Daily Business Report-April 28, 2017
An organic banana crop farm. (Organics Unlimited)
Organics Unlimited Producing Organic
Bananas for Present and Future Harvests
Organics Unlimited, a San Diego-based grower and importer of organic fruit, said it is producing quality organic bananas for present and future harvests through its sustainability program, seeking to better the health of the agricultural ecosystem.
“Organic farming and sustainability go hand-in-hand when producing the freshest produce with the lowest cost to the environment,” said Mayra Velazquez de León, president of Organics Unlimited. “We are pleased with the continued progress of our sustainability program.”
Organics Unlimited’s sustainability program emphasizes organic planting, cultivating and harvesting systems, as well as environmentally friendly technologies meeting strict organic farming guidelines during all phases of the growing cycle. This includes the propagation of new and existing plants during growing operations to preserve healthy soil, eliminating and controlling infections from outside sources without the use of chemical pesticides and utilizing organic fertilizers.
“Organic, sustainable methods of farming are good for business as demand for bananas grown in environmentally sound conditions is increasing,” said Velazquez de León. “We will continue expanding and providing our distributors and retailers with quality organic produce using sustainable practices during growing, harvesting and shipping operations.
During harvest, packing and shipping processes, all materials are re-useable or recyclable, improving efficiency, lowering costs and benefiting the environment. Bananas are transported from Mexico to the United States via truck, thereby shortening the distance travelled and thus reducing the carbon footprint.
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Center for Sustainable Energy
to Help Expand EV Charging Network
The California Energy Commission has awarded the Center for Sustainable Energy a $15 million grant to develop and implement an initiative to install more electric vehicle charging stations statewide by creating financial incentive projects. The decision further approves up to $200 million for the installations in conjunction with matching funds from regional and local governments.
“This really changes the landscape of electric vehicle charging in California,” said Colin Santulli, CSE director of clean transportation. “In addition to developing a variety of incentive projects, we will launch comprehensive marketing and education efforts to help make the public and target audiences aware of the incentives as they become available.”
More than 216,000 plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are currently on the road in California, supported by some 3,600 public charging stations. The state’s goal is to have adequate charging infrastructure to support up to 1 million vehicles by 2020 and 1.5 million vehicles by 2025.
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Attorney Leaving Navy Command
to Open Private Legal Practice in San Diego
San Diego attorney Jeff Mansfield is leaving his post as Naval Sea Systems Command counsel for the Southwest Regional Maintenance Center to open his own private practice specializing in governmental law and litigation, Navy and defense contracting, ship repair, maintenance and modernization.
Last month, Mansfield was awarded the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award, the highest award the Chief of Naval Operations may bestow on a civilian employee in the Department of the Navy.
Following assignments to the Naval Regional Contracting Center and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, Mansfield was appointed as counsel to the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair in 2004, where he served the organization as it consolidated and transitioned into the new and larger regionalized waterfront command at the 32nd Street Naval Station.
In addition to his Navy service, Mansfield was appointed to serve as a special assistant United States Attorney by the Department of Justice. He has successfully defended the Navy and prosecuted Navy cases in litigation.
Prior to joining the Navy, Mansfield worked as a visiting associate in the maritime law department of the Dutch firm of Loeff & van der Ploeg in Rotterdam, and as an admiralty attorney for the San Francisco firm of Dorr, Cooper & Hays.
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Junior Achievement’s First Stock Market
Challenge to Produce Wall Street Excitement
More than 150 students from local high schools will get a taste of the fast-paced, high-stakes stock market at Junior Achievement’s first-ever Stock Market Challenge on May 2.
The high-energy event begins with a student competition and concludes with an evening competition for college and corporate teams. Sponsored by Dowling & Yahnke and Qualcomm, the program will take place at Qualcomm Conference Center AZ, located at 10155 Pacific Heights Blvd., San Diego.
Using state-of-the-art technology in a simulated trading environment, each team will begin with $500,000 in fictitious funds and interact with on-site traders to buy and sell shares in 26 companies with the goal of building the highest-net worth portfolio by the end of the trading period. The trading is fast, fun and furious as 60 trading days are condensed into two hours with a new trading day beginning every 80 seconds. Teams must think on their feet as they make real-trades in real-time, while filtering through the changing news and stock tips tracking latest market trends. At the end of day, the team with the largest portfolio will be crowned Stock Market Champions.
In the evening, the Stock Market Challenge fundraiser will pit corporate teams against each other in fierce competition for the top portfolio at the end of the trading day. Craig Sewing, TV host and creator of “American Dream Show” and “Sewing Radio Show,” will emcee both events.
The goal is to raise money to deliver Junior Achievement’s life changing financial literacy programs to 75,000 students in grades K-12 this year. Junior Achievement’s mission is to teach students how to get a job, start a business and how to manage their money.
