Daily Business Report/Dec. 14, 2016
An ornament from the Hood and Schlappi collection being exhibited at the Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park. (Credit: Timken Museum)
Acclaimed Ornament Collection
Installed by San Diego State Students
By Graciella Regua | SDSU NewsCenter
The holiday season in San Diego sparks the return of many well-established traditions, including the Timken Museum of Art’s extensive display of the Hord and Schlappi ornament collection. This year, the exhibition has been revitalized with the help of San Diego State University students from the Master of Fine Arts in Design and Technology program in the School of Theatre, Television, and Film.
Numbering more than 2,000 ornaments, the collection of unique, handmade works (often compared with Fabergé eggs) were designed and created over a span of 80 years by local San Diego artisans Florence Hord and Elizabeth Schlappi. Since 1988, the vast collection of elaborate ornaments has been displayed on the Timken holiday tree.
This December, the ornaments will extend beyond the tree. The entryway and hallway of the museum, along with the main lobby area, will be decorated with the intricate works of Hord and Schlappi.
“When I saw them in person, and I realized the history and craftsmanship that went into each piece, it became my personal mission to find a way to showcase the entire collection within the Timken walls,” said Megan Pogue, executive director of the Timken Museum of Art. “We are thrilled to work with the talented graduate students and faculty of SDSU and look forward to unveiling their creative display this holiday season.”
During recent years, the Timken Museum has forged collaborative ties with SDSU. Denitsa Bliznakova, head of the costume and design program at SDSU, along with D.J. Hopkins, director of the School of Theatre, Television and Film, worked closely with the team at the Timken, and together the group focused on a project related to the Hord and Schlappi collection.
“They (the Timken team) were interested in collaborating with our students in creating a beautiful installation that would attract many visitors to the museum over the holidays,” Bliznakova said. “The Timken team was excited to be able to carry on the Hord and Schlappi tradition in a new way, all the while offering the chance to inspire the next generation of design students.”
The 10 students involved in the installation are enrolled in a class at SDSU titled “Collaborative Studies” and are each pursuing an MFA in Design and Technology. Their respective emphases are scene design, lighting design, costume design, and technical directing.
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Former CSU Trustee Named Chair
Of Fowler College of Business Board
Frederick W. Pierce, president and CEO of Pierce Education Properties, a top student housing company, has been named chairman of the board of the Fowler College of Business at San Diego State University.
Pierce earned a degree in finance from SDSU in 1984 and an MBA, also from SDSU, in 1988. He previously served as a trustee of the California State University system, where he chaired several of the system’s committees.
“Fred has been a tireless advocate for the Fowler College of Business, SDSU and our students,” said Dr. George Belch, interim dean of the Fowler College of Business. “His dedication to the college along with his experience as a California State University trustee, an alumnus and a long-time member of the advisory board made him a natural choice to take on the role of chair.”
The board of directors is comprised of 30 individuals who are founders and current or former executives within some of the region’s largest businesses such as KPMG, Verizon Wireless, Jack in the Box, Qualcomm, Wells Fargo Bank and Sempra Energy. Like Pierce, many of the advisors are alumni of the college.
Local philanthropist and San Diego Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler and his wife, Alexis, made a $25 million endowment gift to the university’s business school. The funds will provide scholarships and professorships, develop a lecture series, and provide international experiences and expanded programming for SDSU business students.
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Hometown America Secures Financing
For Purchase of Oak Tree Ranch, Ramona
Hometown America has obtained $5.8 million in financing for the purchase of Oak Tree Ranch, a 126-home development in Ramona. The financing was arranged by Holliday Fenoglio Fowler L.P. through Aegon USA Realty Advisors LLC.
Oak Tree Ranch was originally developed with 79 home sites. An additional 47 sites were added by the previous ownership, with entitlements for up to 250 home sites total. Hometown America plans to bring in multi-section manufactured homes for sale to continue the expansion.
Amenities at Oak Tree Ranch include a historic home used as the leasing office, a clubhouse, swimming pool, spa, laundry, RV/boat storage, community garden and outdoor entertainment grounds with event pavilion.
“Oak Tree Ranch is another great addition to Hometown’s portfolio and fits very well within our investment strategy of acquiring high-quality communities in target markets such as California,” said Doug Minahan, vice president of Hometown America.
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Proposal Seeks Development
At Current Stadium Site
A request by San Diego leaders on Tuesday that the Chargers reconsider Mission Valley for a new stadium revives the possibility the project would also include hotels, condos or other development. San Diego Union-Tribune
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‘Western’ Maternal Diet Appears
To Raise Obesity Risk in Offspring
Diet composition around the time of pregnancy may influence whether offspring become obese, according to a new study using animal models at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI).
