Daily Business Report-Oct. 21, 2020
Rendering of The Post, residential and office project replacing the former Midway Post Office.
Demolition underway at former Midway post office
Plans for the site, to be known as The Post,
include both residential and office space.
By Scott Hopkins | sdnews.com
Between March 1972 and 1993, billions of letters and packages passed through the main San Diego Post Office on Midway Drive and billions more after a new main post office was opened in Carmel Mountain Ranch.
The concrete structure sat vacant since 2014 when it was closed and replaced by a smaller post office at 2701 Midway Drive and the entire 16-acre property was put up for sale. Demolition of the massive, yet long-vacant structure is now underway.
Passersby can now see the machines of AMG Demolition who are bringing down the concrete structure as the once-famous land morphs into another use.
Plans for the site, to be known as The Post, include both residential and office space. An entry promenade on the southern edge of the property will include a tree-lined pedestrian plaza creating a buffer between these areas and planned parking space.
Once demolition and site clean-up is completed construction crews will begin their work under the auspices of the current property owner, San Diego-based Hammer Ventures. Project images can be found at hammerventures.com.
The land the post office occupied was once part of Dutch Flats, an airfield where Charles Lindbergh tested his newly constructed Spirit of St. Louis on April 27, 1927. Just 13 days later, Lindbergh took off for St. Louis and New York before his historic flight to Paris, France in a stunning first non-stop transatlantic crossing by an aircraft.
A plaque commemorating the historic event was placed in the post office building by the San Diego chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution in 1998.
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Pandemic stokes already robust demand
for real estate in life sciences sector
The pandemic has accelerated momentum in the U.S. life sciences industry, particularly amid the race to produce a COVID-19 vaccine and develop other medicines for human ailments. That has meant more growth for metros like San Diego, which ranks third on CBRE’s list of the largest U.S. life sciences markets in its new report on the sector.
“San Diego continues to be one of the top innovation clusters in the United States, given the concentration of top-ranked universities, independent research institutions and pharma R&D presence in the region,” said Ryan Egli, senior vice president and leader of San Diego’s Life Science Practice. “Demand in the sector has continued to improve during the pandemic. Companies are currently seeking a total of 2 million square feet in the market, which is a historically high and causing an imbalance of supply and demand.”
The region’s standing reflects the 16 million square feet of life science inventory, scarce available supply, and a fast-growing high-tech sector that continues to blossom in the region.
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SYSTRAN named official translation
partner of World Trade Center San Diego
SYSTRAN, a leader in AI-based translation technology, has been named the official translation partner of the World Trade Center (WTC) San Diego. The partnership will give burgeoning small and mid-size businesses access to translation technology that will help grow their businesses and support their customers across the globe.
MetroConnect, the flagship program of WTC San Diego, provides small and mid-size businesses with the resources necessary to engage in global markets. The program awards companies with matching funds, connects them with relevant export-oriented partners and resources and arranges specialized workshops to increase knowledge and awareness of global export trends and regulations.
“San Diego has been home to SYSTRAN since 1968 and our focus has always been on supporting the local community” said Ken Behan, vice president of sales and marketing. “This new partnership is about expanding our local economy and supporting SMBs in their global reach and growth. These companies will now have the tools they need to assist in growing exports and trade across the world.”
Additionally, WTC San Diego recently formalized a partnership with the San Diego and Imperial Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to establish an Export Specialty Center in the region.
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Most expensive election cycle
CalMatters
Never has an election cycle seen so much money funneled into California’s ballot measure campaigns — and there are still two weeks to go until the November election.
Already, the campaigns for and against the 12 propositions on the November ballot have raised a staggering $670 million, according to a CalMatters analysis. When added to the funds raised for a proposition voters struck down in California’s March primary, that number tops $684 million — dwarfing the $473 million raised during the 2016 election cycle, California’s previous record.
Darry Sragow, publisher of the California Target Book, which tracks campaign finance data: “There has been a steady increase in the total amount of money raised for ballot measure campaigns since 2014. But the astronomical spending this year is something we just haven’t seen before.”
In addition, the campaigns battling over four of the 12 propositions have raised nine-figure sums. Prop. 22, the most expensive ballot campaign in California history, clocks in at $206 million, followed by Prop. 21 and Prop. 15 at about $117 million each and Prop. 23 at $112 million.
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Kleinfelder completes acquisition
of Gas Transmission Systems Inc.
