Daily Business Report-Feb. 2, 2018
Aerial view of Hepner Hall at SDSU, shot by a drone (Credit: SDSU Media Relations)
San Diego State Capitalizes on Drone
Popularity and Multiple Purposes
As drones become more popular and affordable, San Diego State University’s new Center for Unmanned Systems Technologies, or Drone Lab for short, is looking to capitalize on its potential for crowd protection, surveillance and research while heading off potential dangers.
“The goal of the Drone Lab is to get people thinking about ways to use drones that they may have never imagined before,” said Lamine Secka, director of emergency services and Drone Lab program manager.
On the campus safety side of things, that means using aerial drones to hover over outdoor concerts or other large gatherings and monitor for signs of violence or people in distress. These UAVs can provide not only eyes in the sky for security personnel but also can shine spotlights or deliver directions or warnings via mounted loudspeakers.
Drones can offer a bird’s-eye view of field sites, ocean patterns, environmental degradation, traffic, crowd size, and many other things that may help researchers answer scholarly questions. Secka hopes the drone lab will be a resource for researchers interested in learning how drones might benefit their work, even if they’ve never flown one before.
The lab currently has access to a dozen UAVs of various sizes, configurations and specializations. Students, faculty and staff are welcome to use the drones for research and filming.
Establishing the drone lab
The Drone Lab was made possible by an establishing gift from the Aztec Parents Advisory Board. Efforts to secure funding were led by board member Terry Parisher, who runs an unmanned vehicle engineering and developing company called Straight Up Imaging and whose two daughters attend SDSU.
“San Diego has a national reputation as a hub for drone development so it makes sense for SDSU to have a center dedicated to drone use and research,” said Parisher, who has operated and developed drones for 14 years for both government and commercial applications. “We have dozens of companies that offer services, engineering and research with drones.”
Thanks to the partnership with the local drone industry, students not only gain access to the latest technology, but also to internship and employment opportunities. Through working with the community, SDSU can help fend off the idea that drones are inherently scary and invasive.
“With community involvement, you get community acceptance,” Parisher said. “When you have that, you have a much easier time integrating drones into the airspace.”
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Pinnacle Development Granted
Design Review Approval
The Pinnacle Park Boulevard Development has been granted design review approval for the construction of a residential mixed-use development comprised of a 41-story, 430-foot-tall tower designed by AVRP Skyport Studios.
The project is located on a 30,000-square-foot site on the south side of E Street between Eleventh Avenue and Park Boulevard in the East Village neighborhood of the Downtown Community Plan area.
It is comprised of 462 dwelling units, 5,326 square feet of retail space, and 541 automobile parking spaces.
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Long-Time San Diego Officer
David Nisleit Named Police Chief
Times of San Diego
A 30-year San Diego Police officer, Asst. Chief David Nisleit, was chosen Thursday as the next police chief of San Diego.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer made the announcement at an 11 a.m. press conference in his office accompanied by numerous community leaders.
“This is one of the most important decisions that I will make as mayor,” Faulconer said.
The mayor said he sought a new chief who understood the diverse communities of San Diego, and after a five-month nationwide search made the decision to promote a candidate from within the department.
“Mr. Nisleit’s steadfast community policing and unwavering commitment to the safety of all San Diegans makes him the ideal candidate,” Faulconer said.
Nisleit, who joined the department in 1988, followed his father onto the force and has a son who is an officer.
He has served in leadership roles in the SWAT, gang and investigations units and planned security for Comic-Con, the Women’s March and other special events. He is currently responsible for nine patrol commands, the Homeless Outreach Team and the Watch Commander’s Office.
“As a native San Diegan and someone who has dedicated the last 30 years of his life to this city and department, it is both a privilege and an honor to become the next San Diego Police Chief,” Nisleit said.
He said his first priority will be to stem the exodus of experienced officers. There are currently more than 200 vacant positions in the department.
Nisleit succeeds Shelly Zimmerman, who is retiring March 1 after three years as chief and 35 years on the force. Zimmerman described her chosen successor as “an exceptional, proven leader who has given his all to our department.”
But City Councilmember David Alvarez said he needed to hear how the new chief will deal with the department’s long-term staffing crisis before confirming Nisleit. “The public needs to hear detailed plans from the chief on how he will address the police department’s staffing crisis,” Alvarez said in a statement. “Unlike the secret panels established to conduct the search, the confirmation process for the new chief must be transparent.”
Nisleit’s appointment must be approved by the full City Council at a yet-to-be scheduled meeting.
Faulconer noted that Nisleit was ranked the top candidate by panels of both community members and law-enforcement professionals.
Nisleit was a member of the FBI’s National Academy Class 258 and earned his master’s degree in business administration and management from the University of Redlands .
He and his wife Darlene have three children, Derek, Gabriella and Ryan, who is also a San Diego Police officer.
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Navy Awards BAE Potential $62M
in Ship Modernization Contracts
ExecutiveBiz
BAE Systems will support modernization of a U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship and guided missile cruiser under two contracts worth up to $62.2 million.
The company said it will help the Navy modernize USS America (LHA 6) and USS Cape St. George (CG 71).
“Our work on board the America will keep the ship ready for immediate service,” said David Thomas, vice president and general manager of BAE’s San Diego Ship Repair business. For the Cape St. George, it is the beginning of a four-year journey toward full modernization and the ability to serve in the fleet longer.”
BAE will conduct hull, mechanical and electrical repairs as well as flight deck modifications in support of F-35 aircraft operations onboard the 844-foot long America vessel.
