Daily Business Report-April 27, 2016
Members from UCSD’s winning team in the University Challenge are, from left, Jenni Cen, Michelle Markiewicz, Nicholas Maldarelli, Albert Liang and Cristina Martinez.
UCSD Team Captures Planning Championship
For its Seaport Village Development Plan
Bests Teams from SDSU and USD
A student team from UCSD Department of Urban Studies and Planning has a winning formula for redoing the Seaport Village property — turn it into a mixed-use development anchored by an iconic hotel.
It’s a winning idea because the proposal gave the student team the championship in the NAIOP San Diego’s sixth annual University Challenge on April 21.
Student teams from UC San Diego, San Diego State University and the University of San Diego competed in the event, where they had to show judges what they would do with Seaport Village. That tourist attraction was selected by organizers because the Port of San Diego is actually soliciting proposals for the area. The students would have a chance to contribute to the community visioning process that may ultimately inform the development team’s design.
The SDSU Corky McMillin Center for Real Estate’s project was titled “Bayside Pointe” and the USD Burnham Moores Center for Real Estate proposal was titled “Seaport.” A SDSU team had won the challenge the last two years.
For the first time in the University Challenge’s six years of inter-collegiate competition, each team was required to incorporate “an iconic people-mover” that draws locals and tourists to the site. Based upon community feedback, the UCSD team chose to maintain the much-loved carousel already located on the Seaport site.
Members of the UCSD student team — named Triton Associates — are Albert Liang, Cristina Martinez, Jenni Cen, Michelle Markiewicz and Nicholas Maldarelli. They and the other teams presented their development plans at the Hall of Champions in Balboa Park, site of the University Challenge.
Throughout the competition, the teams had access to volunteer mentor architects from LPA Inc., Ware Malcomb and Carrier Johnson. The winning team consulted with David Gilmore, Francisco Nunez and Kevin Leslie of LPA.
Judges in the Challenge were John Alderson from Westfield; Dan Feldman from Sunroad Enterprises; Kevin Heinly from Gensler; Chris Wood from Ryan Companies; Mike McNerney from Lowe Enterprises; Jim Nigro from US Bank; Paul Buss from Oliver McMillan; and Kelly Moden from Murfey Construction.
Proceeds from University Challenge will fund two scholarships for each participating school.
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SPAWAR Small Business Programs
Office Receives DOD’s Verdure Award
The Department of Defense has awarded the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Office of Small Business Programs with the Verdure Award for innovative and proactive approaches in promoting the use of small businesses in SPAWAR acquisitions throughout fiscal year 2015.
The Verdure Award is a part of the DoD’s Vanguard Awards Program, which recognizes the exemplary contributions of small business professionals or members of acquisition teams that influence small business participation in defense procurement.
To build and foster relationships, the San Diego-based SPAWAR Office of Small Business Programs assigned each team member as a point of contact for each of the program offices and competencies within the command. On a semi-annual basis the team partners with San Diego-based Defense Acquisition University to provide additional training on small business programs to acquisition students.
All Vanguard awardees will receive formal recognition during the DoD Small Business Innovation Training Week May 9-13, in Atlanta.
Poland Eyes General Atomics, Elbit
Systems Drones for Armed Forces
By ExecutiveBiz
General Atomics and Elbit Systems are under consideration to provide long-endurance drones for Poland’s armed forces, Defense News reported Friday.
Jaroslaw Adamowski writes Poland’s military announced the country’s plan to buy long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles either from the U.S. or Israel in 2015.
Poland is deciding between the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1C Gray Eagle, as well as Elbit’s Hermes 900, according to the report.
The drones are scheduled for delivery to Poland in 2019 under the country’s Zefir program, Adamowski reports.
Hotel Industry Executive Chosen to Lead
San Diego Tourism Marketing District
Hotel industry veteran Brian Hughes has been selected as the San Diego Tourism Marketing District’s new executive director.
Hughes joins the TMD at a time when San Diego focuses on a convention center expansion, the future release of the organization’s 20-year Destination Master Plan, and upcoming board elections.
It’s also been a record year for San Diego’s tourism industry. In 2015, the TMD put nearly $24 million in assessment funds into San Diego City Council-approved programs resulting in record Transit Occupancy Tax (TOT) collections of $186 million.
