Daily Business Report, Sept. 10, 2009
MISSION TO WASHINGTON
The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce’s third annual “One Region, One Voice” mission to Washington, D.C. will begin Sunday, Sept. 20, and end Sept. 23. The trip offers San Diego’s local business and civic leaders a chance to engage high-level federal officials and align support for business-friendly legislation in the San Diego region “This trip is a powerful tool to advocate for businesses our region,” says Ruben Barrales, chamber president and CEO. “Last year, we were able to make significant progress toward securing a Presidential Permit for the Otay Mesa East border crossing, a project that will bring an estimated economic impact of over $31.6 billion over the first 10 years of operation for our region.” Delegation highlights include a reception hosted at Congresswoman Susan Davis’s private D.C. residence, a function at the Canadian Embassy with the Canadian Ambassador to the United States, and a meeting at the Mexican Embassy hosted by the Mexican Ambassador to the United States. Confirmed elected officials attending include State Sen. Denise Ducheny, San Diego Councilmembers Kevin Faulconer and Ben Hueso, and Assemblymembers Marty Block, Nathan Fletcher and Lori Saldaña. Mitch Mitchell of SDG&E is honorary chairman of the trip. For more information, visit www.sdchamber.org or contact Judith Andry at (619) 544-1341.
VALLEY VIEW CASINO GETS NEW GENERAL MANAGER
Bruce Howard, a former general manager of Valley View Casino, has returned. The San Pasqual Casino Development Group appointed him to the job he previously held from 2003 to 2007. He left to work as general manager of The M Resort in Las Vegas. “It is our pleasure to welcome Bruce back to the Valley View Casino family,” said Joe Navarro, president and CEO of the San Pasqual Casino Development Group. “We have experienced great success under his leadership in the past and we look forward to even greater accomplishments in the future.” Howard has 23 years of experience in the gaming industry. He most recently served as senior v.p. and general manager of the Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg in Vicksburg, Miss.
WALLS ERECTED FOR VETERANS AFFAIRS CLINIC
Walls have been erected for the new 84,000-square-foot, two-story build-to-suit outpatient clinic for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at Seagate Corporate Center at 1300 Rancho Del Oro in Oceanside. Rockefeller Group Development Corp. is the project developer. Smith Consulting Architects of Carmel Valley is providing design services for the project. San Diego-based Raymond Fox & Associates, the consulting medical architect, is providing interior design services. The general contractor is Reno Contracting of San Diego. Construction is scheduled for completion in March 2010. The two-story tilt-up building will have a back-up generator for emergency power, two MRI pads for mobile MRI units to be located on site, as well as emergency water supply and a sewage holding tank in case of emergencies in which basic services are compromised. Skylights have been provided in the main corridor, with openings in the second floor that allow natural daylight to reach the first floor. Scott Cairns is the principal-in-charge for Smith Consulting Architects, with Gary Baker serving as the design principal and Jon Ohlson as project architect. John Buckel of Capital Partners Development Co. is acting in the role of project development manager. Burkett & Wong provided structural design services. Tim Thiele and Dawn Wilson of RBF Consulting are the civil and traffic engineers. Ridge Landscape Architects is serving as the landscape architect.
SEACOAST COMMERCE BANK ADDS OFFICERS
Seacoast Commerce Bank announced that Andrew (Andy) Zimbalist, Andrew Murray and Robert Flores have joined the Bank’s Small Business Administration Division as business development officers. Zimbalist is a 21-year veteran in sales and origination of SBA loans and commercial loans with CNL Financial, Lehman Brothers Small Business Finance Inc. and Temecula Valley Bank. Zimbalist is responsible for developing new business in San Diego County as well as the greater Southern California area. Murray is a 15-year veteran in sales and origination of SBA loans and commercial loans with The Money Store, Lehman Brothers Small Business Finance Inc. and Temecula Valley Bank. Murray is responsible for developing new business in Sacramento as well as the greater northern California area. Flores is a 25-year veteran in sales and origination of SBA loans and commercial loans with notably Bank of Commerce and US Bank and most recently City National Bank. Flores is responsible for developing new business in the greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas.
FIVE-COURSE DINNERS OFFERED AT COLLEGE
Grossmont College’s Culinary Arts Department will host on Thursday evenings from Sept. 24 through Nov. 19 a five-course dinner prepared by Grossmont culinary students enrolled in Grossmont’s “Quantity Foods” class. The public is invited on the campus for the dinners. Cost is $15 per person. Funds will help raise money for travel expenses for students to compete in state and national culinary competitions, as well as maintain kitchen equipment and purchase supplies. The dinners will features appetizer (soup or salad), intermezzo (palate cleanser), entree, dessert and coffee service. Vegetarian meals also are available. Dinner service will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 24, Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, Nov. 5 and 19, at the college’s Culinary Arts patio dining area near the Student Center. Reservations can be made by phoning Michele Martens at (619) 644-7550 or 644-7549, or by e-mail at michele.martens@gcccd.edu. Space is limited. Grossmont College is located at 8800 Grossmont College Drive in El Cajon.
UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO GOES MOBILE
USD has joined a group of universities that are early adopters of mobile applications. With the release of “MySDMobile,” USD students have access to a suite of nine programs using the Apple iPhone and other smart mobile devices such as the RIM BlackBerry. Members of the USD community can use their iPhones or other mobile devices to view a GPS-enabled interactive map of the university’s campus, including where particular classes are located, they can call or e-mail faculty and staff members using the directory feature of the application, and browse through the university’s course and library catalogs. Students can use their mobile devices to view university content on YouTube or iTunesU, and get up-to-the-minute scores for USD Toreros athletics teams. Current news and campus events are also accessible, along with photos of USD’s campus that can be used as phone wallpaper. The new technology was developed by Terriblyclever Design, a company that has previously created similar mobile applications for Stanford University and Duke University, among others.
HOW TO CONTACT US
The offices of San Diego Metropolitan magazine and the North Park News are in Cabrillo Plaza, 3990 Old Town Ave., Suite A-201, in Old Town. To reach editorial, call (619) 906-4104. For advertising, dial (619) 906-4105. The fax is (619) 906-4106. Send editorial material via e-mail to manny@sandiegometro.com. For advertising, send to cyndi@sandiegometro.com.
