Daily Business Report-Nov. 11, 2020
Photo courtesy of the San Diego North Economic Development Council.
Dire impacts of COVID-19 across the
five cities in the SR 78 Corridor
Across the five cities on the SR 78 Corridor (Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista, Escondido, San Marcos) more than 36,000 jobs have been lost between August 2019 and August 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report by the San Diego North Economic Development Council.
“It is clear from this data just how painful the pandemic has been and how these impacts are most acutely felt by certain segments of North County’s economy,” said W. Erik Brufold, chief executive officer of the council. “Recovery plans need to focus efforts on thinking about how we help drive tourism and help retailers and restaurants survive and recover.”
Other findings from the report
- Two thirdsof the job losses have been in four sectors: Arts and Entertainment, Education, Retail, and Hospitality.
- Year-over-year taxable sales during quarter 2 (April through June) declined between 10.1 percent (Vista) and 28.7 percent(Carlsbad).
- Comparing the firsthalf of 2019 vs. the first half of 2020, hotel taxes declined 27 percentin Oceanside. TOT collections for June, July, and August were off 66 percentin Carlsbad. These two cities represent, by far, the two largest tourism markets on the Corridor.
Click here for the full report
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Academy of Our Lady of Peace student takes top
prize in Better Business Bureau ethics essay contest
Jasmin Salem, a student at the Academy of Our Lady of Peace in San Diego, has won the first-place prize and $1,500 in the Better Business Bureau Southwest’s Ethical Torch Scholarship competition, “The Importance of Character and Ethics.”
Salem’s essay was about a time when information from a colleague’s conversation didn’y seem to add up. “Being a new employee, not only did I receive more money than my coworker weekly, he had no idea the manager was shorting him. It would have been easier to stay silent, but my ethical choice of informing my manager positively impacted many others,” said Salem.
Other essay winners:
- Second Place, $1,250: Nicholas Drossel from Dana Hills High School in Dana Point.
- Third Place, $1,000: Lucia Rivera from Bonita Vista High School in Chula Vista.
- Fourth Place, $750: Lena McEachern from Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad.
- Fifth Place, $500: Mia Sherman from Classical Academy High School in Escondido.
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California small business sales in October
up 8.5 percent from September
California had a total of 727 Small Businesses sold in October 2020, an 8.5 percent increase from last month. Sales are down 51.3 percent from the same time last year in California according to the BizBen.com Index.
In San Diego County, a total of 82 small businesses were sold in October. That was the third highest number of sales in the counties of California, behind Orange County, with 100 sales, and Los Angeles, with 90 sales.
“Usually October sales of California small businesses outpace September but this year with the election uncertainty and the uptick in COVID-19 cases nationwide has given both owner/sellers and business buyers pause,” said Peter Siegel, BizBen.com founder.
“Even though buyer demand is improving, small business sales are still staying neutral over the last several months. Hopefully with the elections over and with other economic data settling, both sellers and buyers will start to transact again throughout November.”
The five most popular search requests of small business types wanted by business buyers:
- Car Washes
- Laundromats
- Gas Stations
- Manufacturers
- Liquor Stores
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Pacific Building Group ‘tops out’
new Access Youth Academy building
General contractor Pacific Building Grouphas raised the final beam to “top out” a new steel-framed building for Access Youth Academy located at 704 Euclid Ave. in Southeast San Diego. The 21,000 square-foot structure with eight squash courts will support academics, business and sports activities for the youth development organization, an official U.S. Squash Community Affiliate.
Due to open in June 2021 and serve 1,300 or more students, the new two-story structure will have a glass-walled entry and open reception and lounge area. With ceilings reaching 24-feet, the northern wing will house seven European-designed singles squash courts and one doubles court, locker rooms, showers and restrooms.
The southern portion of the building will include two classrooms, storage, support spaces and a large space divided by operable partitions that will contain a computer lab, college prep room and instructional space on the ground level. It will also include a 1,000 square-foot open gallery and awards space, 12 open and two private offices, a large conference room, staff kitchen/breakroom and restrooms. A 140-foot catwalk with bench seating will serve as a squash match observation deck and social area.
The face of the catwalk will bear the names of Access Youth Academy graduates. The facility will open to a concrete courtyard with additional seating, viewing and social spaces alongside a new 36-car parking lot.
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Jamul Indian Village chairwoman receives
Warrior Award from American Indian Chamber
Erica M. Pinto, hairwoman of Jamul Indian Village of California (JIV), received the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of California’s highest honor, the Warrior Award. Pinto was recognized at the Chamber’s 2020 Native American Heritage Month Luncheon on Nov. 6 at the Agua Caliente Resort in Rancho Mirage. The prestigious Warrior Award recognizes Pinto’s continuous work on behalf of tribal businesses and community growth for Native peoples.
