Daily Business Report — Sept. 6, 2012
DeMaio and Filner Talk Innovation During Debate
Councilman Carl DeMaio and Rep. Bob Filner (D-San Diego) both offered support for efforts to boost innovation in the local economy during a mayoral forum Wednesday in Balboa Park. Innovation was the theme of the debate, one of five this week, hosted by the San Diego Innovation Alliance and KPBS. Few jabs were offered by the candidates. DeMaio said city funding for the arts and sciences was still dependent on continued reforms in city finances, while Filner said one has to think bigger. “I’m sick of hearing, frankly, of this bang for the buck and this fiscal thing when we talk about arts, culture and innovation,” Filner said. “These are things that are good for themselves, and we ought to have a mayor who understands that, and can glorify it and who can defend it.”
DeMaio told the audience at the Museum of Photographic Arts that his opponent doesn’t want to worry about the money. “We all love the idea — it’s what unites us,” DeMaio said. “But what you want is a mayor who can get us there, achieve this vision and get things done.” Going into debt to fund the innovation concept will be repeating past fiscal mistakes, he said.
The forum was moderated by Erik Anderson of KPBS, with questions from Mark Cafferty, CEO of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp.; Joyce Gattas, of the San Diego State University College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts; and former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy, head of the Urban Lands Institute.
DeMaio said he wants to be mayor of a city that dares to dream big. Innovation, arts and culture are important not just for quality of life, but for economic competitiveness, he said. Filner pointed to his academic background, which combined history and science, and said a mayor has to embody the idea of innovation. — Reported by City News Service
Construction of the New Naval Hospital
at Camp Pendleton 70 Percent Complete 
Construction of a new $ 451 million Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton is 70 percent complete, according to the joint venture team in charge of the project. Clark Construction Group LLC and McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. are charged with building the 500,000-square-foot hospital that will replace the existing facility. The project falls under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and represents the largest one in the Navy, having a base contract value of $394 million and incorporating a planned modification for turnkey medical equipment valued at $55 million. Completion is targeted for early 2014.
Seventy percent of the subcontracts issued by Clark/McCarthy have gone to first-tier small businesses (more than $200 million worth out of a total of $320 million). More than 50 percent issued specifically to Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses add up to $160 million out of the total $320 million.
SR Commercial Completes Purchase
Of Six San Diego County Properties
SR Commercial, a privately held commercial real estate investment company, has just completed its sixth acquisition of the 2012 calendar year in the San Diego market, and has the seventh in escrow. Among the larger acquisitions was the purchase of a 47,037-square-foot industrial property at 120 Mata Way in San Marcos for $3.7 million, and the purchase of a 39,672-square-foot industrial building in Vista for $2.76 million. SR Commercial also purchased a 23,277 square-foot freestanding office/flex building at 6675 Mesa Ridge Road in Sorrento Mesa for $2.12 million.
Metropolitan Water District Ordered
to Produce Documents on Water Rates
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard A. Kramer on Wednesday ordered the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to immediately begin producing documents relating to MWD’s 2011 and 2012 water rates. The San Diego County Water Authority has sought documents it believes will show that MWD’s 2011 and 2012 rates do not meet the requirements of California law. The hearing was continued to Sept. 11 when Kramer is to rule on other issues.
The Epler Company Acquired by
Indianapolis-Based Nyhart Actuary
Indianapolis-based Nyhart Actuary & Employee Benefits has acquired The Epler Company of San Diego, which will keep its existing Downtown office, its staff and its name. Financial terms were not disclosed. Nyhart said the merger gives it a permanent West Coast office as it undergoes a national expansion. “We were looking for a way to grow and build on our strengths,” said Lin Ball, Epler’s president, who will assume the role of director of West Coast operations for Nyhart. The San Diego office will keep the Epler name and transition to Nyhart over time, the company said.
LRAD Receives $468,000 Order
LRAD Corp., maker of long range acoustic devices, has received a $468,000 order from Nashville Metro, the governing body for Nashville and Davidson County, Tenn., for domestic law enforcement and emergency responders. The company said LRAD systems transmit voice commands and warning tones that can be clearly heard and understood inside buildings and vehicles and over background noise in any type of terrain and environment over distances from 200 yards to two miles.
USD Appoints Director of Galleries 
Derrick R. Cartwright, a curator, arts administrator and scholar, has joined the University of San Diego as director of university galleries — a newly created position — and Professor of Practice. Cartwright previously was the Illsley Ball Nordstrom director of the Seattle Art Museum. He served as director of the San Diego Museum of Art from 2004 to 2009. Cartwright will oversee and manage all university galleries and their related collections. Those include the Hoehn Family Print Room, the Robert and Karen Hoehn Family Galleries, the Fine Art Galleries in the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice and the David W. May American Indian Collection and Gallery. In addition to his work in Seattle and San Diego, Cartwright led the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College from 2001 to 2004 and the Musée d’Art Americain Giverny in Normandy, France from 1998 to 2000.
BrightScope Appoints Executive Vice President
Sonia Ahuja, former chief strategy officer for First Allied Securities, has joined BrightScope as executive vice president of business development and strategy. Ahuja has more than 12 years of experience in managing business performance improvement initiatives for multiple organizations, including Wells Fargo Advisors, First Allied Securities and Bank of America.
Casey Gerry Partner Elected to
Statewide Women Lawyers Group 
Wendy Behan, a partner with Casey Gerry Schenk Francavilla Blatt & Penfield, has been elected first vice president of California Women Lawyers, the only statewide bar association for women. Behan will play a leadership role on the CWL Board of Governors, which works to advance issues that affect women in the legal profession. Behan, who specializes in personal injury and pharmaceutical litigation, has served on CWL’s board of governors and executive committee since 2011. She is a past president of the Lawyers Club of San Diego. Behan joined Casey Gerry in 1999 and was promoted to partner in 2010.
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The Daily Business Report is produced by REP Publishing Inc., publisher of SD METRO, the North Park News and the West Coast Craftsman. Contact: Manny Cruz (619) 287-1865. manny@sandiegometro.com.
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