Daily Business Report-July 14, 2015
Available in the first phase of ParkItDTSD’s multi-phase launch is real-time parking data for the number of available spots at the two city-owned, public parking garages 6th and K Parkade (above) and Park It On Market.
Mobile-Friendly Website Launched
To Ease Downtown Parking Headaches
To make navigating the myriad of Downtown San Diego parking options easier, Civic San Diego is introducing ParkItDTSD.com, a responsive website to provide information on 75 percent of the parking lots and structures throughout various Downtown San Diego neighborhoods.
By visiting ParkItDTSD.com users gain instant access to information on individual parking lots and structures, including street address, hours of operation, parking lot capacity, rates, type of payment accepted, and messages or alerts about upcoming Downtown activities that may impact travel in the area. Parking options can be searched based on a desired neighborhood or specific destination, and directions generated to the option selected.
Funded by the Downtown Community Parking District, led by Civic San Diego, ParkItDTSD is a Web-based application that will work on any smartphone, tablet or desktop computer, meaning users do not need to visit an app store or use precious storage space on mobile devices to access the data. The application was developed collaboratively with Downtown organizations, including the Little Italy Association, East Village Association and Gaslamp Quarter Association, and the major parking operators.
Available in the first phase of ParkItDTSD’s multi-phase launch is real-time parking data for the number of available spots at the two city-owned, public parking garages 6th and K Parkade and Park It On Market. Real-time data will be integrated for additional lots in phase two of the launch, expected to be complete by July 2016.
“Parking Downtown can be hassle free if San Diegans have access to a comprehensive one-stop-shop of options to that allows them to control their parking destiny,” said Stephanie Shook, project manager at Civic San Diego. “Our goal is to use technology solutions to make life easier and continue to showcase San Diego’s position as a ‘smart city’ by serving anyone in the downtown area with easy, accessible and affordable parking information.”
ParkItDTSD reflects information for parking lots and structures managed by LAZ Park, Ace Parking, ABM and Premium Parking facilities in the Downtown neighborhoods of Civic/Core, Columbia, Convention Center, East Village, Gaslamp Quarter, Little Italy, Marina and Cortez Hill. Future planned updates include the addition of more parking operators and facilities, extension of real-time parking data to other facilities, valet, parking validation and integration with mobile payment systems, parking meters and the new Downtown circulator shuttle on-demand application.
ParkItDTSD was developed by Civic Resource Group International, a technology company located in Los Angeles.
Report: NFL Advised City to Move
Forward on Environmental Study
City News Service
The National Football League advised San Diego representatives during recent discussions to move forward with an accelerated environmental study of a proposed football stadium in Mission Valley, despite opposition from the Chargers, according to a city report released Monday.
Last month, San Diego officials proposed putting together a faster-than- usual environmental impact report, with an eye toward finishing the study in time for a public vote in January. The plan was rejected by Chargers officials, who said it would take 12-18 months to complete a legally defensible EIR.
“Subsequently, the city’s negotiating team met directly with the NFL league office in late June and presented a roadmap for presenting an EIR by October,” the report from the city’s Independent Budget Analyst’s Office says.
“They were advised — in conversations that were described as encouraging though noncommittal — that the city should continue efforts towards an accelerated EIR, on a timeline in advance of an August 2015 NFL owners meeting and that could be used for a January election.”
The IBA report was prepared ahead of a City Council vote Tuesday on whether to establish a proposed Mission Valley stadium as a project in the city’s Capital Improvement Program. The council is also scheduled to decide whether to provide $2.1 million in initial funding — with $1.2 million going to an EIR consultant.
The authors of the report said that, among others, they spoke with Christopher Melvin of Nixon Peabody, the consulting firm hired by the city and county of San Diego to engage in negotiations with the Chargers.
“He affirmed that progress on an EIR is necessary in order for the city to remain in consideration for keeping the Chargers,” the IBA report says. “According to Melvin, if the city cannot tell NFL owners in August that the city has made significant progress on an EIR and completed conceptual architectural drawings, potentially allowing for a January election, the NFL is likely to view the city as having backpedaled on its commitments, and that this would likely prove ‘fatal’ to the city’s efforts to keep the Chargers in San Diego.”
USD School of Business Administration
Ranked 3rd in World for Entrepreneurship
For the first time in school history, the School of Business Administration at the University of San Diego has been ranked third in the world for MBA programs in entrepreneurship by the Financial Times. The ranking included only 10 schools, six of which are located in the United States.
Using data collected for the Global MBA ranking 2015, the Financial Times used 10 criteria to judge the best MBA programs for new entrepreneurs. The ranking considered the percentage of graduates who created their own company, the percentage of companies still operating at the end of 2014, and whether it was their main source of income and how the school helped set things up. Of the SBA alumni surveyed by the Financial Times, 34 percent had started their own businesses.
The school’s alumni network also played a key role in the ranking. SBA merited a score of 6.6 out of 10 for alumni involvement with financing and helping to start new businesses.
The ranking places the School of Business Administration’s MBA program in the top tier of the approximately 2,000 programs worldwide.
