Daily Business Report-July 9, 2015
Marcia McNutt earned a Ph.D. in earth sciences from Scripps/UC San Diego in 1978 and is currently editor-in-chief of the journal Science.
Scripps Ph.D. is first Female to Head
National Academy of Sciences
Marcia McNutt, a prominent geophysicist, national leader in science and alumna of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, has been nominated to become the next president of the National Academy of Sciences. She will be the first female to lead the academy since it was chartered by Congress in 1863.
McNutt earned a PhD in earth sciences from Scripps/UC San Diego in 1978 and is currently editor-in-chief of the journal Science.
NAS, a private society of leading scholars, provides independent advice to the nation on matters of science and technology and publishes the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the world’s leading scientific journals.
“Alumni from Scripps and UC San Diego have leveraged their education and experiences to move into prominent leadership positions around the world — and Marcia McNutt is the latest example of that,” said Margaret Leinen, director of Scripps and UC San Diego vice chancellor of marine sciences. “NAS will benefit immensely from Marcia’s wealth of experience and unique leadership qualities.”
Last year McNutt was among several scientists with Scripps/UC San Diego ties — including Walter Munk, Veerabhadran Ramanathan, and Charlie Kennel — who participated in an unprecedented workshop of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences that addressed intertwining issues such as climate change, sustainability, and humanity. Ramanathan’s contributions expounding on climate change impacts and implications for social justice are prominent examples of UC San Diego’s strategic theme of Understanding and Protecting the Planet.
Prior to serving as Science’s editor-in-chief, McNutt was nominated in 2009 by President Obama as the director of the United States Geological Survey, a position she held until 2013. She also served for 12 years as president and CEO of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
McNutt has published nearly 100 peer-reviewed articles and participated in 15 major oceanographic expeditions investigating ocean island volcanism and tectonic uplift. She completed underwater demolition training with the U.S. Navy Seals. Her research on the equilibrium of the earth’s crust on continents and oceans led to fundamental contributions in understanding the evolution of islands.
“People underestimate the importance of formulating the right questions,” McNutt said in a 2010 UC San Diego interview. “What I enjoyed about my experience at Scripps was how it trained me in the kind of research I’ve spent my life doing: not knowing where to look for answers to problems, but knowing how to formulate a good research hypothesis.”
Hughes Marino Forms Global
Tenant Representation Network
Times of San Diego
Hughes Marino, a San Diego-based company that represents tenants in leasing commercial space, announced it has joined 16 other firms in forming the Exis Global tenant-representation network.
The new network will offer the member firms’ customers global support through Exis-affiliated offices in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
“By joining Exis as a member firm, Hughes Marino has significantly expanded our global reach,” said Jason Hughes, president and CEO. “Through our membership in Exis, we show our clients that we are there for them, wherever their real estate needs take them.”
Exis Global’s operations will be based in San Diego. Shay Hughes, co-owner and COO of Hughes Marino, will take an active role in Exis’ operations.
“We formed Exis, not to be the world’s largest tenant representation firm, but to be the best,” she said. “We carefully vetted, and will continue to vet, each partner firm because we are more interested in having the right partners than having the most dots on a map.”
Hughes Marino said the decision to form Exis was driven by rapid consolidation in the brokerage industry, which has resulted in fewer firms limiting their services to tenant representation.
SDSU School of Journalism and Media Studies
Ranked Among the Top in the Nation
San Diego State University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies has proven to be one of the finest programs in the nation.
The journalism, public relations and advertising disciplines were all approved for reaccreditation by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. The three academic programs have held this honor since 2009 — an impressive feat, because the School of JMS only became a separate academic unit in 2007.
“ACEJMC accreditation puts us in the top 25 percent of journalism schools nationwide, which is very prestigious,” said Bey-Ling Sha, professor and director of the School of Journalism and Media Studies. “This is important because accreditation provides third-party validation that we offer a high-caliber program here at SDSU.”
The programs are judged on nine standards that test the program’s strength in everything from faculty and curriculum, to diversity and extra-curricular opportunities for students.
In addition to external validation of the program, accreditation offers several direct benefits for current students, including limiting JMS lab courses to 20 students for a better learning experience; and opportunities for scholarships and internships that are only available to students in ACEJMC accredited programs.
“Since we went through the rigorous process of reaccreditation, it basically keeps doors open for our students for opportunities that they would not normally have,” Sha said.
Trion Properties Sells 2 Multifamily
Properties and Acquires Another
Los Angeles-based Trion Properties has sold two multifamily properties in San Diego County for $7.63 million and has acquired another apartment property in the county for $9.65 million.
One of the properties Trion sold was the 21-unit Casa Verde Apartments in La Mesa, located at 7629-33 Normal Ave. In 2012 Trion paid $1.9 million, or $90,476 per unit for the property, which was built in 1958. After renovations and modern landscaping, the property was sold for $3.58 million or $170,000 per unit.
