January home sales in the San Fernando Valley increased 12.8 percent from a year ago, but new and existing homes sales were down 34.3 percent from Dec. 2009, according to the latest statistics from the San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center at CSUN.

The month-to-month drop is largely attributable to January and February historically being slow home sales months, said the report.

There were 1,108 sales in January, compared to 1,687 in Dec. 2009 and 982 in Jan. 2009. The Valley’s median price of a single family home has increased by an average of 1.4 percent per month since reaching a market low of $347,500 in March 2009.

January’s median price of $398,750 is up 13.3 percent from the Jan. 2009 price of $352,000. But it dropped slightly from December 2009’s median price of $400,000, said the CSUN report.

Southland Regional Association of Realtors, which only tracks resale numbers and covers a different geographical area than CSUN, reported a total of 698 closed escrows for Valley single family homes and condominiums in January. This compares to 873 closed escrows in Dec. 2009 and 684 in Jan. 2009.

Pharmaceutical software firm Simulations Plus Inc. has retained Hayden IR to develop an investor relations program to raise the company’s visibility among the investment community.

New York-based Hayden will provide services in investor management, relationship building, awareness campaigns, online presence and corporate identity to the Lancaster company.

Hayden came highly recommended as a firm that can put Simulations Plus together with investors who understand the company’s strategy and business model, said Chairman and CEO Walt Woltosz

Our board of directors is committed to translating this performance into enhanced shareholder value, and we believe the time is right to engage Hayden IR to broaden our exposure with investors,” Woltosz said.

A Van Nuys hotel, a longtime aviation charter and aircraft management firm, and the designers and manufacturers of elaborate water features are the three finalists for the Economic Engine Award from the Valley Economic Alliance.

Each quarter the alliance recognizes a business that has made a notable contribution to the Valley’s economy, and shown a commitment to hiring in the Valley and working with other local companies.

The three finalists for the award to be presented Feb. 24 are the Airtel Plaza Hotel in Van Nuys; Clay Lacy Aviation in Van Nuys; and WET Design in Sun Valley.

The finalists were chosen from a total of 26 nominees.

A panel of judges reviews all nominations and a silent vote determines who will be the recipient of the award.

Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills was a previous winner of the award for its expansion project that created construction and heath care jobs

With alternative Energy and sustainability practices becoming more commonplace in homes and businesses, trained practitioners in those fields are in demand.

That’s where community colleges in the San Fernando Valley come into the picture.

Los Angeles Valley College begins this spring a trial program to receive certification in the new Los Angeles Green business program.

In the west Valley, the Economic and workforce development department at Pierce College has four new classes ranging from green tech sales techniques to photovoltaic business practices.

The department has the advantage of being able to develop new programs rather quickly because they are not for credit and do not need to go through the school’s curriculum committee, said director Judith Trester.

The new classes lay the groundwork for long-term plans to construct on campus a separate structure just for green tech classes.

“This will be creating classes for the curriculum when we have the green tech building,” Trester said.

The school’s initial class offering is in green technology sales; clean Energy concepts; residential Energy auditor; and introduction to photovoltaic business practices that will be taught by the owner of a solar company.

The college is applying for a grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the program. An application last year in which Pierce was the lead agency with 12 partners for money for green tech job training was not successful.

However, the lessons learned from that experience can be applied to the new application.

“We feel comfortable we are going to get some funding to help us,” Trester said.

The Los Angeles Community College District recently received a grant through the U.S. Department of Labor and Jobs for The Future that will go to Pierce, L.A. Mission College in Sylmar and two other schools for training unemployed and disadvantaged workers in efficient building, construction and retrofit, and renewable electric power

The Valley College program is tied in with the new Green Business certification in the city of Los Angeles aimed at the auto repair, restaurant and office-retail business sectors.

The program will provide certification to companies that meet standards of environmental sustainability related to recycling, water conservation, reduced electrical usage and providing programs that encourage employees to participate in environmental stewardship.

Receiving certification benefits business owners with an edge over competitors, said Lennie Ciufo, director of job training at Valley College.

