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labusinessjournal.com LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL Volume 38, Number 45 THE COMMUNITY OF BUSINESSTM November 7 - 13, 2016 • $5.00 UpUp Front Fund Roots for Plant-Based Foods Retailers Sold INVESTMENT: Powerplant in August, is to make money while doing good and taking care of the Earth, said Rampolla. On Boulevard? aims to harvest healthy revenue. “Our mission is to make an impact on the food system but REAL ESTATE: By CAROLINE ANDERSON Staff Reporter generate excellent returns,” he Coffee store said. “We believe the best way to may stoke heat for Robertson. When L.A. vegetarian restaurant chain Veggie make money is to make a positive Grill raised $22 million in October, money it plans to impact, and we aim to prove it.” By DAINA BETH SOLOMON Staff Reporter use to double in size, it turned to some familiar faces Powerplant has invested who had formed a new venture capital fund. in Hampton Creek, a San Rampolla Blue Bottle Coffee Co. is set to sign a 10-year A video-game Powerplant Ventures, which has raised $42 Francisco producer of plant-based lease on Robertson Boulevard, and the street’s exec fights for million for its first fund, is devoted to plant-based mayonnaise, and Marina del Rey online marketplace boosters feel bullish that the gourmet roaster will job opportunities food companies. Its principals include Veggie Grill Thrive Markets, which is trying to make the type perk up the long-struggling retail strip between for veterans. co-founders Kevin Boylan and T.K. Pillan; Mark of products sold in Whole Foods available to Beverly Boulevard and Third Street. PAGE 3 Rampolla, founder of Zico Coconut Water; and neighborhoods where they otherwise are not. Two other restaurants, a bar, and gym could Dan Beldy, former managing director of Walt Although other funds have some overlap with soon follow Blue Bottle’s lead, said Jay Luchs, Disney Co.’s $660 million Steamboat Ventures Powerplant, such as those dedicated to consumer executive vice president at Newmark Grubb venture capital fund. News & The goal of Powerplant, which closed its fund Please see INVESTMENT page 45 Please see REAL ESTATE page 47 AnalysisAnalysis What’s the payoff when buying celebrity sites? PAGE 10 Out of the Box Exec OfficeOffice This juice entrepreneur isn’t pressed at work. PAGE 48 MAIL TO: Family Run: Eric, left, and Jeff Berkley at their eponymous company in Carson. RINGO H.W. CHIU/LABJ By SUBRINA HUDSON Staff Reporter they lacked warehouse space, and, perhaps most marketing deck. It was learn as you go.” importantly, clients. The firm’s resourcefulness, coupled with RIC Berkley remembers sitting at Starting the business from scratch was a brutal its merchandising knowledge, has paid off home with his father, Jeff, cold calling process, Eric Berkley recalled. handsomely as it snagged the top spot on the Ecompanies for six months trying to land “Someone would say, ‘Awesome, send me a Business Journal’s list of Fastest Growing Private new business. marketing deck,’” he said. “And I hung up the Companies this year. Berkley’s revenue has The pair launched their eponymous Carson phone and said, ‘Dad, we don’t have a marketing manufacturing firm, Berkley, four years ago, but deck.’ So, I spent the rest of the day creating a Please see page 14 The only source of knowledge is experience. Certified Public Accountants phone 310.826.4474 — Albert Einstein and Financial Advisors squarmilner.com 2 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL NOVEMBER 7, 2016 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL ® NOVEMBER 7 - 13, 2016 VOLUME 38, NUMBER 45 RINGO H.W. CHIU/LABJ Page 6: Alki David, chief executive of streaming service FOTV, at his home in Malibu. SPECIAL REPORT FASTEST GROWING PRIVATE COMPANIES SPOTLIGHT: Berkley boxed up the No. ENERGY: Coronal’s solar panels have 1 spot with a speedy ramp-up of its proved to be hot sellers. .........18 packaging design and retail display CONSTRUCTION: NuQuest Industries business. .......................1 has built a booming business out of PROFILES: Mobile advertising firm home-energy upgrades. ..........28 and a home-energy contractor book- RANKING: The 100 fastest growing pri- end the Business Journal’s rundown vate companies in Los Angeles County, of Nos. 2-10................ 