Daily Business Report-Feb. 17, 2-021
This map from HowMuch.Net reveals the wealthiest billionaire in each U.S. state. Click here to enlarge the map.
Mapping the Wealthiest Billionaires in Each U.S. State
It is a testament to the burgeoning wealth of the U.S. that there is a billionaire in nearly every U.S. state. The country is home to around 800 billionaires among its 330 million people.
The Richest of the Rich
Billionaires are a constant across the United States. The only states that don’t house one of these high-net-worth individuals are: Alabama, New Mexico, North Dakota, Alaska, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Delaware.
Among the richest of the rich in the U.S., most are men, but there are 10 female billionaires who are the wealthiest in their respective states.
Jeff Bezos is worth an astounding $193.8 billion. Amazon became increasingly successfulduring the pandemic, as lockdown orders caused many people to have to stay home and shop online rather than in stores.
The runner up, Elon Musk, is worth $191.8 billion. The recent boom in Elon Musk’s net worthwas due to the sharp rise in Tesla’s share prices. Recently, Elon Musk shifted his residence to the state of Texas, a move which is indicative of a larger trend of internal migration away from America’s most pricey urban areas.
Many of these individuals have actually become more wealthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, widening the existing gap of wealth inequality within the country.
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Ballast Point Brewing Co. launches diversity
scholarship with UC San Diego Extension
Ballast Point Brewing Co. announced the launch of the inaugural Brewing for Diversity annual scholarship initiative in partnership with the UC San Diego Extension Brewing Program.
The Brewing for Diversity scholarship seeks to advance diversity and inclusion across all aspects of the brewing community by providing avenues for education and opportunities for future professional employment.
The scholarship will grant underrepresented students the funds and tools they need to participate successfully in UC San Diego Extension’s Brewing Certificate Program. Interested applicants can apply here
The scholarship will provide full tuition and related fees for one student annually starting or continuing in the Brewing Certificate Program. Each recipient will also have the opportunity to intern at Ballast Point (Miramar, Little Italy) San Diego to gain real-world insight into brewery production and operations and to become well-equipped with the skills and knowledge to enter the industry professionally.
Virtual panel discussion on
the growing BlueTech Economy
The Port of San Diego, Downtown San Diego Partnership and San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation will host a free, virtual panel discussion about San Diego’s growing Blue Economy on Feb. 25 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
The event will be moderated by Yehudi “Gaf” Gaffen, CEO, Gafcon, and include panelists, Michael Zucchet, chair, Port of San Diego; Margaret Leinen, director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego; Greg Murphy, director of corporate development and strategic partnerships, BlueNalu; and Peter Halmay, San Diego Fishermen’s Working Group.
Register for the panel discussion here
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Blue Shield takes over California vaccine system
CalMatters
California on Monday released its long-awaited contract with Blue Shield, the insurance giant now running the state’s new vaccine distribution system. Under the terms of the contract, Blue Shield will determine which providers can administer vaccine, develop an “allocation algorithm” based on equity and other factors, and centralize vaccination data. California will pay Blue Shield a maximum of $15 million for third-party costs and expenses, according to the contract, which also set goals for the new system, including:
- Vaccinating 3 million people per week by March 1 and 4 million people per week by April 30, supply permitting.
- Making vaccines available for 95 percent of Californians within 30 minutes in urban areas and 60 minutes in rural areas.
- Having providers administer 95 percent of doses within one week of receipt.
- Establishing in March a monthly vaccination goal for underserved populations. (The state on Friday published a vaccination demographics dashboard.)
Intuit TurboTas launches multi-year
educational program for Latino students
Intuit TurboTax has launched a multi-year educational program to empower the next generation of Latino students to take control of their finances with the launch of #LeadingConEducación.
In partnership with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Intuit TurboTax will award educational grants and scholarships to high school seniors and college students who are currently making an impact in their Latino communities and are seeking financial support to pursue a higher education diploma or complete their college degree.
The multi-year #LeadingConEducación program also prepares young Latinos financially through educational content, including a webinar around finances and taxes, articles and a tax simulation exercise. The webinar will be hosted by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation covering topics such as budgeting, financial and tax planning delivered by bilingual Intuit experts: CPA and TurboTax Live expert, Miguel Burgos and CFP, Elaine King.
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Mayor names appointees to
administration’s Black Advisory Group
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria announced the formation of his administration’s Black Advisory Group and the selection of nine San Diegans who will make up this group of Black advisers.
The focus of this advisory group will be to assist in guiding Gloria’s administration in tackling the unique challenges facing Black communities. The nine initial members of the Black Advisory Group are:
Armand King is the COO of Paving Great Futures.
Walter Lam is the president of Alliance for African Assistance.
