Daily Business Report: Monday, Sept. 20, 2021
San Diego-based BlueNalu strikes deal with Nomad
Foods to introduce cell-cultured seafood in Europe
Nomad Foods, Europe’s leading frozen food company, and San Diego-headquartered BlueNalu, a leading innovative food company developing a variety of seafood products directly from fish cells, have agreed to explore the introduction of cell-cultured seafood in Europe, where demand for sustainably produced, healthy seafood products continues to grow.
Europe is the largest importer of seafood in the world due to high consumption rates, with EU citizens consuming more than three times as much as they produce.
The agreement represents the first of its kind in Europe between a consumer packaged goods company and a cell-cultured seafood company, and underpins Nomad Foods’ commitment to sustainable growth through the development and scaling of emerging food technologies. The agreement also signifies a mutual interest in the commercialization of cell-cultured seafood in Europe to help meet rising demand.
Lou Cooperhouse, President and Chief Executive Officer, BlueNalu, said:
“As the latest IPCC report on the climate crisis demonstrates, the decisions we make over the next decade will have a profound impact on life on this planet for generations to come,” said Lou Cooperhouse, president and CEO of BlueNalu. “With this announcement, BlueNalu is well-positioned to bring our leading-edge innovation into Europe in the coming years, which complements our existing collaborations in Asia and North America.”
TOP PHOTO: Lou Cooperhouse, BlueNalu’s President and CEO, standing in front of company headquarters and pilot food production facility in San Diego. (Credit: BlueNalu)
Governor signs bill allowing multi-family
housing in single-family zones
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law two housing bills allowing denser housing on single-family lots, which proponents say will help alleviate the housing crisis in California but which opponents worry will change the character of single-family neighborhoods and increase gentrification at the benefit of real estate interests.
Senate Bill 9, introduced by Sen. Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, and Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, will allow lots zoned for single-family housing to have up to four units.
Senate Bill 10, introduced by Wiener, will allow local governments to approve multi-family buildings with up to 10 market-rate units, along with potentially four “granny flats,” on lots zoned only for single-family homes.
With court battle over, Hillel of San Diego
breaks ground on Jewish Center
Hillel of San Diego has begun construction of the Beverly and Joseph Glickman Hillel Center in La Jolla following a lengthy court battle. The groundbreaking on Sunday follows a decision by the California Courts of Appeal that ended the last of a series of lawsuits from 2006 to 2021 challenging the project.
Opposition to the center came from some residents in La Jolla Shores, the La Jolla Shores Association and Taxpayers for Responsible Land Use.
With the last hurdle cleared, the Hillel Center is expected to open sometime in fall 2022 to provide students at UC San Diego with a permanent home near campus.
Located on a 0.8-acre parcel along La Jolla Scenic Drive, the 6,500-square-foot center includes three separate, one- and two-story buildings around a central outdoor courtyard. It will serve the community at UC San Diego by hosting Jewish holiday experiences, Jewish learning, and community activities.
Led by a $5 million pledge from the late philanthropist Joseph “Chickie” Glickman, who was a neighbor of the project site, Hillel of San Diego has already raised contributions and pledges to fund the project. With the start of construction, Hillel of San Diego is continuing its capital fundraising campaignfor the center, with a goal of raising an additional $3.9 million.
San Diego Housing Commission launches
dashboard with homelessness system data
To provide the public and policymakers with easy access to data about the performance of homelessness programs as a system in the City of San Diego, the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) developed a comprehensive dashboard that is available on SDHC’s website at www.sdhc.org.
The dashboard reflects data for homelessness programs for which the City of San Diego and SDHC provide funding. Overview data display the number of homelessness programs served, how many individuals obtained housing, how many entered the homelessness system and the number of individuals active in programs as of a specific date. The dashboard allows the user to adjust the date ranges for the data they are seeking.
City of San Diego hires new director of transportation
With a vision of creating a world-class transportation network that improves quality of life for all San Diegans, the City of San Diego is welcoming a new director of transportation. Jorge Riveros will lead the department that was formerly a section of the Transportation and Storm Water Department.
As director of transportation, Riveros will oversee a team of 420 employees and key projects including the city’s Underground Utilities Program, Graffiti and Weed Abatement programs, Urban Forestry, traffic engineering, and maintenance and repair of the city’s massive street and sidewalk networks.
Riveros previously served in leadership roles for Metropolitan Nashville Public Works and the City of Austin Transportation Department. He brings more than 20 years of industry experience and professional licenses as a civil engineer, certified traffic operations engineer and traffic signal operations specialist.
San Diego Regional EDC appoints Lisette Islas
as vice chair of inclusive growth
The San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has appointed Lisette Islas as its new vice chair of inclusive growth.
A board member of EDC since May 2018, Islas is the EVP and chief impact officer at MAAC, a nonprofit providing programs and advocacy in the areas of health, education, workforce development, and housing throughout San Diego County.
Islas has more than 20 years of experience working in community development and philanthropy at leading, local organizations including the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation and San Diego Grantmakers (now Catalyst).
