Daily Business Report-April 1, 2014

Agency principals, from left: Dave Nuffer, Bob Smith, Kerry Tucker and Bill Trumpfheller.

Nuffer, Smith, Tucker Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Nuffer, Smith, Tucker — the longest-standing PR agency in San Diego — is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a look back at some of its local pioneering efforts in the industry.

The firm has not only helped shape the San Diego region with its civic and community involvement, and support of local businesses, it has also pushed the public relations industry forward by developing conferences with leading educational institutions, creating the San Diego Social Media Symposium — a first-of-its-kind event to discuss the strategy behind social media.

Kerry Tucker, CEO of Nuffer, Smith, Tucker, penned the influential text book “Public Relations Writing: An Issue-Driven Behavioral Approach,” which is now in its third edition and is still being used at universities throughout the country.

The firm’s current client roster includes WD-40 Company, Chicken of the Sea, McDonald’s of San Diego County and the Dairy Council of California.

“The three pillars of our business — building relationships, creating conversations and effectively telling stories — haven’t changed, but the tools we use to accomplish those things have changed dramatically over the years,” said Bill Trumpfheller, president at Nuffer, Smith, Tucker.  “As we’ve done for the last 40 years, we’ll continue to push ourselves, our clients and our profession to explore strategies that get results.”

To help celebrate its 40th anniversary milestone, the firm has revamped its website, which will begin featuring a series of video interviews with clients and influential community leaders that highlight the agency’s milestones, memorialize stories and celebrate the relationships that have helped contribute to its success. The website is www.nstpr.com.

 Opera Board Votes to Delay Shutdown by 2 Weeks

The San Diego Opera board on Monday delayed a planned shutdown for two weeks to give major donors more time to step forward. The decision came following a marathon meeting of the directors, who were looking for a way to keep the opera company open.

Opera CEO Ian Campbell announced the planned shutdown March 19, saying the organization faced insurmountable financial problems and didn’t want to leave creditors hanging. Numerous opera fans criticized the decision to close, however, and more than 19,000 people have since signed a plea on the petitionsite.com to get the board to reconsider.

The opera is set to perform Massenet’s “Don Quixote” April 5, 8, 11 and 13. It was to shut down a few days after the last show, but that date has been extended to April 29.

“Buy the tickets to the last Don Quixote to see the opera and come forward — we need at least $10 million,” board President Karen Cohn told reporters after the meeting. That figure is what is required to put on a 50th anniversary season next year. — City News Service report

Cubic Corp. Receives $6.9 Million Contract

Cubic Corp. has been awarded a $6.9 million, one-year contract by the U.S. Air Force for the support of the P5 Combat Training System. The system is a training aid that simulates weapons on aircraft. The funds will go toward follow-on contractor logistics support.

Microfinance Summit Set for April 8 at USD

Exploring new and better ways to expand microfinance will be the focus of the 2014 Microfinance Summit April 8 hosted by the San Diego Microfinance Alliance. Larry Reed, director of the Microcredit Summit Campaign, will keynote the summit and be joined by other national and local microfinance experts as they discuss strategies to broaden the reach and impact of microfinance, particularly to under-served areas.

The plenary session will feature Jonny Price of Kiva, an international microfinance organization, Craig McIntosh and Paul Niehaus, UCSD economics professors, and Jean Claude Rodriguez, co-founder of Puddle, an online platform that provides members instant access to a line of credit.

The summit will be staged at the Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice on the University of San Diego campus from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Rep. Scott Peters Opens Veterans History Project

With the flight deck of the USS Midway as a backdrop, Rep. Scott Peters on Monday kicked off the Library of Congress’ national Veterans History Project in his 52nd District, asking veterans to tell their story of service to inspire future generations, the Times of San Diego reports. The project will utilize universities, high schools, libraries and student volunteers to record veterans’ stories, and collect copies of photos, letters, diaries and other artifacts.

Peters described the project as an “outstanding way to preserve and honor these first-hand accounts of history.” For San Diego, where there are some 220,000 veterans, the project is a way to show San Diego’s continued support for the military, he added.

Representatives of a number of veterans groups, including Veterans 360 and Reboot Workshop, joined Peters on the Midway.  Maurice Wilson, president and executive director of Reboot Workshop, said the project will help recent veterans make the transition to civilian life through the therapeutic effect of telling their stories.

Peters urged veterans interested in preserving their stories, and students interested in helping, to contact his office. (858) 455-5550.

Parkinson’s Association Names Senior Scientist

Dr. Andrés Bratt-Leal has joined the Parkinson’s Association as senior scientist — the association’s first step into becoming a research center.

Bratt-Leal received his B.S. from the University of Washington in 2005 and his PhD from Georgia Tech and Emory University in the field of biomedical engineering in 2011.

Bratt-Leal joined The Center for Regenerative Medicine under Dr. Jeanne Loring at The Scripps Research Institute in April 2012, specifically to work on Parkinson’s research, a project made possible by Summit4StemCell and the Parkinson’s Association. He will continue working on his current project with Summit4StemCell.

