Monrovia Business Report: New Blood in Old Town

Welcome to the inaugural Monrovia Business Report, where we will bring you the latest local business news in a handy, comprehensive weekly round-up.

Without further ado:

• Quizno's closed in Old Town, but a new yogurt shop has already announced its intentions to take its place.
• Pottery Ranch, which has been having a liquidation sale for months, finally closed up shop this week.
• Local technology company Aerovironment has received orders for its Switchblade "kamikaze" spy drone from the Air Force. The tube-launched Switchblade, which is equipped with explosives, can be seen in action here.
• Aerovironment also announced a partnership with an Australian firm to license its "automatic target detection software for full motion video" for use with its spy drones.
• Huntington Drive biotech company Genzyme, which develops products for the treatment of genetic diseases, got a makeover on its building on Huntington. The company was purchased by Labcorp and got a new sign. And for tech job seekers, know this: Labcorp is hiring.
• Monrovia's STAAR Surgical will present its implantable refractive lenses at the World Ophthalmology Congress in Abu Dhabi starting Feb. 16.
• Locally based software company Parasoft Corporation introduced a program that allows developers to "rapidly configure, send, and validate virtually any text-based message via an intuitive, form-based interface."
• Local boutiques like Suo have gotten media attention recently, and the city rounds up a list of popular ones here.
• The city's business blog highlights the programs available to assistance local businesses.

Just close a major real estate deal? Sign a new contract to expand your business? Email editor Nathan McIntire at nathan.mcintire@patch to be considered for inclusion in this report.