Daily Business Report — April 15, 2010
40 Under 40 Nominations
Nominations are now open for San Diego Metropolitan Magazine’s 11th annual 40 Under 40 awards. The nomination period ends May 31. The honorees will be feted at our annual luncheon on Sept. 9 at the San Diego Convention Center and profiled in the September issue of the magazine.Visit http://sandiegometro.com/40under40/ for a nomination form.
SBA to Present Small Business Awards for 2010
Jeannette Lee Carrico, owner and CEO of The Exit Light Co. in Vista, has been named Small Business Person of the Year for 2010 by the San Diego district office of the Small Business Administration. She and other SBA award winners will be feted at the June 2 Small Business Awards Luncheon at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center in Mission Valley. The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the SBA to present the awards.
Other award winners are: Veteran-Owned Business of the Year — Thomas M. McGowan, President/Founder, McGowan Enterprises, San Diego.
Women-Owned Business of the Year — Rachel Welland, Owner and Coordinator, Bliss Events, San Diego.
Minority Small Business Champion of the Year — La Sonja I. Boulware, President, Bizness Variety, San Diego.
Women in Business Champion of the Year — Cheryl A. Protzeller, President, P2 Solutions Inc., Vista.
2010 George P. Chandler Jr. Award and SBA Lender Awards: To be announced at the luncheon.
2010 SBA Community Service Award: To be announced at the luncheon.
Additional Awards
• The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce will recognize 10 outstanding San Diego area businesses.
• San Diego area government procuring agencies will recognize their Contractors of the Year.
• San Diego area large prime contractors will recognize their small business Subcontractors of the Year.
• The San Diego Business Improvement District Council will recognize its BID Business of the Year
South Bay Bus Rapid Transit Project
SANDAG will hold a scoping meeting April 28 on the South Bay Bus Rapid Transit project to obtain public input on the project and its various alternatives. The meeting will be from 4 to 8 p.m. in the auditorium at Heritage Elementary School, 1450 Santa Lucia Road, Chula Vista. South Bay BRT will be a 21-mile rapid, high-frequency transit service between the Otay Mesa border crossing and Downtown San Diego via eastern Chula Vista. A high-tech bus system, the South Bay BRT will have limited stops and run in its own separate “guideway” to avoid traffic. The project is expected to be operational in 2014. For additional information, call (619) 699-6939.
San Diego Executives Featured at April 21 Panel Program
Higgs Fletcher & Mack and The Monger Company will sponsor an April 21 panel discussion — “Sharpen Your Competitive Edge in 2010” — featuring four San Diego executives. Panelists are Rob Lankford, president of Lankford & Associates; Larry Clemens, senior vice president of the San Diego Housing Commission; Tim Konold, partner with Higgs Fletcher & Mack; and Guy Asaro, president of McMillin Homes. They will discuss how they adapted their organizations to survive in today’s economy. The program, which includes a lunch, will be held at the Hard Rock Hotel at 207 Fifth Ave. in Downtown San Diego. Check-in is at 11:30 a.m. and the lunch and program is at noon. Cost is $40. To reserve, e-mail to TheMongerCompany@MongerCompany.com. Reservations must be pre-paid by April 19. For information, call (619) 544-7000.
Commerce Secretary Pushes National Export Initiative
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke discussed the Obama Administration’s National Export Initiative and expressed hopes of broadening and deepening the North American economic and trade relationship during meetings Wednesday with Canadian Minister of Industry Tony Clement and Mexican Secretary of the Economy Gerardo Ruiz. Locke identified Canada and Mexico as critical partners in helping North American businesses become more competitive abroad while supporting job creation here at home. “Our economies are deeply interdependent, and it is important that we continue to take steps that strengthen this relationship, making North America more competitive,” Locke said. “Through the support provided to manufacturers by President Obama’s National Export Initiative, American exporters and their regional partners can take advantage of the global marketplace.” Locke, Clement and Ruiz agreed to continue regional collaboration through the work of their respective teams and to engage in quarterly conversations to ensure progress on issues such as regulatory cooperation and intellectual property rights enforcement leading up to the next North American Leaders’ Summit.