“Your diet itself matters, not just whether you are gaining excess weight or developing gestational diabetes,” said TSRI Associate Professor Eric Zorrilla, who led the study in collaboration with Tim R. Nagy of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Barry E. Levin of the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center of East Orange, New Jersey, and Rutgers University.
In fact, the researchers found that giving females a typical American, or Western, diet appeared to set the next generation up for lifelong obesity issues.
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Little Italy Association Receives Governor’s
Historic Preservation Award for Mobile App
The Little Italy Association has been named one of the 2016 winners of the Governor’s Historic Preservation Award, the only official preservation award presented by the State of California to worthy recipients in recognizing their outstanding achievements in the field of historical preservation.
The Little Italy Association received the award for its Little Italy San Diego Interactive Mobile App as an exceptional use of state-of-the-art technology in the cause of preserving California’s richly diverse heritage.
The Little Italy Interactive Mobile App was created by Guru, an experiential technology company that creates innovative apps and solutions for cultural institutions. The app allows visitors of all ages to tour the neighborhood and receive broad overviews of the origins of Little Italy from the 16th to the 20th century through augmented reality and historic tours.
“The Little Italy Association is honored to accept and be a part of this award from Gov. Brown and the State of California,” said Marco LiMandri, Little Italy Association’s chief executive administrator. “One of the association’s goals is to preserve the history of our neighborhood and share our ancestors’ stories who founded our community through the fishing industry and local Italian businesses. Our Little Italy San Diego app makes it possible to share the Little Italy traditions and history with the world — making it possible to keep our culture alive for future generation to come.”
The Little Italy San Diego Interactive Mobile App is an innovative tool that features a combination of audio-guided tours, narratives, soundbites, videos, photos, and the technology to bring users augmented reality. The tours provide an insight into the Italian immigrant experience by allowing the user to hear personal anecdotes and memories, as told by some of the oldest residents of Little Italy.
“The best part about the app is that anyone can use it and have an amazing experience at any age,” said LiMandri. “For children, an animated child-mascot, Danny Boy, leads visitors around the neighborhood to experience videos, photographs, games and a quiz. For adults, the app provides a guide to all the area’s landmarks, restaurants, and artistic and cultural offerings. Through the Little Italy Interactive Mobile App, we are able to transform San Diego’s Little Italy into a walkable museum, providing visitors a glimpse of the past by using the technology of today.”
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Rally and Vigil to End Gun Violence
Tonight at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in Hillcrest, San Diegans can join in prayers and blessings at a vigil for victims of gun violence.
“Lighting the Way-Remember and Respond,” will be an evening uniting faith leaders, city and county officials, local musicians, and concerned families with the goal of transforming empathy into meaningful action.
Organized by the San Diego County chapter of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Violence and The Newton Foundation, the event is just one of many that will be held nationwide, bringing attention to the need for safe cities, schools, and workplaces.
As one spokesperson lamented, gun violence in this country “shatters the hearts” of Americans and people across the world.
Dean Penny Bridges of the Episcopal Cathedral was enthusiastic in helping to bring together faith leaders Rabbi Laurie Coskey, Iman Taha Hassane, and Reverend Dan Koeschall to speak to the audience. Along with media announcements, flyers are being distributed and congregations are inviting neighbors.
Speakers will include Councilman Chris Ward. Musicians Kelli McCarthy, Ron Markus, the Children’s Choir of San Diego, and Emma’s Revolution will lead songs, culminating in “Peace, Salaam, Shalom.”
A rally will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Fifth and Sixth avenues. The vigil and memorial service will be at 6 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral’s Great Hall (2728 Sixth Ave).
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Personnel Announcement
Cubic Mission Solutions Names Vice Presidents
Cubic Mission Solutions, a business division of Cubic Corp., announced the new hires of Jeremiah “Jerry” Madigan as vice president of secure communications and Robert M. Peabody as vice president of systems strategy.
Madigan will oversee Cubic’s command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaisance products. He previously was executive director for the Missile Defense Systems business unit at Aerojet Rocketdyne and worked at Northrop Grumman for 25 years in management positions.
Peabody joins Cubic with more than 30 years of experience in the specification, design, implementation and management of networked computer system solutions for C41, engineering and mission planning systems. Prior to Cubic, he served as a Northrop Grumman technical fellow and held various positions.
