Daily Business Report-July 10, 2019
Renovated guest room at Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel. (Courtesy San Diego Convention Center Corp.)
Upgraded Hilton San Diego Bayfront
hotel lures guests with high-tech rooms
that can be controlled by cell phone
The newly renovated Hilton San Diego Bayfront has a new attraction that tech-savvy guests will enjoy — high-tech guest rooms where they can control the space around them from a single source: their cell phones.
Guests who stay in a “Connected Room” at the hotel will be able to use the Hilton Honors app to manage most things they would traditionally do manually in a room, from controlling the temperature and lighting to the TV and window coverings. Guests will also be able to personalize their room with technology that loads the most popular streaming media and other accounts to in-room TVs.
Hilton San Diego Bayfront became the first Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand in California—and the third globally—to offer the Connected Room technology.
“We are thrilled to continue to innovate in the way we deliver our signature hospitality and provide our guests with an enhanced experience that embodies what makes San Diego such a unique and amazing destination,” said Steve Cowan, general manager of Hilton San Diego Bayfront. “We love offering guests a well-rounded Southern California experience, and we are excited by the opportunity to bring the outside elements in with this renovation.”
The hotel underwent a $23 million renovation to all 1,190 guest rooms and guest room corridors. The upgraded guest rooms and suites feature a nautical, contemporary design and premium amenities including modern furniture, new mini coolers, updated restrooms, additional power and USB ports, and 55-inch HD TVs.
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Port approves pilot project to test
new clean water technology
As part of its Blue Economy Incubator, the Port of San Diego has approved a new pilot project with ecoSPEARS Inc., a startup cleantech solutions company working to develop a cost-effective and eco-friendly cleanup solution to extract and destroy toxic contaminants from sediment, soil and groundwater. Under a two-year agreement with the Port, ecoSPEARS will test its remediation technology in San Diego Bay.
ecoSPEARS is the exclusive licensee of the NASA-patented SPEARS technology. SPEARS stands for Sorbent Polymer Extraction and Remediation System, which was invented by a team of NASA environmental scientists as a green remediation solution for contaminated waterways.
During its two-year pilot project, ecoSPEARS will deploy SPEARS at three different, to-be-determined locations in San Diego Bay. The primary goal will be to determine how much PCB mass the SPEARS technology will remove over a predetermined period.
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‘Atmospheric rivers’ to become even more dominant
source of California water resources and flooding
A new study led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography suggests that a new regime of wet and dry extremes is emerging in California and that the projected bolstering of extreme precipitation is likely to be caused by streams of moisture in the sky known as atmospheric rivers (ARs).
California already has the most volatile water resources in the country. Scripps scientists discovered that the state’s precipitation, as it becomes less frequent but preferentially stronger, will vacillate even more wildly between extremes of drought and flooding as a consequence of climate change.
This future is emerging now and it means that ARs will be even more crucial determinants of water supply especially in California, said lead author Alexander Gershunov, a climate scientist at Scripps.
“As Mediterranean climate regions around the world are becoming more subtropical, the dry season is expanding. California is no exception,” Gershunov said. “What is exceptional about California is that the heavy precipitation is projected to become more extreme. We knew this from our past work. Now we have identified the mechanism responsible for this bolstering of extremes, and that gives us a more nuanced understanding of what to expect from future hydroclimate and a clearer interpretation of ongoing changes.”
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S.D. Continuing Education Department
to host Charity Sew today
Students at San Diego Continuing Education (SDCE) will make brightly colored and kid-friendly patterned pillowcases to benefit local foster youth at the Charity Show event today from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at West City Campus in Point Loma, 3249 Fordham St., San Diego.
SDCE offers San Diego residents two free fashion and textile career training programs including a 24-week Clothing Construction certificate and a 50-week Sewn Products Business certificate. SDCE’s summer fashion program will donate the personalized bedding materials to New Alternatives Family Visitation Center. The institution has partnered with local charities for more than 5 years including, Rady Children’s Hospital, Ryan’s Case for Smiles and New Alternatives Inc.
SDCE’s Charity Sew Schedule:
9 a.m. Welcome Students
9:15 to 9:30 a.m. Introduce New Alternatives Family Visitation Center/Guest Speaker
9:45 to 10 a.m. Pillowcase Demonstration by SDCE Instructor
10:15 to 11:30 a.m. Students Make Pillowcases to Donate
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Local electric vehicle drivers
receiving $850 credit on SDG&E bill
More than 21,000 electric vehicle (EV) drivers in San Diego and southern Orange counties are receiving a $850 credit on their San Diego Gas & Electric bill as a reward for adopting clean transportation to help reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
The number of EV drivers in the region has grown by 15,000 since 2017, and the number of applicants for the EV Climate Credit is up 40 percent in 2019 compared to 2018. SDG&E will be applying the credit to customers’ bills over the next few months, using up all the 2019 program funds.
The bill credit is funded by the Low Carbon Fuel Standard Program implemented by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to fight climate change and encourage EV adoption. The bill credit amount has varied each year depending on the CARB regulations, number of EV drivers and the amount of revenues available to fund it. In 2018, SDG&E distributed $500 each to about 15,000 EV drivers who signed up for the program.
For more information, visit SDGEnews.com or connect with SDG&E on Twitter (@SDGE), Instagram (@SDGE) and Facebook.
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Susan Howe appointed president
of San Diego Women’s Foundation
The San Diego Women’s Foundation (SDWF) has announced the appointment of Susan Howe as its new president. As president, Howe will continue to be a catalyst for change and to further SDWF’s mission of educating and inspiring women to engage in collective philanthropy to benefit underserved communities in the San Diego region.
Howe, who is a resident of Scripps Ranch, has been a member of SDWF for 10 years and is an active steward in the community. She is a retired development professional with experience working for the San Diego Public Library Foundation as the major and planned gifts director.
Howe has also served as a member of the Nominating Committee and Board of Directors at Junior League, President of the Scripps Ranch Friends of the Public Library and as a founding member of Hidden Valley House Auxiliary. Howe is an alumna of Scripps College where she graduated with a BA in political science.
“Susan is a phenomenal leader for SDWF,” says Katie Sawyer, SDWF executive director. “She is absolutely committed to our mission of inspiring women to come together to improve our community.”
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South County EDC announces 2019-2020 board
The South County Economic Development Council elected Bob Penner with HomeFed as its board chair for the 2019-2020 fiscal year at its annual meeting on July 2. South County EDC members voted in the newest 39-member board, including eight officers.
South County EDC, the nonprofit organization responsible for economic development in South Bay, promotes education and encourages economic development in the South San Diego and Baja regions.
Board members will be tasked with helping to see the successful planning, promotion and implementation of South County EDC events and initiatives, including the annual South County Economic Development Council Summit on Friday, Sept. 13.
The executive committee officers include:
Board Chair: Bob Penner, HomeFed
Vice Chair: Patricia Alvarez de los Cabos, XEWT Channel 12/Televisa
Vice Chair: John Moot, Schwartz Semerdjian Cauley & Moot LLP
2nd Vice Chair: Norma Hernandez, Education Liaison
2nd Vice Chair: Tom Starr, Southwest Airlines Co.
Secretary: Willie Armas, U.S. Bank
Treasurer: Sally Preston, Mission Federal Credit Union
Past Chair: Doug Kerner, Higgs Fletcher & Mack