Locke, Clement and Ruiz each delivered keynote remarks at the North American Competitiveness, Innovation & Clean Energy Conference co-hosted by the Department of Commerce, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the University of San Diego, UCSD and the Institute of the Americas. The conference included panel discussions on energy security, a 21st century workforce, a low-carbon economy, supply chain integration, and infrastructure developments.
Canada and Mexico are the first and third largest trading partners of the United States. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, U.S. exports to Canada and Mexico have grown 135 percent and total trade among all three countries has grown 148 percent. While the U.S. enjoys strong economic ties and trade with Canada and Mexico, the three countries can do more to support economic growth and development, Locke noted.
“We have an excellent framework in place – through annual meetings of North American government leaders – to address ways to deepen our economic relationship,” he said. “We have increased our cooperation on regulatory matters, the protection of intellectual property rights, and ways to increase the flow of legitimate goods across our borders, but we need to continue seeking new ways to further expand the competitiveness of North America.”
While in San Diego, Locke also toured Solar Turbines Inc., a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., that manufactures industrial gas turbines. The company is one of the nation’s top exporters. Following his tour, Locke led an exports-focused roundtable discussion with local small business owners to highlight how the NEI will help California’s small- and medium-sized businesses increase their exports to new markets and create jobs in their communities.
Business Datebook
April 17
FREE WORKSHOP: Entrepreneurial Excellence Workshop sponsored by the Universiy of Phoenix Kearny Mesa Learning Center, 3870/3890 Murphy Canyon Road, San Diego. 9 a.m. to noon. Topics include outllook for small business in San Diego, business opportunities, legal issues for small businesses, search engine marketing, among others. Sports psychologist Casey Cooper to talk on “Home Run Leadership Styles.” To sign up, contact Gray Miller at (858) 650-4612.
April 20
PRESENTATION: Juval Aviv, president and CEO of Interfor Inc., will discuss some of the major financial fraud cases he has investigated during 30 years in the corporate investigations field, including personal anecdotes. Sponsor: Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) San Diego. 7 a.m. registration, 9 a.m. program, Doubletree Hotel Hazard Center, 7450 Hazard Center Drive, SanDiego. Free for ACG members, $50 for nonmembers. Make reservations at acteva.com.
April 21
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP: San Diego Press Club hosts a panel of photojournalists to discuss new digital tools and share tips on taking compelling photos and videos. Panelists: Nancee Lewis, photojournalist; Sam Hodgson, former reporter-photographer for voiceofsandiego.org; and Joe Little, 10News Team reporter for ABC affiliate KGTV. 6 to 8 p.m., Essy’s Studio (adjacent to the Sports Arena). Free for Press Club members, $10 for nonmembers. For reservations, call (858) 274-6160 or e-mail to: reservation-sdpc@cox.net.
LUNCHEON: Joon Han, founder and strategy specialist with Better San Diego, to speak on “Getting Ahead by Giving Back” at the luncheon meeting of the National Association of Women Business Owners San Diego. 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Sheraton La Jolla, 3299 Holiday Court, La Jolla. Early bird pricing for members and guests available through April 15. For more information and online registration, visit nawbo-sd.org.
April 28
WORKSHOP: Grossmont College Career Center will present “Job Interview Fitness,” a free workshop from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Career Center, Room 627, on campus. Topics: job interview tips, ethics and etiquette. Speakers: Nancy Davis, Grossmont College student development services supervisor, and Carole Martin of The Interview Coach. For more information or to reserve a seat, phone (619) 644-7614.
April 29
PROGRAM: The World Trade Center presents “Standards, Connections, Pathways and Problem Solving — the DNA of Lean,” featuring Samuel Obara of Honsha demonstrating why so many companies fail when trying to implement lean strategies. 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., World Trade Center conference room, Downtown. $35 for members, $45 for nonmembers. Walk-ins, $55. For information, call (619) 615-0868, Ext. 111. To register, visit wtcsd.org.
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.
