Daily Business Report-Aug. 16, 2016

The San Diego Marriott La Jolla, reportedly one of the hotels hacked. (Credit: Marriott Hotels)

Hotels in San Diego Among

Those Hit in Data Breach

An undisclosed number of people who used credit cards at 20 Hyatt, Sheraton, Marriott, Westin and other hotels in California, nine other states and the District of Columbia may have had their cards compromised as a result of hack of the hotels’ payment system.

According to the hotel operator HEI Hotels & Resorts, malware put into place in at least 20 locations — including five in California — may have collected names, payment card account numbers, card expiration dates and verification codes. — San Diego Union-Tribune

 

Barons Market Seeks Artist to Create

Mural for its New North Park Store

Barons Market, which plans to open a new grocery store in North Park by the end of the years, is soliciting proposals from local artists to create a mural inside the store.

The selected artist will craft lasting artwork on a four-sided column that visually represents the theme of “growing community through food and art,” according to the store announcement.

Open to artists living in San Diego — ideally in North Park and surrounding communities — the request for proposals is the first step in a three-stage selection process. Interested artists are encouraged to submit their portfolio, resume and short letter of interest by Aug. 25.

“When Barons opens a new location, we strive to weave the very fabric of the community into our store,” says Barons Market Vice President of Marketing Rachel Shemirani. “We hope that the artist who designs this piece of our first urban location will share Barons’ passion for community.”

Barons’ location at 3231 University Ave. will feature North Park-inspired interior design that blends the vibrancy of the neighborhood with modern architecture. According to Shemirani, the neighborhood deserves a grocery store that has as much character and charisma as the people who live there.

Only artists with reviewable portfolios are eligible to apply. For information on eligibility, project specifications and timeline, click here to view the full request for proposals.

For more information on Barons Market, visit www.baronsmarket.com.

Skyline Hills Library Demolished

To Make Way for New Library

By City News Service

Work crews Monday demolished the old Skyline Hills Branch Library to make room for a larger replacement.

The branch, which was built in 1969 and covered 4,400 square feet of floor space, was closed 2 1/2 weeks ago. It was razed to make way for the new building, which has been a top priority for San Diego Councilwoman Myrtle Coles and other neighborhood leaders.

The $13.2 million, 15,000-square-foot Skyline Hills library will be built on a 3.6-acre lot and include a multi-purpose area, outdoor reading patio, children and teen areas and a computer lab, the city said.

The library is scheduled to open in October. Until then, area residents can use the branch in Paradise Hills, 5922 Rancho Hills Drive.

Salk Researchers: Disregarded

Plant Molecule Actually a Treasure

Salk researchers have discovered that a plant molecule once regarded as a biological dead end now offers new leads into the development of hardier plants

Research by Salk Institute scientists published Aug. 11 in the journal Cell reveals an unexpected role for a small, often overlooked molecule called phaseic acid, which has historically been cast as an inactive byproduct in plants—a metabolic dead end of sorts. The new findings suggest that phaseic acid and its receptors probably co-evolved to become crucial for drought resistance and other survival traits and may inform the development of new, hardier crops that can weather natural disasters wrought by climate change.

“There had been some hints that phaseic acid was not just an inactive bystander but a plant hormone with an important role,” says the study’s senior investigator Joseph Noel.  “But now, by using an array of cutting-edge biological approaches, we’ve shown more convincingly, that phaseic acid is likely important for survival.”

 

Personnel Announcements

Oceanside Museum of Art Selects Executive Director

Maria Mingalone, former director of curatorial affairs at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Mass., has been named executive director of the Oceanside Museum of Art.

Mingalone spent 14 years at the Berkshire Museum. Other positions she held there were interim executive director and director of interpretation. She oversaw the museum’s exhibition, educational, and public programs and was involved in strategic planning and headed many fundraising initiatives including corporate and business sponsorships. Her fiscal responsibilities included successfully managing a departmental budget of nearly $800,000 and overseeing management of 45,000+ objects in the museum’s collection.

Mingalone holds a Masters of Science degree in museum education and leadership from the Bank Street Graduate School of Education in New York, NY.

Mingalone will be introduced on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016 at Oceanside Museum of Art’s opening reception for Space, Structure, Light: The Art of Russell Forester and Irving J. Gill: A Comfortable Fit.

 

Cubic Global Defense Announces

Two Executive Appointments

Cubic Global Defense announced the appointment of retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. James Terry as senior vice president, business development of ground strategy.

Terry will focus on expanding business opportunities for Cubic’s ground training systems and services for the Army, Marine Corps, Special Operations and the Middle East region. He will also be tasked with improving marketing communications as well as managing business teams to cross-sell Cubic products in foreign and domestic regions.

Terry joins Cubic with more than 37 years of service in the U.S. Army, where he recently retired as commanding general, U.S. Army Central Command/ U.S. Third Army in the rank of lieutenant g eneral. In his final assignment, he served as the three-star Army component commander to the U.S. Central Command.

In another assignment, Eric Carr, former vice president and deputy general manager of integrated training solutions business, has been promoted to senior vice president, systems operations.. Carr will relocate from Orlando, Fla. to San Diego.

Cubic Global Defense is a business unit of Cubic Corp.