“It is way of the future,” Ciufo said. “Ultimately when people do these awareness and green certification programs they are going to be on a preferred provider list.”

The West Valley Occupational Center in Woodland Hills is also offering a new energy auditor class.

Getting an audit is the first step to improving energy and water efficiency in a home.

Becoming an energy auditor gives a valuable skill, said Kenn Phillips, vice president, workforce initiative at the Valley Economic Alliance.

“The idea is taking people who are existing contractors and redevelop them into green contractors,” Phillips said.

The workforce development department at Pierce also offers three new fiber optics classes to fill vacancies at Time Warner Cable and Verizon; and a certificate program done in conjunction with the San Fernando Valley chapter of APICS, an international operations management society.

The certification program moves to Pierce after having been offered at California State University, Northridge for nearly 30 years. The program is made up of five courses that prepare manufacturing, distribution and purchasing employees to take certification exams, said Jim Strong, head of education for the Valley chapter.

One might assume there’s a ‘generation gap’ between professionals in their 20s and 30s and those in the 50 and up category. This may be true in some cases. But when it comes to succeeding in business, the two share a surprisingly large number of similarities.

This was evidenced in a series of telephone conversations with Jeremy Barbakow, senior VP of NAI Capital and Tracey Rosen, president and CEO of Productivity Public Relations. Both are business Journal 40 Under 40 honorees. A Business Journal reporter also chatted with Jack Feldman, president and CEO of First Commerce bank, and Mel Kohn of Kirsch, Kohn & Bridge accounting firm to get the view of an older generation.

Is education, such as having an advanced degree, critical for success?

“The most important part of education is less what was learned than the doors the degrees opened for me,” said Feldman, adding while he studied economics in college he never imagined he would end up in banking. “Banking was one of those industries I had no interest in.”

But right before graduating a friend approached him about interviewing with a bank, and Feldman accepted. He never looked back. Feldman eventually obtained his MBA, but for personal reasons rather than professional development and advancement.

Barbakow had a similar experience. He obtained a degree in molecular biology and ended up in commercial real estate. “I don’t think any education qualifies you to do a job,” he said, “but it means you’re a higher achiever and have the ability to think critically.”

How important is technology in the workplace?

“When I started in public relations, everything was still snail mail and faxing, but now technology is every minute of every day,” said Rosen. All of the agency’s clients prefer using social media such as Twitter and Facebook. And digital technology has allowed the firm to work with more international clients.

Rosen still gets on the telephone for some old school story pitching to the media. But the firm recently launched its own Facebook page and some reporters proactively approach her now.

Kohn admits he’s not the most technology savvy guy and relies on the younger generation to keep the firm up-to-date. “Technology was at a much different level when I was getting started; we had an adding machine,” he said.

But he said staying current is a must, because accounting software has greatly boosted efficiency. However, one should not rely solely on a computer program for complex transactions such as commercial real estate.

Feldman was one of the first to install an online/real time banking system in the industry. “Technology plays an exceedingly important role,” he said. “It always has and it always will because it increases productivity and the quality of customer service.”

What role did mentoring play in launching your career?

Newbies to commercial real estate are typically teamed with a mentor, said Barbakow, but the programs are often not very structured. In fact, Barbakow said he was teamed with the worst possible people to teach him the business.

“If I had the right team I would have benefitted greatly,” he said. “It’s important to have somebody who can give you an overall picture of the industry.” Regardless, Barbakow persevered and carved a successful niche in the business.

Kohn also made it without a formal mentor. Instead, he formed management of accounting practice discussion groups early in his career. This allowed him to still learn from others. “I believe it’s important to communicate with your peers,” said Kohn.

Feldman didn’t have a mentor, but had a lot of great bosses. “My objective was to get my boss promoted, because you can draft behind,” he said, adding he has personally mentored many people and gotten great satisfaction watching them grow professionally.

How do you gain respect in the business community?

Rosen said she has an incredibly young looking face, and constantly battles people assuming she’s fresh into the public relations field. “At least one in 10 ask me if I just graduated college.”

