Daily Business Report-Dec. 14, 2017
Hiring forecast (Credit: Robert Half )
Survey: San Diego is Top City
for Tech Hiring in First Half of 2018
Cybersecurity Takes Top Spot for CIO Priorities and Skills in Demand
Technology hiring in the San Diego area is expected to start strong in 2018, according to the Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report.
Twenty-nine percent of CIOs surveyed here said they plan to add full-time technology professionals to their teams in the first half of the new year, up 14 percentage points from a year ago. In addition to hiring plans, the report also highlights technology skills in demand and CIOs’ top priorities for the first six months of the year.
“It’s been a transformational year for San Diego’s tech market,” said Kyle Houston, branch manager for Robert Half Technology in San Diego. “As more businesses build a presence here, we expect continued demand for project and full-time professionals with skills in web development, DevOps and cybersecurity to support the growth of internet-based companies and the already strong start-up market.”
Top 12 Cities for Tech Hiring in 2018
In addition to the forecasted 29 percent hiring growth, 51 percent of technology leaders here expect to maintain staff levels by filling vacant roles. The demand for talent places San Diego at the top of the list of U.S. cities where tech hiring is expected to grow the most in the first half of 2018:
San Diego • Atlanta • New York • Austin, Texas • Charlotte, N.C. • Minneapolis
• Philadelphia • Des Moines, Iowa • Miami • Cleveland • Phoenix • Salt Lake City
Hiring Challenges and Skills in Demand
It continues to be a competitive hiring environment: 61 percent of CIOs in San Diego said that it’s challenging to find skilled IT professionals in today’s market. The skills in greatest demand within their organizations, according to respondents, include:
Cybersecurity (60 percent)
Wireless network management (52 percent)
Database management (50 percent)
Top Priorities
When asked to name their top priority for the next six months, 26 percent of San Diego CIOs said they will be focused on maintaining security of IT systems and safeguarding company information. Other priorities will include:
Upgrading existing systems for business efficiency (21 percent)
Innovation and helping to grow their businesses (21 percent)
Technology innovation and investing in new technologies (17 percent)
Staff retention (14 percent)
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Pacific Building Group Completes
Five Construction Projects Countywide
Pacific Building Group has completed five new construction projects spanning more than 250,000 square feet countywide. From Chula Vista to Carlsbad, the projects underscore the 33-year-old general contracting firm’s industry expertise, which includes construction for corporate, biotech, defense and hospitality companies.
“We completed these projects in occupied environments with serious security considerations and without interrupting the workflow of our clients,” says Jim Roherty, president of Pacific Building Group. “Our clients continued with business as usual, which saved them the time, headache and cost of temporarily relocating. In the end, they’ve maintained productivity and have upgraded work spaces to boot.”
Frontera Business Park: Located in Chula Vista, the $3.5 million, 140,000 square-foot project included improvements across seven buildings. Interior improvements included the demolition of existing spaces and the construction of new walls, tenant build-outs, warehouses, electrical, HVAC systems and roll-up doors.
Other highlights included new exterior paint, large illuminated signage, monuments, new irrigation and the planting of native and low-water use plants throughout. The architect was Ware Malcomb.
General Atomics A21: The construction undertaking included a new 10,000 square-foot ground-up building, improvements to an existing 78,000 square-foot space including improved common areas and amenities and a new epoxy floor system, a 2,300 square-foot mezzanine, the installation of an eight-ton crane system, and the installation and coordination of specialized booths and infrastructure used in General Atomics’ manufacturing process. The architect was DGA.
Lite Machines: This $1 million project meant a total office makeover for the Carlsbad-based company. Among tenant improvements were a 4,500 square-foot research and production area and a large warehouse. Other improvements to the eco-friendly building included oversized skylights and solatubes for abundant natural light, improved flooring, an extensive compressed air and power distribution system and a specialized HVAC and security surveillance system. Outside, the company installed a newly-completed soaring aluminum-clad entry cornice, attractive landscaping and more. The architect was Ware Malcomb.
NXP Semiconductors: Located in Sorrento Valley, this 15,000 square-foot, $1.7 million project included the completion of improved office and lab space in just six-and-one-half weeks after the permit was issued. During the project, Pacific Building Group met heavy mechanical and electrical demands to accommodate the heating and cooling requirements specific to each lab in the building. The architect was Smith Consulting Architects.
Pulse Electronics: Located in Rancho Bernardo, this 15,000 square-foot, $1 million tenant improvement consisted of new executive offices, research and development workstations, a contemporary break room, a manufacturing lab and electric vehicle charging stations. The architect was FS Designs.
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The 11 Largest Retail Bankruptcies of 2017
In the first 11 months of 2017 alone, more than 30 U.S. retailers filed for bankruptcy protection. According to Trepp data, more than $35 billion of CMBS (Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities) debt is exposed to retailers that sought bankruptcy protection this year. The main culprit for what many call the brick-and-mortar “retail apocalypse” is the continued growth of ecommerce and transformed consumer trends.