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Bankers Hill Condominium Sells for $1.33 Million
The Cohen Family Trust has purchased a 3,044-square-foot, two-unit retail condominium in Bankers Hill for $1.33 million. The seller was CR5th & Nutmeg LLC.
The shell-condition condominium is located at 2655 Fifth Ave. on the ground floor of Vue on 5th, a recently completed 45-unit, luxury residential building.
Brooklyn Bicycles was secured as tenant for one of the units concurrently with the sale of the property.
Colliers International’s Urban Property Group represented the San Diego-based seller and buyer.
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Tickets for UC San Diego’s June 16
Dalai Lama Public Address Available May 1
The University of California San Diego will host His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama at a public event June 16, 2017 where he will speak about “Embracing the Beauty of Diversity in our World” to an estimated 25,000 attendees on the campus’s RIMAC Field. On May 1 at 10 a.m., general tickets will be released for the June 16 public address.
There is a $15 service charge per ticket; an optional parking permit is $10. A maximum of four tickets per transaction will be allowed. Visit compassion2017.ucsd.edu to purchase tickets and parking passes, as well as access FAQs regarding security, parking and more.
The UC San Diego public event featuring His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on Friday, June 16, 2017 will begin with entertainment and festivities on RIMAC Field at 9 a.m. The one hour public address by His Holiness begins at 10 a.m., followed by a half hour Q&A session. Attendees are asked to arrive early as UC San Diego expects a large audience. Parking and entrances to the campus will be impacted, and all guests entering RIMAC Field are subject to a metal-detector screening.
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk. But to the world he is a renowned peace advocate, a beacon of hope for humanity, sharing inspirational messages with international audiences that range from young students to world leaders.
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Planning Commission Approves
Beverly & Joseph Glickman Hillel Center
The City of San Diego Planning Commission voted unanimously Thursday to recommend approval of the Beverly & Joseph Glickman Hillel Center, a proposed new religious facility across the street from the UC San Diego campus. Proposed by Hillel San Diego, a religious institution that supports Jewish college students, the Glickman Center will provide a new permanent home for UC San Diego students to participate in religious programming for Jewish holidays and festivals, programs relating to Israel as the Jewish homeland, Jewish community building, and community service opportunities.
“This is a very important day for us,” said Robert Lapidus, chair of the Hillel Facilities Committee. “We have been working for nearly two decades on this project, and the Planning Commission’s vote brings us one step closer to making the Glickman Hillel Center a reality.”
Located on a vacant 0.8-acre parcel bounded by La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla Scenic Way and La Jolla Scenic Drive North, the facility will be located directly across the street from UC San Diego, near The J. Craig Venter Institute for genomic research, and adjacent to a residential neighborhood.
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California American Water
to Acquire Fruitridge Vista Water Co.
San Diego-based California American Water has entered into an agreement to acquire the operating assets of the Fruitridge Vista Water Company for $20.75 million and to become the new water provider to its approximately 4,800 customers. Fruitridge Vista is a family owned Class B Water Utility in south Sacramento County and is regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission.
California American Water currently supplies water service to nearly 60,000 homes and businesses in the Sacramento region and nearly 180,000 customers within the state of California. Fruitridge Vista Water Company customers will be served by California American Water’s water treatment and distribution operators.
Fruitridge Vista Water Company and California American Water Company will now seek approval for the sale from the state Public Utilities Commission.
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Personnel Announcements
San Diego Grantmakers Add 3 to Staff
San Diego Grantmakers announce three appointments to help support the local philanthropic community, adding Amy Denhart, Ryan Ginard and Annie Guo to its team.
Amy Denhart has been appointed to the position of director, Funders Together to End Homelessness San Diego. She will work with Sr. Director of Collaborative Philanthropy Megan Thomas and the rest of the staff to support strategic grantmaking and advocacy in systems change and youth/family homelessness. For the past 22 years, Amy held positions in fundraising, public policy, and community engagement. During more than a decade as director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood, she worked with donors and the Board of Directors to advance public policy in support of reproductive health care.
Ryan Ginard will assume the newly created role of director of strategic advancement. Ginard will lead expansion of SDG’s efforts in membership growth, resource development, strategic marketing, external affairs and communications. He has over 10 years of experience in government, nonprofits, and philanthropy. He served most recently as the development director for Access Youth Academy. where he oversaw planning, communications and execution of their operational, marketing and development strategies.
Annie Guo will support SDG’s internal and external communications on a part-time basis. She is a new San Diegan, coming from Colorado where she was the community engagement specialist in the Office of Health Equity for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. She also founded Asian Avenue Magazine and Asian Health Alliance of Colorado.