She attends a lot of trade shows and meets face to face with clients and prospective clients. This gives her a chance to explain her experience and prove herself. Rosen also does pro bono work for local charities to widen her network of contacts.

Kohn spent most of his career networking within the CPA Society. In the 1990s he decided it was important to get involved in the larger business and charitable community. Joining the Valley Industry and Commerce Association was one such pursuit.

“It’s important for the firm to be known in the community, because you meet people and it projects who you are,” said Kohn. “And I’m pro CPAs becoming board chairs because I think we bring something important to the table.”

Feldman said the key to gaining respect is to follow the rules, not be selfish and always give great customer service. Barbakow agrees. “I’m a big believer that being respected comes from doing a good job,” he said.

Older CEOs can be seen as more structured while younger CEOs might be characterized as more hands-off. But as we all know, stereotypes often don’t ring true.

Valley professionals under 40 were interviewed and asked about their view of CEO age stereotypes.

CEO and Managing Partner of the real estate company Gelb Group Rickey Gelb, 65, said older CEOs are “harder to train compared to younger CEOs.” Gelb says his style of management is a combination of the stereotypes of older and younger styles.

“I do micromanage more,” Gelb said. “I like to be more detailed about checking into whether a job got completed or if someone heard back from a proposal.”

His management style according to Gelb, is a fair one.

“I let people do it their way. They hang themselves before we correct them. We give them free reign. I don’t micromanage.”

CEO of Chatsworth-based aviation company Sensor Systems Si Robin, 82, said younger CEOs “don’t always do their homework.” He said he views himself as a traditional older CEO.

“I personally am old-fashioned and like direct contact. I believe in eyeball-to-eyeball conducting business. But also by the same token I realize that the digital age is here. I would be a basic computer oriented manager. If you don’t take care of the small details and the big details you’re doomed to failure.”

He described his management style connecting with the employees, trying to keep them enthusiastic and helping them out in their daily functions.

CEO and Managing Director of Regal Aircraft David Stuppler, 23, said “[he sees] age as irrelevant.” The Van Nuys based company is also in the aviation industry. Stuppler and Robin may both be in aviation but they have vastly different perspectives about how they fit the mold. They agree about if someone doesn’t fit their perspective they would be doomed for failure.

“I try not to micromanage and do that on my own and I feel that I’m missing the big picture. I trust employees to accomplish things and not spend time on fewer projects because it takes so much man power. You’re able to accomplish more. . . As a young guy I have to trust what I like and listen to when they have suggestions. I can’t see every angle and approach. If you’re not willing to expand your horizons you’re doomed to failure.”

CEO of Burbank-based online company Submit Express Pierre Zarokian, 38, said younger CEOs “may not be as familiar with the laws but younger CEOs tend to be more technology savvy.” Zarokian started as a younger CEO at age 27, but he said with 11 years of experience his staff respects him. He said his personal CEO style is unaffected by his age.

Even as executives from video game publisher THQ Inc. credited cost cutting for helping the company achieve positive financial results in the third quarter, more staffing reductions took place.

The Agoura Hills-based company is refocusing two design studios to digital games with the result that 60 employees will be let go.

THQ has streamlined its operations in the past two years as the result of poor financial showings and a drop in game sales, a strategy that has begun to pay off.

For the third quarter ending Dec. 31, THQ reported net income of $542 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, on revenues of $356.7 million. That is a marked improvement over the same period in 2008 when the company reported a net loss of $191.8 million, or $2.86 per diluted share, on revenues of $357.3 million.

The quarter also proved positive for THQ in terms of new licensing agreements with DreamWorks Animation SKG to develop games based on their animated feature films, and Sony Pictures Consumer Products to develop games based on the popular “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy” game shows.

The changes at design studios Phoenix and the United Kingdom reflect users wanting games available on portable devices.

“We plan to address these needs through a rich offering of content distributed across digital platforms, based both on all of our major core brands as well as new intellectual properties,” said Danny Bilson, executive vice president, THQ Core Games.