Daily Business Report — June 18, 2010
SDG&E Asks for Relocation of Chula Vista Power Plant
San Diego Gas & Electric is asking the California Public Utilities Commission for permission to relocate its South Bay power plant in Chula Vista to open up public access to the waterfront and help advance waterfront redevelopment. The utility is seeking to move the plant to a site south of the existing facility. The plant will be permanently removed when the California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO) determines that it is no longer needed.
“We are committed to helping Chula Vista realize its vision of a redeveloped bayfront, while also ensuring the reliability of our system in the future,” said David L. Geier, vice president of electric operations for SDG&E. “The relocation of the substation will allow us to replace 50-year-old, obsolete infrastructure with state-of-the-art equipment and the system upgrades necessary to meet the ongoing growth in energy demand in the South Bay.”
The Cal-ISO board has endorsed the relocation as has the Environmental Health Coalition for its benefits to land use and habitat protection. “Relocation of the substation to the south will allow increased access to the waterfront for local residents and will increase protections for marine life and the water quality of the bay,” said Laura Hunter, the coalition’s executive director. Support for the relocation also has come from Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox and the City Council Energy Subcommittee.
In exchange for SDG&E’s easements on the existing substation site, the San Diego Unified Port District will provide the land required for the new substation through an exchange agreement with the State Lands Commission and SDG&E.
Superintendent Finalists Presented to the Public
The three finalists for superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District were presented to the public Thursday night amid hopes that the Board of Education will select a superintendent within a month. The finalists are: William Kowba, currently interim superintendent for the San Diego district; Debbra A. Lindo, CEO and chief academic officer for College Track; and Dale W. Vigil, former superintendent of the Hayward Unified School District. The candidates’ biographies have been posted on the district’s Website at www.sandi.net/suptsearch.
• William Kowba joined the district in August 2006 as chief financial officer and was appointed interim superintendent in September 2009. A retired rear admiral, Kowba had a 30-year career in the Navy prior to joining the district leadership team.
• Debbra Lindo works for for College Track, an Oakland-based pre-college program for students in the Bay Area and New Orleans. Lindo also served as executive director for the Oakland Unified School District’s Middle School Network I.
• Dale Vigil was superintendent in Hayward from 2005-2009 and was a local district superintendent in the Los Angeles School District from 2000-2005.
Gen-Probe Invests in Menlo Park’s Pacific Biosciences
San Diego-based Gen-Probe Inc. has made a $50 million investment in Menlo Park-based Pacific Biosciences, a private sequencing company, and the companies agreed to work together to explore the development of clinical diagnostic systems based on a Pacific Biosciences’ platform. “We believe Pacific Biosciences’ third-generation, single-molecule sequencing technology has the potential to play an important long-term role in strategically valuable, high-growth clinical diagnostics markets such as oncology, transplant diagnostics and pharmacogenomics due to its fast time to result, long read lengths, and ability to interrogate broad genomic regions in high resolution,” said Carl Hull, Gen-Probe’s president and chief executive officer.
Profil Institute Appoints Directors
The Profil Institute for Clinical Research, a company specializing in early phase clinical trials for diabetes and obesity, has appointed Lutz Heinemann as director of scientific services and Robert J. Schott as director of cardiometabolic research. Heinemann will oversee the scientific aspects of Profil’s integrated approach from clinical trial protocol design to the publication of study results. Schott will oversee the design and execution of cardiometabolic and cardiac safety studies for the company’s biopharmaceutical clients. Heinemann has acted as scientific adviser for Profil in San Diego since the company’s inception in 2004. He is also co-founder of Profil Institute for Metabolic Research in Neuss, Germany and led the company as CEO for 10 years until 2009. Before joining Profil, Schott was chairman of the cardiology department at Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, NJ.
St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church to Get New Parish Center
Construction of a new $8 million parish center for St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church in Carlsbad is scheduled to begin June 27 with a groundbreaking ceremony on a five-acre site at Alga and El Fuerte. The parish center was designed by domusstudio architecture. CW Driver is the general contractor for the project, which is managed by Kruse Development Services Inc. on behalf of the Diocese of San Diego.
