San Diego Scene 9.2011

Grown-ups Invited to Play at Girl Scouts Campus

San Diego companies looking for an invigorating retreat venue might consider booking a “Corporate Day in the Park” at Girl Scouts San Diego’s campus in Balboa Park. The property features an “Adventure Zone” where attendees can climb a 40-foot tower, explore a six-level tree house — complete with ladders, suspension bridges, sliding poles and climbing ropes — try their hand at archery, attempt challenge courses, engage in team-building activities, and, if desired, work on community service projects. Amenities include indoor/outdoor meeting and picnic areas, grills, fire rings, restrooms and ample parking. Catered meals are also available. The fees support Girl Scout programs such as camp (above photo), held at the Balboa Park site. Open to all girls, the sessions mix traditional camp fun with leadership development activities and other lessons … including discovering nature.

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Condoleeza Rice Keynotes Fundraiser

Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice will deliver the keynote address at an Oct. 8 fundraising dinner sponsored by Solutions for Change, a Vista-based nonprofit organization that assists the homeless. With the theme “An Evening to Remember,” the event will be held at the Rancho Bernardo Inn and also will include dinner, a live auction and singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk. Tables of 10 are $2,500, and individual tickets may be purchased for $250 a plate. Table sponsorship opportunities begin at $5,000. A $7,500 donation sustains a family for a year in the Solutions for Change program.
The fundraiser is part of the Solutions for Change Finding Our Way Home initiative, whose goal is to lead 200 families and their 400 children out of homelessness within three years. TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company CEO and President Mark King, who is chairing the initiative, will emcee the evening. Rice is a Palo Alto resident and political economy professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. She served as the United States National Security Adviser from 2001-2005 before her tenure as the 66th Secretary of State (2005-2009). Rice was Stanford’s provost from 1993-1999 and she is co-founder of the Center for a New Generation, an after-school program created to raise the high school graduation numbers of East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park. Tickets and more information about “An Evening to Remember” are available at SolutionsForChange.org/events or by calling (760) 941-6545, Ext. 320.

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Help for Entrepreneurs

Moms in Business Unite, an educational conference, has launched MIBU University to provide low-cost, business-relevant classes to help entrepreneurs in business. The first classes, offered in partnership with The Microsoft Store, will begin in September in San Diego. “It’s almost back-to-school time, so this is a perfect chance to unveil something we’ve been crafting ever since our first conference, when attendees told us one day a year of MIBU education and inspiration simply isn’t enough,” said Cristen Lebsack, MIBU vice president. “Our inaugural classes focus on computer applications and the business problems they solve, but we’ll be offering education in many areas that are critical to business success.” The Microsoft Store in Fashion Valley will host the first classes on Sept. 27. Each three-hour class will cover a business and Microsoft topic, including Word, Excel, Office 365, Branding Your Business — LinkedIn, Outlook and OneNote. Each class is $10. More information is available at momsinbusinessunite.com/university.

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Parade of Ships

Downtown’s North Embarcadero will be transformed into a nautical theme park when more than 20 tall ships and other seagoing vessels from around the world congregate for the 2011 Festival of Sail on Sept. 2-5. The festival kicks off with a parade of tall ships on San Diego Bay on Sept 1. The parade begins at 11 a.m. and can be seen from the Embarcadero, Harbor Island, Shelter Island and Coronado. Festival visitors can enjoy touring the ships, live entertainment at the Festival of Sail main stage, food and drink from dozens of restaurant booths, a family activity area, petting zoo and shop for one of-a-kind items among more than 150 festival vendors.
More than a dozen windjammers, led by a vessel from the Unites States Navy, will sail into San Diego’s harbor in a nautical procession. The best spots to view from shore include the Maritime Museum, Cabrillo National Monument, local restaurants and businesses on Shelter Island, Harbor Island and the North Embarcadero. Several ships will engage in cannon battle reenactments on San Diego Bay during the festival. Individuals can purchase tickets to be on board for the experience. Tickets are $65 for adults and $40 for children 12 and under. This is not recommended for children under 5. A 2011 tall ships ticket is also required. Tickets are for sale now on the Website of the sponsoring San Diego Maritime Museum (sdmaritime.org).

