HeyTea, a Chinese beverage company with a global fan base, opened recently in Irvine to long lines of eager customers.
Just the second on the West Coast for the company, the café opened Aug. 9 at the Orange Tree Square shopping center off Jeffrey Road.
The company got its start 12 years ago, serving blended cold tea drinks with a thick, cream cheese-flavored foam on top. HeyTea, which operates some 4,000 stores around the world, collaborates with big brand names including Barbie, Fendi and the online game Genshin Impact, to bring fans to the tea counter.
The blended drinks are a hit with foodies and influencers, who were all over social media in recent weeks as two locations debuted in Southern California. Favorites included the mango coconut boom and grape cheese boom. Prices range from $5.50 up to $9.
The Irvine location at 5414 Walnut Ave. (Suite E), debuted just days after the company’s Beverly Hills launch on July 26 on Rodeo Drive.
If you’re planning a trip to HeyTea, be sure to factor in the wait time. Yelp and Instagram users report the line can take up to an hour.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Lovesac, BauTeam and Fireclay Handmade Tile are joining the retail lineup this year at South Coast Collection in Costa Mesa. (Photo courtesy of Continental Realty Corp.)
Lovesac and BauTeam opening at SoCo in Costa Mesa
Three new tenants have joined the retail lineup at South Coast Collection in Costa Mesa.
Furniture retailer Lovesac, cabinet supplier BauTeam, and Fireclay Handmade Tile all recently signed leases with Continental Realty Corp. for space at the retail center.
Lovesac is opening this summer while BauTeam is expected to open later this year, CRC said. Fireclay Handmade Tile should open this fall.
Here’s a little bit on what each merchant sells:
BauTeam sells indoor and outdoor kitchen cabinetry, countertop vanities, closet systems and furnishings and household accessories.
Lovesac sells modular couches called Sactionals, foam beanbag chairs called Sacs and home decor accessories.
Fireclay offers a range of semi-custom, made to order products crafted from ceramic, glass and brick.
Other merchants at SoCo include Coco Republic, Design Within Reach, La-Z-Boy, and Paul Mitchell the School, Brown Jordan, Natuzzi, and Room & Board. Restaurants include Arc Food and Libations, Butcher’s House, Greenleaf Kitchen +Cocktails, Moulin and Portola Coffee.
Participants in the Girls Inc. Orange County Girls Meet the Workforce program celebrated their four-month externships with a party hosted by Taco Bell at the chain’s Irvine headquarters. (Photo courtesy of Kimberly Kulak Photography)
Girls Inc. ‘externs’ feted at Taco Bell HQ
A reception Aug. 6 at the Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine celebrated the Girls Meet the Workforce program, a summer program with 125 high school participants, or externs, from Girls Inc. of Orange County.
The four-month job readiness program helps ninth through 11th graders with preparing for their careers. The program equips girls with essential skills like leadership, communication, and networking, alongside practical abilities such as mastering Microsoft Office and building LinkedIn profiles. A highlight of the program is the four-week externship, where girls gain invaluable on-the-job experience.
These achievements were celebrated with a record-breaking reception hosted by Taco Bell at their Irvine Headquarters on August 6. where over 200 attendees, including mentors, participants, and their families, gathered to honor the hard work and dedication of the girls. The event featured a panel where mentors and externs shared how the program has shaped the girls’ future aspirations.
This summer 26 local companies hosted externs, mentoring them in skills such as leadership, communication, and networking. Girls learned to master Microsoft Office and build out their LinkedIn profiles.
Company hosts included: Pacific Design Directions, Orange County Department of Education, Allergan, Confie, Anaheim Public Utilities, Edwards, Casanova//McCann, Vans, Roth Staffing Companies, Anaheim Ducks, Ingram Micro, ADP, Antis, Disneyland Resort, New Frontier Group, Taco Bell, CCS Fundraising, Brasstech, Boeing, OCVIBE, CHOC, Thermal Vac Technology, PepsiCo, Frito Lay, Sandy Feet Initiative, BJ’s Restaurants and Brewhouse.
Taco Bell, Allergan, Disneyland Resort and ADP gave $10,000 to the program.
On the move
Alessio Pigazzi recently rejoined City of Hope, this time at its new Irvine facility, as its clinical professor of surgery, executive medical director of colorectal surgery and vice chair of clinical network affairs for the Department of Surgery. Pigazzi, previously at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and UCI Medical Center, performed the world’s first robot-assisted tumor removal for rectal cancer 20 years ago at the cancer hospital’s Duarte facility. The surgeon is also researching novel therapies and robotic surgeries to combat tumors and cancer.
Parham Medhat is the new chief operating officer at Nano Banc in Irvine. He will oversee the bank’s technology, operations, strategic initiatives and growth plans. Previously, Medhat was executive vice president and chief operations and technology officer at Luther Burbank Savings. The bank also appointed Simon Dillon, a first vice president at CBRE, to its board of directors. The commercial bank was formerly Commerce Bank of Temecula Valley in Murrieta and had $76 million in assets when it was acquired for $23.3 million by Nano Financial Holdings. It changed its name to Nano Banc and opened its second branch and headquarters at 7755 Irvine Center Drive in Irvine.
Hugh Conners was recently elected treasurer at Orange County United Way. A senior vice president and regional banking manager at BMO, he will serve a one-year term, ending June 30, 2025. (Photo courtesy of OC United Way and BMO)
On board
Orange County United Way recently elected Hugh Conners as its new treasurer and seven new board members. Conners, a senior vice president and regional banking manager at BMO, will serve a one-year term, ending June 30, 2025. Newly elected board members include: Jacqueline Akerblom, retired from Grant Thornton LLP, Greg Custer, Whittier Trust; Ryan Flynn, The Weir Group PLC; Julie Miller-Phipps, Collaborative Innovation Partners; Edward Mora, U.S. Bank; Niza Oun-Nguyen, Mariner Wealth Advisors; and Nisha Verma, Dorsey & Whitney LLP.
Status Update is compiled and written by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to sgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.
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