Donations and buyers push Goodwill of OC to sales records â€“ Orange County Register

It’s been a good year to be a steward.

Goodwill of Orange County reports that its 24 thrift stores in 2021 surpassed pre-pandemic numbers, breaking all-time sales records.

The nonprofit said year-end sales were up 13% from its 2019 numbers. How much did they sell, you wonder? Goodwill’s thrift stores hit monthly sales records of $6 million four times last year.

1.15 million donors donated their used items to Goodwill OC in 2021, helping the organization increase sales. (Orange County Register/SCNG file photo)

Here are some more jaw-dropping 2021 numbers from Goodwill OC…

The average transaction per customer increased to $25.16 in 2021, up $6.50 from 2019.
7.7 million garments were sold
8 million household items were sold
On the donation side, 1.15 million donors gave Goodwill OC their used items in 2021, filling shelves and helping drive sales.
Sales on ShopGoodwill.com increased over 36%. The organization added in-store e-commerce agents who worked inside stores, streamlining the process of bringing donated high-end items online.

The nonprofit has also hired 130 of its program participants to work in its retail operations. These jobs included retail, donation processing and recycling positions.

Opening of a law firm for divorced men in NB

Cordell & Cordell, a law firm that focuses on representing men in divorce cases, opened an office in Newport Beach on January 12.

The company says it “advocates for men to have their rights recognized in court with a mission to protect and promote the family and financial interests of men before, during and after divorce.”

The Newport Beach office is the seventh in California for the St. Louis, Mo.-based company.

The office is led by Melissa Wheeler Hoff, senior litigation attorney.

Address: 4695 MacArthur Court, 11th Floor

Law firm changes name and ownership

The Santa Ana-based law firm Hart King has changed its name to Hart Kienle Pentecost.

The name change reflects new leadership and completes the transition and transfer of ownership of the company from founder Bill Hart to longtime partners Andrew Kienle and John Pentecost.

Pentecost has been with the company since 1988 and leads its manufactured home practice. Kienle has been with the firm since 2000 and leads the firm’s civil and transactional litigation departments.

Acquisitions

Irvine-based network service provider QOS Networks has been acquired by Colorado-based Zayo Group Holdings, a provider of fiber-based communications systems. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed by either company.

Dorothy Blubaugh has joined Costa Mesa-based Project Independence as Director of Operations and Director of Daytime Community Services. Previously, she was Director of Operations for the California-based Institute for Applied Behavior Analysis, which provides positive behavior practices across a range of services, for children and adults with disabilities and autism, both in internationally and in the United States. (Courtesy of Project Independence)
Juliet Patino is the new Corporate Giving Manager at Mission San Juan Capistrano. (Courtesy of Mission San Juan Capistrano)
Kecia Bailey Alexander as the new deputy head of human capital at Think Together in Santa Ana. She will lead the nonprofit’s onboarding and professional development, as well as its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. (Courtesy of Think Together)
Holly Perry joined Think Together in Santa Ana as Director of Talent Acquisition. She previously worked at Gifted Healthcare where she led a clinical recruitment team during the COVID-19 staffing crisis. (Courtesy of Think Together)

Moving

Dorothy Blubaugh has joined Costa Mesa-based Project Independence as Director of Operations and Director of Daytime Community Services. Previously, she was Director of Operations for the California-based Institute for Applied Behavior Analysis, which provides positive behavior practices across a range of services, for children and adults with disabilities and autism, both in internationally and in the United States. She was previously the IABA Community Behavior and Employment Services Day Director.

Juliet Patino is the new Corporate Giving Manager at Mission San Juan Capistrano. In this role, she will help engage the local business community in the â€œcare and stewardshipâ€ of the historic landmark through partnerships, subscriptions, sponsorships and support from private foundations. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for the past 14 years, most recently as Corporate Relations Manager at Orangewood Foundation. There, Patino helped increase philanthropic efforts with corporations and individuals.

Think Together, a Santa Ana-based nonprofit, has hired Kecia Bailey Alexander as deputy head of human capital and Holly Perry as director of talent acquisition. Alexander will lead the nonprofit’s onboarding and professional development, as well as its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. She comes to Think Together from Williams-Sonoma where she was regional director of human resources. Perry joins Think Together from Gifted Healthcare where she led a clinical recruitment team during the COVID-19 staffing crisis. At Think Together, she will oversee its talent acquisition and retention strategies.

Wendy Austin, Senior Vice President of Operations for the City of Hope Orange County, received the 2022 Oncology Nursing Society Award of Excellence in Oncology Nursing Management. (Courtesy of the City of Hope Orange County)
Irvine’s Louis Luong has been named the winner of the ninth annual Murphy Cup Marketing Strategy Competition. (Courtesy of Murphy Cup Marketing Strategy)

Milestones

Wendy Austin, senior vice president of operations for the City of Hope Orange County, received the Oncology Nursing Society’s 2022 Excellence Award in Oncology Nursing Management. The national award recognizes leaders who make significant contributions to oncology nursing and inspire the next generation of nursing professionals.

Irvine’s Louis Luong has been named the winner of the ninth annual Murphy Cup Marketing Strategy Competition. The program gives 24 students from Creighton and Drake universities the opportunity to interact with a client company and present marketing strategies. This year’s corporate client was Omaha-based Scooter’s Coffee, which is expanding across the country with 400 stores in 23 states.

Yogurtland delivered over 1,000 cups of frozen yogurt to 18 different sheriff’s offices and police stations in Southern California to thank them for their work. (Courtesy of Yogurtland)
Yogurtland delivered over 1,000 cups of frozen yogurt to 18 different sheriff’s offices and police stations in Southern California to thank them for their work. (Courtesy of Yogurtland)
Yogurtland delivered over 1,000 cups of frozen yogurt to 18 different sheriff’s offices and police stations in Southern California to thank them for their work. (Courtesy of Yogurtland)

Good work

Yogurtland delivered over 1,000 cups of frozen yogurt to 18 different sheriff’s offices and police stations in Southern California to thank them for their work. The Irvine-based fro-yo maker visited Orange County police departments in Fullerton, Brea, Anaheim, Buena Park, Seal Beach, Irvine and OC Sheriff’s offices in Aliso Viejo.

Status Update is compiled from press releases by Editor Karen Levin and edited by Managing Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit articles and high resolution photos to [email protected]. Allow at least a week for posting. Items are edited for length and clarity.