Daily Business Report — Jan. 12, 2011
ROEL Construction to be Sold to Boston Firm 
San Diego-based ROEL Construction Co., a family-owned construction industry fixture for 94 years with an imprint in such projects as Legoland and Father Joe’s Villages, is being acquired by Suffolk Construction Co. Inc. of Boston, one of the largest privately held construction firms in the country. The impending sale is expected to close in February. Financial terms were not disclosed. ROEL Construction Co., which was founded in North Dakota in 1917 by Tom Roel, employs about 250 people in California and generates $300 million in annual revenue. A Suffolk spokeswoman said it is not yet known whether the firm’s name will be changed. Suffolk officials said there are no planned changes for ROEL’s staffing.
“I have been impressed with ROEL and its longstanding history of quality work, client service and commitment to innovative building practices, which is why I am so excited about this opportunity to combine our strengths and resources,” said John Fish, CEO of Suffolk Construction. “ROEL is a major player on the West Coast, so we see this as a tremendous growth opportunity, both locally in California and nationally, particularly in our core practice areas of commercial, multi-family residential, education, health care, science and technology.”
John Elliott, ROEL’s board chairman, said the acquisition will ensure its ongoing ability to serve its customers in the future. Added Wayne Hickey, CEO of ROEL, “Suffolk is a robust company with a national presence and we look forward to combining forces with a company which we share a great amount of synergy, including core values and principles such as quality, integrity and a focus on client service.”
According to a history of ROEL on the company Website, three ROEL generations have carried on the tradition of founder Tom Roel. Paul Roel, Tom’s son, carried the business from 1936-1987. Stephen Roel, Paul’s son, has been the steward of the family business from 1987 to the present, where he acts as chairman. Wayne Hickey, CEO, currently runs the company, assisted by Kevin Elliott, president/COO, great-grandson of Tom and fourth generation of the Roel family to be involved in the business.
Other recent or current projects that ROEL has been involved with include the new County Operations Center, two affordable housing projects at Father Joe’s Villages, Spectrum Pharmaceuticals in Irvine and tenant improvements at Procopio,Corey, Hargreaves & Savitch.
Suffolk’s California projects include the Newport Coast Marriott in Newport Beach, ICON Plaza at USC in Los Angeles, the Cresta Bella Apartments in San Diego and the Jewish Home for the Aging in Reseda.
California Bank & Trust Names Vice President
Jill Faucher has been named vice president and marketing communications manager for California Bank & Trust. Faucher, who has more than 21 years of banking experience in San Diego, previously was a top sales and marketing manager at Point Loma Community Bank and Union Bank. She holds a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University and is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington. Faucher was a 2005 recipient of SD METRO’s 40 Under 40 Awards.
Thomas Williams Joins Bank of Internet USA
Thomas Williams has been named senior vice president and chief risk officer for the Bank of Internet USA. Williams has 15 years of experience as a regulator at the Office of Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Reserve. “Previously, the duties of the chief Risk officer were assigned to our chief credit officer. We believe splitting the role of chief credit officer and chief risk officer is a prudent investment in our risk management infrastructure,” said Greg Garrabrants, president and CEO of the bank. Williams previously was executive director of commercial credit review at Capital One in New York. Before that, he was the director of regulatory relations at Silicon Valley Bank in Santa Clara for six years. Earlier in his career, Williams was a principal examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco for five years and a national bank examiner with the OCC for 10 years.
SDSU Professor Receives Language Fellowship
Karen Emmorey, professor in SDSU’s School of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, has been named a 2010 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a top honor for researchers in all areas of science. Emmorey is one of three Fellows chosen from the AAAS linguistics section and the fifth SDSU faculty member to receive the honor. She was nominated by peers in her program for her research on sign language and what it reveals about the nature of human language, cognition and the brain. Emmorey will present her research during a symposium titled “Crossing Borders in Language Science: What Bilinguals Tell Us about Mind and Brain” on Feb. 18, at the 2011 AAAS annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Buzz Aldrin Appears at the Air & Space Museum
Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who with Neil Armstrong became the first persons to land on the moon in the Apollo 11 lunar mission, will be at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park on Feb. 1 to sign copies of his recent memoir, “Magnificent Desolation,” and his children’s books, “Look to the Stars” and “Reaching for the Moon.” He will be at the museum fron 1 to 2:30 p.m. Attendance is free with museum admission. Aldrin is appearing to open the museum’s new space-themed exhibit, “SPACE: A Journey to our Future.” For more, visit sandiegoairandspace.org.
Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
A Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration and musical gala will be held Jan. 13 from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. in the Naval Air Station North Island Base Theatre in Coronado. The sponsor is the Fleet Readiness Center Southwest Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee. A unity walk from the north parking lot of the Sea and Air Bowling Center to the Theatre Main Entrance will precede the service at 10:15 a.m. The commemoration will feature as a guest speaker Farrell Chiles, Veterans Affairs Committee chairman of the San Gabriel Valley branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The musical gala will feature Lanee’ Battle.The event is open to all military, dependents, and workers with authorized base access.
Small Business Workshops
SCORE San Diego has scheduled January workshops to help small business owners and those interested in starting a small business. Fees range from $29 to $109. For more information, call (619) 557-7272. To register for a workshop online, visit scoresandiego.org.
Upcoming SCORE San Diego Workshops:
• Jan. 13 – Financing Your Business – 9:30 a.m. to noon at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).
• Jan. 14 – Legal Issues for Small Business: 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).
• Jan. 15 – QuickBooks Basic – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at National University – Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• Jan. 18 – Restaurant 101 – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at National University – Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).
• Jan. 19 – Internet Marketing 301: Increase Sales Through Pay-Per-Click – 9 a.m. to noon at National University – Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).
• Jan. 20 – Internet Marketing 101: Use the Internet to Successfully Marketing Your Business – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at National University – Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• Jan. 21 – Women’s Networking Breakfast – 8 to 11 a.m. at Morgan Run Resort & Club (5690 Cancha de Golf, Rancho Santa Fe 92091; pre-paid registration $30 by Jan. 18, $40 thereafter).
• Jan. 21 – Business Basics 101 – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; no charge – please pre-register).
• Jan. 24 – Professional Selling: Increase Your Business Sales Now! – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at National University – Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• Jan. 24 – Insurance: What You Need to Know – 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).
• Jan. 25 – Introduction to Starting Your Own Business – 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at National University – Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• Jan. 26 – Business Plan 201: How to Write a Winning Business Plan – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at National University – Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $99, $109 at the door).
• Jan. 26 – Good Governance for Nonprofits: Effective Board Performance – 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).
• Jan. 27 – Internet Marketing 302: Develop a Winning E-mail Marketing Success Strategy – 9 a.m. to noon at National University – Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).
• Jan. 27 – Financial Statements: What They Mean, How to Use Them – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at National University – Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).
• Jan. 28 – Marketing and Contracting with State and Local Governments – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at National University – Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• Jan. 31 – Intellectual Property: Promise and Practicalities – 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).
The Daily Business Report is produced by REP Publishing Inc., publisher of SD METRO, the North Park News, Kensington News and the West Coast Craftsman. (619) 906-4104.
