Daily Business Report-Sept. 13, 2018
Princes Cruises’ Crown Princess docked at the Embarcadero on a past visit. (Photo: Port of San Diego)
Port expects 295,000 passengers
in 2018-2019 cruise season
The Port of San Diego says the upcoming 2018-2019 cruise season, which kicks off on Friday, will be the best in seven years, with 92 cruise calls expected versus 84 from last season. Passenger counts are expected to increase by 15 percent over last year, with 295,000 people anticipated to cruise from San Diego, up from 256,000 the previous season.
There are several itineraries for cruises leaving from San Diego. Voyages range from two-day to 14-day cruises along the Mexican Riviera to a 35-day cruise to South America. San Diego’s primary cruise lines include Holland America Line and Disney Cruise Line, with regular voyages onboard the Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Disney Wonder. A full schedule can be found here.
San Diego was recently named among the top five cruise destinations in the U.S. and Canada by Cruise Critic.
San Diego is California’s third busiest cruise port, following Long Beach and Los Angeles. New cruise business for the Port of San Diego this season includes calls from Viking Ocean Cruises’ Viking Star and Norwegian Ocean Cruises’ Norwegian Pearl. Next season, the Port will welcome new business from Carnival Cruise Line’s vessel, Miracle.
An economic impact analysis commissioned by the Port in 2015 found that each homeported cruise generated an average of $2 million in economic impact to the region. The economic impact for the region has grown from $82 million in 2014 to approximately $131 million in 2018, according to the Port.
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Del Mar Fairgrounds halts 2019
gun shows pending policy review
Times of San Diego
The board of the 22nd District Agricultural Association, which oversees the Del Mar Fair Fairgrounds, voted Tuesday not to approve gun shows in 2019 pending a policy review.
The decision means that shows already scheduled for Sept. 22 and 23 and Dec. 8 and 9 will be allowed to proceed, but no new contracts will be issued.
The board directed its staff to consider allowing gun shows for only educational and safety-training purposes and banning the possession of guns and ammunition on state property.
The action won quick praise from Assemblymember Todd Gloria, who represents the Del Mar area and has a major gun control bill awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature.
“I want to thank the 22nd District Agricultural Association board of directors for their action today to limit gun shows at the Del Mar Fairgrounds until a thorough policy is adopted,” Gloria said. “While I recognize this is a tough and often contentious issue, I believe we are now headed in the right direction thanks to the leadership of this board.”
He said the State of California and the Del Mar Fairgrounds by extension should not facilitate the sale of firearms.
Gun shows such as Crossroads of the West have been held at the fairgrounds for decades, but have drawn protests recently in the wake of deadly school shootings across the country.
The Never Again CA organization hailed the vote, saying in a tweet, “VICTORY as Del Mar Fair board voted 8 to 1 to suspend gun shows at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.”
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East Village apartments to help
alleviate homeless crisis
Construction has started on a new housing community in downtown San Diego’s East Village that aims to help alleviate San Diego’s homeless crisis. It’s called The Beacon Apartments and is a prime example of a model called “Housing First” that has proven effective at reducing homelessness in cities across the U.S. by combining housing with onsite supportive services for residents, according to the developer, Wakeland Housing and Development Corp.
“The Beacon Apartments will not only provide people who have been homeless with a safe place to live, but also offer wraparound support services designed to help them live stable, productive lives,” said Ken Sauder, president and CEO of Wakeland. “Our organization is committed to developing supportive housing communities like this and working closely with service providers to ensure that residents are getting the resources they need to thrive.”
Wakeland is developing the property with 43 studio rental apartments and one one-bedroom managers’ unit at a construction cost of $16.9 million.
Construction began in April at 1425 C Street, just across from San Diego City College, and involved the demolition and removal of two outdated buildings. The new community is expected to open doors to residents in mid-to-late 2019.
Designed by M.W. Steele Group and built by Allgire General Contractors, with construction management by KCM Group, The Beacon Apartments will feature five stories of homes, community gathering spaces and offices for service providers. A tree- landscaped courtyard will run along the west and south sides of the property, and the design includes a sundeck and multiple light wells to deliver natural illumination and ventilation to residents and neighbors to the east.
