Daily Business Report — June 13, 2011
SANDAG Purchases Land to Offset Road Project Impacts
The San Diego Association of Governments has purchased close to 150 acres of land in San Diego County for $6.7 million to offset environmental impacts from road projects. The agency spent $4 million to acquire 80.3 acres in Jeffries Ranch in eastern Oceanside. Located near the San Luis Ray River south of State Route 76, the area is home to rare plants and endangered birds. Land totaling 37.3 acres in Bonsall was purchased by SANDAG for $1.42 million. It is part of an 82.8-acre property that the agency and the city of Oceanside jointly purchased and is located along SR 76 at Via Monserate and Gird Road. The land encompasses cottonwood riparian woodland, developing riparian scrub, riverine flow through wetland, open sand, and non-native grassland. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has concluded that the preservation of the property would contribute to the recovery of the arroyo toad, least Bell’s vireo, and other sensitive species found in the San Luis Rey River corridor. SANDAG’s other purchase was of 31.4 acres in Carmel Valley that was acquired for $1.27 million. It is located south of SR 56 and north of Del Mar Mesa. The site is fallow agricultural ground, which will be restored to riparian habitat to attract the endangered least Bell’s vireo. An adjacent parcel has already been successfully restored and is now supporting the bird. Money for the open space purchases came from the 40-year extension of the regional TransNet half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2004. As part of the TransNet extension, SANDAG created the Environmental Mitigation Program to preserve and restore native habitats to compensate for disturbances caused by regional and local transportation projects.
Davidson Communities Acquires Rancho Santa Fe Land
Davidson Communities has acquired the last development parcel at The Crosby at Rancho Santa Fe to build 43 homes with golf course and canyon views. Plans are being drawn by Bassenian/Lagoni Architects for single- and two-story residences for the property. The Crosby is a gated community located just east of the Village of Rancho Santa Fe and is comprised of 70 villas, 281 custom-quality homes and 70 estate home sites surrounded by an 18-hole private golf course.
Qualcomm to Acquire Rapid Bridge LLC
Qualcomm Inc. has agreed to acquire the assets of Rapid Bridge LLC, a San Diego-based inventor of advanced techniques for developing semiconductor products. Qualcomm said the company’s technology reduces complexity in integrated circuit development at advanced technology nodes to enable greater design flexibility and optimized die size and power consumption. Rapid Bridge’s San Diego design team and San Diego/Bangalore engineering services operations will be integrated into Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of fiscal year 2011.
Debbie Murray Joins Cumming Corp.
Debbie Murray, a 20-year construction industry veteran, has been hired by Cumming Corp. as director of the company’s education sector practice in San Diego. Murray has expertise in school expansions and renovations, including K-12 construction. Prior to joining Cumming, Murray served as program planning coordinator for Grossmont Union High School District. While there, she managed more than $75 million worth of public works projects and oversaw both the architectural design and construction side of the Proposition H program. She was also responsible for the development and implementation plan for the newly passed $417 million Proposition U bond program. The plan — called “Building a New Grossmont”, and for which Murray provided educational specifications, budgeting, and phasing — included modernization and new construction at various schools throughout the district, along with the construction of a new high school in the eastern part of the county.
Schubach Aviation Appints Charter Sales Director
Kimberly Herrell has rejoined Schubach Aviation has director of charter sales. A 10-year veteran of the customer service field, Herrell originally joined Schubach Aviation in 2005 as a charter sales coordinator. In January 2010, she and her newly wed husband, Ryan Herrell, embarked on an 11-month sojourn to South America and Europe, traveling throughout Argentina, Uruguay, Belgium, France, Italy and Spain. Prior to working at Schubach Aviation, she served three years as a charter sales coordinator for Million Air Salt Lake City. She also served three years as a concierge at the five-star Grand America Hotel, also located in Salt Lake City.
David Kleinfield Named Chair of Goodwin Proctor Office
Goodwin Proctor LLP has appointed partner David E. Kleinfeld as chair of its San Diego office. Kleinfeld, who joined Goodwin in 2010, is a partner in the litigation department and a member of the intellectual property group. He will replace Stephen Ferruolo who is retiring from private practice to become dean of the University of San Diego School of Law on Aug. 1. Ferruolo will remain Of Counsel to Goodwin Procter. Kleinfeld has represented Ernst & Young, Hewlett-Packard, HTC, Kyocera, Nokia and Qualcomm Inc., among others, in litigation involving intellectual property, unfair competition and various business and commercial disputes. He also represented the city of San Diego in litigation relating to the multibillion dollar underfunding of the San Diego City Employee Retirement System. Kleinfeld is a founding master of the J. Clifford Wallace American Inn of Court and president of the board of directors of San Diego Opera. Goodwin’s San Diego office was opened in March 2007 and has 14 attorneys.
Kyocera Communications is 2011 Recycler of the Year
Kyocera Communications Inc. (KCI) has been named “2011 Recycler of the Year” by the city of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department — the 11th consecutive year it has been honored for its recycling and environmental practices. Kyocera, which operates multiple divisions in San Diego, now has earned 18 such awards from the city – more than any other business in San Diego, according to the Environmental Services Department.” In 2010, KCI recycled more than 43,590 pounds of paper, plastic, electronic and other waste materials otherwise destined for landfills. The company also used more than 1.4 million gallons of reclaimed water, primarily for irrigation, reducing its dependence on fresh water.
Small Business Workshops
SCORE San Diego continues its series of low-cost workshops. Fees range from $29 to $109, depending on the program. To register online, visit score-sandiego.org. For more information, call (619) 557-7272.
• June 14 – Business Basics 101 – 9 a.m. to noon at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; No charge – please pre-register).
• June 14 – Managing Grants and Contracts – 9 to 11:30 a.m. at The San Diego Foundation in Point Loma (2508 Historic Decatur Road, #200, San Diego 92106; pre-paid registration $39, $49 at the door).
• June 15 – Internet Marketing 303 – Social Media for Small Businesses – 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).
• June 17 – 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).
• June 18 – 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).
• June 18 – 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).
• June 21 – Financing Your Business – 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).
• June 22 – 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).
• June 28 – Introduction to Starting Your Own Business – 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).
• June 29 – Tax Considerations for Small Business – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).
• June 30 – Business Basics 101 – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; no charge – please pre-register).
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.