Hughes, a Cornell University graduate, has nearly three decades of experience in the hotel industry. Since coming to San Diego in 2008, he worked for Omni Hotels & Resorts as general manager of the Omni San Diego Hotel and geneneral manager of the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa.
Hughes succeeds Lorin Stewart, founding executive director of the San Diego Tourism Marketing District Corp. since 2008, who was recently named interim CEO of LEAD San Diego to succeed Vicky Carlson.
Sempra Energy Selling Southern
Utilities for About $323 Million
By City News Service
San Diego-based Sempra Energy announced Tuesday it was selling the parent company of the Mobile Gas Service Corp. and Willmut Gas Oil Co. for about $323 million.
The Laclede Group Inc. has agreed to purchase EnergySouth Inc. from Sempra U.S. Gas & Power. Sempra will retain EnergySouth’s Bay Gas Storage Company, Mississippi Hub, LLC, Liberty Gas Storage or Southern Gas Transmission, according to the utility.
“After careful consideration of our natural gas assets, we have entered into this agreement to sell our two southeast utilities to Laclede. We believe we can productively redeploy the proceeds from the sale into long-term growth opportunities that meet our strategy,” Sempra U.S. Gas & Power President and CEO Patti Wagner said.
“Additionally, I want to thank each employee of Mobile Gas and Willmut Gas for their continued hard work and commitment in providing safe and reliable natural gas service to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Alabama and Mississippi.”
Sempra U.S. Gas & Power acquired EnergySouth in 2008 and Willmut Gas in 2012. Mobile Gas serves about 85,000 utility customers in southwest Alabama and Willmut Gas provides service to about 19,000 customers in Mississippi.
Students from San Diego and Tijuana
Compete for $100K in Seed Money
University of San Diego students and the top student entrepreneurs from Tijuana will compete for a total of $100,000 in cash and in-kind support in the 2016 V2 Entrepreneur Competition on April 28. The event takes place from 5-9 p.m. in USD’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.
The V2 Pitch Competition is the opportunity for eight teams of students –four from USD and four from universities in Mexico — to pitch their ideas to a panel of angel investors, San Diego business owners, fellow students and the V2 judges. Students will be judged on the potential success of their venture and ability to be an entrepreneur.
Chosen from more than 100 submissions, the eight start-up companies presenting pitches this year are:
• Lacy: Lacy is a bra washing machine (patent pending) that carefully protects bras and delicates from the damage they normally endure during traditional washing methods.
• Technology company FoldedColor is an e-commerce solution for custom printed packaging, offering standard and customizable folding carton options through a web-to-print interface that includes instant pricing, an intuitive design editor, virtual 3D proofing and online checkout.
• TechMeetsTrader makes it easy to capitalize on investment opportunities and to learn from experienced traders.
• Like Cats and Dogs produces a safe pet toy for both cats and dogs.
Bi-National Track
• AGROSOL AGROSOL offers a fertilization, fumigation and geographical scanning system performed by drones.
• Baja Saver generates clean and cheap energy through a product as small as a home refrigerator that is 100 percent self-sufficient, more effective than wind and solar systems and a better return on investment.
• Ñapanga produces and distributes a microbrew with a female focus.
• FXR is an app used to request certified professional services for home repair and maintenance.
Citizens Plan Initiative Backers
To Submit 90,000 Signatures
By City News Service
Backers of a proposed multi-faceted ballot measure that would direct the future of the tourism industry in San Diego plan to turn in more than 90,000 signatures to the county Registrar of Voters Office Wednesday.
If passed, the Citizen Plan for San Diego would raise hotel room taxes by 5 percent to 15.5 percent, prohibit a waterfront expansion of the San Diego Convention Center and encourage an expansion of San Diego State University and UC San Diego onto the Qualcomm Stadium site.
The initiative also would require voter approval of any public funds that would be spent on building a downtown stadium for the Chargers, and support the creation of parkland along the San Diego River.
In a scathing opinion released about two weeks ago, City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said the Citizens Plan would bring “significant risk” to the city.
Among other things, Goldsmith pointed to what he called a “poison pill” provision that says if a section is ruled invalid in court and appeals are exhausted, the rest of the initiative will be invalid. He said a poison pill was unusual and could bring financial risk to the city in the event of litigation.
Goldsmith identified six areas of the Citizens Plan that could be legally questionable.
In his 25-page opinion, Goldsmith also said the initiative could violate the single-subject rule, which limits ballot measures and laws to one issue.
