Daily Business Report-May 29, 2013

 

Six Unions Representing City of San Diego Employees Tentatively Agree to a Five-Year Labor Deal

The six unions that represent city of San Diego employees have tentatively agreed to a five-year labor deal that is expected to save the city millions of dollars and largely end a 6 percent salary cut implemented several years ago, City News Service reports. Mayor Bob Filner estimated that the city will save $25 million in each of the first two fiscal years, of which $20 million will stay in the general fund, which pays for basic services like public safety and parks. The savings in the third year will be around $10 million, said Filner, who pushed for such a deal during last year’s mayoral campaign. In exchange, municipal workers will see their furlough days reduced over the first three years and receive other perks which vary by union. Councilman David Alvarez said the deal is the best for taxpayers. “It gives our employees some certainty, but we also are able to plan out over the future years for more services, which is really what taxpayers want,” Alvarez said. “They want to see some of those services that have been taken away restored.”

SDSU Dean to Take Helm of National University

Michael Cunningham, dean of San Diego State University’s College of Business Administration, has been named president of National University, the private nonprofit educational institution. Cunningham, 53, will assume the post in July. He has been dean of the College of Business Administration since June 2011 and before that was owner of Cunningham Graphics International, a New Jersey print brokerage company. National University is the second-largest private, nonprofit institution of higher education in California and the 12th largest in the United States.

Army Awards $21 Million Contract to Cubic Corp.

The U.S. Army has awarded Cubic Corp. a $21 million foreign military sales contract for its Emgagement Skills Trainer 2000 Plus virtual small arms training system. The Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation awarded the contract to Cubic in support of a foreign customer. The order includes systems, weapons, and in-country support with a key subcontractor. EST 2000, built by the Cubic Simulation Systems division based in Orlando, Fla., uses digital video projectors, high-definition screens, game-based computer graphics and ballistically accurate weapons for marksmanship, collective and escalation of force training.

Northrop Grumman’s Triton Takes to the Air

The U.S. Navy’s MQ-4C Triton, the maritime version of the Global Hawk that is the heart of the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance program, had its first flight on 22 May, aircraft builder Northrop Grumman announced. Triton is capable of flying for up to 24 hours at a stretch at altitudes of up to 10 miles, giving it coverage of 2,000 nautical miles. The system can carry a variety of sensors and payloads.  Ultimately, the Navy plans to buy 68 of the aircraft to operate alongside the new manned P-8A Poseidon, a new multimission aircraft. Together they will replace the P-3C Orion long-range, antisubmarine warfare aircraft fleet.

Embrace Receives $100,000 Grant from the Alliance Healthcare Foundation

Embrace, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes college students to address San Diego community needs, was chosen as the recipient of a $100,000 grant from Alliance Healthcare Foundation (AHF). Since Embrace became incorporated in 2003, founder Sean Sheppard and his team of college student volunteers have come together to help thousands of homeless veterans and civilians through programs like Ex 4 Vets, Embrace the Streets and H3: Healing our Heroes’ Homes. Embrace has received AHF funding on two previous occasions in the form of planning grants that allowed the organization to fine tune it’s student volunteer model.

San Diego Press Club Foundation Awards Scholarships

Nickolas Furr, a sophomore at Southwestern Community College, and Caitlin Justine Johnson, a senior at San Diego State University, have been awarded San Diego Press Club Foundation scholarships for the 2013-2014 academic year. Furr is the organization’s first two-time winner, having earned a $1,500 scholarship for 2012-2013. This year, he has again been granted $1,500. Johnson was awarded the Joe Lipper $2,500 scholarship by Joe Lipper’s daughter, Donna Lipper Lucas. A senior at SDSU, Johnson is the opinion editor at the school’s Daily Aztec.

Marcus & Millichap Names Vice President

John Vorsheck, regional manager of the San Diego office of Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, has been named vice president of the company. Vorsheck has been the regional manager since June 2011. He began his career with the firm in November 2006 as the sales manager of the Newport Beach office and was promoted to regional manager of the Las Vegas office in April 2007. Vorsheck joined the sales force in Las Vegas in April 2010 and transferred to the Long Beach office in August 2010. Prior to joining Marcus & Millichap, Vorsheck was a multifamily broker at a commercial real estate brokerage.

