ARENA

Richard Esquinas has taken over as president of the San Diego Sports Arena, replacing Vin Ciruzzi.

Ciruzzi, president and chief executive officer of the arena for the past six years, resigned to pursue other interests.

Esquinas, 36, co-owns the arena with Harry Cooper and will be partners with the Hahn group, which is scheduled to close escrow on the stock purchase of the San Diego Sports Arena/San Diego Entertainment Inc. on Aug. 1.

“It is a tall order to fill the shoes of a man like Vin Ciruzzi--a great community and business leader,” Esquinas said in a statement. “But I’ve spent the last 10 years, and specifically the last two, preparing for this challenge.”