UFC Gym has opened its 35,000-square-foot Brea facility in the long-vacant Tower Records building at 220 S. Brea Blvd.

Many plans had been floated for the space (a drugstore and even a hotel), which has seen only seasonal tenants come and go.

The store closed in 2006 after Tower Records went bankrupt. Wood Investments Cos. in Newport Beach bought the property in 2022 and soon signed a lease with UFC.

The fitness chain, which is also based in Newport Beach, has refreshed the Brea location, redoing it into the ultimate workout space. The gym opened Saturday, Sept. 16 and features an octagon for combat sports training, a group fitness studio, a weight room with free weights and six Olympic lift platforms, cardio and strength training equipment, personal training, bag rack and gym store.

The Arm Bar Cafe and Recovery area will provide services such as cryotherapy, red light therapy and spray tanning. Those options are also available to non-members, UFC Gym said.

The club, which was due to open in July, will be open 24 hours Monday through Thursday; 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays; and 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

For more information on the club and membership deals, go to ufcgym.com/locations/brea.

Here’s a recap of some of the recent retail openings in Orange County …

REI Co-op’s third store in Orange County opened Sept. 15 in a former Marshall’s retail store in Laguna Hills. The outfitter for all things recreational hustled to refit the 33,000-square-foot store at 24271 Avenida de la Carlota in Oakbrook Village.

The store is operated as a “consumers’ co-operative” and shoppers are encouraged to join. There are 1.7 million REI members in the Los Angeles metro area and 4.6 million in California.

REI Co-op is opening Sept. 15 in a former Marshall’s store in Laguna Hills. Work continues on the building at 24271 Avenida de la Carlota in the Oakbrook Village shopping center. (Photo courtesy of REI)

Grocery Outlet opened Aug. 31 in the former Wholesome Choice store in Laguna Niguel. The Emeryville-based grocer is known for its “treasure trove” of discounted stock of inventory.

The store at 27871 La Paz Road is smaller than most traditional supermarkets but it offers the usual assortment of grocery mainstays, some of which it promises are 20% to 75% below retail prices.

Matt Schorle and Berenise Barajas are the Laguna Niguel operators.

Golf tournament is Sept. 28

The annual Charity Golf Classic takes place Thursday, Sept. 28 at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo

The event will benefit the Foundation for Women Warriors, a 102-year-old nonprofit based in Southern California and dedicated to honoring and empowering the women veteran community.

For more information about the tournament, go to foundationforwomenwarriors.org/golf2023

On the move

Cameron G. Smith is the new deputy general counsel at Golden State Foods, a food supplier based in Irvine. He will help oversee the legal aspects of GSF’s business, working with in-house clients and keeping activities in compliance with all federal, state and local laws, including tax, nonprofit, corporate, and regulatory. Smith previously was assistant general counsel for Irvine-based Western Digital Corp. where he provided advice and counsel on regulatory issues while directing legal and compliance investigations globally.

Linda S. Marks, formerly with the Orange County Superior Court, has joined Judicate West in Santa Ana, as a neutral. The law firm provides private dispute resolution services. While based out of the Orange County office, Marks is available statewide as a mediator, arbitrator and private judge.

The Santa Ana-based engineering firm Tait & Associates Inc. has promoted Chris Dickel to project engineer and Drew Ericsen to the position of project manager. Dickel has been with Tait since 2020; his responsibilities will include managing the civil engineering design for land development and public infrastructure projects. Ericsen joined Tait as an architectural designer in 2020.

Orange-based Project Access Resource Centers has appointed three executives to its leadership team and board of directors. Matt DeGraw has been appointed to the nonprofit’s board of directors. He serves as senior managing director at Bridge Investment Group and is president and CEO of Bridge Property Management in Salt Lake City, Utah. James Le has been promoted to senior director of development for the organization. He will lead, manage, and direct fundraising, oversee special events, and generate brand awareness. Le was previously director of marketing for Project Access from 2019 to 2022. Annette Lopez has been hired as marketing and communications director. She previously was director of marketing for Celluphone in Cerritos.

At least 1,200 participants at Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County’s second annual Walk to Feed OC on Sept. raised at least $300,645, or the equivalent of 14 truckloads of food, for the food bank. (Photo courtesy of Harvest Food Bank and Kevin Rogers Photography)

Walk to Feed raises $300,000

At least 1,200 participants at Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County’s second annual Walk to Feed OC on Sept. raised at least $300,645, or the equivalent of 14 truckloads of food, for the food bank. Each month, Second Harvest sends out 3 million pounds of food to 300 community partner sites, including schools, after-school programs, houses of worship, soup kitchens and senior centers, thereby serving approximately 400,000 people facing food insecurity.

At the Walk to Feed, participants walked about 1.5 miles through the grounds at Tanaka Farms in Irvine.

Families Forward honored Meg English, right, with the Margie Wakeham Legacy Award at its annual Light Up the Night Gala on Aug. 25. She is seen here with Madelynn Hirnese, Families Forward’s chief executive officer. (Photo courtesy of Families Forward and Studio Alani)

Families Forward raises $460,000

Families Forward raised $460,000 during its annual Light Up the Night Gala held at Hangar 244 at the Great Park in Irvine on Aug. 25.

Honorees included Meg English, an Irvine resident, former Families Forward board member, donor, and volunteer for more than 15 years, who received the Margie Wakeham Legacy Award. Bank of America received the Partner In Hope Award for supporting Families Forward over the years.

The nonprofit helps local families facing housing instability and more. For more information about Families Forward, go to www.families-forward.org.

Grants

The nonprofit Radiant Futures, formerly Women’s Transitional Living Center, Inc., received a donation of $85,000 from the annual San Manuel Orange County Golf Tournament. The tournament was held recently at Pelican Hill Golf Club in Newport Beach and the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point.

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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