Daily Business Report — Oct. 13, 2010

Vote for the Most Admired Company

San Diego Metropolitan Magazine is soliciting nominations for the 15 Most Admired Companies in San Diego County. The winning companies will be profiled in the December issue of the magazine. To nominate a company, fill out the form on our Website: sandiegometro.com. The deadline is Oct 30. For more information, call Rebeca Page at (619) 906-4104 or send an e-mail to her at rebecapage@sandiegometro.com.

Indian Tribe Renames San Diego Sports Arena

A North County Indian gaming tribe has signed a multi-year marketing deal with the operator of the San Diego Sports Arena that will result in the renaming of the sports venue as the Valley View Casino Center on Nov. 1. Financial terms of the agreement with AEG Facilities, which manages the arena, were not disclosed, but it will allow the Valley View Casino & Hotel in Valley Center to be marketed along with the sports arena under its new name. The San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians is the owner of the Valley Center casino and hotel. The agreement was approved by the San Diego City Council on Tuesday.

“We look forward to the opportunities that this new venture will provide, including developing a great relationship with the city of San Diego,” said Joe Navarro, president/CEO of the San Pasqual Development Group Inc., the San Pasqual tribe’s gaming corporation. “Since our casino’s inception we’ve been consistently looking for growth opportunities, expanding our casino, building our hotel, and now partnering with the finest sports and entertainment venue in San Diego County.”

The gaming tribe will now market the Valley View Casino Center alongside its casino and hotel brand, and will now also be able to provide its casino guests with premium tickets for all events at the center.

“With Valley View Casino & Hotel as our partner, we will continue to raise the entertainment experience and number of shows while still being the busiest and most centrally located arena in San Diego,” said Ernie W. Hahn II, senior vice president and general manager of the arena.

Built in 1966, the Sports Arena recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation to add a 6,500-square-foot VIP hospitality space, new lower-level seats, LCD televisions and upgraded concourse and arena entrances. The 15,000-seat facility has attracted several popular performers over the years such as Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and U2. It also has attracted sporting events and in November will host the 2010 Fed Cup Final between the U.S. and Italy.

Town Hall Meetings Focus on City Budget

Top San Diego city officials will discuss proposed impacts of the city’s fiscal year 2012 budget and a budget gap estimated at $72 million during a series of eight town hall meetings that begin next Monday. Among the officials attending the sessions are Chief Operating Officer Jay Goldstone, Police Chief William Lansdowne, Fire Chief Javier Mainer and Library Director Deborah Barrow. The town hall meetings:

Monday, Oct. 18: University City High School-Media Center, 6949 Genesee Ave., San Diego 92122. 6 to 7p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 19: Clairemont High School Cafeteria, 4150 Ute Drive, San Diego 92117. 6 to 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 20: Logan Heights Branch Library, 567 So. 28th St., San Diego 92113. 6 to 7 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 25: Point Loma High School Auditorium, 2335 Chatsworth Blvd., San Diego 92106. 6 to 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 26: Valencia Park/Malcolm X Branch Library & Performing Arts Center, 5148 Market St., San Diego 92114. 6 to 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 27: College-Rolando Branch Library, 6600 Montezuma Road, San Diego 92115. 6 to 7 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 28: War Memorial Building, 3325 Zoo Drive, San Diego 92101. 6-7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 30: Scripps Miramar Ranch Branch Library, 10301 Scripps Lake Drive, San Diego 92131. 10-11 a.m.

For more information, call the Office of the Mayor at (619) 236-6330.

Grossmont College Fills Dean’s Position

Kerry Kilber has been named dean of learning resources and technology at Grossmont College, responsible for managing the college-wide learning and technology resources programs. Kilber formerly was director of a Web-based master’s degree program in supply chain management in the College of Business Administration at University of San Diego. Kilber holds a master’s degree in nonprofit leadership and management from the University of San Diego and a bachelor’s degree in German from Minnesota State University, Moorhead. She has been a resident of San Diego for 10 years. She has worked in the private educational support industry before pursuing education management in an academic environment.

Affordable Housing Conference Set for Thursday

The San Diego Housing Federation will host an all-day Affordable Housing & Community Development Conference Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Marina Village Conference Center, 1936 Quivira Way, in San Diego. The theme is “Collaborating for Sustainable Neighborhoods.” The conference will feature 18 workshops throughout the day designed to inform those interested in developing and advocating for the creation of affordable homes for low-income residents of San Diego County. The keynote speaker will be Barry J. Schultz speaking on “Sustainable Neighborhoods — An Equitable Pathway to Prosperity.” The Housing Federation’s new executive director, Susan Riggs-Tinsky, will be introduced during lunch and the retiring director, Tom Scott, will be honored at a post-conference reception. Conference attendance cost for nonmembers is $220. For more information, call Doris Payne-Camp at (619) 606-4138.

New Business Hires

• Red Door Interactive Adds Staff: Internet marketing company Red Door Interactive has added three new staff members to its Downtown San Diego office. Jessica Heinz was hired as business manager. She was formally with Pardee Homes, managing its Web marketing strategy. Nic Van Biene was hired as associate business manager.  Previously, Van Biene was with Zigman/Shields General Contractors as a senior project estimator. Francisco Cuarenta was hired as Web developer. He had been designing new data warehouses for Hitachi.

• Anthology Names VIP Services Manager: Anthology supper club has hired Alan Friedman as manager of VIP services and guest relations. Friedman, who previously worked for Live Nation as the director of premium seat sales for Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre and House of Blues, is heading Anthology’s newest project: a premium seat program where guests can buy packages to the shows they want to see most.

• Chambers Groups Appoints Program Manager: Paul Dean Coker has joined the Chambers Group as program manager. Coker has more than 30 years of industry experience specializing in environmental regulatory compliance including the California Environmental Quality Act, the legal challenges of environmental regulations and case law and grant development, writing and implementation. Coker holds a master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University. He co-founded CEQAmap.com, California’s only online, digital database of environmental planning and regulatory documents.

• Spa Director Named at Hyatt Regency Mission Bay: Carl Velleno, an 11-year veteran in the spa and recreation field, has been appointed director of spa, recreation and guest services at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa & Marina. He will oversee all operations at the property’s Blue Marble Spa in addition to the concierge staff and recreation department. Velleno previously was the spa director and recreation manager at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resourt, Spa and Casino. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis.

SCORE San Diego Small Business Workshops

Fees range from $29 to $109 depending on the program.

• Oct. 14 – Legal Issues: Contracts and Leases – 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).

• Oct. 15 – How to Start and Manage Your Own Business – Carlsbad – 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• Oct. 16 – 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).

• Oct. 18 – Internet Marketing 303: Social Media – 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).

• Oct. 19 – Financing Your Business – Carlsbad – 9:30 a.m. to noon at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).

• Oct. 20 – 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).

• Oct. 22 – Internet Marketing 302: E-mail 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).

• Oct. 22 – Business Basics 101 – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; FREE! Please pre-register).

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.