Pinto has been involved with the JIV Tribal Council since 1997. In 2015, she was the first woman elected chairwoman of the JIV, and has led the Tribe to make significant economic progress on its path to self-reliance. Under Pinto’s leadership, the JIV oversaw the groundbreaking of a gaming facility on its reservation in February 2014.
In October 2016, Jamul Casino opened, creating nearly 1,000 permanent jobs. She continues working to expand the tribe’s land base and increase economic opportunities for members of the JIV. She is also co-founder of the Acorns to Oaks tribal program, which organizes activities designed to help prevent drug and alcohol abuse and teen pregnancy, and promote education.
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Barona Resort & Casino cancels
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations
Barona Resort & Casino announced that it has canceled its annual New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations because of COVID-19.
“Ringing in the New Year is something we look forward to every year and we are very disappointed that we won’t be able to host a 2021 celebration this year,” said Rick Salinas, general manager. “Since reopening the casino back in May, we have carefully managed capacity to ensure social distancing and have also postponed all events and promotions that might attract crowds. As it has been throughout the pandemic, our focus is on protecting the health and wellness of our players and staff, and we believe canceling our much-loved New Year’s celebration is in the best interest of our staff, our players and everyone.”
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CIT announces grant to
Urban League of San Diego County
CIT and its Pasadena-based banking subsidiary CIT Bank N.A. announced a grant to Urban League of San Diego County (ULSDC) to enhance digital access for underrepresented individuals in San Diego County during COVID-19.
The grant is awarded as part of The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco’s 2020 AHEAD Program and is one of 97 grants provided this year to nonprofits in Arizona, California and Nevada.
The AHEAD grant will support ULSDC in fully transitioning to a remote, virtual-based environment during COVID-19 and beyond to allow the nonprofit to continue to provide classes, meetings, counseling and other program services that assist underrepresented populations in San Diego County to achieve social and economic equality.
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Biocom Institute to host
Veterans Life Sciences Symposium
Biocom Institute, a nonprofit that supports life science innovation, will host the annual Veteran’s Life Science Symposium, a virtual event catered towards active military and veterans exploring career opportunities in the life sciences. The interactive career symposium will occur Tuesday, Nov. 17 from 1 to 4 p.m.
The event will feature presentations from top industry representatives from veteran-friendly life science companies, HR professionals with practical advice on navigating the transition into the life science industry, and other life science professionals and veterans who have successfully launched a career in the industry. For additional information on the Veteran’s Life Science Symposium and registration details, visit the event’s website.
The Veteran’s Life Science Symposium is a part of Biocom Institute’s Veterans Initiative, which aims to provide veterans access to a variety of life science industry professionals and executives. The program provides a holistic approach to addressing skills gaps, hiring and job-search challenges, and a unique, direct connection between veterans and the life science industry through the military fellowship program.
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Quidel Corporation triple winner in
international MarCom Awards competition
San Diego-based Quidel Corporation has been honored with three awards for creative excellence from the international MarCom Awards competition. Quidel is the diagnostic health care manufacturer behind the industry’s in-office test for Lyme disease, the Sofia 2 Lyme FIA test.
The MarCom Awards is an international creative competition that recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communications professionals, both corporate and agency. Quidel was cited for excellence while competing against more than 6,500 entries from the United States and several foreign countries.
Quidel was presented with MarCom’s highest honor—a Platinum Award—for its soon-to-launch consumer-facing website titled “Lyme Disease Answers.” Quidel was also honored by MarCom for a commentary by Roxanne Carfora, D.O., titled “An Epidemic Within a Pandemic.”
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Visiting scholar to join California Indian Culture
and Sovereignty Center at Cal State San Marcos
The California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center (CICSC) at Cal State San Marcos has named Eric S. Trevan as a visiting scholar of innovation, business and economic policy for tribal nation
Trevan is a tenure-track faculty member for the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., and was recently awarded an executive leadership fellowship from the Community Development Society. He also works with a variety of businesses and government entities focused on innovation, corporate governance, economic forecasts and business planning.
Trevan has a distinguished history as a national advocate for tribal entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development. He’s a tribal citizen of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians (Gun Lake Tribe). In addition to his current position and participating in research, Trevan will teach courses at CSUSM in tribal economics and economic development.
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Tom Metzger dies at 82; notorious KKK boss,
supremecist who ran for Congress
Tom Metzger, one of the nation’s most notorious white supremacists and anti-Semites, has died, according to a post on his White Aryan Resistance website. He was 82.
The death of Metzger — who lived in Fallbrook for 40 years, where he worked as a TV repairman — also was noted in a paid death notice Tuesday in The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Metzger in 1980 won a three-man Democratic Party primary for Congress in San Diego’s 43rd District, leading the party to disavow his candidacy and endorse his opponent, Republican Clair Burgener. Metzger lost by 87 percent to 13 percent in the heavily Republican district.
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