Daily Business Report-July 24, 2019
The signature robots can dispense servings of frozen yogurt, ice cream, gelato and sorbet topped with a selection of six toppings in under 60 seconds.
Reis & Ivy’s ice cream kiosks
approved for operation in California
San Diego-based Generation NEXT Franchise Brands announced that Reis & Irvy’s unattended soft serve kiosks were approved by the California Department of Public Health for a variance that allows them to operate in the state of California.
The signature robots can dispense servings of frozen yogurt, ice cream, gelato and sorbet topped with a selection of six toppings in under 60 seconds. The machines are equipped with self-checkout touch screen ordering and payment options, as well as frozen dessert provided exclusively by Dannon.
The company has been working with the state to obtain this variance for almost a year. Approval to operate in California comes with specific and important requirements. The most significant is the use of the Hydra Rinse Mobile System for cleaning and sanitizing. This cleaning system replaces the 24-hour cleaning schedule requirement in California, with a schedule that allows operators to service their kiosks once every 72 hours. In addition, operators will find the length of time it takes to fully service their units is cut in half.
Other operational specifications include, strict adherence to standard operating procedures and corrective action plans, partnership with an accredited food testing laboratory for quarterly bacteriological testing, and the implementation of a robust Quality Assurance Plan. Applying and enforcing these standards exemplifies that the Company’s paramount interest is protecting the public health of all citizens in California.
The state approval opens the doors for Generation Next and its franchise owners in California to move ahead on licensing with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and getting the county health permits required to begin installing Reis & Irvy’s robots in sites across the state.
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Oster and Associates to host
‘Cannabis 101’ forum on Aug. 15
Oster and Associates, a San Diego marketing agency, will host “Cannabis 101” on Thursday, Aug. 15, a free forum to educate the community on California’s current legal cannabis industry. It will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at 5th Avenue Kitchen and Tap in Hillcrest.
Cannabis 101 will be the main theme of the evening as business owners and consumers will discuss a wide range of questions during the panel discussion featuring some of San Diego’s top cannabis industry leaders. The current lineup of panel participants includes EventHi chief marketing officer Adelia Carrillo, Think BCLowner David Best, Chronic Kookies president and co-founder Kyle Palmer, High Style Brewing Company CEO Lyden Henderson and OutCo CEO Lincoln Fish.
“Educating the greater San Diego community about cannabis not only informs but also helps build awareness of the industry in a fun, engaging and supportive setting,” said Oster and Associates president Bev Oster. “We’re excited to amplify this message as a reinforcement to the industry and to California’s business community.”
The idea behind this event is to support the legal cannabis market as it evolves into a more mature business industry.
There will be dedicated time for audience questions, non-medicated sampling opportunities with participating industry brands and special giveaway items including gift bags for the first 100 registered attendees. RSVP’s are strongly recommended but not required. For more information on the Cannabis 101 event or to RSVP, visit: https://www.osterads.com/cannabis101/.
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DMV offices to close half-day
today to re-train employees
DMV offices across the state will close for a half-day today to re-train employees on customer service skills and processing REAL ID transactions. Offices will open at 1 p.m.
About 5,000 DMV employees across the state will take part in “Operation Excellence: DMV Training,” which aims to give customers a more consistent customer service experience.
DMV Overhaul
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced a shakeup of the state Department of Motor Vehicles, appointing its third director in a year and backing an overhaul of the agency’s practices in response to widespread public complaints of poor service, including hours-long wait lines and a botched “motor voter” program.
“I am not naive about the challenges facing the DMV,” Newsom said. “The technology is Byzantine.”
Newsom appointed tech industry entrepreneur Steve Gordon of San Jose as director of the DMV.
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San Diego Architectural Foundation
announces 2019 Orchids & Onions jurors
The San Diego Architectural Foundationhas revealed the 2019 jurors for the 43rd annual Orchids & Onions program. Comprised of architects, interior designers, landscape architects, urban planners, educators, a graduate student and other allied professionals, the jury will select this year’s official Orchid & Onion winners that will be announced at the annual Awards Ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 3 at The US Grant (a past Orchid winner).
The jury will review the nominated projects submitted by the public, create a short list and tour the properties to evaluate the best and “not so best” in architecture and design. The project categories the jurors will review include architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, historic preservation and miscellaneous.
Click here for the 2019 Orchids & Onions jurors.
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More San Diego City, Mesa and Miramar college
college students transferring to four-year institutions
More San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) students are transferring to a four-year institution, including prestigious destinations such as UC Berkeley and UCLA among the top choices, according to a new report prepared by the SDCCD’s Office of Institutional Research and Planning.
San Diego State University continues to be the No. 1 destination, with 30 percent of the district’s transfer students ending up there in 2017-18, the latest year for which data is available. UC San Diego was next with more than 9 percent of SDCCD transfers, followed by National University at 4.5 percent, Cal State San Marcos at 3.7 percent, and Arizona State University and the University of San Diego at 2.5 percent each. Rounding out the top 10 were UC Berkeley, Point Loma Nazarene University, San Francisco State, and UCLA.
In all, 4,212 students at San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges transferred to a four-year institution in 2017-18. That’s 319 more students than who transferred the previous year, and 854 more than 2013-14.
Among the highlights from the report:
The number of students who transferred from an SDCCD college to a university has increased each year from 2013-14 to 2017-18.
- Mesa College is the top transfer institution in the district with 2,284 students transferring to a four-year college or university, followed by City College with 971 and Miramar College at 957. The number of transfers at City College was up 29 percent from four years earlier, the number of transfers at Miramar College was up 27 percent, and the number of transfers at Mesa College was up 23 percent.
- The number of Latinx students transferring to a four-year institution was up 60 percent from 2013-14 to 2017-18, the number of Asian/Pacific Islander students who transferred was up more than 26 percent, and the number of African-American students who transferred was up more than 11 percent.
District officials say even more students would have transferred during 2017-18 if space was made available for them at highly impacted public universities such as SDSU and UC San Diego.
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UC campuses paying the price
of Trump crackdown on China
Chinese scholars and researchers at UC San Diego say they’re collateral damage in the federal government’s trade war with China. (Los Angeles Times). UC San Diego professor Shirley Meng’s laboratory is a veritable United Nations of research, with 48 scholars from six countries exploring how to improve battery storage for electric vehicles, robots and — someday — flying cars. But Meng and her colleagues worry that one country soon will be left out of the lab: China. The Trump administration has intensified its crackdown over trade, technology and security — and now it has spread to America’s vaunted universities, turning the University of California into an especially big target.
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Paradise Point to rebrand as
Margaritaville Island Beach Resort
sdnews.com
Paradise Point Resort & Spa on Vacation Isle Park in Mission Bay is rebranding into a Margaritaville Island Beach Resort, with an anticipated opening of 2020-21. The existing property will be renovated and converted for an estimated $35 million. It will feature 462 casita-style single-story guest rooms, waterfront views with a mile of beachfront, Margaritaville food and beverage concepts, new recreational activities and family-friendly amenities.
Margaritaville is a global lifestyle brand inspired by the lyrics and lifestyle of singer, songwriter and best-selling author Jimmy Buffett, whose songs evoke a passion for tropical escape and relaxation.
Read more…