“With a career grounded in inclusion and community, she is the perfect person for the job—prioritizing programs that ensure an economic recovery that affords all San Diegans opportunities,” said Julian Parra, region executive at Bank of America and EDC board chair.
Shannon Rice elected president of American
Society of Interior Designers San Diego chapter
Shannon M. Rice, principal designer and president of Payte Miller Interiors Inc. and adjunct instructor at the Design Institute of San Diego, has been elected president of the American Society of Interior Designers’ (ASID) San Diego chapter for a one-year term.
Before establishing Payte Miller Interiors in 2007, she was a senior-level project manager working in the field of hospitality design and residential design with luxury home projects in southern Italy, Barbados, New York City, Hawaii and several other states. For two years she was an in-house designer for a nationwide vacation ownership developer, involved in new construction and rebranding of high-profile properties throughout the country.
She has long been involved in professional design organizations, including scholarship director and president of the San Diego chapter of NEWH (The Hospitality Industry Network) and membership director of the San Diego chapter of ASID.
She has been teaching at DI on and off since 2011, most recently Hospitality and Commercial Design studio courses, where she embraces giving back, teaming up, and collaborating with students and alumni.
Rice graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s in Applied Arts with an emphasis in Interior Design.
Cynthia Wagner named new superintendent
of The O’Farrell Charter Schools
The O’Farrell Charter Schools, which includes The O’Farrell Charter School and Ingenuity Charter School, announced the appointment of Cynthia “Cindy” Wagner as its new superintendent. Her selection follows a four-month nationwide search that resulted in a pool of numerous well-qualified candidates.
With nearly 20 years of experience in education administration in San Diego County, Wagner most recently served as deputy superintendent for the South Bay Union School District, where she spearheaded multiple initiatives designed to increase district efficiency and improve student achievement.
Wagner steps in for Susan Cuttitta, who served as superintendent for the last year while O’Farrell completed its search. Cuttitta returns to her original position of director of operations with Wagner’s appointment.
Prior to joining the South Bay Union School District in 2014, where she served as assistant superintendent of educational leadership before being promoted to deputy superintendent in 2018, Wagner worked for eight years as assistant superintendent of educational services for the Rancho Santa Fe School District. Her administrative experience also includes serving as principal of one of Rancho Santa Fe’s top elementary schools, and assistant principal of two campuses within the Del Mar Union School District.
Clearity Foundation names Ramez Eskander
as chief scientific and medical adviser
The Clearity Foundation, a San Diego-based national ovarian cancer nonprofit organization, announced the appointment of Ramez Eskander, M.D. as its chief scientific and medical adviser.
Eskander’s passion for improving outcomes for women with ovarian cancer combined with his extensive research experience make him a perfect addition to the Clearity team. He has more than a decade of experience treating women with ovarian cancer and continues to do so in his current position as associate clinical professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the UC San Diego Moores Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Eskander’s role primes Clearity for growth, while preparing for the retirement of Dr. Deborah Zajchowski, Clearity’s scientific director, in 2022. Zajchowski joined Clearity at its founding.
“Like so many gynecological oncologists, I’ve seen the intense struggles of families facing an ovarian cancer diagnosis firsthand,” said Eskander. “I’m so gratified to join an organization that is truly making a difference in the ovarian cancer community and is poised to expand our impact in the future.
County hire first two local subcontractors
for construction of Southeastern Live Well Center
Keeping its commitment to hire locally, the county’s contractor has brought on board two subcontractors who bid to work on the construction of the Southeastern Live Well Center.
Industrial Fire Sprinkler Co. Inc. and Cats Excavating, Inc. were chosen out of nine trade applicants in the first bid group.
Located at 1944 54th St., Cats Excavating, Inc. specializes in demolitions, earthwork, underground utilities, paving and sidewalk and gutters. Industrial Fire Sprinkler Co. Inc., located 3854 Imperial Ave., is a full-service fire sprinkler contractor that designs, installs, services and inspects fire sprinkler systems.
Construction of the new facility will involve local companies and workers from the area.
The 65,000-square-foot Southeastern Live Well Center will serve as a hub for health and social services in the region.
Intuit acquires MailChimp in $12 billion deal
Intuit has confirmed its acquisition of global customer engagement and marketing platform MailChimp in a $12 billion deal. The acquisition will help Intuit build an innovative, end-to-end customer growth platform, advancing its strategy to be at the center of small and mid-market business growth and become an AI-driven platform.
Booz Allen acquires Tracepoint, bolsters
cybersecurity market leadership
Booz Allen Hamilton has acquired Tracepoint, an industry-leading digital forensics and incident response company serving public and private sector clients. The deal was followed by an initial investment in Tracepoint by Booz Allen in January, and strengthens its growing cybersecurity and technology portfolio. Booz Allen employs over 1,200 professionals working on cybersecurity, analytics, engineering and IT modernization in San Diego County.
U.S. Navy awards General Dynamics NASSCO
$25.6 million to study oiler construction
The U.S. Navy awarded General Dynamics NASSCO a $25.6 million modification to previously awarded contract for additional special studies and cost reduction implementation studies in support of the John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oiler ships. Work will be performed in San Diego and is expected to be completed by May 2026.
