Sale also includes the Newport Beach Country Club; new owner Winston Chung described as a ‘battery scientist, inventor’ and entrepreneur.

BY JOHN CANALIS john.canalis@latimes.com

The iconic Balboa Bay Club & Resort, a fixture along Newport Harbor for more than 60 years, has been sold, a spokesman said Friday.

The sale also includes the Newport Beach Country Club, a private club near Fashion Island.

“The Balboa Bay Club and this community hold a special place in my heart, and I have always worked tirelessly to continue the legacy … ”

Beverly Ray Parkhurst IBC owner

International Bay Clubs Inc. (IBC), which owned the BBC and the Newport Beach Country Club, was sold to Delaware-based Seven-One Capital-Business Inc.

Seven-One is owned by a Chinese businessman, Winston Chung.

A news release described Chung as “a battery scientist, inventor and successful entrepreneur with several businesses in Southern California.”

He founded Winston Battery in Shenzhen, China. He gave $10 million to UC Riverside’s engineering program in 2011, making him the largest individual donor in UCR history.

IBC is owned by Beverly Ray Parkhurst, who has been involved with the BBC for more than 40 years and the country club since the mid-1980s. She will remain on the board of directors.

“The Balboa Bay Club and this community hold a special place

See SOLD, page C37