Daily Business Report-Feb. 11, 2021
Artist’s concept of Manta Ray UUV. (Credit: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
DARPA selects contractors
for unmanned underwater vehicle project
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the U.S. has selected three prime contractors for an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) development programme.
The selected contractors for the Manta Ray project include Northrop Grumman Systems, which has facilities in San Diego, Martin Defense Group, (formerly Navatek) and Metron Inc.Launched last year, the Manta Ray project aims to develop UUVs that will be capable of operating for long durations without human intervention and undertake long range missions.
The preliminary design reviews were completed earlier this year.
The program, if successful, is expected to increase operational flexibilities of traditional host vessels.
It will also address other naval challenges including energy management, navigation and underwater obstacle avoidance among others.
San Diego City College and ocean and water industry
set sail on new BlueTech Apprenticeship Program
San Diego City College is embarking on a new apprenticeship program aimed at training the next generation of skilled workers for the region’s growing ocean and water technologies industries.
The San Diego BlueTech Apprenticeship Program (BTAP) is being seeded through a $500,000 state grant involving City College, the San Diego Unified School District, and TMA BlueTech, which represents the local blue tech industry. Spots in the initial cohort of 25 BTAP student/apprentices are open to anyone with an interest in a new career, including graduates from the San Diego Unified School District’s BlueSTEM Career Technical Education Pathway at Mission Bay High School.
Supervisors vote to expand rental assistance,
small business grant programs
The County Board of Supervisors decided on how the county will distribute pending emergency rental assistance funds allocated to the region by the state.
The county will administer a single program, overseeing the distribution of an estimated $52.5 million in state funding and the $49 million in funding from the federal government the county received in January. These funds will assist San Diegans who have been economically impacted by COVID-19 in paying for housing expenses.
The program will serve people who reside in the unincorporated areas of the county, as well as San Diegans living in 16 cities within the region. The cities of San Diego and Chula Vista received funding directly from the federal and state governments and will not be covered under the county’s program.
The Board also voted to provide additional stimulus funds to small businesses that have suffered economic hardship due to the pandemic..
David Ness assumes presidency of Hawthorne Cat
David K. Ness has been promoted to president and CEO for all the Hawthorne Cat divisions. He will be based in the corporate office in Rancho Bernardo. David succeeds his father, Tee Ness, and grandfather, Tom Hawthorne, in the role of president
Ness is a 20-year Hawthorne veteran who began his career with the company helping Hawthorne to implement 6 Sigma throughout the organization. He went on to the
Hawthorne Power Systems division as the engine business manager in 2007, which reached record business levels under his leadership.
In 2011, Ness was promoted to vice president of sales. In 2015, he was promoted to chief operations officer and senior vice president. He is only the third president in Hawthorne Cat’s 65-year history.
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San Diego Regional Chamber
celebrates 150th anniversary
2021 marks the 150th anniversary of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. To honor this milestone, the Chamber brought together members, community leaders and government officials from across the region for a special anniversary celebration event on Feb. 4.
The Chamber presented three awards during the event in recognition of those who have made a difference in the community:
Lidia S. Martinez, retired manager, Community Outreach & Grassroots, Southwest Airlines, is the recipient of the “Herb Klein Spirit of San Diego” award which honors someone who has made a significant and lasting impact on the region.
TOOTRiS On-Demand Child Care received the “Moving San Diego Forward” award which recognizes work that is improving San Diego, and putting it on the map.
University of California San Diego received the “Innovation in Crisis” award, a new award given for the first time this year to recognize the outstanding work of those in our region who stepped up in an innovative way to meet the need during the pandemic.
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Voice of San Diego CEO to share
writing tips at Zoom webinar
Scott Lewis, editor-in-chief and CEO of Voice of San Diego (VOSD), a local news website, will share his favorite writing tips for the San Diego Press Club’s next “Write Better Right Now,” a one-hour writing improvement webinar from 6 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 16.
The free webinar, held over the Zoom video-conferencing platform, is open to the public. To register, visit www.sdpressclub.org. Moderator for the Feb. 16 webinar will be Gayle Falkenthal, San Diego Press Club board member and owner of the Falcon Valley Group, a San Diego-based strategic communications consulting practice.
The webinar will include Lewis sharing his best writing tips he’s learned during his 25-year career, followed by a question-and-answer time. The “Write Better Right Now” webinar is part of an ongoing Press Club series featuring veteran journalists sharing their favorite writing tips they’ve learned during their careers. Webinars are recorded and a web link will appear on the Press Club website for viewing at a later date.
Lewis worked at the San Diego Daily Transcript in 2003, joined VOSD in 2005 and became co-editor at the end of that year. He was named VOSD’s CEO in 2008 and editor-in-chief in 2013. He oversees VOSD’s operations, website and daily functions. He also writes about local politics.
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SDCCD board appoints
Geysil Arroyo to fill vacant board seat
Public health consultant Geysil Arroyo has been appointed to fill a vacant seat on the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) Board of Trustees. The governing board made its decision on the Area E seat during a special Feb. 8 meeting.
Arroyo, who grew up in Tijuana and San Diego and attended both San Diego City and Mesa colleges before matriculating to UC San Diego, earned a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University in New York and serves on the San Diego County Health Services Advisory Board. She will serve on the Board of Trustees as the Area E representative.
Arroyo will take the oath of office and join the Board of Trustees at the board’s meeting today. The next scheduled election for the Area E trustee is in November2022.
Salk Institute announces High School Science Week
The Salk Institute is expanding its annual, in-person, half-day outreach event known as High School Science Day to a weeklong online event for 2021—High School Science Week. The virtual nature of the program removes the barriers of transportation, limitations on capacity, and the necessity to have a teacher register students.
March of Dimes High School Science Week 2021 will run from Monday, Feb. 22, to Friday, Feb. 26. Any high-school-age student across the country or internationally is welcome to register and attend any or all of the lab tours.
The registration link may be found here.
SleepScore Labs forms partnership with Mattress Firm
San Diego-based SleepScore Labs is partnering with mattress retailer Mattress Firm to create an integrated sleep improvement program. Mattress Firm’s Sleep Experts will utilize SleepScore’s technology and expertise to identify the right product for each Mattress Firm consumer and track the real-world experience that actual sleepers have with specific Mattress Firm products, improving the mattress buying experience for consumers.
Mattress Firm will also work alongside SleepScore to create a Sleep.com-branded, white label sleep tracking app featuring best-in-class sleep tracking.
“We are genuinely delighted to partner with Mattress Firm and Sleep.com,” said SleepScore Labs CEO Colin Lawlor. “SleepScore Labs is powering their ambition to help millions of people to sleep better, leveraging our unique evidence-based science, the largest holistic and contextual sleep data set, and an engaging and customizable technology platform.”