The Kleinfelder Group Inc., a San Diego-based engineering, design and construction management firm, has acquired Gas Transmission Systems Inc. (GTS). The transaction, which closed on Oct. 19, 2020, creates significant growth opportunities and bolsters Kleinfelder’s U.S. market position as an industry-leading gas utilities and pipeline services expert.
“As a well-established gas utilities and pipeline services firm, GTS is a strong addition to Kleinfelder,” said Kleinfelder President and CEO Louis Armstrong. “This transaction aligns with our strategic direction and strengthens Kleinfelder’s service capabilities to utilities across the U.S. The specialized experience GTS brings will accelerate Kleinfelder’s growth in the power/utilities market and position the firm for expansion.”
With the close of the transaction, the GTS organizational structure will remain unchanged under the direction of President Ben Campbell. The GTS organization will report through West Division Director Victor Auvinen as a new area within the West Division.
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City selects Community Housing
Works to develop homes for youth
The City of San Diego has selected Community HousingWorks to develop a site in Serra Mesa into permanent supportive housing. Community HousingWorks’ proposal is in response to the city’s RFP and includes building 26 homes for chronically homeless and transition-age foster youth. The community will also include on-site case management in partnership with YMCA Youth and Family Services. Located on the site of the former Serra Mesa library, this Community HousingWorks development is targeted to open in 2023.
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Petco and Jinx dog nutrition launch
strategic digital partnership
San Diego-based Petco, and Jinx, a direct-to-consumer dog food company, announced a strategic partnership that will bring Jinx’s kibble and treats to petco.com. In line with Petco’s commitment to high-quality nutrition, Jinx’s dog food will provide pet parents with even more convenient, accessible options online.
Designed with the understanding that dogs are omnivores, and that the lifestyles of modern dogs impact their nutritional needs, Jinx created unique recipes that pair fresh proteins with plant-based ingredients to give furry family members the nutritional composition they need to thrive. Jinx products have been created and tested by experts in the pet nutrition space, including animal scientists, formulators and nutritionists, resulting in foods that are palatable and easily digestible.
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Alaska Airlines partners with Surfline
to offer discounted flight for surfers
Alaska Airlines is using dynamic ocean data to generate discounts for adventure seekers by partnering with global surf forecasting site Surfline. Based on the height of ocean waves in Hawaii and Northern and Southern California, Alaska will discount flights up to 30 percent off for travel to premier surfing destinations through Feb. 10, 2021. The bigger the waves, the bigger the discount.
Surfline willpull data from five different locations that monitor minute-by-minute forecasts around the Hawaiian Islands. The subregions for data tracking, recommended by Surfline as having the highest surf during this ticketing window, include: San Francisco; Oahu, North Shore; North Orange County, California; Oahu, South Shore; and Santa Cruz.
To make travel easier, Alaska also waives oversize and overweight fees for sports equipment so guests can fly with their surfboards for just $30 (the price of a regular checked bag). For MVP Gold 75K, MVP Gold, MVP, First Class and Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card holders, this equipment counts toward their free checked baggage allowance.
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City, Mesa and Miramar colleges ranked
among the top 100 for Hispanic students
For the first time, all three colleges in the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) are included in The Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine’s list of Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics. San Diego City College ranks No. 44 and San Diego Miramar College No. 100 for Hispanic enrollment among two-year colleges during the 2018-19 academic year. In addition, City College is ranked No. 99 for associate degrees awarded.
San Diego Mesa College is No. 48 for Hispanic enrollment among four-year colleges and universities (Mesa offers a bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management). Mesa College would have been among the top 100 for associate degrees, but it’s considered a four-year college for data purposes by the U.S. Department of Education since the college also awards bachelor’s degrees.
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Coffee and bagel shop to open in Seaport Village
The Verant Group, a restaurant group whose establishments include barleymash, Mavericks Beach Club and six other locations across San Diego, is expanding its coffee and bagel shop — Spill the Beans — as part of the Seaport Village revival.
The Smoking Gun and Spill he Beans first opened in 2017, in the shared space on the corner of Market and Sixth Avenue in Downtown San Diego.
The popularity of the small breakfast joint, known for its eclectic bagel and cream cheese flavors and Dark Horse Coffee Roasters caffeine creations, assured the group it would thrive as a tenant in Seaport Village.
Despite setbacks due to COVID-19, the Verant Group looks to open this spot before the end of the year.
