Daily Business Report: Thursday, June 10, 2021
Campus at Horton, Downtown San Diego’s
next big tech and life science development,
wins coveted digital connectivity rating
Campus at Horton, Stockdale Capital Partners’ mixed-use tech and life science development set to debut in Downtown San Diego in 2022, has received a WiredScore Platinum Certification, the highest-awarded recognition for digital connectivity.
The million square-foot development that will span 10 acres in Downtown, was cited as
meeting exceptional standards for wired infrastructure, resilience and wireless networks.
It was awarded the maximum number of points possible for various categories including telecommunications access, usage and planning; tenant backup power availability and space; in-building mobile enhancement infrastructure planning and riser planning.
Campus at Horton will feature 700,000 square feet of tech and life sciences office and lab space along with 300,000 square feet of restaurants, entertainment, wellness and retail—creating approximately 4,000 jobs.
In addition to the WiredScore Platinum Certification, the development is targeting a LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its best-in-class sustainability initiatives as well as a WELL Platinum certification, the highest level of certification offered by the International WELL Building Institute recognizing spaces that advance human health and well-being.
PHOTO: A rendering of the Campus at Horton interior. (Courtesy of Stockdale Capital Partners)
San Diego-based flight school launches new
financing to help aspiring pilots earn their wings
Coast Flight Training, a San Diego-based, veteran-led flight school that trains pilots for commercial aviation careers, announced an innovative new program designed to help close the aviation skills gap by making flight training more affordable.
Through a partnership with Meritize, a pioneer in financing solutions for skills-based education and training, pilots-in-training will now be eligible for merit-based financing, which can in many cases reward individual borrowers for their past educational and military experiences.
“As air travel begins to accelerate and pilot demographics shift, our industry needs to use every tool in its arsenal to expand access to commercial aviation careers—and remove the financial barriers to flight education and training, a critical component of that mission,” said Bryan W. Simmons, president of Coast Flight and a former Navy Flight School instructor, retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel.
Coast Flight is helping to meet demand for licensed pilots through its 12-month intensive program, Coast Academy, which combines on-ground instruction, supervised flight training and solo flight time to help students complete the in-seat flight training time required to become a commercial airline pilot. Nearly 500 high school and college graduates, including veterans and individuals changing careers, have completed the program to date.
Virtual accounting firm Complete
Controller adds new San Diego office
Complete Controller, a virtual accounting firm, has opened a new office in Downtown San Diego to accelerate its rapid growth and expand its market coverage. The company has chosen to relocate its flagship office located in Costa Mesa to San Diego to increase its ability to service current and future markets.
“We love our Orange County roots. It has given us a great jumping-off point the last 14 years, but the decision to expand further in Southern California and open an office in San Diego was a logical step in our business growth strategy. Having a presence in both San Diego and Los Angeles will allow us more coverage of Southern California. Along with San Joseand Seattle, we now have a strong presence along the western seaboard,” said Jennifer Brazer, founder and CEO of Complete Controller.
For information on the new office, visit http://www.completecontroller.com or call 866-443-8879.
County supervisors implement state
law waiving criminal fees
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted June 8 to amend the County’s administrative code, the final step in fully implementing state legislation that eliminates the assessment and collection of criminal fees, prior to the law’s effective start date of July 1.
Also known as the “Family Over Fees Act,” State Assembly Bill 1869 was signed into law Sept. 18, 2020 by Gov. Gavin Newsom and made the state the first in the nation to repeal most criminal administrative fees and forgive associated debt.
The board action amends the San Diego County Administrative Code to match the changes in state law. County agencies directly impacted by the change include the Public Defender, Probation Department, and Sheriff’s Department.
“These fees have always been a burden for low-income individuals and families,” said Randy Mize, San Diego County Public Defender. “Eliminating these criminal justice fees will help to maintain the stability of financial resources for some of our most vulnerable residents.”
