Daily Business Report-Oct. 2, 2017
Talmadge Gateway was developed by Wakeland Housing and Development Corp. (Photo courtesy of Studio E Architects)
Fifty-Nine Formerly Homeless Seniors
Find Comfort in a New Talmadge Project
Fifty-nine formerly homeless seniors have a permanent place to live thanks to a new housing community in San Diego’s historic Talmadge neighborhood. Designed by Studio E Architects, Talmadge Gateway is the first 100 percent permanent supportive housing community in San Diego for seniors who have been homeless and have ongoing medical needs.
“Talmadge Gateway is unique in that it not only gives these formerly homeless seniors a safe place to live, but also offers wraparound supportive services designed to help them live stable, independent lives,” said Ken Sauder, president & CEO of Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation, developer of the project.
Inspired by local Streamline Modern structures on the adjacent El Cajon Boulevard, part of historic U.S. Route 80, Studio E’s design features strong lines, curvaceous volumes and a simple color scheme that complements the established urban environment. The project includes a renovated 1940’s-era commercial building plus a new retail space with outdoor patio that brings street activation and enhanced walkability to the neighborhood.
Built by Allgire General Contractors, Talmadge Gateway features three stories of micro-unit residences, which despite their small size (350 square feet) feel open and airy due to tall ceilings and large windows. Homes contain all the expected kitchen appliances and plumbing fixtures within a compact footprint. The dwelling units sit above a ground floor which houses parking, meeting rooms and offices for on-site supportive care services, lounge areas and a large multi-purpose community space. A generous second- floor terrace offers space for residents to exercise, socialize and take in the view and the natural breezes.
The need for permanent supportive housing developments like Talmadge Gateway is strong in San Diego County, particularly for seniors. According to the 2017 San Diego Homeless Point-in-Time count, nearly one-third of San Diego County’s 9,116 homeless residents are seniors. Permanent supportive housing gives these residents a “forever home” where they can become stabilized and access community resources with the goal of staying housed for the long term. This combination of housing and services is known as the Housing First model and has helped some communities reduce chronic street homelessness by as much as 90 percent.
The $20.7 million development was completed on time and on budget. Financing came from a number of sources, including debt and tax credit equity from Wells Fargo Bank, a loan and Project-Based Section 8 vouchers from the San Diego Housing Commission, and funds from the California Community Reinvestment Corporation and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco.
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Cal State San Marcos Student
Earns CSU Trustees’ Award
By ric Breier | Cal State San Marcos NewsCenter
Francisco Fernandez arrived in the United States in 2011 with dreams of pursuing an education so he could help his family in Mexico. Francisco took English classes, obtained his GED and enrolled in community college while working at a car wash to support himself.
Now in his senior year at Cal State San Marcos, Fernandez was recently awarded the CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement, which is given each year to students who demonstrate superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service and financial need.
“I made my goal to help my family, and the best way to do that was by obtaining an education,” said Fernandez, who is a Trustee Emeritus Kenneth Fong Scholar.
Fernandez, a molecular and cellular biology major, is part of CSUSM’s highly competitive Maximizing Access to Research Careers-Undergraduate Student Training Research (MARC U*STAR) program. He works in the lab of CSUSM professor of biological sciences Matthew Escobar and has presented his work at conferences, symposiums and research competitions.
Fernandez will graduate from CSUSM in May. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical research and continue his mentorship of educationally at-risk students.
The CSU Board of Trustees, CSU Foundation Board of Governors, faculty, students and staff publicly recognized the scholars during the CSU Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 19. The scholars include one student from each of the CSU’s 23 campuses, along with the top-scoring CSU-wide scholar.
More than 340 CSU students have been honored with this award since the program’s creation in 1984.
The scholarship program was established by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation as an endowed scholarship fund to honor William Randolph Hearst, founder of the Hearst newspaper chain. In 1999, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation partnered with the CSU Board of Trustees to supplement the endowment with contributions from CSU Trustees, CSU Foundation Board of Governors and private donors.
