Alex Meruelo

Southern California millionaire Alex Meruelo announced Friday that he has ended his bid to purchase the Atlanta Hawks. During the summer Meruelo had reached a reported $300-million agreement to buy a majority stake in the team and its Philips Arena. Reports first surfaced last month that the deal might be in jeopardy. "Although all parties negotiated in good faith, we were not able to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement on some key issues given the current uncertainty surrounding the [NBA]

Southern California millionaire Alex Meruelo announced Friday that he has ended his bid to purchase the Atlanta Hawks. During the summer Meruelo had reached a reported $300-million agreement to buy a majority stake in the team and its Philips Arena. Reports first surfaced last month that the deal might be in jeopardy. "Although all parties negotiated in good faith, we were not able to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement on some key issues given the current uncertainty surrounding the [NBA]

Developer and pizza chain owner Alex Meruelo has acquired the Pine Court shopping center and apartment project in downtown Long Beach for about $24 million from Pine Square Acquisition Corp. and 245 Pacific Acquisition Corp., according to Mark Tarlov, a vice president at Meruelo's Downey-based Merona Enterprises Inc. Pine Court, on Pine Avenue near Broadway, includes about 100,000 square feet of retail space anchored by a 16-screen AMC theater complex, plus the 142-unit Pacific Court Apartments.

The kid wasn't particularly big or quick, but he loved basketball and practiced hard enough to be good at it. That fall, he planned on starting for his high school team. Until his dad pulled him aside to talk about the future. "I don't think you have the potential to be an NBA player," his father said. "There's another opportunity you should look at. " The family owned a bridal shop at Third Street and Broadway in Los Angeles and rented the tuxedo department to an outsider who was struggling to pay the bills.

The kid wasn't particularly big or quick, but he loved basketball and practiced hard enough to be good at it. That fall, he planned on starting for his high school team. Until his dad pulled him aside to talk about the future. "I don't think you have the potential to be an NBA player," his father said. "There's another opportunity you should look at. " The family owned a bridal shop at Third Street and Broadway in Los Angeles and rented the tuxedo department to an outsider who was struggling to pay the bills.

A jury this week awarded more than $1.3 million in damages to the owner of a pizza restaurant chain stemming from a legal dispute over the sale of a Santa Ana apartment building. Alex Meruelo, owner of the La Pizza Loca chain in Buena Park, was awarded damages against Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokerage Co., the nation's largest real estate investment brokerage firm.

When Alex Meruelo opened his first pizza restaurant, no one was making fast-food deliveries in the neighborhood. The perception, he said, was that the heavily Latino area of Huntington Park was simply too dangerous. But Meruelo, a Cuban American, disagreed. Since 1986, he has defied that convention and in doing so has built a successful business. His La Pizza Loca chain now has 54 outlets in three states with annual sales of more than $22 million.

Alex Meruelo hopes to someday be known as the pizza king of Southern California's Latino community. The energetic, boyish-looking 27-year-old founder of the Buena Park-based La Pizza Loca restaurant chain is off to a good start. Since founding his company five years ago, Meruelo has assembled a chain of 26 pizza delivery outlets in mostly Latino neighborhoods of Orange and Los Angeles counties.

A group including La Pizza Loca Inc. and its president, Alex Meruelo, have increased its stake in Chicago Pizza & Brewery Inc. to 14.77%, according to regulatory documents filed Tuesday. Buena Park-based La Pizza Loca, which is 95% owned by Meruelo, made a bid to acquire Mission Viejo's Chicago Pizza in December, but Chicago Pizza rejected the offer. In January, Meruelo held a 7.4% stake in Chicago Pizza.

La Pizza Loca Inc., a closely held Buena Park-based pizza restaurant chain, offered $2 cash for each common share of Chicago Pizza & Brewery Inc. that it doesn't already own and isn't held by top executives of Chicago Pizza. The offer values Chicago Pizza, operator of BJ's Pizza & Grill restaurants, at about $12.8 million, a 19% premium over its most recent share price, with 6.4 million shares outstanding. Its shares were at $1.

Developer and pizza chain owner Alex Meruelo has acquired the Pine Court shopping center and apartment project in downtown Long Beach for about $24 million from Pine Square Acquisition Corp. and 245 Pacific Acquisition Corp., according to Mark Tarlov, a vice president at Meruelo's Downey-based Merona Enterprises Inc. Pine Court, on Pine Avenue near Broadway, includes about 100,000 square feet of retail space anchored by a 16-screen AMC theater complex, plus the 142-unit Pacific Court Apartments.

A jury this week awarded more than $1.3 million in damages to the owner of a pizza restaurant chain stemming from a legal dispute over the sale of a Santa Ana apartment building. Alex Meruelo, owner of the La Pizza Loca chain in Buena Park, was awarded damages against Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokerage Co., the nation's largest real estate investment brokerage firm.

When Alex Meruelo opened his first pizza restaurant, no one was making fast-food deliveries in the neighborhood. The perception, he said, was that the heavily Latino area of Huntington Park was simply too dangerous. But Meruelo, a Cuban American, disagreed. Since 1986, he has defied that convention and in doing so has built a successful business. His La Pizza Loca chain now has 54 outlets in three states with annual sales of more than $22 million.

Alex Meruelo hopes to someday be known as the pizza king of Southern California's Latino community. The energetic, boyish-looking 27-year-old founder of the Buena Park-based La Pizza Loca restaurant chain is off to a good start. Since founding his company five years ago, Meruelo has assembled a chain of 26 pizza delivery outlets in mostly Latino neighborhoods of Orange and Los Angeles counties.

Chicago Pizza & Brewery Inc. said Friday its board has unanimously rejected an unsolicited buyout bid from La Pizza Loca Inc. Chicago Pizza, the Mission Viejo operator of BJ's Pizza & Grill, said its board decided the $12.8 million offer was "not in the best long-term interests of the company and its shareholders." It also said the company is not seeking other bids.

Mission Viejo-based Chicago Pizza & Brewery Inc. announced Monday the appointment of Ernest Klinger as president of the company and co-chairman of its board. Klinger will focus on expanding the 29-unit chain, selecting new sites, negotiating leases and handling other financial aspects of the business. He joins Paul Motenko and Jerry Hennessey, who are co-chief executives, as co-chairman. "We like to think that we run the company as a team," Motenko said.