Author: Trent Freeman

State of Oregon approves new web-based interpreting training program

Posted on August 28, 2013 by - Client News

LanguageLine_Solutions_2013_WebA new web-based interpreting training program developed by LanguageLine Academy has met the standards to train healthcare interpreters in Oregon. The state requires interpreters be qualified and certified to work at the 15 newly created Coordinated Care Organizations (CCO’s) serving people on the Oregon Health Plan. The Academy is the external testing and training arm of the global leader in language access, LanguageLine SolutionsSM.
Oregon is one of only a handful of states with qualification and certification exams for medical interpreters. The state recognizes three tiers of interpreters: registered (the basic level), qualified (tested in the language) and certified (tested in medical terminology.) At a minimum, interpreters must be at the qualified level to work at Oregon hospitals.
“There are only an estimated 16 qualified and 25 certified medical interpreters in Oregon out of an approximate 3,500 interpreters who work in the state, according to the Office of Equity and Inclusion, so the demand is extremely high for this new course,” said Winnie Heh, Senior Vice President, Global Operations of LanguageLine Solutions. “LanguageLine Academy provides a timely and meaningful solution. The web-format enables participants to conveniently complete 60-hours of training, at their own pace, from any location with high speed internet. Organizations looking to cut costs should find this format appealing as it also reduces down-time and the need for travel.”
Registration will open on Tuesday, September 3, 2013. The price for the program is $620.

Act now, assess later, says 'real-time transformation' expert

Posted on August 19, 2013 by - Client News

LanguageLine Solutions CEO Scott Klein Klein

LanguageLine Solutions CEO Scott Klein


When an organization needs major changes, jump right in and “start knocking off the list of impediments that are keeping you from getting there,” says LanguageLine Solutions CEO Scott Klein in an article posted today on Entrepreneur.com about what he calls “real-time transformation.”
The recently launched LanguageUc is a major part of that transformation at LanguageLine, according to the article.
The web-based video interpreting service allows clients access to sign language and foreign language interpreters from nearly any computing device at the press of a button.

DreamHammer makes waves at AUVSI in Washington, D.C.

Posted on August 15, 2013 by - Client News

DH_AUVSI

Everyone seems quite taken with DreamHammer’s attire this week at AUVSI in Washington, D.C.


DreamHammer announced this week at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems 2013 conference in Washington, D.C., that it has entered into a strategic alliance with Ocean Aero, developer of a new class of commercially available autonomous maritime unmanned vessels.
Under the agreement, DreamHammer will extend the functionality of its drone operating system software, Ballista, to control Ocean Aero’s “Submaran,” a new class of Unmanned Underwater, Surface Vessel (UUSV). For the first time ever, a maritime system will be controlled through software so powerful it can control any unmanned vehicle in any domain.
‘We’re just the operating system’

A National Journal article out of the AUVSI show titled “Can Drones Be Known for More Than Causing Death?” calls attention to the many non-military uses of drones, from search, rescue and recovery operations to pizza delivery. The reporter, Ben Terris, asked DreamHammer’s CEO Nelson Paez “if he ever loses sleep at night when he hears of drone strikes.”
“We’re just the operating system, we have no control of that,” Paez says in the article. “Think about it like Windows. You can use that to look at a porn site or a national security site. It’s not up to Windows how it’s used.”
More of the interview with Paez is available in this video titled “Not All Drones Are So Darn Scary.”
DreamHammer’s Chief operating Officer Denis Clements says in a Huffington Post article that he’s seeing the drone industry transition “from all-military on a relatively small scale to international and commercial on a large scale.” In short: It’s getting much, much bigger.
Tight black pants and ‘The Matrix’
Everyone seems quite taken with DreamHammer’s attire at AUVSI, with the Huffington Post describing the staff as looking “like they are out of ‘The Matrix’ in all-black and silver getups.” Meanwhile, the National Journal says Paez “fits the dress code perfectly. He towers over everyone else, his hair gelled, his goatee groomed, and his black pants tight.”
See for yourself in this article from Flightglobal’s Unmanned Daily News which talks about how DreamHammer has integrated the UAS Control Segment (UCS) interoperability standard into its software which allows operators to control several vehicle types at once.

