Daily Business Report — April 25, 2011
Women Rock!
SD METRO is asking readers to send us the names of women who have made a big impact on San Diego — in business, government, education, health, the nonprofit industry and the community at large. After compiling the information, we will select “20 Women Who Impact San Diego” in our June issue. Send us the name, title and contact information for the individual and a short explanation of why she should be honored. E-mail them to Bob Page at bobpage@sandiegometro.com or Rebeca Page at rebecapage@sandiegometro.com.
Project Team for Miramar College Buildings Wins Award
The project team responsible for Miramar College’s Arts and Humanities and Business Technology Classroom buildings have been awarded the Project of the Year Achievement Award from the San Diego chapter of the Construction Management Association of America. The team includes Gafcon, program manager; Sundt Construction; NTD Architecture; and the San Diego Community College District. The Arts and Humanities building includes two state-of-the-arts classroom buildings, each more than 48,500 square feet and equipped with computers and audiovisual and multimedia equipment. Also included is a 60-seat lecture theater, a professional recording studio with soundproof booths and a control room to serve the music production and engineering program, and art labs. The Business Technology Classroom has a 3,000-square-foot mathematics lab, office space, “smart” classrooms and computer labs. Team members said construction of the buildings was completed on time and within budget. “Along with our project partners Sundt Construction and NTD Architecture, we’re elated to win this award,” said Jim Bray, Gafcon campus project manager at Miramar College.
Dean Selected for SDSU College of Business Administration
Michael Cunningham, founder of Cunningham Graphics International, has been named dean of San Diego State University’s College of Business Administration. Cunningham has taught management courses at SDSU since 2005 and previously taught at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and New York University. He earned a Ph.D. and master’s degrees from New York University and a bachelor’s dgree from the University of Massachusetts. Cunningham will begin on June 20. Gail Naughon, the current dean, is leaving the university to focus on her work as CEO and chairman of the board of Histogen Inc., which she founded in 2007.
The Gomez Law Firm Adds Veteran Litigators
Two veteran litigators — Steven C. Vosseller and Robert G. Knaier — have joined the trial attorneys team at The Gomez Law Firm. Vosseller, a 1997 graduate of Washburn University, most previously managed his own boutique trial firm. Prior to that, he worked for two defense firms, and one of San Diego’s plaintiff’s firms. Since 2004, he has obtained over $27 million in judgments and settlements for his clients. He has been named a top 10 San Diego Personal Injury Attorney in voting by peers, and has acted as the co-chair of the San Diego County Bar Association’s General Civil Litigation Section. Gnaier is a 2003 magna cum laude graduate of Cornell Law School. Immediately following graduation, he clerked for the Honorable Richard C. Wesley of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Since 2004, he has worked in the litigation department of Latham & Watkins LLP, in its San Diego Office. His practice there focused on product liability, mass torts and consumer class actions.
Sales Consultant Featured at NAWBO Luncheon
Ann Marie Houghtailing, principal of The Houghtailing Group, will give a May 13 talk on “Why You Need a Sales Culture” to the National Association of Women Business Owners San Diego (NAWBO). It will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Brandman University, 7460 Mission Valley Road, San Diego. The Houghtailing Group is a boutique sales consulting and business development firm. Pre-registration is required. NAWBO San Diego members can attend at no cost, while the fee for visitors is $25. Box lunches will be provided. Online registration and more information are available at nawbo-sd.org.
San Diego County Credit Union Names Two New Executives
San Diego County Credit Union has named Judy Flores as its new chief financial officer and Michelle Pagni as senior vice president of human resources. Flores has more than 25 years of credit union experience. She was previously the president/CEO of Heritage Community Credit Union in Sacramento and of McDonnell Douglas West Federal Credit Union in Huntington Beach. She also held leadership and management roles at The Golden 1 and SAFE credit uniors. Flores was a founding member and officer of the Credit Union National Association CFO Council. She has also been involved with the California Credit Union League. She holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University in Sacramento.
Pagni has held positions with credit unions and banks during a career spanning more than 17 years. She will be involved with developing and directing human resource policies and programs, including organizational planning, training, employment, compensation, benefits, safety and health and employee services. Pagni attended Chapman University and Grossmont and Cuyamaca Colleges and is char of the Port of San Diego Personnel Advisory Board. She is also a member of San Diego Society for Human Resource Management and HRD Network, a networking trade group for credit union professionals.
City Council Redistricting Forum Set for April 28
A forum on the redistricting of San Diego City Council district boundaries — including the creation of a ninth council district — will be held on April 28 by the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. It will be held from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce offices at 402 West Broadway, Suite 1000, in Downtown. Panelist will be Lorena Gonzalez, secretary/treasurer of the San Diego Labor Council; Midori Wong, chief of staff of the San Diego Redistricting Commission; and T.J. Zane, president of the San Diego Lincoln Club.
Convention Center Corp. Named Recyler of the Year
The San Diego Convention Center Corp. has received the city of San Diego’s Recycler of the Year Award. The organization also won the award in 2008 and 2010. Last year, the Convention Center recycled more than 45 percent of total waste, including cardboard, paper, glass, plastic, aluminum and food wastes, among other, and diverted nearly 800 tons of materials away from landfills, according to its officials. The center also conserved more than 81,000 gallons of water through low flow sinks and toilets, drip irrigation and energy-efficient kitchen equipment. The most recent green improvement was the installation of florescent lighting in the building’s 525,701-square-foot exhibit hall, which took place in December 2010. The new lighting fixtures will reduce energy consumption by about 44 percent and makes us the first Convention Center in the nation to go 100 percent florescent in the exhibit halls, officials said.
SCORE San Diego Small Business Workshops
• April 26 – Introduction to Starting Your Own Business – 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• April 26 – Financial Statements – What They Mean, How to Use Them – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).
• April 27 – Financing Your Business – 9:30 a.m. to noon at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92009; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).
• April 27 – Good Governance for Nonprofits: Effective Board Performance – 9 to 11:30 a.m. at The San Diego Foundation in Liberty Station (2508 Historic Decatur Road, #200, San Diego 92106; pre-paid registration $39, $49 at the door).
• April 29 – 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).
• April 29 – Tax Considerations for Small Business – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92009; 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. Contact: Manny Cruz (619) 287-1865.