Daily Business Report-July 10, 2015
Solar Turbines exports its products around the world — one of the few major products designed, built and exported from San Diego.
San Diego Exports Reach Record High
San Diego Union-Tribune
Exports of goods from San Diego County businesses reached a record high of nearly $19 billion in 2014, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
Last year, San Diego companies shipped electronics, machinery, chemicals, electrical equipment and components not only to Mexico and Canada, but also to Israel, China and India. In all, the $18.6 billion of exports were up $700 million from 2013, a 3.9 percent gain that made San Diego the 21st largest export market in the nation. Nationwide, exports increased by $36 billion to $1.44 trillion worth of goods in 2014.
“More and more U.S. businesses understand that 96 percent of their potential customers live outside the United States, and that selling their world-class goods in the global marketplace is critical to their bottom line,” Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said in a statement. “We remain focused on helping to increase the number of companies that take advantage of these exporting opportunities, creating jobs and strengthening both the local San Diego and national economy.”
What’s Ahead for Balboa Park?
C-3 Breakfast Dialogue to Explore the Future
Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 will look at what’s ahead for Balboa Park at a special July 30 Breakfast Dialogue at The Prado in the park.
To commemorate the centennial of the Panama-California Exposition, C-3’s speakers will address what park visitors can expect in the next 100 years, and discuss challenges we’ve faced, followed by private tours of some of the park’s newest features.
“We’ll talk about access, deferred maintenance, all of the issues that have been at the forefront recently, and discuss how we’re going to ensure our park’s future as the beloved landmark we’ve all come to know,” said Roger Lewis, C-3’s president.
Speakers will include:
• Preeminent architectural historian Milford Wayne Donaldson on the park’s historic site management from a national perspective and the current challenges that will shape its future.
• Peter Comiskey, executive director of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, on how collaboration and collaborative programs have changed in the park over the last decade and what we might see going forward.
• Mike Stepner, architect and academic, will discuss how years of budget cuts and deferred maintenance has impacted the park, with visions of how to grow the park, incorporate adjacent communities and improve accessibility.
• Balboa Park Conservancy Executive Director Thomas Herrera-Mishler on the Conservancy’s future plans.
The second half of the session will include tours.
Admission is $50 for members, $60 for nonmembers. Also included in the ticket price is a free pass to the San Diego History Center’s exhibit on the Panama-California Exposition and SDG&E’s history of community and park participation. The morning activities start at 7 a.m. Tours will wrap by 11:15 a.m. Call (858) 277-0900 or visit www.c3sandiego.org for reservations.
Home Prices and Home Sales Rise in San Diego County
— City News Service
Home prices and the number of sales of residential properties climbed in the region last month, the San Diego Association of Realtors reported Thursday.
The median price tag of a single-family home that changed hands in June was $547,000 — a 4 percent increase over May, and up 5 percent over the same time last year, according to association’s data.
For attached homes like townhouses and condominiums, the median sales price last month was $354,000 — 2 percent over the previous month, and 6 percent above last year.
The association said 2,385 houses sold in June, 7 percent more than May and 11 percent above the level of June 2014.
The jumps were even higher for condos — the total of 1,178 that changed hands in June represented a 7 percent hike over May and 20 percent above last year, according to the association.
“There’s a lot to smile about when we look at the first half of 2015,” said Chris Anderson, the association’s board president. “Inventory is probably the only factor reining in the market, and with so few new homes being built, potential sellers only need to look at these statistics to see that buyers are virtually waiting at their doorstep.”
The association said active listings on the Multiple Listing Service have reached the 7,000, but the housing stock remains at about 2.6 months — where five to six months is considered a healthy inventory level.
The most expensive listing sold in the county in June was a five- bedroom, five-bath, 3,000-square-foot oceanfront home in La Jolla, built in 2011, with a sales price of $11.5 million.
Mayor Hires Paz Gomez to Oversee
Infrastructure and Public Works Projects
Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced the hiring of Paz B. Gomez as the deputy chief operating officer of infrastructure and public works for the city of San Diego, tasked with overseeing engineering services and construction for the city’s capital improvements program.
“Paz Gomez is an excellent addition to the public works team working to rebuild San Diego’s infrastructure, from streets to libraries to fire stations,” Faulconer said. “Her leadership will be instrumental to reaching my goal of fixing 1,000 miles of streets over five years, repairing the city’s repair system with new streamlining measures and putting more shovels in the ground for neighborhood improvement projects.”
