LAX NORTHSIDE PLAN UPDATE TO PROVIDE BLUEPRINT FOR 340-ACRE VACANT PROPERTY

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On June 14, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Councilmember Mike Bonin, airport officials, and community representatives celebrated City Council approval of the LAX Northside Plan Update, a comprehensive planning blueprint for 340 acres of vacant property along Westchester Parkway. “The LAX Northside Plan shows what we can accomplish when we work together to build the future of our economy and preserve the unique character of L.A.’s neighborhoods,” said Garcetti. “This plan will transform a vacant lot into a creative and economic hub that will help revitalize the neighborhood with new jobs, retail and green space.” Under the guidance of Lisa Trifiletti, LAWA has crafted the plan with the help of surrounding neighborhoods to produce a vibrant and sustainable center of employment, retail, restaurant, office, hotel, research and development, education, civic, airport support, recreation, and airport-buffer uses. The approved plan envisions 175,000 square feet of community and civic uses, and nearly 50 acres of new recreation and open space as well as an office campus ideally located for a natural expansion of the “Silicon Beach” high-tech creative hub.

LOOKING FOR NEMO? AQUARIUM LAX HAS CLOWN FISH, CORAL, AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!

For years, Kris Bunya’s father was one of Southern California’s leaders in the aquarium business. But as technology made it easier and easier for enthusiasts to order fish and coral on-line, the business started to wane.

But Bunya wasn’t about to let that happen.

“Technology had passed us by, but I wanted my dad’s legacy to continue. I didn’t want what he built to fall apart,” said Bunya, 33, who has been working alongside his father since he was just 7-years-old.

Last year, Bunya took over the business, renamed it Aquarium LAX and began a revisioning that he believes will make Aquarium LAX a major industry player again.

Bunya hand-picks each fish from wholesalers and has established an impressive “back of house” protocol to ensure the health of every fish and every piece of coral he offers for sale. He is in the midst of creating a new on-line store so he can compete with other stores across the nation and is even building out a new shipping department that, because of his proximity to LAX, will enable fish deliveries to happen as quickly as possible – something he says is critical to maintaining the health of the fish he ships.

All of this is happening at precisely the right time.

“I remember what happened when “Finding Nemo’ came out and what a big boost it was for business,” he said. “‘Finding Dori’ is going to do the same thing for us –it will set us apart.”

Bunya currently stocks a huge variety of fish, corals and invertebrates, so whether you’re looking for an octopus, a ray or even a shark, he has it. The store even allows visitors to feed the sharks in his massive 6,000-gallon shark tank for $2. LAX Aquarium works with those just starting out to assemble the supplies and tanks necessary to launch their first aquarium, designs custom aquariums for hotels and offices and will even provide turn-key maintenance and repairs for tanks in homes or business settings.

 

Aquarium LAX has a variety of essential and non-essential products and their on-floor staff is knowledgeable and friendly.  For more information, visit Aquarium LAX at 5310 W. Century Boulevard (just east of The Westin Hotel) or visit them online at www.laxaquarium.com.

GATEWAY TO L.A. AND LAPD PARTNER ON ACTIVE SHOOTER TRAINING FOR LOCAL EMPLOYESS, SECURITY STAFF

Nearly 200 local employees and security staff recently underwent a two-hour training in dealing with active shooter incidents as part of a program put on by Gateway to L.A. and the Los Angeles Police Department.

The training focused on the mantra: “Run, Hide, Fight” and stressed that there are many simple strategies to keep yourself and others safe in the case of an active shooter similar to the recent attacks in San Bernardino and Brussels.

“In an era when senseless killing seems to be far too common, training like this is critical,” said LAPD Pacific Area Captain Nicole Alberca. “The principles we teach those who attend might save their life.”

Among the concepts is the initial effort to run and to escape the area where an active shooter may be. Too many people fair to plan an escape route when they visit a theater, concert or other event that could be a target of an attack.

When escaping from the area is impossible, the training suggests that people hide in an area outside of the shooter’s view, lock the door or block the entry to the hiding place and turn off cell phones to avoid being detected.

Finally, if escape and hiding is not possible, participants in the training were instructed to fight in an effort to incapacitate the shooter.

Trainees also received details about how to act when law enforcement arrives at the scene and what information to provide to 911 operators.

