Daily Business Report-Nov. 18, 2020
Paola Avila (Courtesy of Paola Avila)
Mayor-Elect chooses chamber vice president
Paola Avila as his chief of staff
By Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts | Voice of San Diego
Mayor-elect Todd Gloria announced his first significant staffing decisions Friday, naming Paola Avila, the vice president of business affairs at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, as his chief of staff.
That makes Avila the hammer of his administration, with a significant role both making strategic decisions on his agenda and implementing those decisions by ensuring they win City Council approval and are enacted by city staff.
Avila’s role at the Chamber in recent years took on a higher profile, as President Donald Trump’s immigration and trade agendas inevitably crossed paths with her job managing binational business issues for the country’s largest border city. She was critical of the president’s rhetoric, and vocal about the importance of maintaining an open and efficient border with strong ties between two economies that she has called “completely tied” together.
She lobbied senators to get their support for an update to the North American Free Trade Agreement and was a constant presence in conversations about what led to the United States Mexico Canada Agreement.
It will be worth watching how her binational experience plays in the mayor’s office. City Hall has often discussed fostering closer ties with Tijuana, but it’s always amounted to something of an afterthought. In his announcement, Gloria touted her work on border pollution in the Tijuana River Valley.
Avila has experience in City Hall, too, though. She spent five years working for former Mayor Dick Murphy, a Republican, in his administration. She then spent nearly three years working for state Sen. Ben Hueso, a Democrat and former councilman, in Sacramento.
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California clamps down: new restrictions
ordered to curb surging coronavirus
CalMatters
As California’s COVID-19 daily case count climbed to nearly 10,000 – a height not seen since early August – Gov. Gavin Newsom announced tough new restrictions as an “emergency brake” to slow a coming surge that could overwhelm hospitals during the holiday season.
Most nonessential businesses, restaurants, bars and places of worship will have to close or severely restrict their operations, starting Tuesday, as state officials either moved or kept 40 of California’s 58 counties in the most restrictive “purple” tier of the state’s reopening plan. The dramatic change will affect about 94 percent of Californians.
“We’re moving from a marathon to a sprint,” Newsom said at a news conference. “These last 10 days have been challenging. We need to be more aggressive, more surgical, more targeted.”
Newsom also announced a tougher – but simpler – mask mandate: Californians must wear a mask whenever they’re outside their homes, with a few exceptions. People don’t have to wear masks in their cars, working in an office or room alone, or when they’re outside and farther than six feet from other people. However, they need to carry a mask and put it on when they are closer than six feet to others.
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StartBlue program receives funding
to boost ocean-focused startups
Innovators and engineers working to solve the ocean’s greatest challenges may soon get a boost through a new program at UC San Diego. StartBlue is a new ocean-focused accelerator led by the university’s Rady School of Management and based at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
The StartBlue program supports science and engineering startups that are tackling ocean challenges and devising solutions that can be integrated into science, industry, investment, and government networks.
Set to launch in the fall of 2021, StartBlue is made possible thanks to the Economic Development Administration’s “Industry Challenge Award,” which is providing $328,542 through its Build to Scale program. The StartBlue program also received a local match of $328,542 donated by members of the Scripps Director’s Council and other philanthropic supporters.
The StartBlue program will start accepting applications from San Diego science and engineering early-stage startups tackling ocean challenges in the spring of 2021. Ten final teams will be selected to start the eight-month accelerator program in the fall of 2021. Teams will participate in weekly workshops, receive one-on-one mentoring from industry experts, and have facilitated access to potential partners, investment, and customers.
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Power Digital acquires DataQ
Power Digital announced its acquisition of DataQ, the premiere customer activation and targeting technology tool. Fueled by proprietary algorithms and advanced extract, transform, and load (ETL) technology, DataQ helps clients maximize the lifetime value of their customer base through in-depth insights.
These unique findings allow the brand to increase purchase frequency, reduce customer churn, and find customers similar to their most valuable clientele.
“With the ever-growing importance of 1st party data in digital marketing campaigns, I am thrilled to bring the power of our customer data platform to Power Digital,“ says co-Founder of DataQ, Andreas Roell. “On our two-year standalone journey, we have witnessed how media campaigns not only drive higher performance through our abilities for increased personalization but also how e-commerce brands have taken advantage of newly found transactional insights about their customers. As a 20-year veteran of the digital agency sector, it is great to see how Power Digital is charging into the new expected norm for agencies where clients require technology enablement and full integration between media campaigns and business transactions. We could have not asked for a better home for our technology.
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Heather O’Shea named president
of Verbal Behavior Associates
Verbal Behavior Associates (VBA) announced that Heather O’Shea is its newly installed president. Based in Poway, VBA is a private agency dedicated to providing home-, school-, and telehealth-based ABA therapy throughout Southern California. O’Shea succeeds company founder Matthew Howarth, who will remain as the company’s CEO.
Over the past 16 years, Heather O’Shea held a variety of positions at ACES (Comprehensive Educational Services Inc.), culminating in her tenure as the company’s chief clinical officer. ACES provides services similar to those VBA delivers.
O’Shea holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology; a BA (Psychology) from the University of California, San Diego, and is a board-certified behavior analyst – doctoral since 2005.