Bratt-Leal lives in San Clemente with his wife who is also a scientist.  He is active in the Parkinson’s community, hosting bimonthly lab tours and speaking to patient support groups about the future of regenerative medicine and what it means for patients.

Linden Blue Receives Air Law Institute Award

Linden Blue, the vice chairman of General Atomics, and two high school students from Florida and Minnesota were among the top honorees at the San Diego-based Air Law Institute’s  inaugural Air & Space Law Awards Reception and Dinner, held at San Diego Air & Space Museum on March 14. Blue received the first ever Air Law Institute Inspiration Award for Business & Engineering in recognition of his decades of innovation and achievement in the aerospace industry. He was also the keynote speaker at the event.

High school students John Totaro and Abigail Harrison, who flew to San Diego for the event from Florida and Minnesota, respectively, received ALI Inspiration Scholarship Awards.

Major sponsors of the inaugural ALI Air & Space Law Symposium and Awards included Airbus, Northrop Grumman, California Western School of Law, Foley Lardner LLP, Morrison & Foerster, United Lex, and San Diego Wind Tunnel.

Lower Power Bills for Nearly 12 Million Californians

That includes Southern California Edison and SDG&E

Nearly 12 million Californians will get a discount on their power bill this month, in October and twice per year next year, too. Utilities bought or were given carbon credits last year under California’s cap and trade system. Those that increased their supply of green energy had fewer emissions. That meant they had more credits to sell on the cap and trade market. The billion dollars in sales will go to rate payers for investor-owned utilities.

Edward Randolph with the California Public Utilities Commission says the amount of the discount depends on the progress each utility made toward using more green energy. “PG&E’s customers’ credits will be a little bit lower because PG&E starts with a fairly clean portfolio where some other smaller utilities, the credit is much higher because they had a higher dependence on coal in the past,” he said.

Customers of Liberty Utilities, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas and Electric and Pacific Power will also receive the credit.

About 11 million residential and about one million small business customers will receive the credit. It will appear on the April and October bills this year and next. — Reported by Bob Moffitt, Capitol Public Radio

Solar System to be Installed at

Lindbergh Field Terminal

Borrego Solar Systems Inc. will install a 3.3-megawatt solar system featuring solar panel arrays on the roof of the newly expanded Terminal 2 West at Lindbergh Field and in a section of the Terminal 2 short-term parking lot adjacent to the terminal. Borrego Solar will break ground on the project in mid-2014 with an estimated completion date later this year.

The system will generate an estimated 5.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in its first year of operation — enough power to offset a projected 10-13 percent of the energy needs for Terminals 1 and 2 at the airport.

Borrego Solar will build and finance the system through a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA), which will save the Airport Authority a projected $3 million to $8 million over the contract period. Using a PPA, the Airport will purchase clean solar energy at a cost less than it would otherwise pay to the local utility, the company said.

 

Sony Electronics Announces

the Latest in Fuel Technology

Sony Electronics, the leader in innovation, announced the latest in fuel gadgets, Sony Power Food, a new way to keep your Sony gadgets charged anytime, anywhere without being constrained by traditional power sources. Now, the same types of fuel you use to power yourself — cake, cereal and energy bars — can be used to power your favorite electronics without hassle.

In today’s world, our lives typically revolve around two things: connectivity and portability. However, being constrained by traditional power sources such as wall socket chargers and solar energy don’t provide the flexibility needed for today’s plethora of portable devices coupled with the average on-the-go lifestyle.

Sony tasked its engineers and culinary technicians to go where no consumer electronics brand has gone before — creating the first-ever power source that can re-fuel not only your electronics, but you as well. Introducing: Sony Power Food.

Sony has created the Voltaic Enzyme, a conduit that transfers the chemical energy of organic matter into your gadgets, as an innovative way to tap into the amazing energy of food to bring about the next step in electronic evolution. This vital component converts the energy stored in fats and sugars into a usable source of voltage for any device while enhancing the taste of our favorite foods. Sony strives to improve all aspects of the user experience to make sure its products fit seamlessly into everyday life, delivering the very best experiences for consumers. Sony Power Food will offer this next generation solution to keep Sony fans constantly connected.

With Sony Power Food, gone are the days of running out of gadget battery and desperately searching for a power source to charge up your gadget. This specially designed line of food will charge both you and your device no matter where you are.

Sony Power Food Cake Mix: Camera about to die while snapping photos at your daughter’s birthday party? Power up directly through the birthday cake – Sony Power Food Cake Mix comes in three delicious flavors: Vanilla, Classic Chocolate and Red Velvet.

Crunchy Loops Cereal: Forgot to charge overnight and now running late to a meeting? Plug in to your Crunchy Loops cereal while eating breakfast. The same simple sugars that are broken down into energy by this Sony Power Food cereal provide the exciting flavors we all crave to get us going in the morning.

Sony Protein Energy Bar: Out hiking and your music is fading? Recharge yourself and your device with Sony’s Protein Energy Bar. Each bar contains a daily serving of fiber, protein and charged lithium so you can plug in, chow down and recharge to take on the day.

This non-factual news release is issued by Sony Electronics and is an acknowledged spoof press release for April Fool’s Day.