Designed in a contemporary mission style to complement the domusstudio-designed sanctuary, the two-story, 18,443-square-foot parish center features similar window shapes and sizes, colonnades, roof design and trellis work. The new building will be located just north of the sanctuary’s existing courtyard and will include a 735-square-foot recreation room for the church’s youth group, which currently has no designated area for activities. In addition to the youth recreation room, the lower level of the new parish hall will have a conference room, five classroom/meeting rooms, a catering lounge, entry foyer and elevator access to the second floor. The second story will include a large foyer with lounge seating area and fireplace for pre-function activities as well as a 4,630-square-foot social hall.
The sanctuary designed by domusstudio architecture earned three Orchids and the Grand Orchid award from the San Diego Architectural Foundation in 1997 and a citation from the San Diego chapter of the American Institute of Architects that same year.
$1.09 Million Lease Signed for Real Estate Office
AS Real Estate Holdings LLC has signed a 77-month, $1.09 million lease for 5,813 square feet of office space in the RSD Hilton Head building, a two-story project at 1530 Hilton Head Road, Suite 201, in El Cajon 92019. The lessee was represented by Alex Hayden of Cushman & Wakefield in Irvine. The lessor, RSD Hilton Head LLC, was represented by Daniel McCarthy, Kyle Clark and Kipp Gstettenbauer of Cushman & Wakefield.
Other tenants include the Department of Motor Vehicles, Sycuan Tribal offices and AMS Plastics.
East County Health Fair Set for Saturday
The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce is organizing the East County’s largest free health fair — called Summer Healthcare — on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Grossmont Center shopping center, 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, in La Mesa. The public is invited to attend. The 10th annual event will feature free health screenings for diabetes, blood pressure and stroke, as well as free health information on such topics as nutrition, health insurance, medical supplies, senior care, senior housing, hospice care, home safety and social services. Also available will be information on herbal supplements, fitness centers, eye surgery, dentistry, chiropractic and more. More than 50 exhibit booths will be located near the movie theaters. Sponsors include the Grossmont Healthcare District, Sharp Grossmont Hospital, Alvarado Hospital and Grossmont Center. For event information, phone (619) 440-6161 or visit eastcountychamber.org.
Barona Resort Executive Chef Honored
Jim Phillips, executive chef at Barona Resort & Casino, has received the Gold Medallion Award for Chef of the Year from the California Restaurant Association’s San Diego chapter. The culinary veteran currently oversees more than 400 Barona staff members including 12 chef de cuisines, 30 sous chefs and 220 cooks in addition to six restaurants, several casual eateries as well as special events catering. While at Barona, he also played an role in the development of the menus and concepts of the resort’s Barona Steakhouse, Italian Cucina, El Rancho Grande and The Plaza restaurants.
Phillips manages the Barona Culinary Institute, a certified on-site demonstration kitchen, accredited culinary school and private dining room located within the resort’s main casino. The program is American Culinary Federation Apprenticeship certified and is associated with Grossmont College. Phillips is the apprentice chair of the American Culinary Federation Chefs and Culinarians of San Diego. Currently, he serves as treasurer of Chef Celebration, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships for local rising culinary talent and has been a member of the organization since its inception in 1995.
Sports Hypnosis Promoted for Physical Fitness
For people who want to add mental energy to their physical fitness regimen, San Diego-based Balanced Bodyworks is offering sports hypnosis. Kate Allgood, Bodyworks president, said the physical efforts of athletes and fitness enthusiasts throughout the county can be balanced with sports hypnosis, which improves athletic performance through visualization and reinforcement techniques. “There are a lot of misconceptions out there about what hypnosis is, but I used sport hypnosis when I was an ice hockey player, and it really helped me psychologically train for the intensity of the game and focus on my goals,” said Allgood. Allgood, who has a background in psychology, has previously been recognized as one of Canada’s best female athletes. “Through sports hypnosis, I can now help mentally prepare other athletes – professional and recreational players of all ages – as well as anyone looking to increase their fitness capabilities,” said Allgood.
According to Allgood, sports hypnosis taps into a person’s Alpha awake state. While in this awake state, sport hypnotists reinforce both conscious and unconscious behaviors and motivations that affect athletic performance. It is a form of sports psychology. A person seeking sport hypnosis may wish to overcome mental blocks, focus on specific goals or increase energy levels and stamina, among many other potential benefits.
SCORE San Diego Small Business Workshops
• 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).
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.
