Networking Expert to speak at NAWBO Luncheon

Rhonda Sher, a networking expert, will be the featured speaker at the Nov. 18 meeting of the National Association of Women Business Owners San Diego. She will talk on “Network to Make Money: Turn Every Contact Into Sales, Referrals and Income.” Sher is the author of “The Two-Minute Networker.” The luncheon will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Doubletree Del Mar, 11915 El Camino Real. The cost is $35 for members and $45 for nonmembers until noon on Nov. 16, when it will increase by $10. For more information, visit nawbo-sd.org.

Union Bank Opens 3 New Priority Banking Offices

Union Bank has opened three new Priority Banking offices in Clairemont, Del Mar and El Cajon, each staffed with a team of personal bankers and offering specialized financial services to affluent individuals, families and small business owners.

Led by branch manager Walter Beerle, Union Bank’s Priority Banking office in Del Mar is located at 1435 Camino Del Mar. Priority Banking Manager Gilbert Kennedy oversees the Clairemont unit, located at 4225 Genesee Ave., and Branch Manager Richard Cohen leads the El Cajon office located at 580 North Second St.

Centre City Advisory Committee Elects New Members

Downtown residents and business owners elected 10 new members and re-elected five existing members to the 28-seat Centre City Advisory Committee, Downtown’s community planning group.

Elected members include:

• Cortez Business Owner

Hoss Said

• Cortez Residential Owner Occupant

Cheryl Coccaro

• Cortez Residential Tenant

Maria Miller

• East Village Business Owners

Christopher Sohaey

Joan Lindley

• East Village Residential Tenant

Kyle Peterson

• Gaslamp Business Owner

Bill Keller (re-elected)

• Horton Business Owner

Leslie Cusworth (re-elected)

• Horton Residential Owner Occupant

Deborah Carrigan

• Marina Business Owner

Cynthia Blair (re-elected)

• Marina Residential Owner Occupants

David Priver (re-elected)

John Wilhoit

• Marina Residential Tenant

Tim Podell

• Charitable Organization

Mary Case (re-elected)

• Civic Organization

Pat Stark

The election results remain unofficial until certified by the San Diego City Council, which is tentatively scheduled to meet in December.  Four vacant seats will be filled by a majority vote of the CCAC at a publicly noticed meeting tentatively scheduled for January. The vacancies:

East Village Business Owner (term expires Nov. 2010)

East Village Residential Tenant (term expires Nov. 2010)

Gaslamp Residential Owner Occupant (term expires Nov. 2011)

Core II Business Owner (term expires Nov. 2011)

Interested parties can contact Brandon Nichols at nichols@ccdc.com for more information.

APPOINTMENTS & ACCOLADES

Nancy Stagg, a principal in the San Diego office of Fish & Richardson, has been selected by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California to be one of its lawyer representatives to the 9th Circuit Judicial Conference. She will serve as a liaison between the bench and the bar, representing attorneys practicing in the Southern District of California and providing support and advice in the functioning of the courts located within the 9th Circuit. Stagg will serve a three year term. She is one of 20 lawyers representing the Southern District of California.

Stagg is the founder and head of Fish’s Southern California business litigation practice, where she represents companies in high stakes business litigation. She also serves as the national chair of Fish & Richardson’s Diversity Initiative, where she oversees the firm-wide diversity programs.

She is currently a director of the San Diego County Bar Foundation and is on the board of governors of the San Diego Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers.

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Michelle Sugden has joined StormStaff as an account manager for the San Diego area, responsible for business development, employee and account management and recruiting. She has five years of experience in the sales and staffing industries. Sugden previously was a business development manager for an international employment services company. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Riverside and is a certified notary public.

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Mark Muñoz is the new chief operating officer for Dowling & Yahnke LLC, a wealth management firm. He oversees the firm’s administration, financial management, investment operations, and compliance matters. Muñoz earned a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Miami University (Ohio). He spent 10 years managing capital markets businesses for Bankers Trust, Lehman Brothers and Bank of America in the United States and oversees. Prior to Dowling & Yahnke, Muñoz was co-founder, chief operating officer and CFO for two wireless technology companies.

