Company sells its Newport building Conexant Systems...

Company sells its Newport building

Conexant Systems Inc., a Newport Beach-based communications

technology company, announced last week the firm sold its Newport

Beach building to KBS Realty Advisors LLC for $110 million. Conexant

exercised an option to sell the property at the end of its lease with

Deutsche Bank AG.

Conexant will stay in its Newport Beach offices, company

spokeswoman Gwen Carlson said.

Ruby’s announces new vice president

Doug Cavanaugh, founder and chief executive officer of Ruby’s

Diner, announced Tuesday that Randall Lopez was named the restaurant

chain’s vice president of marketing. Before working for Ruby’s Diner,

Lopez was Del Taco’s vice president of marketing. He will be in

charge of the chain’s menu development and marketing initiatives.

There are 38 restaurants in the Ruby’s Diner chain. The company is

headquartered in Newport Beach.

Company closes

its Newport store

Helen Grace Chocolates announced the company closed its Westcliff

Plaza store in Newport Beach on Thursday. The closure was described

in a release as part of a general reorganization of the firm’s retail

activities. Company spokesman Lou Nicolaides said Helen Grace

Chocolates planed to continue to do business in Orange County, but

had no immediate plans on where future stores may be opened.

City National to

open local branch

City National Bank recently announced plans to open a new Orange

County branch in Newport Beach. City National signed a 10-year lease

with the Irvine Co. to open a branch at Fashion Island.