Daily Business Report-March 15, 2019
Cliff Smith will be seeking $250,000 for investment in his Cookie Club of America venture he founded in May 2018.
Military-minded cookie entrepreneur
to seek capital at Saturday’s ‘Pitch Talk’ event
Cliff Smith’s cookies are embossed with military emblems
The Angel Investors Network (AIN), a San Diego-based company that matches investors with entrepreneurs seeking funding, will host its next “Pitch Tank” event from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel’s Marina Bay Tower, 1380 Harbor Island Dr., San Diego. It’s the first time for AIN to hold its Pitch Tank in San Diego since the event began in 2015. Previous Pitch Tank events have been held in Las Vegas, Tampa and Los Angeles.
Attendees at Pitch Tank will include venture capitalists, private equity firms and angel investors, as well as 12 individuals seeking investors’ capital, including San Diego resident Cliff Smith, founder and CEO of San Diego-based Cookie Club of America.
Smith will be seeking $250,000 for investment in his Cookie Club of America venture he founded in May 2018. Smith has obtained special authorization from the U.S. military branches to emboss the various service emblems on cookies. The different lines of cookies feature the emblems of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and Air National Guard.
“I’m seeking the money to create separate service dies and packaging to satisfy the retail, online and military demands,” said Smith. “The idea for cookies with military emblems is based on my desire to thank our service men and women for their brave efforts while protecting our freedoms.”
Smith said he comes from a family with a long line of military service, including two brothers who served in Iraq. Also, his father served during World War II with Gen. George Patton, Gen. Omar Bradley and Gen. Bernard Montgomery. He currently has a nephew serving in the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton.
“I’m very excited about this opportunity to present at Pitch Tank and to honor military service, past, present and into the future,” Smith said. “We’re using a simple cookie to raise awareness and help improve the financial scenarios for any military nonprofit who signs on as an affiliate.”
If all goes well, Smith said the cookies will be available later this year nationwide and online under the brand name of United States Military Emblem Cookies. He said any of the more than 45,000 military-related nonprofits will be able to raise money in support of their own programs by reselling the cookies through an affiliate program.
Investors attending Pitch Tank in San Diego should have the net worth to invest a minimum of $50,000 on two or three deals annually, according to Jeff Barnes, CEO, AIN. For event information, visit www.pitchtankinvestor.com.
AIN said it receives more than 1,000 applications annually from individuals hoping to be selected for an appearance at a Pitch Tank. Since its founding, company officials said more than $100 million has been raised for entrepreneurial ventures.
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An envelope holds the future for
UC San Diego School of Medicine grads
Annual “Match Day” event is today at 9 a.m.
Graduating students from UC San Diego School of Medicine — 117 strong — join peers across the nation to simultaneously open their “match” envelopes at 9 a.m., revealing where they will spend the next three to seven years as medical residents.
Match Day culminates months of applications and interviews by fourth-year medical school students, each of whom may have visited a dozen or more hospitals and institutions across the country in search of their perfect match. Each student creates a ranking of their choices. Meanwhile, each hospital and institution creates its own list of preferred students. A computer algorithm compares the lists, crunches the numbers, generates millions of possible combinations, and finally, produces a single choice for each matched student.
“Match Day is a celebratory event that symbolizes the admirable amount of dedication and hard work showcased by each student. There are students who have gone through medical school with newborn babies, others whose spouses were deployed overseas,” said Carolyn Kelly, professor of medicine and associate dean for admissions and student affairs. “It is an honor and true delight to watch the students find their match and celebrate with their classmates, families and all of us within the medical field who have watched them grow as individuals and the next generation of doctors.”
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Holiday Bowl generated more than $75 million
in economic benefit for San Diego Region
The nonprofit San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl generated more than $75 million in economic benefit for the San Diego region in 2018, bowl officials announced. The Dec. 31 SDCCU Holiday Bowl game created a bowl record impact of $49.5 million, while the Oct. 27 Navy versus Notre Dame game generated $25.6 million.
The report was prepared by San Diego State University Center for Hospitality and Tourism Research.
The 2018 SDCCU Holiday Bowl featured a 31-20 Northwestern Wildcats victory over the Utah Utes. The $49.5 million in economic impact is a record, eclipsing the impact of $40.7 million set in 2009, when the Nebraska Cornhuskers squared off against the Washington Huskies. Of the 47,007 fans in attendance at the December game, 68.5 percent were non-local. Some 74.8 percent of this non-local group stayed in a hotel during their visit with an average of 3.14 room nights per group. An estimated 24,073 hotel room nights were sold due to the game. The game was televised nationally on FS1.
The Oct. 27 Notre Dame 44-22 victory over Navy at SDCCU Stadium, a nationally televised event secured and produced by the SDCCU Holiday Bowl team, generated $25.6 million for the local economy. Of the 63,626 fans on hand for this game, 51.8 percent were non-local. An estimated 15,357 hotel room nights were generated from this game.
Between the two games, the Holiday Bowl effort created an economic impact of $75.1 million in 2018.
The 2019 SDCCU Holiday will again feature top teams from the Big Ten and Pac-12 Conferences and air on FS1. The game date has not yet been announced.
