Daily Business Report-Sept. 28, 2016

General Atomics’ SUAS Drone

General Atomics’ Secret Weapon:

Mechanical Arm that Snatches Drone in Mid-Air

By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. | Breaking Defense

This time, General Atomics’ secret weapon isn’t the drone. It’s the mechanical arm that catches it in mid-flight — and then hauls it into the back of a C-130 cargo plane, also in mid-flight.

General Atomics, which builds the iconic Predator, has rolled out its offering for DARPA’s Gremlins program, blandly called the Small Unmanned Air Vehicle (SUAS). The goal: Build drones — and equally critical, a launch and recovery system — that can take off from a manned aircraft, conduct a mission and come back aboard the plane.

Getting the drone back is “the DARPA-hard part,” said Chris Pehrson, General Atomics VP for Strategic Development in an interview at the Air Force Association conference here last week. GA’s solution blends sophisticated software with cartoony mechanics, as if their senior engineer were Wiley E. Coyote.

They recover the drone with “a mechanical arm that comes down and grabs it,” Pehrson told me. “It’s almost like a Transformer-type thing.”

General Atomics also has a more “elegant” solution, a mechanism mounted under the C-130’s wing that reels out a cable on which the drone can catch, then reels it back in. It’s similar to the hose-and-drogue system used by the US Navy and many allies to refule in mid-air, Pehrson told me, or downrigger used for deep-sea fishing.

Read the Breaking Defense report here

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General Atomics Reports Successful

Test of UAS Communications Link

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. announced that its Network Centric Communications Pod (NCCP) successfully demonstrated the ability to provide a robust communications data link between Unmanned Aircraft System and U.S. Marine Corps ground and air forces during an exercise held at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms in July.

“The successful demonstration of NCCP for the Marine Corps clearly shows the versatility and utility of Predator B in extending the communication ranges and mission capabilities of our forces in distributed operations,” said General Atomics Vice President Claudio Pereida. “We are proud to have supported the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit during this historic exercise, marking the first time that a Predator-series aircraft was equipped with NCCP.”

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New Navy Contract Extends College

District’s Partnership with the Military

A longstanding partnership between the military and the San Diego Community College District has been extended through a new $1.33 million contract calling for the district to provide instructional services at Naval Station Great Lakes — the U.S. Navy’s largest training installation.

The new contract, which took effect on Sept. 15, was approved by the district’s Board of Trustees at its Aug. 25 meeting.

Twenty six instructors are assigned to the Center for Surface Combat Systems Unit Great Lakes. Instead of English, mathematics, and sciences, they teach classes in electronics, radar systems, communication systems, weapon systems, basic seamanship, firearms, and more. Their students are sailors — many having just completed boot camp on the other side of the base — who are receiving advanced training at the Center for Surface Combat Systems before being assigned to the fleet.

Naval Station Great Lakes, located near North Chicago, is one of four military bases where the SDCCD provides instruction.  An extension of the district’s service mission, the SDCCD Military Education Program currently serves 15,407 Army, Navy, and Marine Corps personnel in four states.

The college district’s Military Education division, based at San Diego City College, has contracted with the combat systems center for 25 years.

“We provide subject matter experts who can share their experience with the students,” said SDCCD Vice Chancellor of Instructional Services Stephanie Bulger. “All of our instructors have experience in the Navy, at sea, and with the equipment. It’s more cost-effective and efficient for the Navy to use our highly trained instructors rather than using active-duty sailors.”

Approximately 40,000 recruits who pass through Great Lakes’ Recruit Training Command annually, with an estimated 7,000 recruits on board the installation at any time.

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Port of San Diego Named One

Of Top Five Cruise Destinations

The Port of San Diego was recently named one of the top five cruise destinations in the United States and Canada by Cruise Critic, the world’s largest cruise review site.

The recognition was awarded to the Port as part of Cruise Critic’s first-ever Cruisers’ Choice Destination Awards. The awards program is based on consumer ratings submitted with reviews on the Cruise Critic website. Favorite destinations from across 15 worldwide regions were named in the awards.

 According to a recent survey by Cruise Critic, selecting a cruise destination is the most important part of the planning process for both first-time cruisers and experienced cruisers.

Here are Cruise Critic’s top five destinations for the United States and Canada:

• San Francisco
• Bar Harbor, Maine
• Key West, Fla.
• San Diego
• Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

“Being named one of the top five cruise destinations in the U.S. and Canada is a tremendous honor and the Port of San Diego appreciates Cruise Critic and its online community for including us in this awards program,” said Marshall Merrifield, chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners. “The San Diego region welcomes travelers from all over the world to enjoy the beauty of San Diego’s coastline and our sun-drenched outdoor lifestyle.”

