Daily Business Report — May 26, 2010
40 Under 40 Nominations
Nominations are still 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.
Cubic Awarded $10 Million Contract for Fare System
Cubic Transportation Systems has been awarded a $10 million contract to manage and operate Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s SmarTrip Regional Customer Service Center in Washington, D.C. Cubic designed the smart card-based fare collection system more than a decade ago. Cubic’s services will begin in July and will include operation of the patron call center where cardholders can call or e-mail to register their smart card, receive account information, retrieve lost passwords for online ordering and more. Cubic also will deliver and operate a smart card fulfillment center for SmarTrip card orders, and will deliver and support a merchant retail network where customers can buy and reload value on their smart cards. The SmarTrip system includes the Washington transit authority and nine regional bus operators in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. In the future, Cubic’s services will expand with the inclusion of the CharmCard system operated by the Maryland Transit Administration and also designed and delivered by Cubic. The contract is for a three-year term with an option to extend for two more years. The option value is $6.8 million. Cubic Transportation Systems is a subsidiary of San Diego-based Cubic Corp.
Qualcomm Opens Shangai R&D Center
Qualcomm Inc. has opened a new research and development center in Shanghai aimed at attracting telecommunications engineering talent and enhancing its position in the wireless communications market in China. Company officials said the R&D center will address China’s increasing need for high-quality and affordable handsets. The Shanghai center is the second research and development facility of Qualcomm in China. The company entered the China market in the late 1990s and has an established CDMA R&D center in Beijing, in addition to branch offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen. “We are very excited about the expansion of Qualcomm’s research and development activities in China, including the establishment of the new R&D center in Shanghai, which will enable our partners to bring a greater breadth and depth of 3G devices at a faster pace to one of the world’s most rapidly expanding mobile markets,” said Steve Mollenkopf, executive vice president of Qualcomm and president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies.
Fisher & Phillips Adds San Diego Partner
David B. Monks has joined the labor and employment law firm Fisher & Phillips as a partner in its San Diego office. Monks, who previously was chairman of the employment law practice at Klinedinst PC in San Diego, will be involved in both employment litigation and counseling at Fisher & Phillips. He is the third partner to join the San Diego office since last summer. Launched in 2000, Fisher & Phillips now has 14 employees, including administration and legal staff, in San Diego. Monks is a past president of the San Diego Society for Human Resource Management and a member of the National Society for Human Resource Management. He will be involved in the upcoming 2010 SHRM Annual Conference to be held in San Diego on June 27-30. Monks has practiced labor and employment law for almost 12 years. He earned his law degree at the University of Maryland School of Law.
Executive Chef Named at Cosmopolitan Restaurant
Jeff Thurston, former executive chef of The Prado in Balboa Park, has been named the executive chef of the soon-to-open Cosmopolitan Restaurant in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Thurston has more than 20 years of culinary experience, the last 11 as chef at The Prado, where he won several awards. He started his culinary career at the age of 14 at Le Pigalle in Toronto, where he was born and raised. In 1990, Thurston started studying under Wolfgang Puck in Los Angeles and joined the opening team as sous chef at Moose’s Restaurant in San Francisco’s North Beach. He was recruited to be the sous chef at Gordon Biersch Brewery and Restaurant in San Francisco, where he became executive chef four months later. Thurston later became consulting chef at Essex Supper Club in San Francisco. He moved to The Prado in 1999.
Science Building Opens at Valhalla High School
Grossmont Union High School District has opened its new science building at the Valhalla High School campus. Completed by Legacy Building Services Inc., the new two-story building houses 12 new science classrooms and college prep lab space for students. The building is one of eight new science buildings that are being constructed at various sites in the district. Funds are from Proposition H, a $274 million bond issue passed by voters in 2004. Key project team members included Legacy Building Services as general contractor, Gafcon as program manager, C.W. Driver as construction manager and Harley Ellis Devereaux as project architect.
Neighborhood Healthcare to Honor Alan and Debbie Gold
Alan and Debbie Gold of Poway will be honored at Neighborhood Healthcare’s annual gala on June 5 for their commitment to making health care a reality for those most in need. The 12th annual award ceremony and fundraising gala, “Celebrating Wellness under the Stars,” will be from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Orfila Vineyards in Escondido. Tickets are $150 each and can be purchased online at nhcare.org. Neighborhood Healthcare presents the Pace Setter annual award to an individual, couple or family with a record of exceptional generosity who, through direct financial support and volunteer time, has demonstrated outstanding civic and charitable responsibility. For more information, call Anne Bolzoni at (760) 450-4498.
Small Business Workshops in June
SCORE San Diego has scheduled another month of small business seminars for business owners and those who want to launch businesses. Seminars in June:
• June 1 – Insurance: What You Need to Know to Protect You and Your Business – 9 a.m. to noon at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).
• June 2 – Financial Statements: What They Mean, How to Use Them – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).
• June 3 – Financing Your Business – 9:30 a.m. to noon at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).
• June 5 – Internet Marketing 301: Increase Sales Through Pay-Per-Click – 9 a.m. to noon at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).
• June 7 – 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).
• June 8 – Buying a Business – Carlsbad – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at National University (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• June 9 – Business Plan 101: How to Develop Your Best Competitive Advantage – 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 $79, $89 at the door).
• June 10 – Import/Export – 9 a.m. to 4:30 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).
• June 11 – Hiring and Managing Employees – 9 a.m. to noon at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).
• June 12 – QuickBooks Basic – 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).
• June 14 – Managing Grants and Contracts for Nonprofits – 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the San Diego Foundation – Liberty Station (2508 Historic Decatur Road, #200, San Diego 92106; pre-paid registration $39, $49 at the door).
• June 15 – Internet Marketing 302: Develop a Winning E-mail Marketing Success Strategy – 9 a.m. to noon at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).
• June 16 – How to Start and Manage Your Own Business – Carlsbad – 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at National University (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• June 18 – Tax Considerations for Small Business – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).
• June 19 – 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).
• June 22 – Legal Issues for Small Business: Contracts and Leases – Carlsbad – 9 a.m. to noon at National University (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).
• June 23 – 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).
• June 23 – Financing Your Business – Carlsbad – 9:30 a.m. to noon at National University (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door)
• June 23 – Good Governance for Nonprofits – 9 to 11:30 a.m. at The San Diego Foundation – Liberty Station (2508 Historic Decatur Road, #200, San Diego 92106; pre-paid registration $39, $49 at the door).
• June 24 – Small Business Marketing – 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).
• June 25 – Insurance: What You Need to Know to Protect You and Your Business – Carlsbad – 9 a.m. to noon at National University (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).
• June 26 – Internet Marketing 304: Cost-Effective Internet Marketing Tools – 9 a.m. to noon at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).
• June 29 – Internet Marketing 303: Social Media for Small Businesses – 9 a.m. to noon at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).
• June 30 – QuickBooks Basic – Carlsbad – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at National University (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
For more information on the workshops, call (619) 557-7272.
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.