Daily Business Report-Nov. 11, 2015
SeaWorld’s 50th Celebration sculpture.
SeaWorld San Diego Could Get
Hotel, Major New Attraction
Times of San Diego
SeaWorld San Diego could get a new hotel and a major new attraction in addition to a revamped killer whale display.
Those improvements were announced Monday, but overshadowed by news that the iconic killer whale shows would be phased out in 2016.
Joel Manby, president and CEO of SeaWorld Entertainment, told security analysts in Orlando the company has signed a letter of agreement with Evans Hotels to build a new hotel at the park, though he declined to give a time frame.
“We love the Evans hotel group. They have three excellent hotels in San Diego,” Manby said, adding that Evans had experience getting development approval in San Diego.
Evans operates such landmarks as the Lodge at Torrey Pines, and the Bahia and Catamaran near SeaWorld.
Manby said some of the capital funds earmarked for the Blue World killer whale display would instead be allocated to a major new attraction.
“We have already been looking at new attraction options for 2018,” Manby said. “I don’t think we’ve had a good attraction there in awhile and we need to give John Reilly, the park president, some ammunition.”
He said the revamped killer whale exhibit will be focused on the “natural behaviors of the whales” combined with a strong conservation message and could be built for less than the $100 million originally planned.
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Carrier Johnson Architectural Firm
Making Big Impact in Los Angeles
Known for the firm’s role in helping revitalize Downtown San Diego over two decades, Carrier Johnson + CULTURE — SD METRO’s cover story — has recently emerged as a major architecture player in the Los Angeles market.
The recent opening of a Whole Foods grocery store at Eighth & Grand, the iconic new mixed-use residential building designed by Carrier Johnson + CULTURE, is being hailed as a “significant milestone in the renewal of downtown,” the Los Angeles Times has reported.
Eighth & Grand, also known as “G8” locally, is a 700-unit luxury apartment complex with 737 parking spaces, extensive retail and amenities, and a long street mural by Italian artist Jacopo Ceccarelli. Above the mural, its rhythmically punctuated glass and concrete facades have attracted critical acclaim and a long waiting list of buyers.
Judith and Neil Morgan Fellowship
To Support Next Generation of Scholars
For more than half a century, the events and personalities of San Diego –including those of the University of California, San
Diego — were chronicled, analyzed and brought to life by journalists Judith Morgan and her late husband, Neil. Now, The Judith and Neil Morgan Endowed Fellowship at UC San Diego will carry forth their spirit of civic engagement, passion for writing and love of learning and discourse by supporting exceptional graduate students in the humanities and social sciences.
“Neil and I were always inspired by our friend Roger Revelle and the interdisciplinary vision he had for UC San Diego,” said Judith Morgan, referring to the renowned oceanographer who led the founding of the campus.
The fellowship will support up to two doctoral students annually in the fields of humanities (literature, history and philosophy) and the humanistic social sciences (linguistics, sociology, communication and anthropology). The award may be used for archival or field research, dissertation-year support and general student support. As an endowment, the fund will provide resources in perpetuity to help UC San Diego recruit and retain top graduate students.
“A fellowship can be the deciding factor in whether a graduate student chooses to attend our campus or another university,” said Steve Cassedy, acting dean of the Graduate Division. “Particularly in the fields of humanities and social sciences, where federal funding is scarce, fellowships help us bring the best graduate students to UC San Diego.”
A San Diego media icon, Neil Morgan was known as both a booster and critic of the region, as well as a skilled writer and civic leader. He worked for the San Diego Tribune from 1950 until 1992 in positions including columnist and editor. He continued writing at The San Diego Union-Tribune (the newspaper created from the merger of the San Diego Union and Tribune) and later for the nonprofit digital news organization Voice of San Diego, which he helped start.
As a reporter for the San Diego Union, Judith Morgan covered the beginning and growth of UC San Diego. She wrote about the first class of undergraduates, who arrived in the fall of 1964, and interviewed early chancellors Herbert York, John Galbraith and William McGill, as well as Harold Urey, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who helped found the chemistry department, and Andrew Wright, one of the founders of the literature department.
Congressmen Target Millennial
Entrepreneurs With New Bills
Times of San Diego
Congressmen representing two of California’s centers of innovation — San Diego and Silicon Valley — introduced new legislation Tuesday that would support incubators at colleges and universities across the country.
Rep. Scott Peters from San Diego and Rep. Eric Swalwell from San Francisco’s East Bay introduced the Startup Americas Students Act during a tour of the prototyping facility at UC San Diego’s Qualcomm Institute.
“Millennials are the least entrepreneurial generation America has known,” said Swalwell, who added that the high cost of student loans made it difficult for them to take financial risks. Funding incubators on college campus could help address this situation, he said.