The 11th largest bankruptcies: The Limited, $14.7 billion; Toys R Us, $5.6 billion; Gymboree, $5.4 billion; Payless ShoeSource, $3.9 billion; RadioShack, $2.4 billion; hhgregg, $1.8 billion; Rue21, $1.7 billion; Gordmans, $944.3 million; Gander Mountain, $432.6 million; MC Sports, $417.2 million; BCBG, $154.9 million.
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San Diego’s ScoreStream Lands $3.7M from
Intel Capital for Local Sports Scoring Tech
ScoreStream, a San Diego start-up that delivers local sports scores via crowd-sourcing at games, said it has received financial backing from Intel Capital, the venture capital arm of semiconductor giant Intel Corp. Read more…
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San Diego Betting on
Lower-Income Entrepreneurs
The city of San Diego wants to stimulate business growth in low to moderate income communities with a new initiative focused on supporting entrepreneurs from those neighborhoods.
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California ISO Launches
Expanded Online Data Resource
The California Independent System Operator (ISO) on Wednesday unveiled a major overhaul of its most-visited public web page, providing a central location for accessing key data. The redesign is reflective of an organizational commitment to boost transparency and awareness of the electric grid and power markets.
The refreshed Today’s Outlook page on the ISO website will allow viewers to quickly see changing patterns of supply and demand, forecasted and actual peaks, energy supplies by resource type, and renewable energy production. The updated net load graph depicts daily system ramps reflecting changes to the power supply system, as it becomes more dominated by clean energy sources.
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Group Behind Quality of Life Dashboard
Elects Peter MacCracken as Chairman
The Center for Sustainable Energy’s Equinox Project, the group behind the “Quality of Life Dashboard,” has elected Peter MacCracken, a communications strategist, as chairman.
The San Diego Regional Quality of Life Dashboard measures and benchmarks environmental and economic trends throughout the region tracking a central theme: Is our quality of life improving?
Advisory board members include representatives from public agencies, government, business and nonprofit organizations who are engaged in elevating the Equinox Project as the preeminent data-driven sustainability initiative in San Diego County.
MacCracken, who helped spearhead “Our Greater San Diego Vision,” wants to increase the reach and impact of the valuable data coming from the Equinox Project’s San Diego Regional Quality of Life Dashboard. “Our charge includes strategic planning for 2018 and beyond, enhancing the Quality of Life Dashboard’s impact and strategizing to achieve financial sustainability,” MacCracken said.
Click here for the full advisory board members.
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Bill Garrett Selected Governing Board
President for 11th Consecutive Year
For the 11th year in a row, Bill Garrett was selected Tuesday night as president of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Governing Board. Board member Edwin Hiel was elected vice president, and board member Debbie Justeson was selected to serve as clerk of the board.
Garrett, a retired El Cajon city manager, has served on the governing board since 2004. He was initially appointed to fill a vacant seat, then was re-elected three times by East County voters.
In September, the college district presented Garrett and his wife, Judy, with the newly-created Bill and Judy Garrett Civic Leadership Award to honor their leadership on district boards and their financial support of Grossmont and Cuyamaca College students. Judy Garrett served on the foundation boards for both colleges beginning in 2007, and when the foundation for Grossmont and Cuyamaca Colleges was formed in 2011, she served for three years as its president.
Garrett said he has seen many changes at the colleges in his time on the board, from the physical transformation of the campuses as the result of bond-funded construction to the increased focus on student success and equity that ensures more students reach their educational goals.
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Personnel Announcements
Linda Lopez Joins Cavignac & Associates
Linda Lopez, a 20-plus-year veteran of the insurance industry, has been appointed account administrator of Cavignac & Associates’ Employee Benefits Department.
In her new post, Lopez assists the Employee Benefits Department account manager with the daily service activities for each client’s benefit offerings. She is responsible for assisting with RFPs and the preparation of quotations for new and renewal coverage; preparing open enrollment material and ordering supplies from carriers; preparing spreadsheets, presentations and proposals for new and renewal business; developing packages of material for open enrollment meetings; and handling open enrollment meetings as requested.
Prior to joining Cavignac & Associates, Lopez was the underwriting and customer support manager for Personable General Insurance Agency Inc., in San Diego, where she was employed for 10 years. Previous work experience includes having served as the internal marketing representative for Arrowhead General Insurance Agency, located in San Diego, where she serviced the company’s Texas office.
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SDSU Student-Athlete to Ride
in Tournament of Roses Parade
San Diego State University redshirt junior outfielder Chad Bible will be one of 10 cancer survivors or patients to ride on the City of Hope float at the 129th Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day. The parade begins at 8 a.m. PST and will be broadcasted on several networks and stations, including ABC.
This marks the 46th year that City of Hope will participate in the annual Tournament of Roses Parade. Bible will be joined by other City of Hope patients or former patients, all hoping to raise awareness about cancer.
