Daily Business Report — June 15, 2010

First Business Bank to Become Bank of Southern California

First Business Bank is changing its name to Bank of Southern California, effective June 28. “The process of selecting a new name has given us an opportunity to revisit our vision to be the best business bank in Southern California and to refine our branding and positioning for further growth,” said Nathan Rogge, president and CEO. “The name Bank of Southern California provides a strong identity for future expansion.” Rogge said the name change resolves trademark issues with a bank in the Midwest that also carries the name First Business Bank.

The company’s Webside address will be changed to banksocal.com on June 28. The trading symbol for the bank’s common stock will remain FBBN. The bank, which operates offices in Del Mar, Carlsbad and Ramona, had assets of $124.5 million as of March 31, 2010.

Greener Dawn Obtains $360,000 Training Grant

Greener Dawn announced that it has gained access to a $360,000 training grant from the California Employment Training Panel to provide Building Performance Institute certification to local contractor firms who are Efficiency First members. Greener Dawn, in conjunction with San Diego State, is launching the only local Building Performance Institute certification course in San Diego county on July 8. BPI is one of the key certifications recognized by the government for the proposed $6 billion Home Star program, which offers up to $8,000 in energy efficiency rebates for homeowners. The grant allows for contractor firms to send employees to the SDSU course and receive a 50 rebate within 90 days of completion of the course. The cost of the course is $2,500 with $1,250 being reimbursed to the contractor firm.

“Home Star will jumpstart this Residential Energy Efficiency Revolution and implement the proper infrastructure, said Courtland Weisleder,  president of Greener Dawn.  “It starts with quality education and training through Building Performance Institute certification. This grant is a great opportunity for local workers to become BPI certified and participate in the upcoming Home Star program at the lowest price in the industry.”  For more information, call (858) 345-1390.

Work Starts on San Dieguito Performing Arts Center

Construction has started on the $8.8 million San Dieguito Performing Arts Center in Encinitas, a project of the San Dieguito Union High School District. Barnhart Balfour Beatty is the general contractor. The center was designed by the architectural firm of John Sergio Fisher & Associates.

The 17,120-square-foot center will incorporate theater and music wings for both drama and music students. The Clayton E. Liggett Theatre wing, named after the late drama teacher Clayton Liggett, who taught at the school from 1966 through 1985, will include a 225-seat indoor theater, classrooms and practice areas, dressing rooms, a scenery lab, a 500-seat outdoor stage with sound reflectors, and storage space for props and sets.

The state-of-the-art music wing will feature a 3,700-square-foot rehearsal hall, six soundproof practice rooms, a music library, an instrument storage room and a recording arts classroom.

The center, part of San Dieguito High School Academy,  is expected to be completed in fall 2010. Funding is from the school district, the state and donations from the San Dieguito Academy Foundation.

Members of the Barnhart team include Sean Hulen, vice president; Grace Chan, project manager; and Gerry Hirata, project superintendent.

Turner Construction Names New V.P. and General Manager

Shawn Rosenberger, a Turner Construction Co. veteran who has spent more than 20 years with the firm in several offices in the United States, has been appointed vice president and general manager of the San Diego office. Prior to his San Diego appointment, Rosenberger was vice president and regional manager for Arizona, Southern Nevada and New Mexico. Before that, he was the business development manager for Turner’s Connecticut office. Past projects under Rosenberger’s leadership include the GM Desert Proving Ground in Yuma, Ariz.; the Barry M. Goldwater Range-West Border Fence in San Luis, Ariz.; Ballpark Village in Goodyear, Ariz.; Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Conn.; Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y.; The Civic Center Hotel and Parking Garage in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; the G.E. World Headquarters in Fairfield, Conn.

Southwestern College Business Groups Receive $150,000

Southwestern College’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the Center for International Trade Development has received $150,000 in new funding from the city of San Diego’s Community Development Block Grant program. The two entities provide counseling and technical assistance to area businesses. The money will allow the center to help businesses improve their operations, write business plans and expand their outreach.

Officials said that last year the SBDC and Center for International Trade Development helped 3,896 clients in obtaining 26 loans, totaling $2,565,800.  Clients also reported 72 jobs created, 34 jobs retained and $24,100,600 increase in sales.

SDSU Graduate Commits $2 Million to University

Frank A. Cuenca, general partner at Monarch Retirement Group and a 1971 graduate of San Diego State, has made a $2 million commitment to the university to support the school’s athletic department. “San Diego State is an anchor in this community,” Cuenca said. “Funding in the state of California is ever decreasing. I think it’s important to have intercollegiate athletics to call positive attention to the university in addition to the academics.” Cuenca is a member of the Aztec Club supporting SDSU Athletics as a Big50 Football Booster and has been a football season ticket holder for 40 years.

Timken Museum of Art Names Deputy Director

Laurie E. Hawkins, a 14-plus-year veteran in the nonprofit and corporate sector, has been named deputy director of development and endowment at The Timken Museum of Art. She will be responsible for annual giving, membership, major gifts and the organization’s endowment. Hawkins previously worked for the Timken as deputy director from 2005 to 2007. Hawkins has also served as a development executive with the Ronald McDonald House in San Diego, Junior Achievement and the San Diego Center for Children. She also has worked with A Reason to Survive (ARTS), Pro-Kids and Partnerships with Industry. Earlier in her career Hawkins was a special education teacher as well as an educational trainer and consultant to public schools, educational institutions and corporations. She holds a master’s degree in special education and bachelor’s degree in social science from USD.

Amphibious Transport Dock Ship is Christened

The Navy, Marine Corps and Northrop Grumman Corp. christened the amphibious transport dock ship San Diego this past weekend at Northrop Grumman’s shipbuilding facilities in Pascagoula, Miss. San Diego, the sixth LP6/14/10 17 class ship built, is 684 feet in length, has an overall beam of 105 feet, a navigational draft of 23 feet and displaces approximately 24,900 tons. Four turbo-charged diesels power the ship to sustained speeds of 22 knots. Cmdr. Jon Haydel, of Houston, Texas, is the ship’s prospective commanding officer and will lead a crew of 360 officers and enlisted Navy personnel and three Marines. The ship is capable of embarking a landing force of up to 800 Marines.

Cal Western to Host 30 Attorneys from Peru

The Trial Skills Academy at California Western School of Law will welcome 30 attorneys from Peru June 18-22. Sponsored by Proyecto ACCESO, the five-day program teaches Peruvian prosecutors from the Escuela del Ministerio Pública (School of the Prosecutor) litigation skills. “We are not only exporting a set of practical skills to legal professionals in Peru, we are spreading the positive aspects of our legal culture,” said Assistant Dean for Mission Development and Director of Proyecto ACCESO Jamie Cooper. The Trial Skills Academy is the only program in the United States that offers Spanish-language instruction of oral trial advocacy skills to Latin American attorneys. Instructors are top Spanish-speaking district attorneys from San Diego: Giacomo W. Bucci, Lilia E. Garcia, and Victor M. Nunez. In the past, their instruction has helped train some of the best trial lawyers from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.

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