Daily Business Report — April 5, 2011

Dead Reckoning With Caitlin Rother

“Every story needs an edge,” says Caitlin Rother. “And when the story deals with life and death, that’s the ultimate edge.” Rother, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated investigative reporter, formerly with The San Diego Union-Tribune and a resident of Kensington, was speaking to a rapt audience at the Kensington Library on a recent Saturday, discussing her latest true crime book, “Dead Reckoning.” It tells the well-publicized story of Skylar Deleon, who plotted the murder of Tom and Jackie Hawks by tying them to an anchor and throwing them from their Orange County-based yacht while they were still alive. Read more about Rother’s career in the April issue of the North Park News.

Objections Raised Over Big Carmel Valley Project

Kilroy Realty Development’s proposed Main Street project in Carmel Valley — a massive office, retail, residential and hotel complex planned for the southwest corner of Del Mar Heights Road and El Camino Real — has generated complaints from a group of residents who say it will result in severe density, traffic and environmental problems. Called the San Diego Corporate Center, the project is currently under review by the city of San Diego Planning Department and is expected to go to the San Diego Planning Commission this fall and the San Diego City Council early next year. A draft environmental impact report is to be released this summer. The citizens group has launched a Website (whatpricemainstreet.com) that reviews the project and lists its major objections. “The community has grown increasingly concerned about the one-sided promotion of the Main Street development to the residents of Carmel Valley,” said Jerry Mailhot, a Carmel Valley resident and former member of the Carmel Valley Community Planning Board. “The Website was developed to show the potential negative impacts of the project on Carmel Valley and surrounding communities.”

According to Mailhot, the development will be 10 times the density of the Del Mar Highlands Town Center and twice the size of University Town Center. The developer, he said, intends to build 270,000 square feet of retail, 535,000 square feet of office space housed in a 10-story building and a seven-story building, a 150-175-room hotel and 608 residential units plus parking structures. Among the potential negative impacts highlighted on the website are traffic and infrastructure impacts to the community, parking constraints and, the size and scale of the project. “We are not seeking to eliminate or reduce existing entitlements for the property but working to ensure the density, traffic and parking envisioned in the Community Plan are adhered to,” said Mailhot.  “It is important that any future development on the site is consistent with Carmel Valley’s community character and within the proposed traffic and infrastructure demands for which the area has been planned.”

New County Buildings Get LEED Certification

Two office buildings built as part of the first phase of the County Operations Center and Annex redevelopment in Kearny Mesa have received LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The four-story buildings — each 15,000 square feet — were developed by Lowe Enterprises. They incorporate sustainable design features that reduce environmental effects and daily operation costs. The buildings are occupied by 1,100 employees from nine county departments. The new office buildings use 28 percent less energy compared to a building designed to only meet California’s minimum energy performance requirements and consume 40 percent less water by using high efficiency plumbing fixtures rather than conventional devices. A San Diego Gas & Electric solar electric system, hosted on Parking Structure A, supplies the electrical grid with an estimated 627,216 kilowatts per year of clean energy, enough to supply 103 average single-family homes in San Diego County. The County Operations Center on Overland Avenue is being built in three phases. Two additional 150,000-square-foot office buildings and a 15,000-square-foot conference center and a cafeteria are currently under way.

USD Launches Leadership Development Program

The University of San Diego School of Business is launching a new Undergraduate Leadership Development Program, which will benefit from a gift from Margie and Ken Blanchard, leadership experts. The gift amount was not disclosed. It will fund the Margie and Ken Blanchard Leadership Forums featuring keynote speakers who will “provide fundamental exposure to the transformational power of leadership and assist participants in self-reflective and self-assessment exercises.” The new program also will include a leadership fellows academy and training retreats to provide undergraduates with intensive training, role-playing and self-assessment to become ethical and transformative leaders. The business school plans to raise a total of $600,000 to endow the program.

CityMark Starts Building Beacons

CityMark Development has started construction on Beacons, a 10-home development west of Highway 101 in Leucadia.   The residences will range from 1,930 to 3,150 square feet with three to four bedrooms. The development is at the corner of Highway 101 and Daphne Street. “We are building one-of-a-kind homes that fit the surroundings and give residents the urban experience of walking to Leucadia’s beaches, shops and restaurants,” said Richard Gustafson, CityMark president.

Invetech Appoints V.P and Operations Manager

Daniel Schumann, a veteran in product development and manufacturing, has been appointed vice president and operations manager of Invetech’s San Diego office. The company helps businesses take products from the concept stage to design and engineering processes and manufacturing. Schumann has more than 15 years of product development, manufacturing, and marketing experience.  Prior to joining Invetech in 2009, he was co-founder and vice president of product development and manufacturing at MediPhysics Inc., a medical device start-up company, where he led the development of two medical devices. Schumann previously served as director of operations for a biomedical development and manufacturing firm in Orange County. He has six years of product development and manufacturing experience at the Ford Motor Co. and its Jaguar Cars North America operations, where he served as the product manager for the S-Type sedan. Schumann holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, a master’s degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a master’s degree from the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern.

Jack in the Box Executive Honored

Linda A. Lang, chairman, CEO and president of Jack in the Box Inc., has been named “Person of the Year” by Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County and will receive her award at the organization’s annual gourmet dinner on Oct. 6 at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine. Lynn Swann, NFL Hall of Famer, sports broadcaster and board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, will emcee. Lang was named chairman and CEO of Jack in the Box in October 2005 and added the title of president in February, 2010. She also serves on the board of The Jack in the Box Foundation. Lang serves on the board of directors for the WD-40 Co., San Diego State University’s College of Business Administration and the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. In 2009, former Gov. Arnold appointed her to the California State University Board of Trustees.

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SCORE San Diego Small Business Workshops

• April 7 – 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).

• April 8 – Import–Export – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• April 9– Introduction to Starting Your Own Business – 9:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92009; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• April 9 – Internet Marketing 201 – Build Your Business through Search Engine Optimization – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• April 9 – QuickBooks Basic – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• April 12 – Legal Issues for Small Business – Contacts 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).

• April 13 – Internet Marketing 303 – Social Media for Small Businesses – 9 a.m. to noon at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92009; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).

• April 14 – Effective Marketing – Identify and Target Your Customers – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• April 14 – 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 16 – Business Plan 201: How to Write a Winning Business Plan – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $99, $109 at the door).

• April 19 – Internet Marketing 304 – Cost-Effective Internet Marketing Tools – 9 a.m. to noon at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).

• April 20 – Buying and Selling a Business – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• 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.