Residents for The Beacon Apartments will be identified through social service providers and the San Diego County Coordinated Entry System, which matches people who are experiencing homelessness with housing.
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Hera Venture Summit returns
to San Diego on Saturday
On Saturday, Sept. 15, Hera Labs will host Hera Venture Summit, an event focused on connecting female founders and funders. Now in its fifth year, the summit at University of San Diego will welcome speakers and attendees from across the globe to discuss topics around gender-lens investing.
Barbara Bry, council president pro tem representing San Diego’s 1st City Council District, and Michael Lawless, University of San Diego’s academic director of entrepreneurship initiatives, will kick off the event, which will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 5998 Alcala Park in San Diego. Tech and startup advocates Erica Baker, Laura Gomez, and Maresa Friedman will deliver keynote presentations.
“We’re laser focused on creating partnerships between female founders and all funders who are ready to make a difference and make money,” says Dr. Silvia Mah, founder of Hera Labs. “It’s events and opportunities like Hera Venture Summit that are improving access to capital for women, and as a result, opportunities for female empowerment and social impact.”
The one-day intensive event will include:
• An expo hall showcasing local businesses and products
• A gamified pitch contest featuring seven startups. Unique to this year’s summit, local contestants will go head-to-head with participants from Washington, D.C. and Phoeni.
• “Entrepreneur track” and “angel track” sessions
• A happy hour networking event
Hera Venture Summit is organized by Hera Labs accelerator for women in collaboration with Hera Hub workspace for women and Hera Angels women investors group. The event is sponsored in part by Qualcomm Ventures. The cost to attend is $239 or $287 day-of. Register at heraventuresummit.com.
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City of San Diego to take part
in Global Action Summit
In an effort to raise awareness of the city of San Diego’s Climate Action Plan and regional sustainability efforts, the city is taking part in the Global Climate Action Summit Sept. 12-14 in San Francisco, an event bringing together leaders in climate action from around the world to share strategies and solutions.
“Here in San Diego, we’re setting a standard for other cities to follow when it comes to our environment and our economy,” said Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer. “Through the collective actions of our residents, business leaders and the public sector, our city is on the path to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2035 and I’m proud of the work we’re doing to achieve that goal.”
During the Global Climate Action Summit, Chief Sustainability Officer Cody Hooven will join a panel of local leaders in San Francisco to speak during an event called “Climate Action on the Shoulders of Science and Industry: A San Diego Story.” The panel discussion on Thursday, Sept. 13 is sponsored by Cleantech San Diego and will showcase San Diego’s clean energy and climate action leadership.
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Escondido man to become
president of American Rose Society
Robert B. Martin Jr. of Escondido will be the first county resident to be elected president of the American Rose Society at its National Convention and Rose Show Oct. 26-29 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Mission Valley. Martin will serve a three-year term.
The convention is titled “Fiesta of Roses.” Highlights include lectures on all aspects of rose cultivation and preservation, a comprehensive seminar on photography, tours of significant local rose gardens, a large national rose show, an auction of more than 200 rare and unusual roses, and a reception at the Escondido home of Martin and his wife, Dona, president of the San Diego Rose Society.
Rosarians scheduled to speak include Tom Carruth, the E. L. and Ruth B. Shannon curator of the rose collection at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, where he is responsible for the maintenance of 3,500 rose bushes consisting of 1,400 varieties; Connie Hilker of Fredericksburg, Va., an authority on the preservation of rare and unusual roses who maintains 600 varieties of roses in her personal collection, and is the incoming chair of the Heritage and Preservation Committee of the American Rose Society; Gregg Lowery, curator, The Friends of Vintage Roses, Sebastopol, Calif., and an active preservationist of historic rose cultivars; Ping Lim, an international authority on rose breeding, marketing and production for Altman Plants, Vista; and Lance Walheim, author of more than 30 gardening books, including “Roses for Dummies” and a contributing editor of the “Sunset Western Garden Book.”
Information and registration are available at www.fiestaofroses.org. The basic registration fee is $85, with banquets, receptions, tours, and the photo seminar available for additional fees. The conference is open to all rose enthusiasts.
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U.S. government picks Viasat
for in-flight satelllite services
Carlsbad satellite Internet firm Viasat said this week that it won a contract to supply fast in-flight broadband to U.S. government senior leaders and special mission aircraft. The $55.6 million one-year contract begins this year and has seven annual renewal options—which brings the potential total value to nearly $560 million.