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New SDSU study examines
role of sea urchins on California kelp
California sheephead and spiny lobsters may be helping control sea urchin populations in Southern California kelp forests, where sea otters — a top urchin predator — have long been missing, according to a new San Diego State University (SDSU) study published in the journal Ecology. The research provides new insight into the complex predator-prey relationships in kelp forests that can be seen in the absence of sea otters.
The study is also the first to experimentally test the relative impact, or rate of feeding, of the California sheephead and spiny lobsters in comparison to sea otters, whose historical range spanned from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico.
“Healthy kelp forests are important both economically and ecologically along our coast. They act as nurseries and vital habitat for valuable fishery species, recreation sites for kayakers, free divers, and scuba divers, and serve as the base of rocky reef food webs,” says Robert Dunn, who led the study as a Ph.D. candidate at SDSU and University of California, Davis, funded by a NMFS-California Sea Grant Fellowship.
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San Diego Workforce Partnership names members
to Policy Board, Workforce Development Board
The San Diego Workforce Partnership announces the appointment of new members to its Policy Board and Workforce Development Board (WDB).
New members to the Policy Board are county Supervisors Greg Cox and Nathan Fletcher, and San Diego Councilwoman Monica Montgomery.
Named to the Workforce Development Board are Sean Karafin, vice resident of economic research, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce; Keith Maddox, executive secretary treasurer, San Diego and Imperial Counties Regional Labor Council (AFL-CIO affiliate); and Pam Murray, district manager, Banana Republic/Gap Inc.
Councilwoman Barbara Bry is stepping into the role of Policy Board chair, with Supervisor Cox as vice chair.
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San Diego Continuing Education opens
doors to career and college transition centers
San Diego Continuing Education (SDCE) celebrates the grand openings of two new Career and College Transition and the Rising to Success Centers during their Career and College Transition Week. Doors open this week at SDCE’s Mid-City and Cesar Chavez Campuses.
SDCE’s adult learners will now have access to full time assistance with career planning including resume critiques, interviews, job search strategies, career assessments, exploration and research, decision making, goal setting, assistance with transition to college and/or employment.
“Free career training is one of the best and fastest paths to a career with living wages,” said SDCE’s President Carlos O. Turner Cortez. “SDCE’s career centers are especially prepared to help students who have no family history or experience with accessing higher education.”
Earlier this month, SDCE announced Stephanie Lewis as the new Career and College transition dean. She will oversee the Career and College Transition Centers that provide critical and focused leadership for SDCE’s college transition efforts. SDCE offers the state’s only free short-term career training programs in Advanced Manufacturing, Energy, Construction and Utilities, Health and Information and Communication Technologies.
SDCE is the adult education institution within the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD). Many adults start at SDCE and then transition to an SDCCD college, City, Mesa or Miramar and select SDCE career training programs are eligible for credit toward a two-year degree.
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Personnel Announcements
Mark Stuart named president
and CEO of The San Diego Foundation
Mark Stuart, an internationally recognized expert on the art and science of fundraising, has been named the new president and chief executive officer of The San Diego Foundation. He succeeds Kathlyn Mead.
A long-time San Diego community member and resident of Point Loma, Stuart brings a collaborative, creative and service-oriented leadership and management style to the $850 million community foundation and is described as a selfless leader and dedicated coach with a high level of integrity, versatility and a spirit of innovation.
With nearly 30 years of experience in all aspects of operations and leadership, Stuart previously held positions as chief development and membership officer of San Diego Zoo Global, president of the Foundation of San Diego Zoo Global, and associate dean of development and alumni relations for the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.
Stuart has been recognized as Outstanding Fundraising Professional by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, San Diego and achieved accreditation as a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE). He received a master’s degree in educational administration with a focus on the support and evaluation of personnel from McDaniel College and a bachelor’s degree in English, political science and public service from Albion College.
“The leadership opportunities at San Diego Zoo Global prepared me well for this new role that focuses on ensuring the best days are ahead for all who call the San Diego region home,” said Stuart.
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Amy McNamera joins Colliers International
Amy McNamara has joined the Urban Property Team of Colliers International San Diego Region as a vice president. McNamara provides the Urban Property Team with her specialized experience in the sale and leasing of North County office, retail and mixed-use properties.
With more than 30 years of experience in the private client capacity, McNamara will broaden the team’s reach into North County, while providing the superior client experience that sets the Urban Property Team apart.
Recently, McNamara helped FABRIC, a neighborhood-oriented real estate investment company acquire an underutilized office and retail building in Oceanside. FABRIC plans to transform the building into LAGOON, a vibrant experiential retail and creative office building with well-designed, turn-key spaces intended to attract small businesses, start-ups and micro-retailers.
“Joining the Urban Property Team further enhances my ability to provide the best brokerage experience possible to both existing and new clients,” said McNamara. “I’m proud to join the Urban Property Team members, each with unique skills and expertise, to continue the proven track record of success on behalf of our clients.”
The Urban Property Team represents owners, investors, developers, and tenants across San Diego County.