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Dempsey Construction Starts on
New Hoehn Porsche Dealership
Dempsey Construction has started work on the ground-up construction of a state-of-the-art three-story, 71,614-square-foot Porsche dealership for Hoehn Motors at 6800 Avenida Encinas in Carlsbad.
The project is currently under construction and consists of the demolition of the existing 18,800-square-foot Porsche dealership and construction of the new dealership with two levels of showroom and service areas and two levels of parking above. The first floor showroom with feature a showroom, sales offices and administrative office. The second floor will contain an “exclusive” showroom, sales offices and vehicle service area, and a third floor and rooftop desk that will provide vehicle parking.
The building’s architecture was designed by Gensler and will be constructed of poured-in-place concrete and CMU, complimented by a large curtainwall accented with large format stone veneer, ACM panels and perforated metal paneling. Steve Horine, with The Horine Group, is handling all construction management services.
The project is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2018.
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SDG&E to Upgrade Mobile Home Park Utility Services
Mobile home park residents throughout San Diego County will have their electric and natural gas systems upgraded through a program expansion approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), San Diego Gas & Electric announced.
The CPUC’s unanimous decision authorizes SDG&E to expand the Mobile Home Park Utility Upgrade Pilot Program and upgrade antiquated natural gas and electric systems that are currently owned, operated and maintained by the park owner, with new individually metered utility systems.
By December, SDG&E will have completed the conversion of 3,150 mobile homes at 28 parks. With this expansion of the program through 2019, an additional 1,700 mobile home residents, many of whom are seniors or low-income, will receive individual metered service.
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Alliant Educational Foundation
Grants $2 Million in Scholarships
The Alliant Educational Foundation (AEF), a nonprofit organization supporting students attending Alliant International University and other institutions of higher education, has distributed more than $2 million in scholarship support for students in need over the past 12 months. A total of 1,416 scholarships were awarded during the last two semesters, providing financial aid for well-deserving and disadvantaged students striving toward careers of service and leadership.
At $2 million dollars, AEF’s latest round of scholarships marks its largest funding amount ever. The foundation has pledged a total of $5 million dollars to AIU’s student scholarships over three years, with $1.5 million committed for each of the next two school years.
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Plans for New Indoor Concert Venue
at Del Mar Fairgrounds Move Forward
The 22nd District Agricultural District and the Solana Beach City Council have reached an agreement in principle to resolve issues related to plans for a new indoor concert venue at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, allowing plans for the project to proceed. The agricultural district owns and operates the fairgrounds.
The 1,869-seat concert venue is a $13 million renovation project of Surfside Race Place, an existing off-track betting facility at the fairgrounds. The new live music venue, expected to open in the fall of 2018, will host approximately 60 concerts annually, and will include exhibits featuring the history of the San Diego County Fair, horse racing and craft beer along with a beer tasting room and continued satellite wagering.
The Solana Beach City Council approved the terms of a memorandum of understanding between the city and the agricultural district at last week’s council meeting — the outcome of a lawsuit city of Solana Beach officials filed in June seeking further California Environmental Quality Act review of the project to address impacts to Solana Beach.The city of Solana Beach issued a letter to the California Coastal Commission confirming that the city and the district have reached an agreement in principle and that the city is not opposed to the project.
“With the downturn in off-track wagering, we’re very excited about transforming this facility into a concert venue that will become a community asset enjoyed by our neighbors and the general public,” said Tim Fennell, CEO of the Del Mar Fairgrounds. “It will generate jobs and we hope new horse racing customers as well.”
Construction on the redevelopment of Surfside Race Place is set to begin in December 2017, with an anticipated opening of fall 2018.
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INDUS Announces Change in Ownership
INDUS Technolog, Inc., a service-disabled veteran-owned small business in San Diego, announced that it has completed the acquisition details and has signed over majority ownership of the company to Senior Vice President Eric MacGregor. MacGregor will take over as president and CEO.