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San Diego 3rd largest
life science market in U.S.
The life science market in San Diego is among the top in the country. According to a report from Cushman & Wakefield, San Diego is the third largest Biotech Hub in the country, behind Cambridge and San Francisco. The market has more than 19 million square feet of biotech space, and the number is growing.
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Rare antibodies show scientists
how to neutralize Ebola virus
Two new studies by scientists at Scripps Research are bringing Ebola virus’s weaknesses into the spotlight, showing for the first time exactly how human and mouse antibodies can bind to the virus and stop infection—not only for Ebola virus, but for other closely related pathogens as well.
The research suggests antibodies like these could be key ingredients in versatile lifesaving therapeutics capable of neutralizing all members of the Ebolavirus genus.
“This is like understanding how to kill five or six birds with one stone,” says Erica Ollmann Saphire, PhD, professor at Scripps Research and senior author of the new papers, published recently in mBio and the Journal of Infectious Diseases. “The different viruses in the Ebolavirus genus vary in their structure, but all these different viruses have the same outbreak potential. We need a therapeutic approach that can target them all.”
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Scripps doctors first in region to implant
experimental mitral valve replacement
A Scripps Clinic cardiologist and cardiac surgeon worked together Wednesday to become the first in San Diego County to replace a failing mitral heart valve using a new minimally invasive procedure rather than open heart surgery.
Doctors Matthew Price and Scot Brewster used a small catheter to place an experimental device within the beating heart of a 73-year-old man from Orange County, and then expand the replacement valve in place to take over the original valve’s function. The 90-minute procedure was performed in the cardiac catheterization laboratory in the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.
Scripps La Jolla is the only hospital in the San Diego region participating in the pivotal APOLLO Trial, a global clinical study evaluating the safety and efficacy of the Intrepid Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR) System for treating mitral regurgitation. The trial will enroll up to 1,200 subjects across two cohorts and will be conducted at up to 60 sites to evaluate two distinct patient populations.
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Personnel Announcements
Robert Bell joins Crosbie GlinerSchiffman Southard & Swanson
Crosbie GlinerSchiffman Southard & Swanson LLP has named long-time San Diego attorney Robert “Bob” J. Bell as its newest partner. With more than 40 years of industry experience, Bell focuses his practice on real estate development/construction, investment and brokerage matters and will work from the firm’s headquarters in San Diego.
Bell’s career spans the spectrum of real estate development, investment, construction and brokerage matters including multi-family, urban infill, mixed-use, hospitality, industrial, retail, office and land transactions. He has represented some of the nation’s most successful homebuilders and commercial developers.
In addition, Bell is a licensed California real estate broker and served as outside general counsel for the San Diego Association of Realtors for over 25 years. He is also a founding member of the California Association of Realtors’ Legal Affairs Committee.
Bell began his legal career in 1976 with San Diego’s then-largest law firm, Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps, serving as its managing partner from 2004 to 2009. He continued with Luce Forward through a merger with Mckenna Long & Aldridge, a national firm and then Denton’s, one of the largest international law firms.
Active in both professional and community organizations, he is a member of the San Diego County Bar Association, the Lambda Alpha International Honorary Society for the Advancement of Land Economics, and the San Diego chapter of NAIOP. Bell also serves on the Policy Advisory Board for Commercial Real Estate of the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate, University of San Diego.
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Joseph Kracht joins Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani
The Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani law firm has added Joseph C. Kracht as partner in the firm’s San Diego office. Kracht joins the Employment Law and Commercial Litigation practice groups. Kracht was previously with Lawton Law Firm in San Diego.
Kracht’s practice focuses on complex civil litigation, writs and appeals. He has represented clients in first- and second-chair capacities in both state and federal trial courts, before the California Court of Appeal, the San Diego City Council, and in arbitrations and mediations.
Kracht is admitted to practice in California, in all U.S. District Courts in California as well as the District of Colorado, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Kracht earned his law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law and his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. During law school, Kracht was a published member of the law review and interned for both the San Diego County Public Defender’s Office and the San Diego Mayor’s Office. Prior to going into law, Kracht served as an intelligence specialist in the United States Navy.