April Laster is the founder and CEO of Open Heart Leaders (OHL).
Francine Maxwell is the NAACP San Diego Branch president.
Glenn McKinney is the assistant pastor of St. Stephens Church of God in Christ.
Robbie Robinson serves on the Broadway Heights Community Council.
Ramla Sahid is the executive director at Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans and a City Heights Community Advocate.
Nate Stewart is the pastor of Greater Life Church.
Harvey L. Vaughn, III is the pastor of Bethel Memorial A.M.E.
For bios of the members, click here
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Researchers unveil detailed genome of
invasive malaria mosquito
Despite the broad notoriety of sharks, snakes, scorpions and other formidable creatures, mosquitoes remain the deadliest animal on the planet… by far. Mosquito-transmitted malaria remains the number one worldwide killer among vector-borne diseases, claiming more than 400,000 human lives in 2019.
In order to engineer advanced forms of defense against malaria transmission, including targeted CRISPR and gene drive-based strategies, scientists require intricate knowledge of the genomes of vector mosquitoes.
Mahul Chakraborty — a project scientist at the University of California, Irvine, working with colleagues at the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS) at UC San Diego and India, and the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology in Bangalore, India — has produced a groundbreaking new reference genome for the Asian malaria vector mosquito Anopheles stephensi. Full details of the genome, which the scientists say is now on par with the best animal genomes available to science (humans and fruit flies), are published in the journal BMC Biology.
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Alessandra Wall:
The Woman Holding You Back
Dr. Alessandra Wall will show you how to take a closer look at critics, naysayers, and the people setting impossible standards and holding glass ceilings over women’s heads. You’ll be surprised to find out that sometimes the people holding you back are the ones you least expected to.
On her journey supporting women’s leadership and equality, she discovered that there’s more that holds women back than we sometimes realize.
Wall went from counseling individuals on how to manage anxiety and depression to coaching women and mentoring leaders to bridge the gap and build a world where women reaching the highest levels of success and power is so commonplace it doesn’t need to be mentioned.
Wall is one of the featured speakers at the 2021 San Diego Women’s WeekMarch 15-19 sponsored by the North San Diego Business Chamber.
Tealium raises $96 million in Series G Funding
Tealium, a leader in real-time customer data orchestration, announced it raised $96 million in Series G funding led by existing investors Georgian and Silver Lake Waterman. The funding, which increases the company’s valuation to $1.2 billion, will be used to fund accelerated product innovation to address the growing demand for a customer data platform (CDP) that delivers real-time, personalized, compliant, and omnichannel customer experiences to global enterprises.
Salk scientists awarded $1.2 million
to study brain aging
A collaborative team of Salk scientists led by Professor John Reynolds will receive $1.2 million over four years as part of a Network Grant from the Larry L. Hillblom Foundation to examine aging across the life span, including age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. The research will advance our understanding of aging mechanisms at the cognitive, genomic and cellular levels with potentially direct translatability to humans.
Presidio Residential Capital closes
1,196 homes in 2020
San Diego real estate management company Presidio Residential Capital, along with its building partners, successfully sold 1,270 homes, closed 1,196 homes and acquired 17 new projects in 2020. It currently has 28 communities with active sales and a portfolio totaling just over 6,200 homes and lots for sale, under construction or in entitlement or development process, according to a company report.
“Despite the tremendous social and economic distress caused by COVID-19, Presidio and its joint venture builder partners experienced record home sales during the last half of 2020,” says Don Faye, principal at Presidio Residential Capital. “We are very pleased that our closings increased over 2019 and we exceeded our sales goal of 1,000 homes we set for 2020.”
This year Presidio’s goal is to fund an additional $100 million in joint venture equity to residential homebuilders in California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Washington. There are currently 15 projects approved or under due diligence with a total of 1,400-plus lots planned to close escrow by the end of 2021.
Borre Winckel to step down as head of
Building Industry Assn. of San Diego County
Borre Winckel, the President and CEO of the Building Industry Assoication of San Diego County, announced that he’s stepping down from his post later this year in order to spend more time with his family.
Winckel spent the last dozen years as head of the BIA, the region’s voice on housing. Prior to that, he guided Riverside County through its explosive growth as the Executive Director of the Riverside County BIA, where he worked from 1996-2008.
Winckel’s retirement will take effect mid-year. Until then, he will continue to lead the organization while working with the BIA board to find his replacement. A search committee has been formed and applications are being accepted.
The organization’s next leader will direct a multi-pronged approach to lower housing costs and create more supply by spearheading the BIA’s new “Housing for All San Diegans” Initiative, with a focus on market rate housing for working families and affordable housing for low-income families.
“It’s a fascinating time for the BIA and an excellent opportunity for someone to step in and help San Diegans find a home,” Winckel said.
