Daily Business Report-June 20, 2013
Rendering of the Neil Ash Airport Center, which has been completed
Grand Opening June 26 for the New
Neil Ash Airport Center at Lindbergh Field
USO San Diego and the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority will hold a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 26 for the new USO Neil Ash Airport Center at Lindbergh Field’s Terminal 2. The invitation-only ceremony is at 5 p.m. The new airport center, named in honor of Neil Ash, an advocate for the military and visionary behind the original 1990 establishment of a USO center at the airport, will provide services to more than 125,000 military service member and their families annually. A variety of services will be offered, including a comfortable place to relax, high-speed Internet service, Skype access and complimentary refreshments.
City Council Mulls Prevailing Wage Ordinance
A proposal to require contractors on most city of San Diego public works and maintenance projects to pay prevailing wages to employees got a go-ahead Wednesday from the City Council’s Rules and Economic Development Committee, City News Service reports. The proposed ordinance passed on a 3-2 vote, with committee Chairwoman Sherri Lightner and David Alvarez and Marti Emerald in favor. Kevin Faulconer and Mark Kersey cast the dissenting votes after expressing concerns that higher project costs could slow the city’s progress in addressing a backlog of infrastructure projects. Currently, the city sets pay for contractors working on water and sewer projects valued at more than $10 million or large city projects that are partially funded with state or federal dollars. The proposal that will be forwarded to the full City Council, likely on July 30, will be on public works and maintenance projects valued over $25,000, in conformance with state labor law. To read more on this, visit www.sandiegonewsroom.com.
Cassidy Turley San Diego Handles Listing for Miramar Distribution Center
Cassidy Turley San Diego has been named the exclusive listing for Miramar Distribution Center, the largest multi-tenant distribution leasing assignment in San Diego County so far this year. The project, located in Miramar at 7130 and 7170 Miramar Road, totals 453,423 square feet in two Class A industrial buildings. Kearny Real Estate Co. will provide property management for the center. The center is currently 75 percent leased. Tenants include ATK, Bedrosian Tile, Shinoda Design, WorldTrans Services and Boars Head. Current space availability at the project is located in the building at 7130 Miramar Road, and includes a 58,368-square-foot bay with 3,200 square feet of office space and a 59,317-square-foot bay with 3,800 square feet of office space.
The Bikes Are Coming
A city committee in San Diego has approved a corporate partnership with the bike-sharing program DecoBike. The city is also trying to make streets safer for those who travel on two wheels. KPBS reports. Currently, there is an average of 70 bike accidents every month on city streets. That number is part of the reason that this May, the San Diego County Grand Jury recommended the city gear up to fix and clearly mark bike lanes, such as adding prominent green stripes to help direct traffic. The city is working on shoring up infrastructure at the same time it is gearing up to bring bike-sharing here. Decobike and the city are aiming for a three-month roll out starting in early 2014. The program is also predicted to bring 60 to 70 new jobs to the city.
Visit Oceanside Conference and Visitors Bureau Adds Group Sales Staff to Assist Senior Sales Mgr. Dana Higgins
Visit Oceanside Conference and Visitors Bureau has hired Caroline Haugen as group sales manager and Michelle Martini-Brown as group sales support. They will assist senior sales manager Dana Higgins.
Caroline Haugen will primarily be responsible for the corporate and military/government markets. She joins Visit Oceanside from Hyatt Regency La Jolla in San Diego, where she worked as a sales manager. Haugen got her start in the hospitality industry at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort and Spa and later at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa where she worked in sales. Haugen attended University of Phoenix and holds a degree in business marketing. She currently resides in Oceanside.
Michelle Martini-Brown will assist with sales outreach and helping ensure that groups make the most of their experience in Oceanside. She has an extensive background in sales and event planning having spent over a decade as an independent event and wedding manager, while also holding catering and event positions at Lomas Santa Fe Country Club, Twin Oaks Golf Course, Encinitas Ranch Golf Course and Old Richland Schoolhouse. She is a graduate of California State San Marcos with a degree in women’s studies.
Cavignac & Associates Hires Account Administrator
San Diego’s Cavignac & Associates has hired Claire Owens as service team account administrator. Owens, who has five years of experience in the insurance industry, is responsible for providing support and assistance to each team within the agency. Before joining the company, she was a commercial lines customer service representative for BH Gold Insurance Agency in San Diego. She also worked as an executive/administrative assistant at San Diego Headache & Facial Pain Center in Encinitas.