Swalwell is the chair of the Future Forum, a group of the youngest Democratic members of Congress focused on issues and opportunities for millennial Americans.
Peters described Swalwell as “an important ally” on issues involving the innovation economy, and noted that UC San Diego had excellent examples of the new ideas that incubators could produce.
The Congressmen met with students who have formed the Additive Rocket Company to develop light, low-cost rocket engines made by 3-D printers.
“We saw some great demonstrations right here,” Peters said, noting that NASA was also impressed with the students’ work.
The startup bill would use existing funds from the Small Business Administration to start incubators like the one at UC San Diego at at other universities, and even community colleges.
A companion bill, the Building Opportunities for Student Startups Act, would study the role incubators and accelerators, including those based at universities, play in the commercialization of federally-funded research and regional economic development.
A staff member at the UC San Diego prototyping facility noted that there is a big difference between academics and real-world prototyping, where the answers aren’t known in advance.
Peters and Swalwell were also holding a town hall for students and planned to meet with tech entrepreneurs in Downtown San Diego.
Port Seeking Proposals to Redevelop
Restaurant at End of Imperial Beach Pier
The Port of San Diego is seeking proposals from companies interested in developing a restaurant at the end of the Imperial Beach pier. The lease of the current tenant, Tin Fish, expires on April 30, 2016.
The site, which offers 1,558 square feet of restaurant space, is described by the Port as “a prime beachside landmark that lures fishermen, tourists and residents alike. Built in 1963, the pier features a commanding view of the Los Coronados Islands and beyond and recently was upgraded with new wooden planks. The location boasts a laid-back, beach town vibe.”
The Port is encouraging a reconfiguration of the existing building to best utilize space, attract customers, enhance business operations and increase revenue.
The Port also said that it may offer the future restaurant operator a location at the foot of the pier to set up a food cart.
Responses to a Request for Proposals are due on Dec. 15. The Port said a tenant will be selected in January.
DPR Selected as Pre-Construction
Manager for Performing Arts Center
DPR Construction has been selected by La Jolla Music Society as its pre-construction manager for The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center. The 44,000-square-foot, $65 million center, also known as The Conrad, will be located at 7600 Fay Ave. The Conrad was unanimously approved by the La Jolla Community Planning Association in October with full city approval anticipated by the end of 2015. Construction is anticipated to begin in mid-2016.
DPR Construction was selected through a competitive process managed by Horine Group, the project management firm coordinating design, development and construction of The Conrad. DPR Construction’s local experience includes more than 100 ground-up structures, comprising more than 10 million square feet and includes projects such as the Old Globe Theatre, Illumina’s headquarters, USD Beyster School of Nursing, the UCSD Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center and the San Diego Yacht Club.
Palomar Health in Collaboration
To Improve Palliative Care
Palomar Health, LightBridge Medical Associates and The Elizabeth Hospice are collaborating to improve the care of palliative patients in North County.
The organizations have combined their expertise and experience in this medical specialty to create an inpatient Palliative Care program at Palomar Health.
For people with serious illness and their families, palliative care is specialized medical care that focuses on providing relief from pain and other symptoms and supporting the best possible quality of life for the longest possible time, no matter the diagnosis. Palomar Health’s Palliative Care Consultation services are offered to hospitalized and emergency department patients.
“We believe this new three-way collaboration will bring a comprehensive and robust palliative care program to Palomar Health, and we are all committed to the program’s success,” says Maria Sudak, interim vice president and chief nursing officer at Palomar Medical Center.
Palliative care physicians from LightBridge and The Elizabeth Hospice are available 24/7 to consult with patients, being onsite Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on-call after hours and on weekends.
Personnel Announcements
Rachel Stine Joins Cara & Garland
Cara & Garland, a women- and-minority-owned employment and business law firm, has hired Rachel Stine as a paralegal.
Stine attended the Boston University College of Communication, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in 2012. In 2014, Stine earned an ABA-approved Paralegal Certificate with an emphasis in General Litigation from the University of San Diego Paralegal Program, where she graduated with honors.
Prior to joining Cara & Garland, Stine served as a paralegal at a law firm in Vista.
Andrew Meyer Named CEO
Of Financial Fitness Group
Andrew Meyer has been named CEO of Financial Fitness Group.
Meyer has more than 20 years of senior management experience growing software companies, including Scientific Atlanta (now Cisco Systems Inc.), Websense, Epicor, Boost Academy and multiple startups.
“Andy’s skills are key to driving our growth,” said Joe Saari, founder of the Financial Fitness Group. “We are excited to leverage Andy’s experience helping scale multiple companies from early stage through significant growth and exits via an IPO and acquisitions.”