The 22-unit Southwinds Apartments at 909 Sunshine Ave. in El Cajon was purchased in 2013 for $2.35 million, or $106,818 per unit. The property was sold for $3.74 million, or $170,000 per unit, after extensive interior and exterior renovations.
Trion acquired the Park Grove, a 98-unit garden-style apartment complex at 3635 College Ave. in San Diego, for $9.65 million, or $98,469 per unit. Park Grove was built in 1963. Each of the complex’s buildings has two floors with one and two-bedroom units. Trion said it plans extensive improvements.
SR Commercial Purchases Class A
Carlsbad Building for $8.75 Million
Solana Beach-based SR Commercial has purchased a 65,000-square-foot Flex/R&D building at 3193 Lionshead Ave. in Carlsbad for $8.75 million. The seller was Illinois-based Vinturi. DTZ was the broker and will handle leases. The building is currently vacant.
The Class A building is located in the master planned Carlsbad Raceway Business Park. The property is divisible for two tenant occupancy and convenient proximity to retail amenities, food court and a public park. Along with a generous parking ratio, the property offers easy access from Melrose Drive, Palomar Airport Road and Business Park Drive. The building features expansive glass and skylights.
Researchers Collaborate to Eradicate
Cancer Stem Cells, Treat Leukemia
Researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center are working with GSK on a bench-to-bedside project to treat leukemia and other diseases by eliminating cancer stem cells. The collaboration is part of GSK’s Discovery Partnerships with Academia program, where academic partners become core members of drug-hunting teams. Dr. Catriona Jamieson, associate professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Regenerative Medicine, will lead UC San Diego’s effort in the new team.
The team will collaborate to discover and develop a new therapeutic compound that inhibits RNA editing, a process cells use to enhance RNA diversity prior to translating genetic information into proteins. Jamieson’s group has shown that uncontrolled RNA editing helps cancer stem cells self-renew, making more malignant cells, in chronic myeloid leukemia and other blood cancers. Cancer stem cells can become dormant and evade chemotherapy and then activate again later, causing relapse of leukemia and other cancers and allowing tumors to resist treatment.
“The problem with leukemia is that in many cases while we can control the symptoms of disease, we can’t completely eradicate it because current therapies don’t block cancer stem cell self-renewal. Enhanced RNA editing is like a cancer stem cell engine, and with this collaboration we want to turn that engine off,” said Jamieson, who is also deputy director of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center and director of stem cell research at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center.
Thomas Csordas Named to James Chan
Presidential Chair for Global Health
Thomas J. Csordas, renowned anthropologist and director of the Global Health Program at the UC San Diego, has been appointed the inaugural holder of the Dr. James Y. Chan Presidential Chair for Global Health in the Division of Social Sciences.
The endowed faculty chair was established with a $500,000 pledge from Chan, a retired physician, and matched through the University of California’s Presidential Match for Endowed Chairs. The endowed chair will provide a dedicated source of funds for the chair holder’s scholarly activities as well as support for undergraduate and graduate students with global health interests.
A graduate of the National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Chan was for many years a urologist in Texas, where he often worked with underserved populations. When he retired to La Jolla, he became familiar with UC San Diego and its student-centered, research-focused, service-oriented mission. Impressed by what the campus was doing, he made gifts to support various initiatives and areas, including the Hispanic Scholarship Council, the biomedical library and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Open House Scheduled for Business of Wine
Program at SDSU College of Extended Studies
San Diego State University’s College of Extended Studies will host an open house for its Professional Certificate in the Business of Wine program from 6:30-8 p.m. on Thursday, July 30 at Splash Wine Bar, 3043 University Ave.
Attendees will meet instructors and fellow students, as well as learn more about the SDSU wine program.
“Taking The Business of Wine classes did give me a lot of much-needed wine knowledge that was a must in opening and running my wine bar and restaurant,” said program graduate Traci Smith, owner of Splash Wine Bar. “I wouldn’t have felt at all comfortable taking on such a business without the education.”
The comprehensive Business of Wine courses are geared for professionals and entrepreneurs in the wine, food, and hospitality fields who want to quickly expand their knowledge of industry topics. The certificate is directed to restaurant owners and staff, winery employees, event planners, distribution and retail sales employees, wine bar owners and staff; plus anyone interested in moving into wine or hospitality careers, and wine enthusiasts who desire a professional-level education.
For more information, call (619) 594-1138 or visit
National Stand Down for Homeless
Veterans Set for July 17 at San Diego High
The 28th annual National Stand Down for Homeless Veterans will take place on the upper athletic fields of San Diego High School on Friday, July 17, beginning at 6 a.m.
Participants receive shelter, food, clothing, showers and medical and dental care. They also access homeless court, recovery services, employment referrals, counseling, and chaplain services.