Research advances one step closer
to stem cell therapy for type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes, which arises when the pancreas doesn’t create enough insulin to control levels of glucose in the blood, is a disease that currently has no cure and is difficult for most patients to manage. Scientists at the Salk Institute are developing a promising approach for treating it: using stem cells to create insulin-producing cells (called beta cells) that could replace nonfunctional pancreatic cells.
In a study published on June 7, 2021, in the journal Nature Communications, the investigators reported that they have developed a new way to create beta cells that is much more efficient than previous methods. Additionally, when these beta cells were tested in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes, the animals’ blood sugar was brought under control within about two weeks.
Tracy Love appointed inaugural dean
of the SDSU College of Graduate Studies
Tracy Love has been appointed to serve as the San Diego State University College of Graduate Studies dean. Love, director of the School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, (SLHS), will serve the role as the inaugural dean for the college, which provides leadership and support to scholars engaged in more than 100 master’s, doctoral and advanced certificate programs. The appointment is effective July 15, 2021.
Love, who also directs the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Language & Communicative Disorders, completed a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Arizona’s Center for Neurogenics and Communicative Disorders and worked as a research associate in the Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences.
Love also worked as a research scientist at the University of California San Diego for six years before joining the SDSU faculty in August 2005.
Since joining SDSU, Love has been involved in service across all levels throughout the campus, affording her many opportunities to work with colleagues across programs. In 2013, she joined colleagues in SLHS and Psychology to form one of SDSU’s first Areas of Excellence, the Center for Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience.
San Diego City Council gives final OK to deal
with SDG&E to handle energy, electricity services
The San Diego City Council gave its final stamp of approval to a new, 20-year deal with SDG&E to continue providing energy and electricity to city residents. Environmentalists had opposed the deal, pushing Mayor Todd Gloria to negotiate a shorter arrangement with more renewable energy commitments from the utility, but a supermajority of the Council approved the contracts. (City News Service)
Biocept and CLEARED-4 collaborate to develop
new service for managing COVID-19 testing
Biocept, a San Diego-based provider of molecular diagnostic assays, products and services, and CLEARED4, a market leader in pandemic health and safety solutions, have partnered to develop a system for tracking and managing COVID-19 testing requirements and test results for Biocept customers.
The new service will leverage CLEARED4’s comprehensive health platform, allowing organizations to incorporate customized protocols and requirements for testing students, employees and others.
CLEARED4 is a turnkey platform that enables an individual’s COVID-19 health status to be connected to any form of access control in real-time, including venue apps or employer tools.
Kratos completes build-out of space radio
monitoring system for State of Qatar
San Diego-based Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. announced that it has successfully completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the build out of the advanced space radio monitoring system for the Communications Regulatory Authority(CRA) of the State of Qatar.
Kratos is providing turnkey services from the design, installation, and integration of the advanced space radio monitoring system to help the CRA regulate and protect the satellite spectrum. As part of the contract, awarded in 2020, the scope of work includes implementing the core satellite technology and associated hardware and software.
The advanced space radio monitoring system includes a fixed site and mobile unit to monitor satellite downlinks to manage and protect the spectrum. The comprehensive system includes Kratos’ antennas, satellite monitoring and geolocation products, and an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) spectrum analysis solution to detect and mitigate any potential interference events.
Drone industry alliance and Syracuse
hospital test medical delivery drones
A drone industry alliance and a Syracuse hospital have successfully completed a year-long project to prove the feasibility of making fast medical deliveries — rooftop to rooftop — with drones.
A team from the Nuair alliance, SUNY Upstate Medical University and DroneUp, a Virginia-based drone services company that is a member of the alliance, successfully delivered an unused Covid-19 test kit from one rooftop to another on the university’s campus in January.
Tony Basile, Nuair’s chief operating officer, said the flight was a “proof of concept” demonstration to show that medical deliveries can be made by drone when speed is essential, such as when tissue samples taken from a surgery patient must be delivered rapidly to a laboratory in a different building.
How your phone can predict depression
and lead to personalized treatment
University study used data from cell phone apps and watches, brain activity and lifestyle factors to generate predictions of depression — results could lead to individualized treatment plans for menthal health.
