Daily Business Report-May 11, 2017
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System’s buses powered by clean propane gas.
San Diego Ranked 13th in Nation on
National Energy Efficiency Scorecard
San Diego is one of the most improved energy efficient cities in the country, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s 2017 City Energy Efficiency Scorecard. San Diego moved into 13th place overall with a 54.5 percent score and was recognized as the second most-improved city from the ACEEE’s 2015 Scorecard.
“This new ranking shows how far we’ve come in creating a more energy efficient city in recent years,” said Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer. “We’re now the No. 1 city for solar panel installations in the country, we are using cleaner-burning fuels in our city vehicles and we have committed to powering our city by 100 percent renewable energy. With the passage of our landmark Climate Action Plan, we’re setting the example for how to build a better and cleaner future for the next generation.”
ACEEE’s City Energy Efficiency Scorecard ranks US cities based on the strength of their policies and programs advancing energy efficiency in local government, buildings, transportation, and across their communities.
A news conference on May 10 announcing the 2017 Scorecard rankings also provided an opportunity for the city’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Cody Hooven to highlight San Diego’s position as an up-and-coming city for energy efficiency policy. The city’s substantial scoring improvement was primarily due to the adoption of the Climate Action Plan adopted by City Council in 2015 and its goals to reduce energy use in homes and greenhouse gas emissions throughout the community.
“Our department views energy efficiency as central to achieving the city’s Climate Action Plan initiatives,” said Environmental Services Department Director Mario X. Sierra. “San Diego’s efforts to address climate change serves as a model and hopefully a motivator for other cities to improve their energy efficiency.”
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Mayor’s Homelessness Czar is Out
After Seven Months on the Job
By Lisa Halverstadt | Voice of San Diego
The former White House staffer hired to help Mayor Kevin Faulconer combat the city’s growing homelessness crisis is out after seven months.
Stacie Spector, who had been Faulconer’s senior adviser for housing solutions, and the mayor’s office confirmed late Monday she is no longer working for the city.
Spector had spent months working on controversial plans to address increasing street homelessness, including an intake facility that would connect homeless residents to services and a plan to rapidly make hundreds of shelter beds available to homeless San Diegans. At times, she tussled with advocates pushing for a greater focus on permanent housing.
It’s not clear what Spector’s exit means about the future of the plans she worked on.
Spector and the mayor’s office did not comment on the nature of her departure or the status of her proposals.
The news follows the release of the annual point-in-time count, which showed San Diego has seen an 18 percent spike in unsheltered homelessness since last year.
Spector wrote in a text message Monday that she hoped regional leaders would take crucial but challenging steps in the future to address a booming challenge.
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Rancho Tuscana in Oceanside Sells
for $30M to Pacific Urban Residential
Rancho Tuscana, a 136-unit multifamily community in Oceanside, has sold for $30 million to Pacific Urban Residential LLC. The seller was Terra Pacifica LLC.
The 136-unit gated community is located at 3675 Barnard Drive in a park-like setting. Onsite amenities include a swimming pool, spa, fitness center, and tennis courts. The property has a condo map and could be sold as individual units.
The seller, Terra Pacifica LLC was represented by Kidder Mathews.
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California Small Business Defaults
Up in March; Borrowing Down
Data released by PayNet show that the percentage of small businesses defaulting on existing loans has deteriorated in California and the level of borrowing activity declined in March 2017. The data suggest that economic conditions in the state may significantly weaken.
The PayNet Small Business Default Index (SBDFI) for California registered at 1.63 percent after a 3 basis point increase from February. Compared to the national SBDFI level of 1.87 perent, California’s SBDFI was 24 basis points less. The uptick in defaults over the past three months may signal deteriorating financial health in the state. The national SBDFI increased 25 basis points year-over-year, while California’s SBDFI rose 22.
Registering at 96.8, the PayNet Small Business Lending Index for California fell 1.1 percent from last month’s state level and was 1.5 percent below the national SBLI level this month. Small business borrowers are being cautious and holding off on new investment.
“Declining investment and deteriorating financial health exhibited by California’s small businesses set the stage for a slowing economy,” said William Phelan, president of PayNet.
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Cubic to Recruit New Employees
to Support Navy’s LCS Program
ExecutiveBiz
Cubic’s global defense segment plans to recruit new employees to support the development of learning products and services for the U.S. Navy at a company facility in Orlando, Fla.
The company said Wednesday it secured more than $12 million in contract funds to create game-based courseware for the service branch’s littoral combat ships.
Cubic currently employs more than 235 personnel at its Orlando facility, which houses a studio where its employees work to create game-based training programs along with physical devices and systems.
“As we continue to grow and offer our advanced services to our military and commercial customers across the globe, it’s important we invest in the right talent to share our vision for the coupling of learning science and cutting edge technology,” said Andre Balta, chief technical manager of Cubic Global Defense’s Orlando operations.