Stand Down was started by VVSD in 1988 out of a conviction that the overwhelming number of homeless veterans on the streets of America is unacceptable, and that the veteran community itself must respond. There are now over 200 Stand Downs held each year throughout the U.S. According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, “Stand Down has become recognized as the most valuable outreach tool to help homeless veterans in the nation today.”
Director of Development Named
Breanna Baer, a former national director for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, is the new director of development for the Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges, the philanthropic partner for East County’s two community colleges.
The Oceanside resident, who focused on building large corporate partnerships for more than a decade fundraising for LLS, will connect with potential corporate and individual partners for the foundation. Baer will also oversee the foundation’s efforts to find new ways to engage the community in fundraising efforts.
The native of Rancho Cucamonga attended Chaffey College before transferring to California State University, Fullerton, where she was a 2003 cum laude graduate, earning a bachelor of arts in communications.
She briefly worked in public relations before she began working at the Orange County/Inland Empire chapter office of LLS in Santa Ana. After four years, she was promoted to the national office, working as a special projects manager, then as a national director, developing and implementing strategic plans for the top 25 national partners of LLS.
Workshop on How Businesses
Can Apply for Tax Credits
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) will host a July 31 workshop on the California Competes Tax Credit. Small, medium, and large businesses are encouraged to attend the workshop and receive instructions on how to apply for this tax credit program.
The workshop will be from 2 to 3 p.m. at BIOCOM, 10996 Torreyana Road, San Diego.
The California Competes Program has approximately $200 million in tax credits available during the 2015-16 fiscal year for businesses that want to expand in or relocate to California.
Attendees will learn how they can apply for millions in available tax credits.
The workshop and the program are free and available to businesses of all sizes throughout the state.
Guest Information Breached
At Three San Diego Hotels
City News Service
The operator of three San Diego hotels announced Wednesday that a security breach led to unauthorized charges on guests’ payments cards, and recommended that guests review their accounts for the affected time period.
Evans Hotels — which owns and operates the Bahia Resort, Catamaran Resort and The Lodge at Torrey Pines — received calls in February from guests who saw unauthorized charges on their payments cards after they were used at the company’s hotels.
An investigation determined that hotel computers were infected by malware that could read data on backup card readers, which front-desk clerks sometimes used when large groups were checking in, according to the company.
The information collected by the malware included the cardholder name, account number, expiration date and verification code.
Evans Hotels said the backup card readers were removed from all properties by March 5.
Most cards used by customers were swiped through other readers that encrypt the data and were unaffected, according to the company.
The company said it is unable to identify which guests might have been affected, so it recommends that all guests who used cards at its properties between September of last year and March 5 of this year check their accounts for unauthorized uses.
Anyone who sees charges that they didn’t make should call their bank, according to Evans Hotels. The company said credit card companies usually don’t hold their customers responsible for fraudulent charges.
Company officials said they’re working with a computer security firm to implement further measures to prevent fraud, and that customers can “feel confident” in using payment cards at their hotels.
Further information is available by calling (888) 738-3786 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
Carlsbad Development Supporters
Submit 20,000 Petition Signatures
City News Service
Supporters of a proposed 26-acre development on the site of the strawberry fields adjacent to Interstate 5 announced Wednesday that they submitted 20,000 petition signatures in a bid to force the Carlsbad City Council to take action on the plan or place it before voters.
Developer Rick Caruso of Caruso Affiliated has proposed setting aside around 85 percent of the property for open space and building shops, restaurants and a movie theater on the remainder of the land, which overlooks the Agua Hedionda Lagoon.
He said the family-owned strawberry-growing operation on the property would continue, and that his firm would add picnic areas and walking trails to an area that’s now generally inaccessible to the public.
“We have spent nearly three years getting to know the character of Carlsbad and the people who love and cherish their community,” Caruso said. “In hundreds of community meetings with thousands of residents, we have developed a plan that seamlessly fits with the fabric of Carlsbad. And, now, the voters have shown strong support for the 85/15 Plan.”
The 20,000 signatures represent nearly twice the number required — 15 percent of registered voters — to force the City Council to take action or put the matter to a special election.
The county Registrar of Voters Office has 30 days to determine whether the Caruso signature-gathering effort was sufficient.
International Desalination Association
To Hold World Congress in San Diego
The International Desalination Association will hold its 2015 World Congress on Desalination and Water Reuse Aug. 30 through Sept. 4 at the San Diego Convention Center.
Held every two years since 1987, the IDA World Congress brings together public and private sector leaders in the world’s desalination and water reuse community, from end-users to technology developers, suppliers, researchers, academics, consultants, engineers and financial services providers. It features a four-day Technical Program, 11,000 square-meter Exhibition, IDA Academy courses, and networking opportunities throughout the week including “A Celebration of California” at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Delegates also have the opportunity to tour the soon-to-be commissioned Carlsbad desalination plant, the largest seawater desalination plant in the Western hemisphere, and the Orange County Groundwater Replenishment System, the world’s largest water purification system for direct potable reuse.