Her depth of knowledge regarding operations, ABA therapy, diagnostics, counseling and speech therapy for children and young adults on the autism spectrum ensures she’ll bring a broad perspective that will help VBA expand the delivery of high quality assessments, behavior management, and language development services to individuals, particularly with moderate to severe needs.
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Santee manufacturing company named a winner
of BBB International Torch Awards for Ethics
Quality Controlled Manufacturing Inc. in Santee (QCMI) has been named one of the winners of the 2020 BBB International Torch Awards for Ethics, presented by the Better Business Bureau Institute for Marketplace Trust. The company was recognized for its “outstanding commitment to leadership character, social responsibility and high standards of organizational ethics that benefit their customers, employees and communities.”
The company provides a minimum of 48 hours of training annually for each employee. Staff members are also offered a “personal tab” to purchase necessary tools and equipment needed to do their job, with the agreement they will pay the company back through payroll deductions.
Due to a shortage in skilled workers in the industry, QCMI established an on-site, non-profitaAcademy – the Grande Foundation Machinist and Manufacturing Academy – to train individuals in the machinist trade. The company has graduated seven classes of machinist operators and has a 98 percent placement rate of graduates into machinist positions in the San Diego County area since 2015.
Whether it’s donating toys, time or money, QCMI is dedicated to volunteering and helping its local community. QCMI was the recipient of the 2012 and 2019 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics from BBB serving the Pacific Southwest.
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USD awarded $4 million endowment by the ALSAM
Foundation to continue ‘Bridging the Gap’ program
The ALSAM Foundation has announced the decision of its grants committee to provide the University of San Diego with a $4 million endowment to fund “Bridging the Gap,” a STEM enrichment program initiated in 2010 through a partnership of USD, The ALSAM Foundation, and Mater Dei Catholic High School in Chula Vista. The objective of the program, which also serves Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper, Utah, is to inspire students who are interested in STEM majors and careers, and help them acquire the academic and research fundamentals they need for success in college.
Since the program began 10 years ago, 39 USD faculty have participated in Bridging the Gap which provides students from the two high schools with on-campus summer research opportunities, hands-on seminars, and a chance to work closely with university professors and students. Research, skill-building, and mentor and role-model relationships are primary components of the program because they are proven to enhance academic and career success for all students, but especially for those under-represented in STEM degrees and professions.
Of the 174 participants to date, a large majority are enrolled in or have completed science, technology or engineering degrees at universities throughout California and across the nation. In addition to funding curricular components and administration, the endowment also includes scholarships for students who plan to major in STEM disciplines at USD.
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Y’vonne Ormond named to
NSBA Leadership Council
Y’vonne Ormond, CEO of 5P Consulting in Encinitas, has been named to the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council. NSBA is the nation’s oldest small-business advocacy organization and operates on a nonpartisan basis. Ormond, a recognized leader in the small-business community, joins the NSBA Leadership Council alongside other small-business advocates from across the country as they work to promote the interests of small businesses to policymakers in Washington, D.C.
Ormond is a business transformation professional with over two decades of experience working with organizations ranging from Fortune 50 to nonprofits. She holds a LEAN Six Sigma Black Belt with a strong emphasis on data management. She had a 20-year corporate career and eight years ago flipped the switch to being an entrepreneur and founder.
Ormond joined the NSBA Leadership Council as part of her efforts to tackle the many critical issues facing small businesses including but not limited to tax reform, labor and employment, entrepreneurial development, and how the Affordable Care Act will impact small businesses.
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Slate Law Group moves into larger
quarters to accommodate growth
San Diego’s Slate Law Group says it has moved into new 10,000-square-foot offices at 750 B St. to accommodate its rapidly growing business. The law firm also expanded its offering beyond legal services and added two new departments: human resources and tax services.
Personnel moves also were announced. James Maio was named director of tax and Jennifer Givens and Esther Hernandez were named co-directors of HR services.
Slate Law Group, which was launched in early 2020 by Kelly DuFord Williams, the former co-founder of DuFord Law, is one of San Diego’s business and employment law firms. Williams said the firm is on track to do over $2.5 million in its first year of business after experiencing strong growth in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
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San Diego Workforce Partnership
appoints Brisa Johnson to board
The San Diego Workforce Partnership announced the appointment of Brisa L. Johnson to the Workforce Development Board. Johnson is the civic engagement manager statewide for United Domestic Workers, the Homecare Providers Union.
Through her work Johnson engages and trains union members throughout California on civic engagement strategies, while also educating member voters on local and state campaigns. In addition, she is the lead coordinator for the creation of the San Diego Black Worker Center, bringing together a steering committee consisting of local, multifaceted Black professionals in the public and private sectors.
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NCAA selects Omni La Costa Resort
to host trio of national championships
The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Committees has selected Omni La Costa Resort & Spa as the host site for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships. Play will be conducted on the resort’s Champions Course following a planned 2022 renovation by a golf course architect Gil Hanse.
The event’s debut at Omni La Costa will mark the Division I Women’s Golf Championship’s return, after a 28-year absence, to Southern California. The Division I Men’s Golf Championship was last played in the region (at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades) in 2012.
