Daily Business Report — Feb. 26, 2013
San Diego Ranked Among the Top 10
Cities Best for Female Entrepreneurs
San Diego has been ranked among the top 10 cities in the country that are best for female entrepreneurs, according to data collected by NerdWallet, a consumer-oriented financial literacy website. “With an educated population, moderately high median income and entrepreneurial atmosphere, San Diego is a great city for women in business,” said NerdWallet. “San Diego female entrepreneurs can access mentors, workshops, networking events and various small business tools through SCORE and the NAWBO. There are also several startup incubators in the city that help foster entrepreneurs and their ideas, including EvoNexus and the newly launched cybersecurity incubator CyberHive.” San Diego was placed 10th on the list. The analysis said that 30.7 percent of businesses in San Diego are woman-owned. Per capita income was put at $33,135. The nine other cities, in descending order: San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Minn., Portland, Ore., Atlanta, Ga., Austin, Texas, Raleigh, N.C. and Denver, Colo.
City Council Shows Strong Support
For Tourism Marketing District
City News Service — San Diego City Council members expressed strong support Monday for the city’s Tourism Marketing District and declined to offer amendments to an operating agreement that is being held up by Mayor Bob Filner. The mayor has refused to release funds needed to operate the TMD, and since the agency is in limbo, a $5.3 million campaign promoting San Diego as a vacation destination has been postponed. Filner opposes four areas of the deal and says hoteliers could assess themselves without city involvement. While Councilman David Alvarez expressed some concerns about the legality of the district, neither he nor his colleagues took up council President Todd Gloria’s offer to introduce an amendment to the TMD deal. “It’s a disservice to San Diegans, and offensive to those who elected the eight of us, not to honor the council’s legislative intent,” Gloria said. “To shoot ourselves in the foot, by not marketing our destination, only adds to our economic troubles.”
(Read more at www.sandiegonewsroom.com)
U.S. Small Business Administrator to Visit
San Diego Manufacturer for Jobs Talks
Karen Mills, the outgoing U.S. Small Business Administrator, is scheduled to tour Label King, a San Diego manufacturer, on Wednesday, to discuss President Obama’s jobs program. Label King is a label manufacturing company that was started in 2002 by Robert Parker, primarily because of difficulties he had with custom labels when he worked for a packaging distribution company. He started the business with one printing machine, one production assistant and a $175,000 SBA-guaranteed revolving line of credit. Today the company has four high-quality printing machines, 15 employees and recently recorded the manufacturing of over 1 billion labels. Label King is located at 9555 Distribution Ave., Suite 103, San Diego. Mills is leaving her post but said she will remain until a successor is named.
San Diego Tourism May Have Rough
Landing if Sequester Goes Through
The region’s travel and tourism industry could have a rough landing if federal lawmakers fail to avoid the deep budget cuts linked to the sequester, KPBS reports. The Federal Aviation Administration will be forced to cut $600 million out of its budget if the sequester isn’t avoided. Employees will be furloughed, some air traffic control towers will close or cut their hours and air travelers will feel the pinch. San Diego attracts 32 million visitors a year and the visitor industry employs 160,000 people. That could shrink if federal cutbacks make it too difficult to fly here. Federal budget cuts will cut a much wider swath through the San Diego economy.
“Now is not the time to cut back on spending in a radical fashion with the recovery still being slow and fragile. And, that the spending cuts that are slotted to occur this year are probably not good for our economic growth,” said Eric Bruvold, president of the National University System Institute for Policy Research.
Fisher & Phillips Law Firm to Offer Workshop
On Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
Fisher & Phillips LLP in San Diego is offering a legally required sexual harassment prevention training session on March 14 to educate any supervisor who has the authority to hire, fire, discipline or direct the work of one or more other employees. The session is in response to a new law that requires that all California employers with 50 or more employees provide at least two hours of harassment avoidance training to all supervisors once every two years.
The Fisher & Phillips session will teach supervisors essential management skills while discussing the legally required harassment-related topics. The classes will be taught by the law firm’s attorneys who are experts in the area of the law. The workshop will take place at the Doubletree San Diego Mission Valley. The cost is $95 per person or $85 if two or more people from the same company attend. To register, visit http://goo.gl/CnnW6. Questions, call Jackie Greenbaum at (949) 851-2424.
Mike McDowell Named President
of San Diego Hall of Champions
Mike McDowell, former CEO of Balboa Park Celebration Inc. and a professional in the hospitality industry, has been named president of the San Diego Hall of Champions. McDowell, who has been CEO of the San Diego Lodging Industry Association for the past decade, recently stepped down after a one year stint as an Executive on Loan to the 2015 Centennial Celebration. “This is an exciting new challenge for me,” said McDowell. “I obviously bleed Balboa Park, and I have a deep admiration for the Hall of Champions, its founder Bob Breitbard, and the role the Hall plays in advancing the many positive ideals of sports throughout our community.” He will also direct the activities of the San Diego Sports Commission. McDowell has served as executive vice-president for corporate affairs for Mission Valley-based Atlas Hotels. He recently completed a three-year tenure as the volunteer board chairman of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association.
Susan Komen Organization to Make Grants
Of More than $1.4 Million in San Diego County
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, San Diego, reports that it will grant the most money in its history — over $1.4 million — this year to provide diagnostic mammograms and life-saving support screenings to nearly 10,000 under and uninsured women in San Diego County. The grantees will be announced at an April 18 ceremony at AMN Healthcare. Also, at the award ceremony, Robin Marella will be named the 2013 Honorary Breast Cancer Survivor. Marella is a two-time breast cancer survivor. The organization said that 75 percent of every dollar raised in San Diego stays in San Diego County. The remaining 25 percent funds international breast cancer research.
Sustainable Landscape Conference
Set for March 7 at Cuyamaca College
Cuyamaca College in El Cajon is hosting its fifth annual Sustainable Landscape Conference on Thursday, March 7, at the campus performing arts theater, with topics ranging from local resource-conservation efforts to the role of trees in ecological landscapes. “We will examine sustainable landscaping as a regional issue and focus on the environmental elements of air, earth, water and fire,” said Don Schultz, conference chairman and coordinator of the college’s ornamental horticulture department. Starting with registration and a continental breakfast at 7 a.m., the conference continues until 4 p.m. with keynote speaker Jeff Fulgham, who has worked for three decades promoting global energy and water conservation. He is currently the chief sales, service, strategy and sustainability officer at Banyan Water Inc., a Bay Area water management consulting firm. Admission is $90 for the general public, $60 for students, and includes breakfast, lunch and a post-event reception.
Patrick Fay Joins The Saywitz Co.
Patrick Fay has joined The Saywitz Co., a privately held commercial real estate brokerage firm, as a business development associate based in San Diego. Fay has more than seven years of experience in the commercial real estate industry and previously worked at Beacon Commercial Real Estate and Maguire & Partners Property Group. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Scranton University.
Cytori Appoints Chief Medical Officer
Cytori Therapeutics has appointed Steven Kesten, M.D., as executive vice president and chief medical officer. Kesten will lead global clinical development operations and Cytori’s medical affairs activities. Kesten previously was vice president and chief medical officer at Uptake Medical. H worked for more than 10 years at Boehringer Ingelheim as the vice president in medicine for marketed products.
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The Daily Business Report is produced by SD METRO. Contact: Manny Cruz (619) 287-1865. manny@sandiegometro.com.