Lawyer Cory Briggs, who drafted the initiative along with former Councilwoman Donna Frye, told City News Service that Goldsmith “is wrong, period.”
Just under 66,500 valid signatures are required for the Citizens Plan to qualify for the ballot.
Five San Diego County Hospitals
Get Patient Safety ‘A’ Grades
Five San Diego area hospitals have received “A” grades in the national Hospital Safety Score ratings program, which recognizes exceptional patient safety records. 798 hospitals nationwide received the A rating.
The area hospitals with the A grade are: UC San Diego Hillcrest Medical Center; Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center; UCSD Health La Jolla-Thornton Hospital and Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center; Scripps Memorial Hospital of La Jolla; and Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside.
Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside earned its sixth successive A grade in the ratings program, the only one in North County.
The Hospital Safety Score, considered the gold standard rating for patient safety, was compiled under the guidance of leading patient safety experts and administered by The Leapfrog Group, a national patient safety watchdog.
The Hospital Safety Score uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice per year
Nine SDSU Students Receive
Fullbright Awards to Study Abroad
Nine San Diego State University students have received Fulbright awards for the 2016-17 academic year. Eight undergraduates and one graduate student were selected by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, which offers research, study and teaching opportunities in more than 140 countries to recent university graduates and graduate students.
In total, 85 SDSU students have received Fulbright awards since 2005, with 40 of those secured in the last five award cycles.
The current crop of Fulbright students will spend the 2016-17 academic year in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Seven will be English Teaching Assistants based in specific elementary, middle or high schools, and two will conduct research during their Fulbright year.
The 2016-17 Fulbright awardees are:
• Daniel Gerardi (English honors, B.A.) will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Indonesia. He plans to establish a writing and conversation club for students to discuss culture and learn new vocabulary.
• Zachariah Martinez (biology, B.A.) will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Bulgaria and create a health and wellness program for his students.
• Bogdan Matuszynski (international security and conflict resolution/ Latin American studies, B.A.) will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Spain, where he plans to create a virtual dialogue forum to connect with peers and mentors from other parts of the world.
• Raheal Mengisteab (communications, B.A., Teaching Credential/special education) will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in the Czech Republic. She also plans to host monthly workshops to discuss race, class and gender issues in the United States.
• Monica Murtaugh (women’s studies, M.A.) will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Turkey and create a digital literacy workshop. She will also work with university students committed to community service and nonprofit agencies.
• Jacqueline Ramos (political science, B.A.) will document the correlation between women migrants and sex trafficking in Mexico City with the support of Instituto para las Mujeres en La Migración A.C. while pursuing a master’s degree in social work.
• Marna Shorack (international security and conflict resolution, B.A.) will conduct research on the challenges faced by deported Honduran youth and the support provided to them by governmental and non-governmental organizations. Based in Tegucigalpa, she will participate in community activities and work with at-risk youth.
• Madison Sindorf (linguistics, Arabic and Islamic studies, Spanish, B.A.) will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Jordan. As a climbing instructor and trip leader, she will establish an outdoor education program providing a relaxed environment for students to use English outside of the classroom.
• Emmeline Wilson (linguistics, German, anthropology, B.A.) will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Germany, developing an after-school program focused on cultural exchange.
Fulbright workshop
Workshops for aspiring Fulbright applicants are scheduled this semester from 3 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, in Love Library 430 and from 2 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4, in Love Library 431.
Provost Emerita Nancy Marlin is the current Fulbright adviser, succeeding Alda Blanco, chair of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature, who mentored this year’s crop of successful Fulbright applicants.
Personnel Announcements
Joel Davis Joins KGTV 10News
Joel Davis is the new vice president and general manager for KGTV 10News, the ABC affiliate in San Diego.
For the past seven years, Davis has been a leader at the station owned by The E.W. Scripps Company. He arrived in 2009 as news director for 10News and was promoted to station manager in 2014. As news director, he restructured the news team, leading to increased viewership, a more engaged digital audience and an impressive collection of Emmy awards.
Davis was promoted to station manager at KGTV in 2014. He also served as
interim general manager at KERO, the Scripps station in Bakersfield.
Before KGTV, Davis was a managing editor at WFTV in Orlando, Fla. In that top-20 market he coordinated daily news coverage including investigations. Other newsroom experiences included news director at KFSN in Fresno from 2001-2006, and news director at KBAK in Bakersfield.
