Grocery Outlet is bringing its treasure trove of discounted snacks, meat, produce and household goods to the former Wholesome Choice store in Laguna Niguel.

The Emeryville-based grocer said its newest store at 27871 La Paz Road opens Thursday, Aug. 31.

If you’ve never shopped at Grocery Outlet, the store is smaller than most traditional supermarkets. It offers the usual assortment of grocery mainstays, which it promises are 20% to 75% below retail prices.

Steep discounts are often found on snacks, supplements and beverages. The chain often offers a wine special on certain days of the week.

Matt Schorle and Berenise Barajas are the Laguna Niguel operators.

As part of its grand opening, the store will make a $1,000 donation to Family Assistance Ministries. The nonprofit helps people with food, shelter and career coaching.

Scholarship finalists announced

The Irvine-based Dragon Kim Foundation has announced the four finalists for the 2023 Dragon Challenge competition.

The three Orange County-based projects and their teams are:

Creative Labs – Foothill High School students Carson Ly and Robert Padilla gave students in under-resourced communities access to STEM, specifically chemistry and engineering, during weeklong workshops held at Boys & Girls Clubs, Jamboree Housing and The Mix Academy.

Visions and Ventures – Students Ella Pintar and Radley Copps of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano taught kids the skills to become business leaders by working harder in school and focusing on translating their interests and passions into serving a local need in the community.

DearMe – Orange County School of the Arts student Rohan Soni, and Sage Hill High School student Saara Dang produced a documentary film about chronic illness and mental wellness. and a digital journaling app available on the Apple app store. The project for these lifelong friends was inspired by Saara’s younger brother who struggles with a kidney condition.

The fourth finalist is from Las Vegas, Nevada.

For more information and to apply for the 2024 Dragon Fellowship, go to http://dragonkimfoundation.org or call 714-886-8784.

Breast cancer survivors will come together again for the More than Pink Walk on Sept. 24 at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Pink Walk is Sept. 24 at Fashion Island

The nonprofit Susan G. Komen is hosting the 2023 Orange County More Than Pink Walk on Sunday, Sept. 24 at Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

The walk will bring together family and friends to celebrate, honor and remember breast cancer patients. The event also raises money for research and support services for breast cancer patients.

Registration begins at 7 a.m. The opening ceremony kicks off at 8:30 a.m., and the walk starts at 9 a.m.

For more information, go to komen.org/orangecountywalk

On the move

Cynthia West is the new director of the Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship & Business Ethics at Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics in Orange. The program offers 14 courses for a minor or emphasis in entrepreneurship. West’s goals include re-invigorating the center’s incubator program for student startups. Later this year, the center will host events, competitions and startup programs.

Majors Ken and Jennifer Perine are the new leaders of The Salvation Army Orange County, effective Aug. 1. Ken Perine was commissioned as a Salvation Army officer in 1998. He has been married to his high school sweetheart, Jennifer Perine, for 29 years. They have three children. Jennifer Perine served at three Corps appointments and served at the College for Officer Training in Rancho Palos Verdes and as the Divisional Women’s Ministries secretary for the Sierra del Mar division.

Irvine-based Fuscoe Engineering has promoted four associates to senior management positions. They include:

—Soojin Shim has been promoted to senior project manager at Fuscoe Engineering in Irvine. She works on coordinating daily project while interacting with clients, consultants and agencies.

—J. Marty Smith has been promoted to senior project manager at Fuscoe Engineering in Irvine. He is responsible for proposal preparation, managing staff resources, budget and schedule management, and quality control.

—Allen Mahan has been promoted to chief of parties at Fuscoe Engineering in Irvine. He manages the day-to-day operations of 13 field crews and in-house supporting technicians.

—Victor Flores has been promoted to senior project manager at Fuscoe Engineering in Irvine. He oversees the survey department’s billing and contracts, ensuring that Fuscoe is on schedule and budget.

Good works

During a recent Week of Caring campaign at Johnson & Johnson MedTech, at least 500 employees at the Irvine company volunteered their time — more than 1,000 hours of service — to various charitable organizations.

Here’s a look at what the MedTech team did:

—collected 47 units of blood that will help up to 141 hospital patients;

—stocked shelves at South County Outreach;

—harvested more than 30,000 pounds of produce from Second Harvest Food Bank’s farm

—staged and cleaned apartments at Thomas House Family Shelter

—Brailled books for blind and visually impaired children with Beyond Blindness

—assembled 1,300 STEAM kits for Dreams for Schools.

The company noted that employees volunteered during business hours, something MedTech encouraged to empower employees “to contribute meaningfully to social causes but also provides them with a chance to recharge and reinvigorate their spirits.”

Status Update is compiled from press releases by contributing writer Karen Levin and edited by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to [email protected]. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.

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