Daily Business Report — April 6, 2011
Cathy Anderson Quits Film Commission
Cathy Anderson has resigned as executive director of the San Diego Film Commission — a position she’s held for more than 26 years — as the nonprofit organization undergoes a downsizing. Rob Dunson, deputy director and production manager of the commission, has been named president and assumes the day-to-day responsibilities of the organization. “The board of directors recognizes and values the years of extraordinary accomplishments under the leadership and vision of Cathy Anderson,” said D. Cruz Gonzalez, board chairman. “Her trailblazing have truly positioned San Diego as one of the world’s premiere locations for motion picture and television production, while earning millions of dollars in revenues for the city and county through her acquisition of high profile projects.”
Anderson began working at the Film Commission as an intern in 1986. She was appointed to head the television division and was responsible for bringing producer Stu Segall and his production company to San Diego, resulting in millions of dollars of economic benefit to the area. In 1997, she moved the film commission out from under the Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce and established it as an independent nonprofit corporation. And in 2004, she funded the San Diego Film Commission Foundation to obtain grants to enhance the education and development of local filmmakers.
East County Colleges Face Drastic Class Reductions
Officials at Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District say they will eliminate more than 780 class section in the next school year, turning away nearly 5,000 students, and reduce summer school to a bare minimum because of an $8.1 million reduction in state money. The almost 30,000 students at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges can expect greater difficulty in enrolling for classes beginning this summer and will take longer to complete the courses they need to transfer to a university or train for a career, the officials said. They’ll also be paying $36 per credit unit, a $10 increase. “We’ve had to make some agonizing decisions as we try to provide the best education to as many as possible with sharply limited resources,” said Cindy L. Miles, district chancellor. The district will reduce hiring, maintenance and supply purchases, and is seeking savings to cut benefits costs by $500,000. The reduced funding from the state comes on top of a $15 million budget shortfall in the district’s $104 million 2010-11 operating budget. The district now has 645 fewer part-time employees, and 60 full-time positions have been left unfilled.
Over the past two years, 1,000 class sections have been cut, and summer school classes have been cut in half from the 2008-09 school year. This spring, almost 12,300 students were unable to enroll in classes – a 350 percent increase from a year ago. The district receives 94 percent of its funding from the state.
Student Services Building in Steel Stage
Construction of the future Student Services Center at San Diego Mesa College is in the structural steel phase, a process that will be going on for the next several weeks. The four-story, 85,000-square-foot building will house a variety of services for students, including admissions, financial aid, evaluations and testing, counseling, student government, Disabled Student Services, information and outreach. It will include classrooms, conference areas, a café and an express elevator between the lower parking lot and the upper campus. More than 700 tons of steel are to be used in the construction. Of the more than 1,000 steel beams, the largest is 33,000 pounds and more than 70 feet tall. The $45.6 million Student Services building is funded by the San Diego Community College District’s $1.555 billion Propositions S and N construction bond program, which is providing new teaching and learning facilities, major renovations, and campuswide infrastructure projects at City, Mesa, and Miramar Colleges, and six Continuing Education campuses throughout San Diego. Companies involved in the construction are Hanna Gabriel Wells Architect; PCL Construction; McMahon Steel Co. Inc.; Snipes-Dye Engineering; Michael Wall Engineers; McParlane and Associates; MLA Design Studio; and Gafcon Inc.
Reno Contracting Forms Tenant Improvement Division
Reno Contracting has formed a new Tenant Improvement Division to focus on tenant improvement projects between 1,000 and 10,000 square feet. The company said that smaller-scale tenant improvements will continue to be a strong sector as businesses regroup, re-negotiate lease terms and modify their work space. Ed Wenz heads up the new division for Reno and Gary Magill will provide field coordination. The new division is the second formed by the company over the past 18 months. In 2009, it launched Reno ESP (Efficient Sustainable Practices) to drive down operating costs of new and existing buildings. Previous tenant improvement projects have ranged from corporate offices, law firms and cafeterias to spas and salons.
Jeremy Warren Joins 2GIG Technologies as CTO
Jeremy Warren, chief technology officer of the U.S. Department of Justice, has been hired as the new chief technology officer of 2GIG Technologies, a Carlsbad company that develops home security and related systems. “We are fortunate to have one of the top federal technology executives coming to work for us at a time of major expansion and innovation at 2GIG,” said Todd Santiago, resident. Before his government work, Warren was chief architect of Lavastorm Technologies of Boston.. He studied computer science engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Unisource Solutions Names Account Manager
Tara Burns, former account manager for Brickman, has been named account manager for Unisource Solutions, which provides office furniture sales and management services. Burns serves on the CREW San Diego board of directors as director of marketing communications, a position she has held since 2006. She is also active in NAIOP San Diego Developing Leaders, BOMA San Diego and volunteers with The Junior League of San Diego. She has a degree from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo.
Latino Physician to Address Planned Parenthood Dinner
Raul Ruiz, the son of farmworkers in the Coachella Valley and the first Latino to earn three graduate degrees from Harvard University, will address more than 1,200 supporters of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest at its anniversary dinner April 26 at San Diego’s Bayfront Hilton. Ruiz earned his way into college by going door-to-door asking neighbors to invest in his education with the promise he would return and serve as a physician in the community. In 2009, he began a mentorship program open to high school, college and medical school students who shadow Ruiz and colleagues in the Eisenhower Medical Center in the Coachella Valley and other health care facilities. “The whole idea is for the students to experience the rewards of serving the under-served,” says Ruiz. “The program builds confidence and gives students real-world leadership experience in providing compassionate medical care.” Ruiz is also the senior associate dean for community engagement and partnership at the University of California at Riverside School of Medicine.
Dwight Winstead to Depart CareFusion
Dwight Winstead, chief operating officer for CareFusion, a medical technology company, will leave the firm on June 30. Winstead has been COO since CareFusion separated from Cardinal Health in September 2009, during which time he had responsibility for sales, marketing, R&D and manufacturing for the company’s business segments. He joined Cardinal Health in 1997 and held a variety of positions including president of the clinical technologies and services business and group president for Cardinal Health’s automation and information services segment. “After 40 years in health care and perhaps the most important two years of my career since the spinoff from Cardinal Health, I look forward to pursuing other passions,” said Winstead.
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 (619287-1865.
