is getting about 150,000 hits a

months and projects the site will be at about 500,000 a month by the

end of summer.

HBCool.com is the latest Web site creation by the group’s

marketing company Clockwork Inc. Opened on Sept. 1 2001, the

company’s first challenge was overcoming the aftermath of the World

Trade Towers attacks just 11 days later.

“We thrived in the worst advertising recession in history,” Scott

Goldman said

“Yeah, but we did it by starving,” McCart added.

The group hopes to expand its localized Web product into other

markets, possibly creating LVCool for Las Vegas and then maybe LACool

and SFCool -- each site configured to give an insider’s view of local

nightlife.

“It’s better than getting one of those tourism maps,” McCart said.

“Whenever I go to a new place, I try to find the biggest neighborhood

bar and after a few drinks, I ask the bartender and other locals what

I should go check out.”

Neighbors team up to repair street corner

A group of local homeowners have teamed up to repair a dilapidated

stretch of dirt along the north side of Edinger Avenue between

Saybrook Lane and Countess Drive. The dirt lot runs parallel to a

flood-control channel and is prone to heavy rains and mud in the

winter months.

With the help of Huntington Beach City Councilman Keith Bohr, the

Sea Isle Garden Club homeowners group will be presenting the City

Council with a proposal to split the cost of an $8,000 engineering

study to determine what, if anything, can be done to improve the

unsightly city-owned lot, estimated to be 30 feet wide and 4,000 feet

long.

“In the wintertime it’s full of water and mud and kids with SUVs

drive through it,” Dorothy Ralphs of the Sea Isle Garden Club said.

“It’s just generally a very messy, bad, unsightly situation.”

The group raised $15,000 hoping to landscape the property

themselves, but wasn’t able to secure a green light from the city.

“They said they wanted an engineering study before we could do

anything,” Ralphs said.

The City Council will consider the proposal at its June 20

meeting.

H.B. bank bought by First Community

A Huntington Beach bank was purchased by First Community Bancorp

for $41.8 million Friday. Local bank Pacific Liberty, which maintains

two locations on Beach Boulevard and Edinger Avenue, has $141.6

million in assets, the report stated.

Pacific Liberty shareholders will receive First Community common

stock for their shares of Pacific Liberty in the deal, and Pacific

Liberty option holders will receive cash for the value of their

unexercised in-the-money stock options.

The transaction is subject to approval by Pacific Liberty’s

shareholders and bank regulatory authorities, and is expected to

close in the fourth quarter of 2005. Immediately following the

completion of the acquisition, it is anticipated that Pacific Liberty

will be merged into Pacific Western National Bank, a Los

Angeles-based subsidiary of First Community.

Matt Wagner, President and CEO of First Community Bancorp said in

a prepared statement, “Pacific Liberty is a true community bank that

complements and expands First Community’s position in Orange County.

In a relatively brief period, Pacific Liberty has done a terrific job

of building a strong customer base and a sizable loan portfolio.”

Pacific Liberty Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Rick

Ganulin also released a statement:

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with First

Community. Integrating into a larger organization will satisfy the

growing needs of our customer base, and give them access to First

Community’s branch network, larger lending limits, and additional

services. We are happy to present our shareholders with this

opportunity to realize additional value on their investment.”

Size did not matter

for local Rotary

At two separate events conducted by Rotary International’s

District 5320, the Rotary Club of Huntington Beach was given top

awards for high achievements this year. Out of 50 clubs in District

5320, the Huntington Beach club received awards for International

Service, Vocational Service, Club Service and for its weekly bulletin

“The Spoke.” The awards are given to the clubs according to the size

of the club.

“Being a small club with 34 members clearly proved size does not

matter where there is enthusiasm, energy, team work and purpose,”

Rotary President Marleen Meyer wrote in a recent press release.

International contributions received first place and included

projects such as hosting long-term and short-term Youth Exchange

Students from all over the world; sponsoring candidates for Rotary

Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships, and working with the Chinese

government to sponsor Chinese Youth Exchange students. Also for

contributing to Rotary International Foundation in support of

Rotary’s goal to eradicate polio throughout the world and

contributing to the organization’s “Pure Water For The World”

campaign that provides people with access to clean water in foreign

countries.

The Vocational Service award was given to the Huntington Beach

club for its contribution to projects such as honoring “Students of

the Month” from the Ocean View High School Business Academy;

chartering a Cub Scout pack; participating in the “Reading By 9”

program that provides kindergarten through third-grade students with

books; hosting a luncheon for the business leaders in Huntington

Beach that employ people with disabilities and sponsoring high school

students to a weekend at Rotary’s Youth Leadership Academy held every

year in Idyllwild.

Meyer was also presented with the “Presidential Citation” from

Rotary International’s President Glenn Estes and the “Governor’s

Citation” from the District Governor Grant Engel.