“We felt this type of training was an essential part of being prepared,” said Laurie Hughes, Executive Director of Gateway to L.A. “We work regularly with the local security teams at our member hotels and office buildings as well as with law enforcement, so this type of joint effort was a natural extension of that cooperation.”

The training was a first for Gateway to L.A., but LAPD offers similar training through its local police stations or by calling the LAPD West Bureau Training Coordinator at (213) 473-0276.

THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED AT THE RESIDENCE INN WITH WALLY THE BUTLER

At a time when technology has influenced just about everything, guests at the Residence Inn Los Angeles LAX/Century Boulevard can get room deliveries from the country’s most advanced robot butler.

General Manager Tom Beedon said the hotel’s new robot “Wally” will never replace his staff, but it has been getting plenty of attention from guests.

“They love this thing,” Beedon said. “We have been getting overwhelmingly positive responses from everyone who has interacted with Wally.”

Beedon said his hotel is one of just six hotels in the world where the robot butler is being piloted. He said Wally makes as many as 40 runs a day, delivering everything from fresh towels to Starbucks coffee.

Equipped with a camera and sensors that allow him to avoid guests walking through the lobby and maneuver throughout the hotel, Wally is the brainchild of a company called Savioke that is pioneering robot technology.

Brett Blume, pictured here with Wally, said the robot has been incredibly popular, with guests calling the front desk and asking for deliveries just to see Wally in action.

Though Wally is particularly useful during the graveyard shift, when he can make autonomous deliveries without the help of a staff member (he even calls the elevator himself), Beedon said he is always finding new ways to make Wally more useful.

“We’re trying to make it more interactive for the guests,” said Beedon, who is contemplating having Wally deliver drinks to guests in the lobby or simply interact with guests by asking them how their stay has been.

DONATE YOUR TECH: DOING GOOD IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS

Business owners are always on the lookout for ways to boost business. How about donating technology instead of recycling it? It might not be evident at first glance, but there are many benefits from working with a social cause.

•  A study was published showing that the average consumer will drive an extra 11 minutes to buy a product that supported a cause.

•  75% said that it’s either fairly or very important that a company gives back to society instead of just making a profit.

For Gateway to LA members, human-I-T will provide a free, full-service option to turn your unwanted technology into social good for the community.  It’s a no-brainer. human-I-T makes technology donations easy and safe for businesses, by providing free technology pick-ups, corporate grade data sanitization and an itemized, tax-deductible receipt with every donation.

By working with human-I-T, businesses will have peace of mind knowing that their contributions help create jobs, protect the environment, and shrink our digital divide. Don’t e-waste an opportunity! Donate today!

OPEN LETTER FROM THE NEW OWNERS OF 5757 W. CENTURY BOULEVARD

I want to thank our Gateway to LA neighbors that have welcomed us warmly into the community since our acquisition of the Airport Spectrum property at 5757-5767 W. Century last September. We are very pleased to be part of the exciting changes that are happening in the Gateway to LA. The Airport Spectrum is a class A office property that offers both traditional and creative office spaces at an excellent value. We have the ability to accommodate new tenants from 280 to 28,000 square feet. Leasing has been brisk since acquisition and we are anticipating this trend to continue. We will also continue to serve the community with off-airport parking and 24 hour shuttle service to LAX. Melissa Meistrell and I are the on-site management and leasing team located in the lobby Suite 104. We encourage you to come by say hello and let us introduce you to the Airport Spectrum. Sunny Hills-Palladium is a property management and leasing company formed in 1993. Currently, we have 40 Southern California properties with over 3,600,000 square feet under management. Our diverse portfolio includes office, retail, industrial, residential and senior living facilities. Visit our web site at www.shpre.com for details and specific locations.

Dwight Everest
Property Manager/Leasing Agent
Sunny Hills-Palladium

ZONE 2 CLEAN-UP IN ACTION

Gateway to L.A.’s newest members in Zone 2 recently benefitted from a clean-up campaign along 96th Street that included trash pick-up, painting out of graffiti and more. The effort resulted in more attractive streetscapes for employees and visitors, alike. Most recently, Sam’s Park did its share in helping to keep the parkways and landscaping trimmed, while Gateway to LA provided trash receptacles and cigarette butt receptacles at strategic locations where area employees tend to gather. Congratulations to everyone in Zone 2 for your efforts, and Gateway looks forward to keeping the area clean for everyone.

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