In her role, Gomez will manage the following departments: Environmental Services, Public Utilities, Public Works and Transportation & Storm Water.
Gomez has more than 30 years of experience in various leadership positions in public works, infrastructure, engineering, construction and contracting in both the public and private sectors. She was most recently vice president of building engineering of AECOM’s Southern California and Southern Nevada area.
Gomez holds Masters of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and Management from Troy University as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from San Diego State.
SCORE Women’s Networking Breakfast
Executive coach, speaker and author Patti Cotton is the guest speaker at a SCORE Women’s Networking Breakfast July 17 from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Morgan Run Resort and Club, 5690 Canche de Golf, in Rancho Santa Fe.
Cotton is well-known for breaking through impossible barriers to produce exceptional results, and has held leadership positions in the U.S. and Europe leading her own teams, while sharing her expertise to help executives, decision-makers, and teams accomplish their visions and goals.
Cost of the event is $43. For more information, call SCORE at (619)557-7272.
Navy Region Southwest Changes Command
Rear Adm. Markham K. Rich will be San Diego’s next “Navy Mayor,” taking command of Navy Region Southwest and its 102,000 active-duty personnel at 10 installations.
Rear Adm. Patrick J. Lorge will relinquish the command to Rich during a change of command ceremony at 1 p.m. Monday at the USS Midway Museum at the Downtown waterfront.
Lorge is retiring from the Navy after 34 years of service. Rich reports from Washington, D.C., where he served as commandant for Naval District Washington.
Lorge, a native of Turnersville, N.J. graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1981. Rich, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., is a 1983 graduate of the University of Florida.
Navy Region Southwest is a six-state region with more than 102,000 active duty sailors serving at 10 installations.
San Diego County Holding $400,000
In Unclaimed Property Tax Refunds
— City News Service
The county of San Diego is holding $413,540 in unclaimed money, almost two-thirds of which is unclaimed property tax refunds, Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister said Thursday.
The people who the money belongs to have until Sept. 8 to make a claim, or it will be turned over to the county’s general fund, he said.
“We have a large number of funds available to claim this year,” McAllister said. “Our goal in the next several weeks is to find the rightful owners.”
He said people should check a Final Notice List at www.sdtreastax.com or call his office at (877) 829-4732.
“Final written notices have been sent to the last known mailing address for each refund owed,” McAllister said. “However, we have received returned notices and some checks have not been cashed.”
The total encompasses 4,179 accounts.
McAllister said the highest amount in any one account is $2,972.77 to Homecomings Financial, while the lowest is a penny.
State law allows money that goes unclaimed for more than three years, and property tax refunds unclaimed for more than four years, to be turned over to the county’s general fund, he said.
Neustar Inc. to Relocate to UTC
Neustar Inc. a provider of cloud-based information services, has signed a lease to occupy a 23,000-square-foot space at the recently completed 15-story Class A office building at Interstate 805 and La Jolla Village Drive in University Towne Centre. The company will move from Del Mar Heights later this month.
The building — One La Jolla Center — contains 306,000 square feet. It was designed by renowned architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Features include nearly 10 feet of floor-to-ceiling glass.
Available office space in One La Jolla Center ranges from approximately 2,000 square feet to nine floors — or more than 200,000 square feet of contiguous space.
The lease was announced by Irvine Company Office Properties.
Personnel Announcements
Cal State San Marcos Names Chief Information Officer
Kevin Morningstar has been named chief information officer and dean of instructional and informational services at California State University San Marcos. As CIO and dean of IITS, Morningstar is responsible for the management and support of technology throughout campus.
Previously, Morningstar served at Cal Poly Pomona since 2004, most recently in the position of associate chief information officer for academic technology. Prior to that he held information technology positions for the cities of Azusa and Colton.
Morningstar holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Redlands and a bachelor’s degree in economics from California State University, San Bernardino.
Taylor & Pond Hires Vice President
Jacquie Johnson has been hired as vice president of business development for digital agency Taylor & Pond. Johnson was vice president of sales for Revlon Professional Brands.
Johnson has more than12 years of executive experience in the beauty industry where she led global marketing as well as domestic sales efforts for Revlon-owned Creative Nail Design. During her executive tenure at CND, the company grew 380 percent and sold to Revlon in 2013.
