Daily Business Report-Aug. 20, 2020
Cal State San Marcos alumnus Erik Caldwell is deputy chief operating officer for the City of San Diego’s Smart and Sustainable Communities branch. (Photo by Alan Brown)
Reared on ‘SimCity,’ Eric Caldwell
now helps make San Diego smarter
By Brian Hiro | Cal State San Marcos
When Erik Caldwell was about 10 years old, his parents purchased the family’s first computer. This was in the late 1980s – before the World Wide Web captured the public imagination – and for a young boy of a certain age, computers were little more than big, clunky video game delivery systems.
Caldwell’s favorite game was “SimCity,” which, as the name suggests, is a simulation in which users can create and manage their own bustling metropolis. In terms of graphics and sheer entertainment value, it was hardly, say, “Super Mario Bros.” But for Caldwell, it was completely engrossing, as befitted the son of two civil servants – his mother a city planner, his father a public housing administrator.
“He would sit there and play that game forever,” said Stella Caldwell, Erik’s mother.
After designing his city, Caldwell would print it out on sheets of paper and staple the pages together to form a giant map. He would ask his mom to critique his creation and she would offer her professional opinion, often adding a gentle admonition to stop wasting so much paper and printer ink.
Thirty years later, Caldwell still counts “SimCity” among his favorite games. The difference now is that while he builds imaginary cities in the virtual world, he also helps build a real one in the actual world.
Caldwell, a 2004 graduate of Cal State San Marcos, is deputy chief operating officer for the City of San Diego’s Smart and Sustainable Communities branch. In that role, he oversees four departments – development services, economic development, planning and sustainability – that combine to enrich San Diego’s communities, engage its citizens, and improve service delivery by leveraging “smart cities” technology.
“For people like me who play ‘SimCity,’ that’s essentially what this job is, building out San Diego,” Caldwell said. “What excites me about the job is that I think about what the city will look like in the future – what the streets will look like, what mobility will look like, where people will live, where people will work, how we’re going to combat climate change, how we’re going to adapt to the changes in the environment that have already taken place.
“Not to denigrate my fellow directors and deputy COOs, but I think it’s the coolest job at the City of San Diego – thinking about what is coming next and planning for that.”
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Tuition-Free San Diego Promise program
attracting record number of students for 2020-21
A record number of freshmen – approximately 2,300 in all – are enrolling this fall in the groundbreaking San Diego Promise that provides two full years of tuition-free education in addition to support services for students who might not otherwise be able to pursue a college degree.
Enrollment is booming for good reason. “When I found out about the Promise, I thought, this is a no-brainer,” said Miramar College sophomore Jillian Fortner. “First of all, it helps everyone financially, but also you get a community when you get into college and people are there to help and support you. You have tutors and mentors and it’s overall just a great place to meet people.”
Fortner and others in the 2020-21 San Diego Promise cohort joined the nearly 1,800 students starting their second year in the program when the fall semester began Aug. 17. Including the new cohort, the San Diego Promise has served more than 6,600 students since its implementation as a pilot program in the fall of 2016.
A total of 168 San Diego Promise students graduated with the Class of 2020, and many are now enrolled at some of the top universities in the country, including UCLA and UC Berkeley.
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Sunrise Management adds eight
multifamily properties in San Diego
Expanding its hometown presence, San Diego-based Sunrise Management, which has specialized in managing multifamily properties since 1978, has added eight San Diego multifamily communities totaling 155 units to its portfolio.
According to Sunrise CEO and president Joe Greenblatt, his company will assume the leasing and day-to-day operations of the properties and assist with approximately $2.6 million in capital improvements to the communities including upgrades to interiors, common areas, landscaping and more.
Primarily located in urban San Diego, the communities – all owned by San Diego-based Pathfinder Partners as part of its Pathfinder Tradewinds platform – include:
- The Marlin, eight units in west City Heights
- Las Palmas, 36 units in Hillcrest
- The Dorado, 25 units in west City Heights
- The Wahoo, 13 units in west City Heights
- The Amberjack, 18 units in Normal Heights
- The Bluefin, nine units in North Park
- Driftwood, 24 units in Pacific Beach
- Canary Palms, 22 units in Poway
With these latest additions Sunrise now oversees more than 6,000 units throughout Southern California.
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San Diego’s Xpera Group acquired
by Massachusetts’ The Vortex Companies
The Vertex Companies Inc. of Massachusetts has acquired Xpera Inc., a construction forensics, quality assurance and real estate consultancy firm headquartered in San Diego.