San Diego Startup Takes On
Google With Search Engine
Times of San Diego
A San Diego-area startup is taking on Google and Bing with a new, privacy-enhanced search engine called iZSearch.
The Carlsbad-based company describes its product as “a general purpose search engine that finds and returns relevant web sites, images, videos and real time results” but “does not retain or share any of your personal information.”
The search page went public on Monday morning. The company’s servers began crawling the web just four months ago after closing a seed round of funding from the Tech Coast Angels and other investors.
Kenneth A. Abeloe, a senior vice president with the company, said the new search engine has so far indexed about five percent of the content on Google, but has focused on the most important content and ignored “lots of uninteresting content out there.” He added that the index is growing daily.
iZSearch said that in addition to enhancing privacy, its search algorithm protects intellectual property in the sciences and provides independent information “without the filter bubble or highly tailored results.”
In addition to the free search engine, the company also offers search products for corporate customers involved in content discovery, data analysis, data mining and archiving.
Deborah Dixon Elected President
of Lawyers Club of San Diego
Deborah Dixon, a senior trial attorney with Gomez Trial Attorneys, has been elected president of Lawyers Club of San Diego for 2015-2016. Her one year-term began July 1.
Lawyers Club is a volunteer bar association founded in 1972 with the mission to advance the status of women in the law and society. The organization now has more than 1,300 members, making it the second largest bar association in San Diego County. Its membership is comprised of female and male attorneys, judges, elected officials, business owners, law students and others in the San Diego community who share Lawyers Club’s mission and goals.
Dixon was Lawyers Club’s vice president of programming and has been a member of the board of directors for three years. She has co-chaired several committees
In addition to leading the 15-member board, Dixon will make appointments to more than 30 committees, ad hoc and liaison positions; oversee the organization’s activities and events; and work with representatives from similar organizations regionally and nationally to advance Lawyers Club’s overall mission.
Tech Coast Angels Seeking Applicants
For Ninth Annual Quick Pitch Event
Tech Coast Angels is seeking applications from technology, life science and other sector startups for its ninth annual John G. Watson Quick Pitch event.
The deadline for applications is July 24.
About 30 candidates will be put through a detailed process beginning in August, with the final 10 competing to win $20,000 of cash and prizes at the Oct. 1 event.
“Our goal is to foster the entrepreneurial spirit and promote investment opportunities that show potential for significant growth,” said Jeff Draa, president of the Tech Coast Angels San Diego network. “The finalists will have executive team members give a two-minute pitch on their business in front of 500 attendees as well as a panel of judges. Each pitch will be judged based upon investment potential and presentation quality and the audience will get to pick their favorite.”
Quick Pitch is open to all entrepreneurs and companies headquartered in Southern California that are seeking investors as well as experienced board members and mentors. Companies can be either pre- or post-revenue, but focused in the information technology, wireless, life sciences, action/sports, energy, products and services or any other science or technology-based industry.
The event is named after John G. Watson, an active, gregarious and positive influence on local businesses and entrepreneurs through Tech Coast Angels until his unexpected death in 2010. Quick Pitch will take place Oct.1, 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall 5775 Morehouse Drive, San Diego. For more information to apply and attend the event, click here.
Chargers Have ‘Quietly’ Been Negotiating
With Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The San Diego Chargers have “quietly” been negotiating with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as an interim home during a possible move to L.A., according to the Los Angeles Times.
“The Rose Bowl bowed out of the interim stadium derby, but the Coliseum is still in play,” said reporter Sam Farmer. “The NFL shouldn’t have much trouble striking a deal there, as the Chargers quietly got far down the road in negotiations with that venue last year.”
The move signifies that the team has had plans for moving to L.A. earlier than they have stated.
Matt Awbrey, a spokesman for Mayor Kevin Faulconer, is displeased to hear of the news, according to Voice of San Diego.
“Unfortunately this is another example that reveals the team was strategizing a move to LA much earlier than anyone was aware of, including local leaders and the San Diego public,” Awbrey said.
The NFL This continuing to look for temporary homes for teams that would relocate to L.A., so that they don’t have to play in a city that they are eventually leaving while their new stadium is being built.
Other possible venues that could be used temporarily are Dodger Stadium, StubHub Center and Angels Stadium.
— Posted by Times of San Diego
Personnel Announcements
Cal State San Marcos Appoints
Senior Director of Principlal Gifts
Edgar M. Gillenwaters has been hiews as the new senior director of principal gifts in the Division of University Advancement at California State University San Marcos. Gillenwaters, who joined the campus on July 1, has enjoyed a career that has spanned many sectors including government, finance, defense, higher education, life science innovation and research.
Gillenwaters has served as vice president/consultant of philanthropy at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute where he developed donor relationships and strategies that yielded major and principal gifts, including the largest-ever donation to a San Diego organization.
He has also served as the founding chairman and treasurer of the board of directors for Integra Center, a first-of-its-kind facility that strives to provide the U.S. military’s wounded warriors and their family members with care and support vital to rebuilding their lives and reintegrating into society.