The company aims to increase the number of its game producers and developers and software engineers, instructional designers and learning scientists.
Cubic will provide its Immersive Virtual Shipboard Environment to the Navy’s Ready Relevant Learning program.
IVSE is designed to generate a photo-realistic, three-dimensional environment and help trainees perform various tasks in a virtual setting.
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SDSU and CSUSM Graduation Ceremonies
More than 10,000 San Diego State University students will participate in commencement ceremonies in May. SDSU will host seven separate ceremonies from May 12-14 at Viejas Arena and one ceremony on May 11 at its Imperial Valley campus. The College of Sciences will hold the largest ceremony, honoring 1,778 degree candidates. The College of Engineering will have the most intimate ceremony, awarding 849 degrees.
Cal State San Marcos
More than 3,300 students will graduate from California State University San Marcos May 19-20, making the Class of 2017 the largest graduating class in CSUSM history. Notably, 54 percent of the graduating students are the first in their families to earn a four-year college degree and 38 percent of graduates identify as underrepresented minorities.
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Engineered Bone Marrow
Could Make Transplants Safer
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed biomimetic bone tissues that could one day provide new bone marrow for patients needing transplants.
Bone marrow transplants are used to treat patients with bone marrow disease. Before a transplant, a patient is first given doses of radiation, sometimes in combination with drugs, to kill off any existing stem cells in the patient’s bone marrow. This pre-treatment is meant to improve success of the transplant by clearing up space in the marrow, allowing donor cells to survive and grow without competition from the patient’s own cells. But this treatment often comes with harmful side effects, such as nausea, fatigue, loss of fertility and others.
To address these issues, a team led by bioengineering professor Shyni Varghese at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering has developed a bone-like implant that gives donor cells their own space to live and grow without competition, eliminating the need to wipe out the host’s pre-existing cells.
“We’ve made an accessory bone that can separately accommodate donor cells. This way, we can keep the host cells and bypass irradiation,” Varghese said.
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Personnel Announcements
Steven Sepulveda Joins Mesa Biotech Inc.
Mesa Biotech Inc., a privately held, molecular diagnostic company, announced the appointment of Steven Sepulveda as vice president global business development and channel management. Sepulveda will be responsible for directing and overseeing all aspects of commercial global sales, business development, strategic alliances and distributor relationship management.
Sepulveda comes to Mesa Biotech with more than 26 years of experience in business development, in vitro diagnostic sales and distribution channel management. He got his start in the industry with Quidel Corporation in sales and later advanced into business development and corporate accounts. Sepulveda has held leadership positions with increasing responsibilities leading sales organizations domestically and internationally, overseeing joint ventures, and developing distribution management in health systems. He has served as board member at the Health Industry Distribution Association’s Education Foundation and a number of industry advisory councils. Sepulveda is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico Medical Science Campus.
Mesa Biotech has developed a molecular testing platform designed specifically for point-of-care (POC) infectious disease diagnosis.
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Greg Parry Named Director of Business Development
Greg Parry is director of business development for The Journey Experience for Invested Traveler. Parry will provide business advisory services that incorporate strategic event planning and logistical support to execute each travel experience to meet the clients’ needs and budget.
Parry also will conduct cost benefit analysis and follow-up survey insights to provide the clients management team with employee feedback, overall success of the program and ROI.
Parry draws from a rich background in marketing and has experienced success building businesses in the U.S., Canada and Europe. His personal experience and enthusiasm for experiential travel, outdoor adventure and the performing arts, makes him an asset to the Invested Travel team.
Parry began his career at the Banff Center for the Arts, Canada’s foremost arts training facility in Banff National Park.
Invested Traveler is a new division of Invested Advisors Inc., which launched its’ custom-curated travel program — The Journey Model of Workforce Engagement.
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Lindsey Ryan Joins Committee Monitoring
Hospital Construction Bond Funds
The volunteer citizens group monitoring the spending of millions of dollars in public funds for new and improved patient care facilities at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa has a new member. Lindsey Ryan, the hospital’s manager of nursing education and professional development, has joined the Independent Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee.
Members are uncompensated East County residents who are charged with monitoring the expenditure of funds from the $247 million, voter-approved 2006 Proposition G bond measure.
Ryan has 13 years of experience in acute and critical care nursing, including seven years as a clinical nurse specialist. She earned a bachelor’s degree (2005) and a master’s degree (2010), both in nursing science, from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. She is currently enrolled in a doctorate program in nursing research at the University of San Diego Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science.
“I’m very excited for the opportunity to serve,” said Ryan, a La Mesa resident. “I believe strongly in applying new knowledge and innovation, using evidence-based practices and advancing interdisciplinary quality initiatives.
