Daily Business Report — Oct. 26, 2010

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.

Design Under Way for New S.D. Blood Bank HQ

Designs are being made for the new headquarters of the San Diego Blood Bank in the Gateway Center at 3636 Gateway Center Ave. in San Diego. Smith Consulting Architects is performing the design work.

Since the early 1970s, the main headquarters for the San Diego Blood Bank has been located at Fifth Avenue and Upas Street in Hillcrest, with other departments operating within an adjacent building and in Kearny Mesa. The primary objective for the new facility is to consolidate all three San Diego Blood Bank locations in one central building.

The San Diego Blood Bank operations will move to an existing two-story, concrete tilt-up building at Gateway Center, previously occupied by DHL.  The San Diego Blood Bank will improve 60,000 square feet of space, while DHL will lease 35,000 square feet of space.

The new headquarters will accommodate the organization’s blood processing operations as well as the Cord Blood and Cell Therapy Center. A new donor center also will operate at the new location, along with mobile collections staff and vehicles and other departments. The schematic design for the new $2 million, design-build facility will be in context with the organization’s existing donor collection facilities in East County, North Inland County, North Coastal County, South Bay, Sabre Springs, Murrieta and El Centro.

Scott Cairns is principal-in-charge for Smith Consulting Architects, with Ned Haskell serving as senior project manager. Reno Contracting is the general contractor. Ron Sutliff with IPM is charged with project management.

CONNECT Wins National Award

CONNECT, the nonprofit organization championing the high-tech and life science industries in San Diego, has been named the winner of the Innovation in Regional Innovation Clusters award sponsored by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The award, one of four presented to organizations in the country, was announced by John Fernandez, assistant secretary of commerce for economic development. The Innovation in Economic Development Awards “showcase some of the nation’s best practices for promoting economic development through collaborative initiatives and highlight outstanding examples of regional success in the global marketplace,” said Fernandez.

CONNECT was formed in 1985 with the mission of commercializing technology coming from San Diego’s many federally-funded research institutions and offering on-going education, networking and recognition to start-up companies in emerging technology business clusters. The California Governor’s Office of Economic Development designated San Diego as one of California’s seven Innovation Hubs (iHUB) and CONNECT serves as the leader of San Diego’s local iHUB effort.

CONNECT is featured in the just released issue of Time Magazine in an article by Bruce Katz called “Intelligent Cities.” The article features CONNECT as a model and highlights its success in helping the region transform into an innovation economy.

Cubic and Italian Firm Land Training Contract

San Diego-based Cubic Corp. and Vitrociset S.p.A., a defense, space and electronics company headquartered in Rome, have been awarded a five-year contract by the Italian Ministry of Defense for combat training. The program will provide the Italian Army’s advanced instrumented combat training center in Europe with live and constructive simulation capabilities at five different sites, and includes urban warfare training instrumentation. The program is expected to generate more than $50 million in revenues over the contract performance period. Cubic and Vitrociset will provide Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) kits to enhance the training of Italian forces in realistic operational settings. It includes urban training, specialized weapons effects, and a simulation element to refine leader command, control, and operational decision making. “Not only is the Italian CTC a significant contract in terms of its size and scope, but it also represent our first major sale in Italy and first ground combat win in Western Europe in many years,” said Bradley H. Feldmann, president of Cubic Defense Applications.

Ad Club Seminar Explores Mobile Applications

The San Diego Advertising Club will present “Exploring the Mobile Application Landscape,” a seminar on the options available in advertising a brand or business using smart phones, from 8 to 10 a.m. on Oct. 29 at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Hanalei Conference Center, 2270 Hotel Circle North, in Mission Valley. The public is invited to attend. Discussion topics will include adoption rates, industry best practices and the different application options, including Android, iPhone and Blackberry. The seminar will be led by Jake Fields of Treeline Interactive, a San Diego-based marketing firm specializing in mobile application platforms. Cost to attend is $35 for Ad Club members and $45 for nonmembers. For more information, visit sandiegoadclub.com or phone (619) 255-2281.

Mercado del Barrio Project Groundbreaking

A groundbreaking ceremony on the Mercado del Barrio Project, a $58.3 million mixed-use residential and commercial complex, is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Wednesday at the southeast corner of Cesar E. Chavez Parkway and Main Street in San Diego. The Redevelopment Agency of the city of San Diego, San Diego Housing Commission, Shea Properties, Chelsea Investment Corp. and Northgate Gonzalez Markets are involved in the project. The Mercado del Barrio project is located in the heart of Barrio Logan, adjacent to historic Chicano Park and the Coronado Bridge near Downtown San Diego. The project will be constructed on two vacant city blocks that encompass 6.8-acres along Cesar E. Chavez Parkway, between Main Street and National Avenue. The Mercado features a 35,000-square-foot Northgate Gonzalez supermarket and 48,000 square feet of complementary street-level retail uses. The residential component, the Estrella del Mercado Apartments, consists of three stories of affordable rental units above ground-floor retail. The 92 apartments will be affordable to households earning between 30-60 percent of Area Median Income (AMI). In 2010, the annual income for a family of four at 30-60 percent AMI is $24,000-$47,000. Shea Properties and Northgate Markets are developing the retail portion of the project and Chelsea Investment Corp. is developing the affordable apartments. The architect for the Mercado is a locally based firm, Safdie-Rabines Architects. Construction is set to begin in early 2011 with completion anticipated in 2012.

The affordable housing portion of the project is being assisted with $9.1 million and land conveyance from the Redevelopment Agency, and $7 million from the San Diego Housing Commission. Additional state funding of $20.5 million was awarded from the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee for the Estrella del Mercado.

The Mercado del Barrio Project will create an estimated 201 short-term jobs, 223 construction jobs and 500 permanent jobs while bringing $200,000 in annual sales tax revenue to the city. The project will also generate about $3 million in tax increment over its lifetime.

SCORE San Diego Small Business Workshops

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

• Oct. 27 – Business Plan 201: How to Write a 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).

• Oct. 28 – Financial Statements – Carlsbad – 9:30-11:30 a.m. at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).

• Oct. 29 – Marketing for Non-Profits – 9-11:30 a.m. at San Diego Foundation – Liberty Station (2508 Historic Decatur Rd #200, San Diego 92106; pre-paid registration $39, $49 at the door).

For more information, call (619) 557-7272 or visit score-sandiego.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.