Lazy Dog announces investment from Brentwood Associates

Posted on July 30, 2013 by - Client News

BrentwoodLazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, the popular West Coast restaurant concept known for its eclectic menu of memorable family favorites reinterpreted with bold new flavors, announced that Brentwood Associates, a leading consumer-focused private equity firm, has made a significant investment in the family-run company.
CEO and founder Chris Simms will continue to lead the existing management team and expects to continue to grow the Lazy Dog brand into one of the nation’s leading casual dining restaurant companies.
“The most important thing about the investment is that it’s an opportunity to partner with what I consider to be really great restaurateurs,” said Rahul Aggarwal, Brentwood’s managing director, in an interview with Dow Jones. “At the end of the day, restaurants are people businesses and these are people that we have all the confidence in the world in.”
Lazy Dog represents the fifth investment the firm has made in the restaurant industry in the last decade.
Read more about the announcement:

Want to drive market share? Target loyal customers

Posted on July 29, 2013 by - Client News

New York Times logoFiercely loyal customers are the key to success according to private equity firm Brentwood Associates, so the firm almost exclusively invests in brands people don’t just like but truly admire, reports Sarah Max today in The New York Times. And, Brentwood is the only private equity firm that consistently takes this approach.
“Over time, that’s really what drives market share,” said Bill Barnum, who co-founded Brentwood’s private equity practice in 1984. It has since invested in more than 40 companies with a total transaction value, or market value of equity at the time of the deal plus debt, of more than $5 billion.

Ernst & Young announces promotions and additions throughout West Coast

Posted on July 25, 2013 by - Client News

EY_logoErnst & Young LLP has announced 39 major promotions and three new additions across eight offices in the West, including 18 partners:

Las Vegas

  • Chris Raimondo – Promoted to principal from senior manager.


Los Angeles

  • Sandra Burns – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Paul Chen – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Glen Day – Promoted to principal from senior manager.
  • Deep Ghumman – Promoted to principal from senior manager.
  • Dorian Redding – Promoted to principal from senior manager.
  • Marc Roberts – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Timothy Teagle – Promoted to principal from director.
  • Edith Yavarian – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Patrick Hynes – Promoted to executive director from senior manager.
  • Sherri Kelly – Promoted to executive director from senior manager.
  • Debbie Lew – Promoted to executive director from senior manager.
  • Glenn Walsh – Promoted to executive director from senior manager.


Orange County

  • Mark Montoya – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Ayan Roy – Promoted to principal from senior manager.
  • Lee Welborn – Promoted to executive director from senior manager.


Redwood Shores

  • Shekhar Mahadevan – Promoted to executive director from senior manager.


San Diego

  • Judson Quiggle – Promoted to partner from senior manager.


San Francisco

  • Brian Eggert – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Anne Freden – Promoted to principal from senior manager.
  • Javier Garcia – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Matthew Hatch – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Jackie Pan – Promoted to principal from senior manager.
  • Barak Ravid – Promoted to principal from executive director.
  • Mazhar Wani – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Rick Berge – Promoted to executive director from senior manager.
  • Mark Doyle – Promoted to executive director from senior manager.
  • Maria Joseph – Promoted to executive director from senior manager.
  • Michael Winter – Promoted to executive director from senior manager.


San Jose

  • Wendy Drummond Craig – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Tatyana Kovalchuk – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Ye Wang – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Irine Dibowitz – Promoted to executive director from senior manager.
  • Ame Cruz Ponce – Promoted to director from associate director.


Seattle

  • Sue Borgman – Joined as a principal from the firm’s San Jose office.
  • Doug Sirotta – Joined as a partner from a regional accounting firm where he managed its San Jose, San Francisco and Los Angeles offices and served as the national leader for tax.
  • Matthew Stover – Rejoined as a partner from eBay Inc. where he spent the last year as the company’s director of accounting.
  • Oren Lang-Furr – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Matthew Rundorff – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Chad Miller – Promoted to partner from senior manager.
  • Catherine Banks – Promoted to director from associate director.
  • Scott Gelber – Promoted to principal from senior manager.

