Daily Business Report — March 18, 2010

Sustainability Seminar to be Staged April 7 in Balboa Park

The Balboa Park Cultural Partnership’s Sustainability Seminar will be held April 7 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Hattox Hall at The Old Globe in Balboa Park. Two workshops will be offered. The first will explore the most time-efficient and cost-effective approaches to identifying energy-saving measures for buildings; how San Diego Gas & Electric’s rebate and incentive programs can reduce up-front costs and may improve a project’s return on investment; and, how properly evaluating the costs and benefits of proposed upgrades can help get the projects approved. The second workshop will address the pros and cons of various Energy Star benchmarking techniques, tips for optimizing Energy Star scores and best practices for improving the score over time. The seminar — free of charge — will feature Mark Jewell, founder of RealWinWin, an energy-efficiency consulting company.

The 2010 Sustainability Workshop Series is sponsored by SDG&E in partnership with the city of San Diego. The Cultural Partnership is the collaborative body for the 24 arts, science and cultural institutions in Balboa Park. The workshop is offered in conjunction with the Partnership’s Balboa Park Learning Institute.

San Diego Hotel Rates Drop

Hotel rates in San Diego in March dropped by 9 percent from March last year — third highest in a list of the 10 cities with the most reductions — according to a report by Hotwire.com, a discount travel site. Tampa holds the No. 1 spot with a 13 percent drop and Philadelphia, which ranked ninth last month, is in the No. 2 spot with a 10 percent drop, followed by San Diego, 9 percent; Minneapolis, 7 percent; Kansas City, 6 percent; Baltimore, 5 percent; Tucson, Ariz., 5 percent; Oahu, Hawaii, 5 percent; Nashville, 4 percent; and Seattle, 2 percent.

Downtown Business Association Hires Operations Manager

Brianne Mongeon has been hired as the new operations manager for the Downtown Business Association in Escondido. Mongeon graduated in May 2009 with a master’s degree from Cal State San Marcos.

Gable PR Hires Account Manager

Kristi Angevine has joined Gable PR as account manager. Angevine has a news and PR background and specializes in media relations, branding, new media and marketing. For the past decade, she has worked for major news organizations, including CNN in Atlanta and Fox News in Washington, D.C. Locally, she was a news reporter for San Diego’s former XETV-Fox 6 news team. Angevine previously was an account supervisor at Berkman PR in San Diego. She holds a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from American University.

Small Business Workshops

SCORE San Diego has several small business workshops scheduled for the rest of March. Workshop fees range from $29 to $109, depending on the program. Topics include: developing your business plan, starting and operating your own business, getting financing for your business and basic business accounting, in addition to several workshops that examine marketing.

Upcoming Workshops:

• March 20 – QuickBooks Advanced – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• March 22 – Legal Issues for Small Business: Organizational Structure – 9 a.m. to noon at National University – Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).

• March 23 – How to Start and Manage Your Own Business – 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• March 24 – Managing Grants and Contracts – 9 to 11:30 a.m. at San Diego Foundation – Liberty Station (2508 Historic Decatur Rd, #200, San Diego 92106; pre-paid registration $39, $49 at the door).

• March 25 – Internet Marketing 201: Build Your Business through Search Engine Optimization – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• March 26 – Marketing & Contracting With the Federal Government – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at National University – Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• March 27 – Business Plan 201: How to Write a Winning Business Plan – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $99, $109 at the door).

• March 31 – Insurance: What You Need to Know – 9 a.m. to noon at National University – Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).

Business Datebook

March 18

MEETING: Web content strategist Shelly Bowen, principal of Pybop LLC, will speak on “Virtual Story Telling: How to Grow Your Business with Social Media,” at the meeting of the San Diego Professional Editors Network (SD/PEN), 6:30 p.m., Joyce Beers Community Center, Uptown Shopping Center, Hillcrest. For more information, call (619) 281-6951 or visit sdpen.com. $45 for BIOCOM members, $90 for nonmembers.

March 19

PANEL ON HOMELESSNESS: Family Health Centers of San Diego  brings together San Diego political, government and business leaders for a discussion on ways to reduce homelessness Downtown. The Spirit of the Bario presentation, “New Paradigms for Reducing Homelessness in Downtown San Diego in 2010,” is from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Logan Heights Family Health Center, 1809 National Ave., San Diego. Panelists: Kevin Faulconer, president pro tem of the San Diego City Council, the moderator; Fred Maas, chair of the Centre City Development Corp.; Brian Maienschein, commissioner of United Way of San Diego County’s Plan to End Chronic Homelessness; Joel Roberts, CEO of PATH Partners; and Rob Lankford, past chair of the Downtown San Diego Partnership. Admission is $25. To reserve online, visit fhcsd.org/donations.cfm or e-mail barbaraf@fhcsd.org.

March 23

LUNCHEON: Asian Business Association holds its March Rice Club Luncheon with guest speaker Ron Roberts, member of the county Board of Supervisors. noon to 1:30 p.m., San Diego Hall of Champions, Balboa park. Cost is $25 for ABA members, $30 for nonmembers, $35 at the door. To reserve, visit abasd.org.

March 24

EMPLOYMENT LAW: Brown Law Group will present an update on 2010 employment law, including latest court decisions, legislative amendments and proposed bills employers must be aware of to properly manage their businesses. 7:45 to 9 a.m., University Club, 750 B St., Downtown San Diego. To reserve space, e-mail Valeina: jack@brownlawgroup.com. Or call (619) 330-1700.

The Daily Business Report is produced by REP Publishing Inc., publisher of San Diego Metropolitan Magazine, the North Park News, Kensington News and the West Coast Craftsman. (619) 906-4104.