James Lasswell, who has served as the president and CEO for 13 years, following the death of co-founder Kathleen Sridhar, will stay engaged as a Senior Adviser.
MacGregor has been with INDUS for 11 years. As a prior contracting officer for the Air Force, he served under both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Wayland Baptist University, a Master’s of Business Administration from American Graduation University, and holds a Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Level III Certification in Acquisition Management.
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SD Defense Industry Pulls in $590 Million
in Defense Department Contracts this Month
This month alone, San Diego County’s defense industry has pulled in more than $590 million in contracts from the Defense Department this month for work ranging from unmanned aircraft to warships to bomb testing systems. These include General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ $305 million R&D contract, RQ Construction’s $59.5 million SEAL facility contract, BAE Systems’ $64.5 million contract for the for Bomber Armament Tester and more.
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Personnel Announcements
Oster and Associates Promotes Andres Verjan
Oster and Associates has promoted Andres Verjan to vice president of client services. He originally joined the San Diego-based branding and public relations agency in 1993. Since then, Verjan has served in various roles at the agency prior to his most recent promotion.
He is in his second stint with Oster, having served as general manager from 1993 to 2001 and senior business strategist upon returning to the team in 2012. In between, Verjan started his own multicultural small business that served clients in the U.S. and Mexico such as Union Bank of California, North Island Credit Union, Epson, YMCA (USA and San Diego County), XIMED Medical Group and Parent Institute for Quality Education among others.
Growing up in the San Diego-Tijuana region and being a San Diego State graduate, Verjan’s bilingual fluency and bicultural background in Spanish and English allows him to transcend boundaries for clients as well as Oster and Associates. He has over 23 years of professional experience across a wide range of marketing disciplines including strategy development, branding, market research, advertising, community program development, media buying and public relations.
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UH Arts Open/Taste of University Heights
The 12th annual University Heights Arts Open and the Taste of University Heights combine events again this year on Nov. 12. Stroll through the neighborhood sampling delicacies from University Heights’ diverse restaurants and then enjoy a free self-guided tour of the arts.
Some of the neighborhood’s restaurants participating include Pop Pie, Grains, Lestat’s, Plumeria Vegetarian, Pizzeria Bruno Napoletano, Meraki Café, Mystic Mocha, Red House Pizza, and Madison on Park.
Begin your tour and pick up your taste ticket at the information booth located at Buddha’s Light Bookstore at 4538 Park Blvd. A free shuttle assists guests on their tour.
Taste tickets are available online at www.uhcdc.org or by calling (619) 297-3166.
Save time to explore the UH Arts Open from 11-4 p.m. Local artists open their studios to the public including Art Shed Studio/Gallery with Victoria Estacio Huckins and guest artists, Mundo Gallery-Mario Torero, works from the late Guillermo Acevedo, Garage Gallery-Larry Caveney and Paul Stolte Designs.
For more information, view www.UHarts.org or call (619) 508-4075
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Chick-fil-A Opens 12th
Restaurant in San Diego County
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A has opened its 12th restaurant in San Diego County. A new Chick-fil-A in Sorrento Valley, 9370 Scranton Road, San Diego, opened on Sept. 28.
The new 2,892-square-foot restaurant on a 1.16-acre site features a dining room with 32 seats and an outdoor patio area with 36 seats. Two drive-through lanes are available along with two designated parking spaces for mobile ordering.
The new restaurant will create about 60 new jobs, said Jared Ciervo, Sorrento Valley franchise owner. Ciervo said he is continuing to hire for full- and part-time positions. Operating hours are from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays. All Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sundays to provide employees with family time.
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Nominations Open for
San Diego’s Top Marketing Executives
Next issue we’re going to profile some of San Diego’s top marketing executives, and we’re soliciting nominations. Send a bio of your choice, and a headshot, to Rebeca Page at rebecapage@sandiegometro.com. Explain why you favor your candidate.