Video interpreting helps hospital meet diverse language needs

Posted on July 19, 2013 by - Client News

Specific illnesses, medical terms and medications can be challenging in any language.

Specific illnesses, medical terms and medications can be challenging in any language.


As the Champaign-Urbana, Ill., community continues to grow, language needs are diversifying as well.
For help, one local hospital has turned to LanguageLine Solutions and their new video interpreting service for iPads and other mobile devices — LanguageUc (pronounced “Language You See”), reports WICD ABC 15.

FOX segment features Entrepreneur of the Year standouts

Posted on July 17, 2013 by - Client News

A new segment called “Growing Our Economy” on KTTV FOX 11 in Los Angeles focuses on what local business leaders are seeing and saying about jobs. Among those featured so far by Christine Devine are:

  • Brian Ring, Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards (EOY) program director, in a piece titled “LA’s Best In Business” (July 9);
  • Kamran Pourzanjani, an entrepreneur and long-time EOY judge, “An Entrepreneur’s Opinion” (July 16); and
  • Martha de la Torre and Joe Badame, EOY finalists who built El Clasificado into the largest free Spanish publication in the country, “El Clasificado” (July 17).

Devine, who has 16 Emmys, hosted the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards last month at a 700-person gala held at the Beverly Hilton.

KFWB's 'Business Rockstars' talks social media, PR with Williams

Posted on June 27, 2013 by - OWC News

Business Rockstars is a weekly show on KFWB, NEWS TALK 980 for ENTREPRENEURS by entrepreneurs. Every Monday through Friday, 2-4pm Ken Rutkowski connects the listener to some of the biggest names in business to share their experience and knowledge of entrepreneurship.

Business Rockstars is a weekly show on KFWB, NEWS TALK 980 for ENTREPRENEURS by entrepreneurs. Every Monday through Friday, 2-4 p.m. Ken Rutkowski connects the listener to some of the biggest names in business to share their experience and knowledge of entrepreneurship.


Ken Rutkowski of “Business Rockstars” on KFWB interviewed Tracy Williams in the studio on Tuesday about ways to get your brand and messaging out to the public.
Williams, president and CEO of Olmstead Williams Communications, talks about all of the latest social media tools and public relations tips that can be executed even if you’re on a budget.
Each episode of “Business Rockstars” features two guests discussing their business failures and success stories in the world of entrepreneurship.
Tracy’s “Rockstar” profile 

Entrepreneur of Year winners announced in LA

Posted on June 19, 2013 by - Client News

The An Family, of fourth generation family-owned business House of An, receives Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Family Business Award of Excellence. From left to right: Monique An, Jacqueline An, Catherine An, Helene An, Hannah An, and Elizabeth An.

The An Family, of fourth generation family-owned business House of An, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Family Business Award of Excellence. From left to right: Monique An, Jacqueline An, Catherine An, Helene An, Hannah An and Elizabeth An.


Ernst & Young announced the Entrepreneur of the Year® 2013 award recipients in Greater Los Angeles at a gala event Tuesday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
The winners are:

  • „Janice Bryant Howroyd, CEO, The Act 1 Group – Torrance, Calif.
  • Clarence Daniels Jr., Chairman & CEO, Concession Management Services, Inc. – Los Angeles, Calif.
  • „Sam Naficy, President & CEO, DTT – Los Angeles, Calif.
  • Jeff Stibel, Chairman & CEO, Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. – Malibu, Calif.
  • The An Family, Managing Partners and Executive Chef, House of An – Beverly Hills, Calif.
  • Bob Sinnott, CEO, Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P. – Los Angeles, Calif.
  • Moctesuma Esparza, CEO, Maya Cinemas North America, Inc – Los Angeles, Calif.

Collectively, the award recipients have created over 1,100 jobs over the past two years. On average, they have increased their workforce by 40 percent and have grown their revenues by 42 percent between 2010 and 2012.