Daily Business Report-March 21, 2018
A new antiviral drug inhibits replication of influenza’s genome by binding to manganese ions (purple spheres). (Image by Christine Morrison)
UC San Diego Chemist Stirs Hope for a New
Flu Treatment that Could Block Disease Entirely
Researchers led by the University of California San Diego’s Seth Cohen, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, report that by tweaking a small-molecule drug, there’s promise for future production of new antiviral therapies that could protect patients from the flu — regardless of the strain they contract.
“This is a medicinal intervention that will slow down the virus if not completely stop it,” Cohen said. “The drug could potentially eliminate the virus on its own or just sufficiently slow its reproduction so that the body can ultimately clear it. It’s like taking an antibiotic for a viral infection.”
Cohen’s team of researchers presented their work Monday at the 255th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society.
“This has been a bad flu season with a highly infectious, aggressive strain, and the inoculation does not appear to be working well. It makes the population, particularly the young and the elderly, vulnerable to serious illness or even death from the simple flu,” said Cohen.
From a story by By Cynthia Dillon | UC San Diego News Center
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Study: Nearly $3 Billion of Southern California
Urban Economy Linked to Strawberry Farming
Southern California workers and businesses contribute significantly to the state’s strawberry industry, generating nearly $3-billion in non-farm revenue every year, according to a new study released by the California Strawberry Commission.
The study, conducted by economists at California State University, Fresno, determined that a wide range of businesses in five Southern California counties support the state’s fourth largest crop.
“Our research found that strawberries and Southern California’s urban economy are strongly linked and benefit one another,” said Annette Levi, professor and agricultural business department chair at CSU Fresno.
The report, “Southern California Economy: Contributions from the Strawberry Supply Chain,” surveyed businesses in Los Angeles, San Diego, Ventura, Orange and Riverside counties.
Levi noted that when Southern California on-farm revenue is included in the total economic impact to the region, the overall benefit to Southern California climbs to nearly $4 billion.
Click here to view the full report
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Summer Stephan: Protecting Life
District Attorney Summer Stephan has devoted her life to protecting children and families and providing justice to the voiceless and most vulnerable. She is a national leader in the fight against sexual exploitation and human trafficking. During her 27 years in the District Attorney’s Office, she combined extensive courtroom experience with over 15 years of management and leadership experience. Stephen pioneered the Sex Crimes and Human Trafficking Division, a Special Victims Unit.
She is one of the speakers at the Leadership Conference on March 23 — part of San Diego Women’s Week 2018 sponsored by the North San Diego Chamber of Commerce. The Leadership Conference is 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in Mission Valley.
Click here for the schedule.
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CDC Small Business Finance Named
Microlender of the Year by the SBA
CDC Small Business Finance in San Diego has been named the Jody C. Raskind Microlender of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Kurt Chilcott is president and CEO of the agency.
Awardees have been invited to Washington, D.C. to participate in events and ceremonies on April 29-30.
Under Chilcott’s leadership, CDC Small Business Finance has experienced substantial growth, establishing offices throughout California, Arizona and Nevada, and maintaining its rank as the top-volume CDC in the nation.
Chilcott has a long history of leadership in the economic development field. He currently serves on the board of the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders and Bank of America’s National Community Advisory Council. He is president of California Southern Small Business Development Corporation, a state-funded loan-guarantee program designed to help secure financing for small businesses and create jobs. In addition, he is a director for Neighborhood Bancorp, the holding company of Neighborhood National Bank, which provides capital to underserved communities
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Cubic Wins Alongside Lockheed Martin
to Enhance U.S. Army’s Maintenance Program
Cubic Corporation’s Cubic Global Defense business division was included in Lockheed Martin’s winning team that was awarded a seven-year, $3.53 billion maintenance contract from the Army, which will give the San Diego company more than $185 million. The contract was for the U.S. Army Training Aids, Devices, Simulators and Simulations Maintenance Program.
Cubic will be responsible for global operations supporting 21 locations across 10 states and three countries with more than 500 personnel. The program will support over 61 different types of training aides and devices to include Cubic’s man-worn Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) and Home station Instrumented Training System (HITS).
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Report: Navy’s 355-Ship Goal Under 2 Alternatives
Would Cost $100B Annually Over Next 30 Years
ExecutiveGov
The Congressional Budget Office has said the U.S. Navy’s plan to increase its combat fleet size to 355 ships under the first two alternatives would cost an average of $103 billion to $104 billion in 2017 dollars a year over the next three decades.
CBO said the Navy would meet its 355-ship goal through the construction of more vessels in the next 20 years under the first alternative that includes 12 aircraft carriers, 12 ballistic missile submarines, 68 attack submarines and 104 large surface combatants by 2037.
Under the second alternative, the service would need to spend an average of $104 billion per year through 2047 and could attain its target fleet size by 2028 through service life extension programs and use of a new-ship construction schedule.
CBO estimated that the military branch would need to spend an average of $91 billion each year over the next 30 years to maintain a fleet of 280 ships similar to the current fleet size and composition under the third alternative.