For Xpera Group, Vertex provides the right fit, as it is an employee-owned company that offers the expanded resources of a multi-disciplinary firm throughout its 25+ office locations, according to Ted Bumgardner, founder and chairman of Xpera Group. “By joining forces with Vertex, we see an exciting future ahead, as the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts.”
For Vertex, the acquisition augments its West Coast presence and expands its services in construction, forensics, and quality assurance.
Xpera Group will join Vertex’s expanding team of consultants across North America and Europe and its clients will now have access to Vertex’s suite of specialized services.
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Del Mar Highlands Town Center
welcomes new tenants
Del Mar Highlands Town Center has announced additional boutique, bakery, and wellness offerings slated for fall 2020 and early winter 2021. New and expanding retail locations span across the center with a continued focus on the customer experience with lifestyle and convenience.
Now open and incoming retailers for fall 2020 and winter 2021 include: Pickybunny, BATCH & BOX Signature Cookies, The Shade Store, Modern Acupuncture, The Dance Academy Del Mar, and Iceskimo.
“We can’t wait to welcome these new tenants to Del Mar Highlands Town Center,” said Tim Sullivan, property manager. “These brands expand upon our core values – service, convenience, and local southern California appeal. Combined with a thoughtful design aesthetic, enhanced open-air community gathering places and ample parking, we’ve created an ideal shopping and dining experience for customers for years to come.”
These new tenants will join over 70 existing retailers spanning over 400,000 square feet of offerings tailored to San Diego residents and Carmel Valley’s daytime office population.
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Two CSUSM professors awarded
grant to support science students
Two professors in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at Cal State San Marcos have received a grant of almost $1 million from the National Science Foundation that will support the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students in chemistry and biochemistry.
The grant, which covers five years, was awarded to Robert Iafe, an associate professor of chemistry, and Paul Jasien, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry. It’s part of the NSF’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income, academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields.
Over its five-year duration, the project will fund scholarships of up to four years to 20 full-time students in three cohorts.
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Shelter Island Boat Launch Facility project honored
The Port of San Diego has been recognized by the American Public Works Association (APWA) San Diego-Imperial Counties Chapter with an Honor Award for the Shelter Island Public Boat Launch Facility project. The Honor Award is a component of the annual APWA Awards Program, which recognizes outstanding individuals, groups and chapters representing the best in public works.
The project was honored in the program’s Structures category, which includes new public structures or the preservation or rehabilitation of existing public structures including municipal buildings and parks.
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Bryan Benso appointed chief development
officer at Gafcon Inc.
Gafcon Inc., a program, project and construction management firm, has appointed Bryan Benso as chief development officer.
Benso has more than 30 years of experience in various fields, including public and private capital projects, redevelopment, master planning, land entitlements and development, real estate leasing and acquisitions, governmental and agency negotiations, and numerous other business acumen verticals.
He will also function as the acting managing director of development pursuits for the Development division of Gafcon and as such his role will include identifying, sourcing, performing feasibility due diligence and strategizing various investment projects. He will provide managing partner oversight of all investment projects and the delivery of those projects within target investment metrics.
Benso will also offer principal growth support to the Gafcon PM/CM group as well as the development of corporatewide strategic initiatives for the future growth and success of Gafcon.
Benso will operate out of Gafcon’s San Diego headquarters in Sorrento Valley. In his new role, he will be active throughout all of Southern California and the Western U.S., including Gafcon’s offices in the Inland Empire, Los Angeles and Orange County.
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S.D. Women’s Week Leadership Conference Goes Global
New virtual format with no boundaries features Daymond John, Linda Cureton, Ed Smart, Amy Trask
San Diego Women’s Week, celebrating 11 years of inspiring, empowering and connecting women is now virtual with leadership events for all ages and professions. Attendees enjoy virtual networking, keynote speakers, panel discussions, and more, all wrapped around creative solutions to everyday issues affecting leaders in the workplace and in their daily lives.
WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 26 – Friday, Aug. 28, 2020
WHO: Keynotes for 2020 Leadership conference include:
- Daymond John from Shark Tank: Powershift, Transform Any Situation, Close Any Deal, and Achieve Any Outcome.
- Linda Cureton, Former CIO – NASA: Managing and Leading in a Tough Environment.
- Ed Smart, Father of Elizabeth Smart: Two Miracles, and Standing up for Yourself.
- Amy Trask, Former NFL Team Executive – Los Angeles Raiders: Leadership Vulnerabilities.
WHERE: Wednesday – Virtual Women and Wine 6-7:30 p.m.
Friday – Virtual Leadership Conference 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Click here for complete list of speakers and additional details.