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Dr. A. Brent Eastman has been elected chairman of the board of regents of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). A general, vascular, and trauma surgeon, Eastman is chief medical officer of Scripps Health and the N. Paul Whittier endowed chair of trauma at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla. He is also a clinical professor of surgery-trauma at UCSD. Eastman has been instrumental in the development of trauma systems worldwide. He is one of the co-founders of San Diego County’s trauma system and has lectured and helped put trauma systems into place in countries including the U.S., England, Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, India and Pakistan. Eastman received his medical degree in 1966 from the University of California, San Francisco, where he also completed a surgical internship and residency and served as chief surgical resident. In addition, Eastman spent one year as a surgical registrar at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, Norwich, England.

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Full Access and Coordinated Transportation (FACT), a nonprofit agency developing transportation access plans for communities, has selected Escondido Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler as recipient of its 2009 Norine Sigafoose Partner of the Year Award. The award is named after the first chair of the FACT board. FACT Executive Director Max Calder said Pfieler received the award for both her personal and professional contributions to FACT. The city of Escondido was the first agency to sign a partnership agreement with FACT.

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Cook & Schmid, a San Diego-based public relations, advertising and marketing firm, has hired David Kodama as an account manager. Kodama is an award-winning journalist with 20 years experience creating content for business, technical, trade and consumer publications and member associations. Prior to joining the agency, Kodama served as the editor of BWB Magazine, Pacific Coast Sportfishing magazine and content for the Service Support Professionals Association including the organization’s newsletter, white papers, best practices committees, case studies, conference sessions and live Webcasts.

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Suzie Hunter has been named the new vice president of operations and marketing for Submarina California Subs. She joined the company after a four-year career with Dunkin’ Brands in the Togo’s division, where she held a variety of positions including franchise services manager, field marketing manager, and brand manager.

LEASES

The Boss Law Firm has signed a 66-month, $1,168,398 lease for 10,038 square feet of office space in Centrewest Plaza at 9710 Scranton Road, Suite 300, San Diego. The lessee was represented by Glen Friedrich. The lessor, AZNL-Centrewest LLC, was represented by Steve Wolf and Brunson Howard of Cushman & Wakefield. Centrewest Plaza, a two-building, three-story office project includes 116,000 square feet of office space. Now 93 percent leased, additional Centrewest Plaza tenants include Qwest Software and PriceSmart. The Boss Law firm will open its office January 2010.

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Rachas Inc., dba Chuze Fitness, has signed a seven-year, $1,225,500 lease for 21,500 square feet of retail space at Santee Town Center, 215 Town Center Parkway, in Santee. The lessee, was represented by Chad Iafrate of Grubb & Ellis|BRE Commercial.The Lessor, MIS Limited LLC, was represented by John Jennings of Cushman & Wakefield. Santee Town Center, a 626,411-square-foot commercial center on a 706-acre site, is anchored by Costco, Walmart and Home Depot. This will be the second San Diego County location for Chuze Fitness. It will open in January 2010.

UCSD Extension Offers Swine Flu Presentation

As a public service, UCSD Extension is offering a no-cost 90-minute presentation on H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) safety to San Diego County businesses, civic groups, clubs, associations, youth groups, chambers of commerce and other community organizations. The instructor leading the flu prevention presentations is Shannon Oriola, RN, the department lead for infection prevention at Sharp HealthCare. Her information is based on the latest materials from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). To schedule a no-cost presentation, call Oriola at (619) 884-0311.

Fall Gardening Season Kick-Off Set for Nov. 14

San Diegans are invited to attend this year’s fall gardening season kick-off event on Nov. 14. The Water Conservation Garden, in  partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric, will open the fall planting season by offering a large variety of drought-resistant plants and providing expert gardening advice during this year’s free event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College, 12122 Cuyamaca College Drive West, in El Cajon. Appointments for landscape design consultations should be made in advance by calling (619) 660-0614, Ext. 10. Numerous activities are available for children, including face painting and a children’s activity booth.

The Daily Business Report

The Daily Business Report is a product of REP Publishing Inc., publisher of San Diego Metropolitan magazine and the North Park News. Our offices 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.