Five Students Selected for Bank of America Foundation Internships
Five San Diego area high school students have been selected by Bank of America Charitable Foundation to take part in the 2013 Student Leaders program, which awards high school juniors and seniors with paid eight-week summer internships at local nonprofit organizations. Besides the paid internships, the students will attend a week-long student leadership summit in Washington, D.C., in July. Activities will include a series of interactive workshops, Capitol Hill briefings and sessions on financial education and leadership development skills. The students are: Suzanne Eiffert, 12th grade, Canyon Crest Academy; Daisy Flores, 12th grade, The Preuss School of UCSD; Karina Lopez, 12th grade, Mar Vista High School; Setareh Lotfi, 12th grade, Grossmont High School; and Armando Narciso, 12th grade, Patrick Henry High School.
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Federal Contracts
Kinder Medical
Kindcare Medical, Escondido, won a $56,184.23 federal contract from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Network 22 Logistics Office, Long Beach, for dialysis treatment chairs.
Honeywell International
Honeywell International Inc., Poway, won a $56,840 federal contract from the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., for cable, cord, wire assemblies and communication equipment.
Double Tree Club Hotel
PBP Hotel LLC dba Double Tree Club Hotel, San Diego, won a $99,292 federal contract from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Network 22 Logistics Office, Las Vegas, for hotel services for a weekend retreat.
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A New ‘Weapon’ for Assembly Majority Leader Toni Atkins
SACRAMENTO – Sometimes, politics is not all about partisan bickering and dramatic behind-the-scenes wrestling to get enough votes to pass legislation. California Assembly Majority Leader Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) will attest that politics can be fun and rewarding. On Wednesday, Atkins won the top honors at the Capital Rollers sushi-making competition at the Circle of Life reception sponsored by the California Rice Commission. She made a killer California Roll to capture the title and the prize: a mounted Samurai sword. No word yet on whether the Majority Leader would be wielding that Samurai sword to keep her fellow Assembly members in line.
“This event was great fun and I am looking forward to displaying the samurai sword,” Atkins said. “Even more important is the spotlight this event puts on California’s rice farmers, who provide an important staple in our diet and whose product is part of virtually every piece of sushi made in the U.S.” According to Atkins, the Circle of Life reception celebrates California rice, which generates $1.8 billion each year for California’s economy and provides habitat for 230 wildlife species. (San Diego Gay & Lesbian News)
‘Salary Surfer’ Web Tool Shows Income Potential For Students Holding Community College Degrees
What is the return on investment for an Associate degree or a certificate of completion from one of California’s community colleges? The public can learn the answer to that question for 179 different programs offered at any of the state’s 112 community colleges by visiting a new website (http://salarysurfer.cccco.edu/SalarySurfer.aspx) and scrolling to the program in question.
State Community Colleges Chancellor Brice W. Harris unveiled the new program at a news conference held at Grossmont College on Wednesday. The site looks at median incomes for students two years before they entered the programs, and two years and five years after they complete the programs.
“This groundbreaking tool validates that California community colleges produce a tremendous return on investment for our state,” said Harris. “Nearly 45 percent of students who graduated with an associate degree and did not transfer to a four-year college earned more than $54,000 annually five years after getting their degree. he said “That is the median wage of someone with a bachelor’s degree living in California.”
Harris said about 25 percent of those graduates with associate degrees earned median wages of more than $77,000 five years after graduating.
Some of the highest earning areas five years after graduation, Harris said, are electrical and power systems transmission, $96,200, physician assistant, $95,700, and radiation therapy technician, $91,300.
Some occupations and comparative salaries listed on the website include: Cardiovascular technician, degree: $71, 841 (five years after graduation); $62,211 (two years after graduation) and $12,298 (two years before graduation).
For those obtaining a certificate in the same field, with fewer requirements than a degree, the figures were $66,747 (five years later); $56,925 (two years afterwards) and $14,566 (two years prior).
Dental assistant degree-holders showed a salary of $33,178 (five years after graduation; $25,824 (two years after graduation) and $12,310 (two years before.)
Physician’s Assistant Degrees garnered $95,727 (five years after graduation); $70,068 (two years after graduation) and $15,163 (two years before graduation).
Harris said that by studying the charts, students and their parents can make informed choices but noted that a career choice shouldn’t be based solely on salary potential. “Follow your passions and interests,” he said.
