Daily Business Report — Dec. 8, 2010

Mayor’s Chief of Staff to Head Downtown Partnership

Kris Michell, chief of staff for Mayor Jerry Sanders, has been named president of the Downtown San Diego Partnership and will assume the post on Feb. 14. Michell, who has been chief of staff since 2005, succeeds Shirley Horton, who resigned in August. She will remain with the mayor’s office through Jan. 14. “Kris Michell is a dynamic leader and a respected professional,” said Partnership Chairman Scott Maloni.  “Kris has a long history of building diverse coalitions across the region to benefit major programs and projects. Her experience will help strategically position the Partnership as the leading advocate for Downtown. Enhancing downtown benefits the entire region.”

Before joining the Sanders administration, Michell served as vice president of the Sickels Group. She previously served as vice president at Marsh Risk and Insurance Services. She also played a role in the successful development of Petco Park and surrounding redevelopment as vice president of governmental relations for the San Diego Padres.

Prior to her work for the Padres, Michell served in the administration of Mayor Susan Golding as director of community outreach, director of special projects and chief of staff. She also worked as community affairs director for the Building Industry Association. She’s a native San Diegan and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from San Diego State University.

Northrop Grumman Awarded Air National Guard Contract

Northrop Grumman Corp. in San Diego has been awarded a $12.7 million contract to provide software and hardware that will allow C-130H air crews of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command to communicate with ground crews during airlift, airdrop and search and rescue operations. The software and hardware will enable real-time tactical information to be displayed in the C-130H cockpit and navigator station. Northrop Grumman is also installing the ARC-210 airborne military radio, which provides two-way voice and data communications and is software-operated. Following a 12-month integration phase, Northrop Grumman will install the new capability in 32 Air National Guard C-130H aircraft. Borsight Inc. of Ogden, Utah, is the A-kit installer. The 22-month contract, which supports the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center, was awarded by the Defense Micro-Electronics Activity.

Cruise Ships to Get Power from the Dock

Cruise ships docked in San Diego will now be able to get their power from a $7.1 million system on the dock instead of from their diesel engines. The Port of San Diego installed the system,  becoming the fifth port in the world with that capability. “It’s a huge electrical system,” said Michelle White, manager of the Green Port Program. “We can provide up to 12 megawatts of power. That’s enough to power a large college campus.” White said when a cruise ship uses the shore power system while docked, it prevents about one ton of pollutants from entering the air. The system will be dedicated at 2 p.m. Saturday at the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal. The infrastructure that will provide shore power to cruise ships docked at the B Street terminal will also have the capability of powering a ship docked at the new Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier, which will serve as both an event center and auxiliary cruise ship terminal when it opens later this month.

To help pay for the system, the port was awarded a $2.4 million state Carl Moyer grant by the California Air Resources Board through the county’s Air Pollution Control District. Initially, one cruise ship can be powered from shore at a time. Eventually, the system will be able to power two cruise ships simultaneously, either at B Street or at the terminal and event center on Broadway Pier. The  infrastructure was installed by Cochran Electric Inc.

Better Business Bureau Presents Torch Awards

The San Diego Better Business Bureau has awarded six companies and a nonprofit organization with a 2010 Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics for demonstrating a commitment to ethical business practices in their relationship with customers, employees and vendors. The six winning comparies are RSVP Publications of San Diego; K-CO Construction Inc. of San Diego; DSD Business Systems of San Diego; Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air of El Cajon; JW Floor Covering; and SkillStorm. Pacific Safety Council was the nonprofit honored.

Five high school students who wrote essays on the importance of ethics and integrity in the community were presented with cash scholarships. A total of 238 essays from students attending 74 different high schools in San Diego County were evaluated by the judges. Sycuan Casino was the presenting sponsor of this year’s BBB scholarship program. This year’s recipients of a Torch Award scholarship were: Brent Neely, a senior at San Marcos High School ($500); Ameber Michaelis, a senior at San Dieguito Academy High School in Encinitas ($750); Russyan Mark Mabeza, a senior at Morse High School in San Diego ($1,000); Brett Huff, a senior at Christian High School in El Cajon ($1,250); and Thomas “Andy” Keller, a senior at Granite Hills High School in El Cajon ($1,500).

NASSCO Delivers Evergreen State

NASSCO has delivered the fifth ship of its State-class product carriers to American Petrolem Tankers, a joint venture of the Blackstone Group. The ship, Evergreen State, is in honor of the state of Washington. A christening ceremony was held to commemorate the ship’s entrance into the U.S. Fleet.  The ship’s sponsor was Carol Kurz, wife of American Petroleum Tankers Chief Executive Officer Robert Kurz. NASSCO began constructing the Evergreen State in May 2009. At a length of 600.4 feet, the double-hulled ship has a cargo capacity of  331,000 barrels and will be used to carry petroleum and chemical products between U.S. ports.

Air & Space Museum Gets AAM Accreditation

The San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) has been awarded accreditation from the American Association of Museums, its highest national recognition. Accreditation signifies excellence within the museum community, to the general public, government agencies, educators, funders and donors. SDASM is one of 59 accredited museums in California and became the first AAM-accredited, aero-themed museum in 1986.

SCORE San Diego Small Business Workshops

SCORE San Diego continues its series of low-cost workshops in December. Workshop fees range from $29 to $109, depending on the program. To register, visit score-sandiego.org.

• Dec. 9 – 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).

• Dec. 10 – Internet Marketing 202: E-mail Strategy – 9 a.m. to noon Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).

• Dec. 11 – 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).

• Dec. 13 – Buying and Selling a Business – 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 $69, $79 at the door).

• Dec. 14 – 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).

• Dec. 14 – 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).

• Dec. 15 – 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).

• Dec. 16 – 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).

• Dec. 17 – 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).

• Dec. 18 – Financial Statements – 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).

• Dec. 20 – Business Plan 201: How to Write a Business Plan – Carlsbad – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $99, $109 at the door).

For more information regarding SCORE San Diego’s workshop series and locations, 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.