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Suds for a Good Cause

The 17th annual San Diego Festival of Beer returns to Downtown on Sept. 9 featuring 70 breweries and 150 types of San Diego craft beers. The event, to be held from 6 to 11 p.m. at Columbia and B streets, is the largest fundraiser of San Diego Professionals Against Cancer. All proceeds will be donated to local cancer organizations. Sponsored by Sophie 103.7, the San Diego Festival of Beer also includes food, wine and live music on two stages. Tickets are $40 beginning Sept. 1. Tickets include admission into the event, 10 (4 oz) beer tastes and a souvenir tasting mug for the first 6,000 attendees. Extra beer tastes, wine, merchandise and food are also available for purchase. Those entering the event must be 21 or older.
“We started this festival 17 years ago as a fundraising event that would be different from anything else out there,” said Rachel Cano, co-founder of San Diego Professionals Against Cancer and a deputy district attorney for the county. “San Diego has become known as one of the best craft beer regions in the nation. When we first started we had maybe a dozen brewers and we’ve grown to over 60.” The festival has raised more than $530,000 to date. For more information, visit sdbeerfest.org.

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C-3 Celebrates 50 Years

Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Oct. 6 with an evening program in the Grand Ballroom in the House of Hospitality in Balboa Park. Registration is at 6 p.m. and a reception is at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person and $85 after Sept. 10.

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Greatest Show on Turf

The San Diego Automotive Museum and the Car Club Council of Greater San Diego are presenting their annual car show — the Greatest Show on Turf — on Sept. 11 at Liberty Station in Point Loma (2500 Historic Decatur Road). The scheduled viewing hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the event is free and open to the public. A $20 registration fee is required for persons who want to put their car on display. Day of show registration is $25. It is an open-class show. There will be 25 top picks plus three special trophies. Owners of lowrider bikes, motorcycles and scooters have been invited to participate in the show this year. All proceeds benefit the San Diego Automotive Museum and the Car Club Council of Greater San Diego. For information and registration, call (619) 398-0307.
A memorial ceremony for persons who lost their lives on 9/11 will be held at 10:30 a.m. There will be the presentation of colors by several law enforcement agencies as part of the program. Local Boy Scout troops will also be participating in the event.

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MiresBall a Top Workplace

San Diego-based MiresBall is one of the top places to work in America, according to a new national ranking by Outside magazine, a lifestyle publication that focuses on fitness, travel and adventure. The local brand agency is one of 50 companies recognized for setting a new standard for a healthy work-life balance. Scott Mires, partner and creative director, said the firm’s emphasis on a healthy work-life balance helps to motivate employees, foster collaboration and deliver quality work for clients. Employees keep reasonable hours and can spend time they need away from the office to maximize productivity at work, said Mires. In addition, comprehensive benefits packages provide medical and dental benefits, retirement savings, paid vacation and sick leave. Employees also enjoy a mix of high-profile projects involving Fortune 50 companies, among others. “We are a creative services business and we generate big ideas outside traditional business hours, not to mention outdoors,” said John Ball, partner and creative director. Ball said the firm has added clients in the luxury products, health care and technology sectors, and increased revenues by 31 percent and staffing by 20 percent in the last three years despite the weak economy. Earlier this year, the agency relocated to larger offices, a one-time coffin warehouse that now features near floor-to-ceiling gallery-quality art, to accommodate its strong growth. The “Best Places to Work” fourth annual ranking is included in the September issue of Outside magazine and online at outsideonline.com.

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Exploring New Frontiers

A new forum — The Atlantic Meets the Pacific — dedicated to the exploration of new frontiers, will be staged by UCSD and The Atlantic Oct. 17-19 at venues on and around the university campus. Attendees will hear speakers addressing new frontiers in science, medicine, technology and energy. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, will be interviewed by The Atlantic’s James Fallows. Also featured will be guru Deepak Chopra, Caltech physicist and author Leonard Mlodinow, Atlantic Editor James Bennet, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, computer game designer and Sims creator Will Wright and The Atlantic’s Alexis Madrigal. Many of the talks will be at the Scripps Seaside Forum at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The event will include behind-the-scenes tours at SIO, UCSD’s Calit2 digital media laboratory and Moores Cancer Center, The Scripps Research Institute and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute. The final day of the event will take place at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, founded in 1960 by polio vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk. To register for the forum, visit http://events.theatlantic.com/atlanticmeetspacific/2011.