Work on the amphibious assault ship is scheduled to occur from March to December.
The company will also replace critical aluminum structures and remove obsolete equipment from USS Cape St. George.
BAE is slated to commence upgrades on the 567-foot cruiser in March and continue work through January 2019.
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Tricia Craven Worley Receives Siegelman Memorial Award
Tricia Craven Worley has been presented the Ethel M. Siegelman Memorial Award for meritorious service by the San Diego chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. The award is named in honor of ASID San Diego’s first president.
Worley, a professional interior designer for more than 40 years, has been active in ASID throughout her career. She has completed projects in hospitality, retail, corporate, residential and yacht design locally and in locations as diverse as Mexico, Maryland, Nevada, Texas and Arizona.
Her designs have been in a variety of publications. Honors include the Fashion Group International “Style Award” for interior design and a “Baths of the Year” award from SDH/G magazine. In 2008 the Salvation Army honored Worley as a Woman of Dedication.
She has combined her career in interior design with extensive broadcasting experience and voice over work. For five years, she was the garden co-host on the nationally syndicated “Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford.” Earlier, she hosted “Talk with Tricia” on KCBQ Radio and served as the home and garden editor of the station.
Worley was the broadcast “voice” of San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles for eight years and contributed articles to the magazine.
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Illumina, Harvard Pilgrim Strike
Average-Risk NIPT Deal
GenomeWeb
San Diego-based Illumina has struck a deal with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care to provide noninvasive prenatal testing to women with average-risk pregnancies. The nonprofit health services company covers around 1.2 million people in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Under the terms of the value-based contract, Harvard Pilgrim will cover NIPT for average-risk pregnancies. However, if one-year costs of testing exceed a pre-established baseline, Illumina will reimburse Harvard Pilgrim for the costs.
An Illumina spokesperson said that an independent third-party “analyzed Harvard Pilgrim’s administrative claims database to help determine a baseline level of prenatal screening test utilization and costs.” That third party will also collect clinical outcome and economic data to help determine whether NIPT for average-risk pregnancies leads to improved outcomes and how it affects costs.
Some data points that will be analyzed include whether NIPT leads to fewer invasive prenatal diagnostic tests like amniocentesis as well as whether it has an impact on the proportion of babies with chromosomal abnormalities who are born at specialized hospitals. In addition, the organizations plan to analyze the impact of covering NIPT for average-risk pregnancies on total screening costs.
The goal is to “determine the real-world clinical and economic outcomes of [average-risk] NIPT and provide the data that is currently lacking for payors,” the spokesperson said.
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Rancho Santa Fe Selected for Navy Band Performance
America’s Navy is coming to Rancho Santa Fe, one of 12 cities in three states to host a performance by the United States Navy Band during its 2018 tour — one of the signature outreach programs of the U.S. Navy.
The United States Navy Band Sea Chanters performance is scheduled for March 3 at 7 p.m. at the Village Community Presbyterian Church.
The U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters is the official chorus of America’s Navy. The ensemble performs a variety of music ranging from traditional choral music, including sea chanteys and patriotic fare, to opera, Broadway, and contemporary music. The Sea Chanters chorus is frequently found at the center of high-profile national events. At home in Washington, D.C., the group performs for the president, vice president, and numerous congressional, military and foreign dignitaries.
One of the U.S. Navy Band’s primary responsibilities involves touring the country. All of the band’s primary performing units embark each year on concert tours throughout specified regions of the country, allowing the band to reach out to audiences in areas of the country that do not have opportunities to see the Navy’s premier musical ensembles on a regular basis. The concerts are family-friendly events, meant to be entertaining to veterans, families, individuals and those interested in joining the Navy.
All Navy Band performances are free and open to the public.
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Personnel Announcements
Carolina Bravo-Karimi and Emily Fox
Elected Partners at Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP
The San Diego-based firm of Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP announces the election of two new partners, Carolina Bravo-Karimi and Emily Fox.
Bravo-Karimi and Fox, both 2008 graduates of the University of San Diego School of Law, began their new roles at the largest certified women-owned law firm in both San Diego and California.
A member of the firm’s Employment Law Practice Group, Bravo-Karimi represents and advises employers on a diverse array of employment disputes, including wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment as well as wage and hour litigation. She is also active in the local legal community, serving as the president of the San Diego chapter of the Federal Bar Association, on the Law Alumni Board for the USD School of Law and as outreach chair for the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program’s Women and Families Resource Fair.
Bravo-Karimi received her J.D. from USD in 2008, her MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and her B.A., cum laude, from Harvard University in 2002. She is fluent in Spanish, Farsi and Italian.
In recognition of her many contributions to the law school as well as greater San Diego and its legal community, Bravo-Karimi was honored with the USD School of Law Rising Star Recent Alumni Award in 2017.
A member of WTK’s Labor and Employment practice group since 2013, Fox represents and provides counsel to employers of all sizes across the varying areas of labor and employment law, including discrimination, retaliation, harassment and wage and hour practices. She routinely conducts comprehensive employment-practice analyses for local and national companies along with wage and hour audits to ensure compliance with state and federal laws and revises personnel manuals, policies and employment-related contracts. Fox also trains human resource and management professionals on new and developing laws.
Beyond her legal practice, Fox serves as president of Camp San Diego, an organization aimed at preparing local youth for life by finding their spark and voice through environmental, camp, teen service and leadership programs. She also serves as outreach chair for the SDVLP’s Women and Families Resource Fair.
Fox received her J.D. from the USD School of Law in 2008 and her B.A., cum laude, from the University of California, San Diego in 2004.