The Port of San Diego’s cruise season kicked off on Aug. 26. Currently there are 90 cruise calls scheduled for the 2016-2017 season. This is a 30 percent increase over last year’s number and the Port anticipates the numbers to continue to increase, year after year.

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Tenant Improvements Completed

For Homeland Security Department

San Diego-based general contractor Pacific Building Group has completed tenant improvements for Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), a department of U.S. Homeland Security. The 50,000-square-foot office, located at 110 W. A St. in San Diego.

Improvements to the four-floor CIS office include the build-out of the office space, new conference rooms and breakrooms, a large training room and the addition of two new, private elevators. In addition, Pacific Building Group remodeled the building lobby and restrooms.

“We worked with CIS, LEED consultant Kristi Byers and architect Benito Design Group to deliver a sustainable, contemporary and highly functional space,” said David McNiff, senior project manager at Pacific Building Group.

The building remained operational while work was underway.

Pacific Building Group team members who completed the project include McNiff, Superintendent Jim Entwisle, Project Coordinator Melissa Carrillo and Project Engineer AJ Casteel.

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Student Civics Engagement Academy

To be Officially Launched Thursday

The San Diego County Bar Association (SDCBA) and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce have partnered to create the first-ever regional Student Civics Engagement Academy. The Academy’s official launch will be Thursday at a lunchtime reception with the California Supreme Court.

The Academy was formed to educate high school seniors on various areas of the law and business in order to strengthen their interest in civic engagement. Through the program, students will hear from business leaders, judges, elected officials, lawyers and other educators who will demonstrate the importance of informed citizenship.

At the launch event, the California Supreme Court will help celebrate the program’s launch, with California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye addressing the importance of civics education and her state-wide Civics Learning Initiative.

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Studio 2055 Becomes Comet Creative 

Studio 2055 announced Tuesday that its corporate name change is now Comet Creative,  following an extensive rebranding effort to coincide with the marketing firm’s 30th anniversary.

The company, headquartered in Carlsbad, was founded by Principal/Creative Director Nanette Newbry in 1986 as a graphic design studio. Since then, the company has expanded to become a full-service design and marketing firm with six employees, offering clients branding, design, digital and marketing strategy solutions.

The company’s previous name was a direct reference to the street address of the studio. Having recently opened an office in Los Angeles, Comet Creative is now positioned to more effectively work with clients throughout Southern California, Arizona and beyond, said Newbry.

The name Comet Creative better reflects the vibrant personality and dynamic image the firm has nurtured over the last 30 years and captures its expanded business services and market area. “Comets are beautiful, massive and visible from Earth,” said Newbry. “It is a perfect metaphor for the work that Comet Creative is focused on in defining a company’s brand, like the core of a comet, and extending the influence of that brand, like the tail of a comet.”

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Lockheed, Boeing Get Contracts

For Unmanned Navy Tanker

Northrop an General Atomics await theirs

Lockheed Martin and Boeing both received $43 million in risk-reduction contracts last week, which pays the companies to convert their previous carrier-launched unmanned strike systems into tanker systems to meet the U.S. Navy’s new plans for the carrier-based airborne refueling system, or CBARS. Northrop Grumman and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems are awaiting similar awards.

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Personnel Announcements

Sunrise Management Promotes Daniel Demitro

San Diego-based Sunrise Management, which has specialized in managing multifamily properties since 1978, has promoted Daniel J. Demitro to regional vice president. In his new position, Demitro is now charged with overseeing all property management functions for the firm’s rapidly growing Southern California portfolio.

According to Joe Greenblatt, president and CEO of Sunrise Management, Demitro was recently hired by Sunrise as a senior regional real estate manager and was quickly promoted to his current position.

Previously a senior regional manager for Alliance Residential, Demitro served as an area manager and later regional manager with Irvine-based Carmel Partners after 12 years with The Irvine Company Apartment Communities.

TSA Hires Eric Mudge as Project Executive

TSA Contracting has hired Eric Mudge as project executive. Eric has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology.

He is a LEED Accredited Professional, Certified Construction Manager, and Designated Design-Build Professional. Eric’s experience consists of ground up tenant improvement and renovation construction and includes health care, industrial, Class A office, retail, and laboratory facilities.

Mudge previously worked for Pacific Building Group. As project executive, he is overseeing multiple projects for TSA.