Porter Novelli Hires Account Supervisor

Public relations firm Porter Novelli has hired Hillary Schuler-Jones as an account supervisor in the San Diego office. Schuler-Jones previously was an advertising specialist with Sharp HealthCare and the marketing lead for Sharp Coronado Hospital. She volunteers as a public information officer for the American Red Cross and is a member of Health Care Communicators of San Diego.

Amanda Allen Honored with New Lawyer Award

Amanda Allen, an attorney with HechtSolberg, is the first recipient of the C. Hugh Friedman New Lawyer Award presented by the Lawyers Club of San Diego. The award, initiated by Lawyers Club this year, recognizes a young attorney who has advanced the organization’s mission and demonstrated exceptional leadership and professionalism within the legal community. “Amanda has been a champion in helping the Lawyers Club of San Diego promote the status of women in the law and society,” said Sarah R. Boot, Lawyer’s Club president.  Allen joined HechtSolberg in 2008 and specializes in real estate and general business law, commercial transactions and civil litigation.

Lorena Gonzalez Takes State Assembly Seat

Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) was sworn in Tuesday as Assemblywoman for the 80th District, which includes portions of the cities of San Diego, Chula Vista and National City. Gonzalez fills the vacant seat left by Ben Hueso, who was elected to the state Senate. Before being elected to the Assembly in a May 21 special election, Gonzalez previously served as the secretary-treasurer and CEO for the San Diego and Imperial Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

Special Olympics and Adconion Direct Sponsor Annual Spring School Games

Special Olympics Southern California is partnering with Adconion Direct to host their annual Spring School Games on Friday. More than 100 athletes from six schools are expected to participate in the event taking place at Mira Mesa High School. Athletes will compete in basketball skills competitions and 5-on-5 games as students and volunteers cheer them on. School Games is part of a growing effort to provide commensurate experiences for individuals with disabilities in the school setting. Students that often are not able or allowed to participate in athletic events are given the opportunity to train, compete and excel in the athletic arena. The event will begin with an opening ceremony at 9:30 a.m. at Mira Mesa High School and the competition will start at 9:45 a.m. Award ceremonies will be held throughout the day to honor the athletes as they finish competing. Each athlete who competes will receive an award.

U-T San Diego Lays Off Workers, Will Maintain Southwest Riverside Presence

The U-T San Diego laid off several journalists and members of its sales team Tuesday as part of the “process of finalizing its transition following the North County Times acquisition,” according to an internal memo shared with inewsource, KPBS reports. The memo also notes that “the U-T will continue to attempt to expand its business model through the acquisition of major metro newspapers across the country.” Sources at the paper said the Temecula office, which housed The Californian, has closed entirely, leaving nearly 10 — at least five journalists and three sales team members — from that office without jobs. Twitter buzzed for most of the day Tuesday about additional layoffs of former North County Times journalists and some page designers who made the transition to the U-T’s flagship paper when the two merged last year.

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News Update:

The U-T has released an official statement on Tuesday’s layoffs and restructuring: “The U-T is finalizing its transition following the North County Times acquisition. The U-T has replaced the U-T Californian section of the newspaper in Southwest Riverside with the North County section of the U-T San Diego. The U-T intends to continue serving its Southwest Riverside subscribers with the high-quality, award-winning journalism associated with the U-T San Diego brand.” The U-T will maintain an office in Temecula, said George Bonaros, marketing director for U-T San Diego.

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In a memo to staff members, U-T San Diego CEO John Lynch, noted that “significant decline” of the North County Times and The Californian prompted the paper’s ownership to re-haul the brands of both. “As a result, you will notice some changes in tomorrow’s newspaper that reflect our ongoing evolution to best meet the needs of our readers and advertisers,” the memo says. “While these decisions are difficult, they are necessary to ensure we operate our business with an optimum allocation of resources and maintain the long-term health of our company.”

Federal Contracts Awarded

Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, won a $495,774 federal contract from the U.S. Naval Supply Systems Command, San Diego, for expedited laboratory testing using the polymerase chain reaction methodology.

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AHNTECH Inc. of San Diego won a $1,157,794.40 federal contract from the Defense Logistics Agency’s Defense Supply Center, Richmond, Va., for Air Force government-owned, contractor-operated fuel storage services. Place of performance will be in Misawa Air Base, Japan.

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MDF Technologies of Encinitas won a $45,855 federal contract from the U.S. Coast Guard, Elizabeth City, N.C., for HH65/SRR aircraft spare parts.

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Cyber Professional Solutions Corp. in Chula Vista won a $121,793.40 federal contract from the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, San Diego, for the installation of an emergency generator at Building 770.