16-28 ranked by 2013-15 revenue growth.. .30 ON THE COVER INTERNET: Mainstream media companies hope to tap star power by picking up INVESTMENT: Powerplant Ventures’ celebrity-run websites...............10 fund looks to plow money into plant- Columns & features: 10 based food. Mediawatch , REAL ESTATE: Landlords are hoping #DTLA 12, Silicon Beach Report 12, tenants will buy in to a retail revival on Deals of the Week 13 Local experts | Global reach Robertson Boulevard. INVESTMENTS & FINANCE UP FRONT Columns & features: LABJ Stock NONPROFIT: “Call of Duty” publisher Index 40 Activision Blizzard looks to fire up job opportunities for military veterans.. 3 TV: PBS SoCal moves its broadcast hub REAL ESTATE to West Los Angeles to get better Columns & features: Real Estate reception from viewers..............3 Columns & features: Page 3, News of column 43 the Week 4, Opening Remarks 5, A Look Ahead 5 EXECUTIVE STYLE Mar Adentro Hotel & Residences • Cabo San Lucas NEWS & ANALYSIS OFFICE: Moon Juice’s Amanda Chantal 1, 2 and 5 bedroom residences available Bacon brought her work home with her INTERNET: FOTV’s wealthy owner turns starting at $841,950 to a converted space in her house.. .48 to crowdfunding to channel money into his media-streaming service..........6 Karen Sanchez | 323.383.3753 MARIJUANA: PayQwick is banking COMMENTARY Yawar Charlie | 323.547.8900 on its compliance service to score COMMENT: The diversity of the pot-friendly lenders for customers. 7 companies on this year’s fastest- POLLUTION: Scrapping the Reclaim cap-and-trade program may strip growing list is the true reflection of businesses of millions of dollars in air the region’s economic vitality. ......50 credits............................8 Columns & features: LABJ Forum 50 SANTA MONICA BEVERLY HILLS LOS ANGELES SantaMonica.EVUSA.com BeverlyHills.EVUSA.com LosAngeles.EVUSA.com Los Angeles Business Journal (ISSN: 0194-2603) © 2016 by the Los Angeles Business Journal is published weekly plus one special edition in August by Los Angeles Business Journal, 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 170, Los Angeles, CA 90036. 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Neither that information nor any Engel & Völkers does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage, lot size, or other information concerning the condition or features of the property provided by the seller or obtained from public records and other sources. The buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information. CalBRE# 01906886 | 01948399 | 01911544 opinion which may be expressed here constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any securities. Opinions expressed in letters to the edi- tor and commentaries are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Los Angeles Business Journal. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations. LABJ has been adjudicated Nov. 1985 to be a newspaper of general circulation. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Los Angeles Business Journal, PO Box 16825, North Hollywood, CA 91615. NOVEMBER 7, 2016 UP FRONT LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 3 Game Company Aims to Assist Who’s Next Adviser Checks In Vets Score Jobs Four years ago, the front men from legendary rock band Activision Blizzard gets the Who were struggling to build to work with nonprofits out their U.S. charitable organi- zation, Teen Cancer America. on hiring opportunities. A series of point people had When Bobby Kotick, chief fallen by the wayside and the executive of video-game giant group, which raises money to Activision Blizzard Inc. and an build hospital environments Rolling With Rock: Townsend, art supporter, approached Jim specifically for teenage patients, left, and Daltrey flank Rothstein. Nicholson, the United States wasn’t getting much traction. secretary of veterans affairs, Then, Merrill Lynch wealth ad- difference in outcomes, you can’t about opening an arts facility at viser Rebecca Rothstein stepped in. help but be passionate about this the West Los AngelesVeterans Introduced to Who lead singer type of thing.” Affairs building, he got a lukewarm Roger Daltrey by her client, Scottish response. filmmaker and producer Nigel Getting in Gear “Bobby, vets don’t need art – they Sinclair, Rothstein said she had a Justin Mikita, 31, had long need jobs,” said Nicholson, according little time and, wowed by Daltrey’s wanted to participate in the AIDS/ to Dan Goldenberg, executive enthusiasm for the project, agreed to Lifecycle bike ride, in which about director of Activision’s Call of Duty get involved. 2,000 participants raise money and Endowment, a nonprofit focused on “Roger is relentless and had been then bike from San Francisco to veterans’ employment. trying to get Teen Cancer America Los Angeles over seven days. But Activision’s board started started here for several by the time Mikita, who the endowment, named after years,” said Rothstein, co-founded men’s bed- RINGO H.W.