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UC San Diego’s Grad Programs Among Best
in Nation, Says U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report has named the professional schools and academic divisions at UC San Diego among the best graduate programs in the country. The U.S. News & World Report guidebook annually ranks professional school programs in business, education, engineering, law and medicine. All of the rankings are based on statistical and reputational surveys.
UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering is ranked no. 12 in the nation, up one spot, and its Department of Bioengineering ranks no. 2 in the nation for biomedical/bioengineering, also up a spot, compared to last year.
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SDSU Grad Programs Shine
in U.S. News and World Report
San Diego State University’s graduate programs in education and social work rank among the nation’s best in U.S. News and World Report’s graduate school rankings for 2019. Graduate programs in nursing and public affairs also ranked highly compared with similar programs across the United States.
SDSU continues to rise in the U.S. News and World Report‘s annual rankings for all programs. In the most recent list released
in September 2017, SDSU placed No. 68 among public universities and No. 140 overall among national universities.
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University of San Diego’s MBA
Program Ranked in Nation’s Top 100
The University of San Diego full-time MBA program debuted in the top 100 of U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 rankings. USD’s program is ranked 79th in the nation and was the only full-time MBA program to rank in San Diego.
USD’s part-time MBA program, offering flexible options for working professionals to continue their education, was also ranked as the 125th best program in the nation.
Both programs offer the latest in cutting-edge subjects such as business analytics and international consulting, as well as the opportunity to choose program length, areas of emphasis and more than 20 international study abroad options each year, said USD School of Business Dean Jaime Alonso Gómez.
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San Diego County Bar Foundation
Awards $290,000 to Nonprofits
Serving Homeless, Juveniles, Veterans
The San Diego County Bar Foundation has awarded $290,000 to organizations through its Indigent Criminal Defense Fund, benefitting those that deliver effective legal representation and programs to assist accused people who cannot afford to hire an attorney.
Six nonprofits serving the homeless, juveniles, veterans and wrongly convicted criminal defendants in North County, Central/Downtown San Diego and East County will receive funds.
Grantees are:
- California Veterans Legal Task Force – $30,000 for consultation and educational assistance to criminal defense lawyers representing veterans in California Superior Court. In many cases, with the help of a supported defense counsel, the organization assists veterans diagnosed with psychological conditions stemming from their military service to receive life-improving treatment. www.cvltf.org
- California Western School of Law – $100,000 to bring a post-graduate law student on as a full-time fellow to work on the California Innocence Project for wrongful conviction cases. www.cwsl.edu
- Free to Thrive – $30,000 for attorney services and a paid law student to help clients who need assistance expunging their criminal records. www.freetothrivesd.org
- National Conflict Resolution Center – $50,000 to help expand the Restorative Community Conferencing project as an alternative to the juvenile court system for those who have been arrested. www.ncrconline.com
- St. Vincent de Paul Village – $30,000 to help prepare homeless defendants for superior court sessions. Staff also work with participants to identify and overcome the causes of their homelessness. www.svdpv.org
- Think Dignity – $50,000 for Think Dignity’s “The Homeless Youth Legal Advocacy Project,” which provides homeless youth ages 14 to 24 with direct representation for criminal defense services. www.thinkdignity.org
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Personnel Announcements
Rhys Williams Named VP, Treasurer at Cubic Corp.
Cubic Corporation announced the appointment of Rhys Williams as vice president, treasurer. As a veteran in the finance industry, Williams will be responsible for all corporate treasury functions including capital structure; credit acquisition and administration; investments; foreign exchange risk management; insurance and risk management functions; in addition to related activities for the company.
Prior to joining Cubic, Williams led the treasury function at Ancestry, the largest online resource for family history and consumer genomics, as its treasurer. Prior to that, Williams was the director of treasury at Life Technologies, a biotechnology company which was later acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific, responsible for overseeing all facets of the capital markets function.
Williams holds a Master of Science with distinction in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Arts in Quantitative Economic Decision Science from the University of California, San Diego.
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Timothy Martinez Reappointed to State Dental Hygiene Committee
Timothy S. Martinez, 58, of Santee, has been reappointed to the Dental Hygiene Committee of California by Gov. Jerry Brown. Martinez has served on the committee since 2012.
Martinez has been chief dental officer for the Borrego Community Health Foundation since 2017. He was associate dean and clinical professor at the University of New England from 2015 to 2017, associate dean for the Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine from 2009 to 2015, president of the Outer Cape Dental Center from 2003 to 2015, program evaluator at the Forsyth Institute from 2010 to 2011 and state dental Medicaid director at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services from 2006 to 2009.
Martinez was a dental consultant at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Office of Public Protection’s Board of Registration in Dentistry from 2005 to 2009 and owner at the Mid-Cape Dental Center from 2000 to 2005. He was dental director at the South End Community Health Center from 2000 to 2003, at Harbor Health Services Inc. from 1999 to 2003 and at Boston Healthcare for the Homeless from 1994 to 2003.
The position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Martinez is a Democrat.