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Pro Bono Service Awards

The San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program has announced its annual Pro Bono Service Award recipients for this year. Andrew J. Kessler of Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch is Pro Bono Attorney of the Year. Law Firm of the Year is the Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker firm. The Lawyers Club of San Diego receives the Community Service Award. They will be honored at the Justice for All Celebration Sept. 22 at 5:30 p.m. at the San Diego Museum of Man in Balboa Park.
Kessler is an associate at Procopio Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch where his practice focuses on construction litigation and contract disputes in California and Nevada. Kessler’s work as a volunteer attorney involves representing domestic violence victims in difficult, volatile and emotional cases.  Hastings Janofsky & Walker’s San Diego office has been a proponent of law firm pro bono participation through its investment of staff and other resources. Its legal staff amassed considerable pro bono hours assisting clients in nonprofit and incorporation issues and in a wide variety of cases handled by the AIDS Law Project. Lawyers Club of San Diego was selected for its ongoing support and involvement in the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, including its help in launching the Domestic Violence Restraining Order Clinic Program and co-founder of the Women’s Resource Fair.

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Jewelry and Jobs on Display

“Job Success in Today’s Market” is the opening panel talk at this year’s Jewelry Career Fair and Open House sponsored by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Carlsbad. The Oct. 21 event also will include other panel sessions, career coaching, on-site recruiting, classroom workshops and exhibits. The “Job Success in Today’s Market” panel session will feature industry executives who will offer advice on how to create a successful career path. The panelists include: Matthew A. Runci, president and CEO, Jewelers of America; Cathryn Ramirez, group director, Tiffany & Co.; Au-Co Mai, president and CEO, Emitations.com; Richard Drucker, president, Gemworld International; and Sara Beth Brown, recent GIA graduate and sales associate, Breitling Boutique. Donna Baker, GIA president and CEO, will moderate. Additional sessions will include “From Design to Finish” and “Creative Careers,” and one-on-one career coaching will be available. Attendees can also participate in classroom workshops and view gem and jewelry exhibits throughout the day. The Career Fair and Open House is on from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Employers who would like to recruit at this year’s event can sign up with the online registration form, contact GIA’s Career Services office at (800) 421-7250, Ext. 4093, or e-mail kimberly.northup@gia.edu. Job seekers can call GIA’s Jewelry Career Fair hotline at (800) 421-7250, Ext. 4100, or e-mail careerfair@gia.edu. For more information, visit careerfair.gia.edu.

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Security Business Bank Opens Escondido Office

Security Business Bank will open an Escondido office today at 800 La Terraza Blvd — its fourth banking office in San Diego County. Located in the Auto Club building, the office will be the forcus of the bank’s North County operations. Chris Burt, a senior vice president, will oversee the company’s Escondido operation. A founder of Bank of Escondido, Burt has hired Jessica Millea as lending assistant; Susie Yang as assistant vice president and personal banker and Carlia Casteel as assistant vice president and operations supervisor.

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El Cajon Public Safety Center Construction Completed

Gafcon Inc. reports the completion of El Cajon’s new $40 million Public Safety Center on a 5.7-acre site at 100 Civic Center Way adjacent to El Cajon City Hall. The new 332,150-square-foot center is a five-story structure with 212,750 square feet of parking integrated on three levels. The state-of-the-art facility includes administrative and operational space for all police divisions. It also features a modern communication and dispatch center, an emergency operations center, community meeting room, indoor firing range, crime laboratory, property processing and evidence storage area, short-term custody facility and a central data center. The building will house all police functions in one location. It meets LEED Gold standards with the installation of energy-efficient IT and AV equipment to reduce energy consumption. It includes an energy-efficient mechanical system, natural ventilation, solar power an efficient lighting system and other renewable energy features. Proposition O, a half-cent sales tax increase approved by El Cajon residents in November 2004 funded the project. Construction commenced in June 2009. Gafcon was the construction manager. The project team included KMA Architecture & Engineering in partnership with McClaren, Wilson & Lawrie, Inc.; Ledcor Construction Inc., the general contractor; Burkett & Wong Engineers; Wimmer, Yamada and Caughey, landscape architect; IT Pathworx, audio visual security and telecom consultant; DTR Consulting Services, specification consultant; and Testmarx, building commissioning agent. Major subcontractors included Alpha Mechanical Heating & Air Inc., Gotte Electric, and Peltzer Plumbing.

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Program Focuses on Attracting Best Workers

The Equinox Center and the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. will sponsor a Sept. 14 program — “The Young & Restless: Winning the Race for America’s Best Talent” — at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine in La Jolla. The program will focus on what the San Diego Region can do to attract college-educated young adults. Speaker will be Joseph Cortright, an economist and Brookings Institution fellow. The event begins with registration at 11:30 a.m. with the lunch and program from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $65 or $550 for table of 10. Register at http://theyoungandrestless.eventbrite.com. Cortright is an economist specializing in regional economic analysis, innovation and industry clusters. He has advised state and local governments, private businesses, foundations and advocacy groups in more than a dozen states, Canada and Europe.