Daily Business Report-Jan. 20, 2020
A rendering of the river park at the edge of the planned San Diego State University campus in Mission Valley. (Courtesy SDSU)
SDSU releases 1,200-page environmental
impact report for Mission Valley site
Times of San Diego
San Diego State University on Friday released a 1,262-page environmental impact report and comments on its plans for SDSU Mission Valley, including a new stadium and river park.
Approved in concept by San Diego voters in November 2018 as Measure G, the stadium is the first facility slated for construction at the university’s proposed new campus at the site of SDCCU Stadium, the former home of the San Diego Chargers and Padres.
The environmental impact report is available at missionvalley.sdsu.edu along with the public comment letters and detailed responses. The California State University Board of Trustees will consider certifying the EIR at their Jan. 28-29 meeting in Long Beach.
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San Diego Tourism Authority names
Julie Coker as president and CEO
The San Diego Tourism Authority Board of Directors has appointed Julie Coker to the position of president and chief executive officer. Currently serving as the president and CEO of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), Coker will succeed Joe Terzi, who announced his retirement in 2019 after 10 years in his role with the SDTA.
In her new role, which begins in March, Coker will direct the management and strategic development of the organization to ensure effective sales, marketing, and promotion of the region for the economic benefit of the San Diego community. She will also serve as a key community leader working in close partnership with city and county officials, tourism industry organizations locally and worldwide, and the business community to ensure the growth and welfare of the tourism industry.
Coke was executive vice president of the Philadelphia CVB before assuming the post of president and CEO. She has more than 30 years of hospitality industry experience, including 21 years with Hyatt Hotels, where she held general manager positions for properties in Philadelphia, Chicago and Oakbrook, Ill. Among her many accomplishments, Coker has served as chair of the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Women in Lodging council and as a member of the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality. She currently serves as an executive committee board member of Destinations International and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and is on the executive committee for U.S. Travel Association.
Joe Terzi will remain active in the San Diego community, working on the Yes for a Better San Diego! campaign to expand the San Diego Convention Center and on Balboa Park initiatives.
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Stos Partners acquires San Diego
parking site for $26.47 million
Stos Partners, a privately held commercial real estate investment and management firm, in conjunction with an institutional partner, has acquired a 5.8-acre parking lot land site near the Port of San Diego for $26.47 million from a private entity.
With the transaction, Stos has completed nine acquisitions this year totaling $81.5 million and sold four assets totaling $48.36 million, bringing the firm’s total transaction volume to more than $130 million in Southern California in 2019.
“This acquisition is directly in line with our overarching investment strategy, which is to identify and acquire unique, high-quality assets in irreplaceable locations,” says CJ Stos, Principal of Stos Partners. “As the only significant parking lot in the area, we immediately recognized the potential of this one-of-a-kind site as mission critical to the many defense contractors in the vicinity who service Navy ships.”
Located directly under the Coronado Bridge at 2210-2310 Main St., the parking lot is currently 100 percent leased to a defense contractor.
The acquisition comes on the heels of Stos Partners’ recent addition of 5816 Dryden Place, a 22,156-square-foot multi-tenant R&D/office property in Carlsbad to its portfolio.
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RPG acquires office building at
Pacific Station in Encinitas
RPG, a San Diego-based owner, operator, and developer of commercial real estate, has expanded its portfolio in North County with the acquisition of an office building at Pacific Station in Encinitas, where the firm currently owns a large retail and restaurant section of the 100,000-square-foot mixed use center.
RPG previously acquired the 39,000-square-foot retail and restaurant portion of Pacific Station in 2018. The company now owns all the commercial space in the mixed-use office, retail and residential center.
Four of the five office spaces within the newly acquired building are currently leased to health care, real estate and technology tenants. RPG plans to implement improvements to the offices, as well as lease the last available square-footage in the building.
In 2019, RPG transformed 4,010 square feet of restaurant space in Pacific Station into a coworking space that also serves as the firm’s new headquarters. Tenants at the new coworking location have full access to RPG’s hospitality-like amenities.
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Stella Labs hires 2 new employees and
promotes Raven O’Neal to executive director
Women-focused business accelerator Stella Labshas hired two new employees and promoted Raven O’Neal to executive director. The expanded team will support the organization’s effort to increase the number of successful female-led, funded startups.
A part of the Stella Labs team since 2012, O’Neal previously served as the organization’s marketing director and helped to establish its Launch and Scale programs and annual Women’s Venture Summit.
In her nearly eight years with Stella Labs, O’Neal has helped 400 San Diego County women launch or grow a business.
“Raven is a compassionate leader, skilled marketer and connecter who will continue to advance our mission of helping local entrepreneurs gain access to mentoring and funding,” says Dr. Silvia Mah, Stella Labs founder.
New to the team are Shan Cureton and Christine Lustig. In her new role, Cureton will manage operations and oversee the success of the organization’s signature 12-week Launch and Scale programs. She has valuable business development experience as the CEO of transportation company, Kiddie Commute, where she’s grown$350,000 in revenue and provided 15,000 rides to kids in the greater San Diego area. She’s also worked as an adjunct professor at Southwestern College and as a teaching assistant at her alma mater, San Diego State University.
Lustig will plan and execute Women’s Venture Summit, Stella Labs’ annual conference that attracts more than 350 female founders and investors to San Diego each September. With 15 years of consulting, hospitality, marketing and event experience, Lustig has produced events for nonprofits and corporations. Most notably, she managed local Switchfoot BRO-AM events, including coordinating more than 200 volunteers for a 17,000-person beachfront charity day. Lustig is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego.
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Higgs Fletcher & Mack adds Timothy Noon
as partner, adds 4 new attorneys and a risk manager
Higgs Fletcher & Mack has added veteran litigator Timothy Noon as partner, welcomed attorneys Harrison Beau Bryant, Haley Dumas, Meredith King and Miles Roeder to the firm and hired attorney Ross Viselman as its new risk manager.
Noon is an experienced trial lawyer with a significant civil litigation practice focused on legal and accountancy professional liability, architect, engineer, construction and business and commercial litigation. He has defended a diverse client base including regional and national corporations, owners, law firms, architects, engineers, developers, contractors, subcontractors, and private individuals.
Harrison Beau Bryant, who previously practiced alongside Noon, is also a trial attorney whose practice focuses on business and commercial, securities, Professional Liability, Financial Services and Employment litigation.
Haley Dumas is a part of the Employment Law and Business Litigation practice groups. Her
experience includes representing clients in insurance coverage actions in both state and federal court. During law school, Dumas was an intern at Higgs Fletcher & Mack. Meredith King is a commercial litigation and bankruptcy attorney. Her experience includes representing individual business owners, corporate clients, and fiduciaries in complex financial litigation in federal, state, and bankruptcy courts.
Immigration attorney Miles Roeder garnered significant experience by practicing at both boutique and large international law firms over the last 15 years. In his practice, Roeder primarily represents clients in securing nonimmigrant visas.
Ross Viselman will serve as Higgs Fletcher & Mack’s risk manager. He most recently served as a senior trial counsel with the State Bar of California, where he prosecuted and sought discipline against attorneys for ethical violations. He was also an appointee for the governor of California to work with the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, an arm of the state’s Department of Consumer Affairs.
