Daily Business Report: Monday, Dec. 20, 2021
San Diego defense industry lands major contracts
In 2021, the U.S. military contributed an estimated $35 billion in direct spending to San Diego defense companies. As an intrinsic part of our region, these companies scored major contracts to help mobilize and protect our troops and country:
• BAE Systems wins $165 million U.S. Navy contract.
• Collins Aerospace lands $674 million contract to supply planes to U.S. Air Force.
• General Atomics awarded $103 million U.S. Army aircraft contract; ships world’s
most powerful magnet.
U.S. Navy awards General Dynamics NASSCO $25.6 million to study oiler construction.
• Northrop Grumman secures $99 million U.S. Navy contract.
• Viasat authorized to use U.S. government classified cyber threat intelligence.
TOP PHOTO: The guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald launches a Standard Missile-3 during a joint ballistic missile defense exercise in the Pacific Ocean during 2012. The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a contract for design work and support services for the vertical launch system, used by ships that carry missiles. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy)
San Diego mayor to pursue two-track strategy
to address court ruling invalidating Measure E
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria has decided to pursue a dual-track strategy to enable the city to move forward with the sports arena redevelopment amid the legal challenge over the Measure E height limit removal in the Midway district.
The mayor has directed staff to begin preparing an Environmental Impact Report in response to Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal’s Dec. 14 ruling that the city should have performed additional environmental analysis prior to placing Measure E on the November 2020 ballot.
The measure, which eliminates the 30-foot height limit in the Midway-Pacific Highway community planning area, is critical to the successful redevelopment of the city’s 48-acre Sports Arena property and the revitalization the project would spur in the surrounding neighborhood.
This additional analysis would take place concurrently with the city’s appeal of the unfavorable ruling, which is likely to take well over a year. Preparing the additional analysis now will ensure the city is able to seek a re-vote on the measure by the public in 2022 should it become necessary. Taking immediate action to address the issue will minimize delays to the sports arena redevelopment.
Four California universities missed out on
as much as $47 million in coronavirus aid
CalMatters
A state audit says four California universities — UC San Diego, Cal State Long Beach, Chico State and UC Merced — could have received millions more in federal pandemic money and helped more students. University of California and California State University officials could still recoup some of the cash.
The four universities could have received $47 million more in coronavirus aid if they sought funds from a different federal agency, the state audit found. As a result, some students may have missed out on support services and equipment during what has been an unprecedented disruption in schooling worldwide.
November’s jobs report shows
hope before the holidays
San Diego’s labor market continued to improve in November with companies still looking for workers as the jobless rate dropped.
San Diego firms boosted hiring by 5,200 employees in November after adjusting for seasonal changes. This was about a third of the unadjusted 15,000 job surge, boosted by large gains in such areas as retail.
“San Diego’s labor market is strong,” said Daniel Enemark, senior economist at the San Diego Workforce Partnership. “Unsurprisingly as we ramp up for the holiday season, November employment gains were strongest in retail, but opportunity abounds in every sector.”
San Diego’ November jobless rate dropped from 5.3 percent to 4.6 percent after adjusting for seasonal volativity. The unemployment rate is now at its lowest level since March 2020 as the pandemic was just beginning.
Viva Logistics Center II in Otay Mesa
sells for $135 million
Viva Logistics Center II, a four-building logistics center totaling 547,000 square feet of Class A industrial space in the Otay Mesa, has been acquired by EastGroup Properties for $135 million. The seller was Siempre Viva Industrial II, LLC, an IDS Real Estate Group-affiliated entity.
Viva Logistics Center II features a combination of cross-dock and rear-load buildings with clear heights ranging from 24 to 32 feet, ample dock loading positions, wide column spacing, deep truck courts, low office finish and ample parking. The buildings were constructed between 2001 and 2003 and recently extensively renovated and rebranded.
The JLL Capital Markets Investment Sales and Advisory team that represented the seller was led by Senior Managing Director Mark Detmer, Senior Director Ryan Sitov, Director Ryan Spradling and Analysts Taylor Neiman and Makenna Peter, along with Vice President Andy Irwin and Executive Vice President Greg Lewis with the JLL Industrial Brokerage team.
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan invests $1.5 million
in community-based programs in San Diego
The funding will provide support to Interfaith Community Services; Champions for Health; Chicano Federation of San Diego County; San Diego County Promotores Coalition; San Diego Youth Services; Family Health Centers of San Diego; Neighborhood Healthcare; South Bay Community Services; HealthCorps; SAY San Diego; La Maestra Community Health Centers; Cajon Valley Union School District; Oceanside Unified School District; San Diego Rescue Mission; TrueCare; San Ysidro Health; and Father Joe’s Villages.
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan donated funds to Family Health Centers of San Diego to purchase two electric vehicles for use in serving underserved communities.
Viridiana Diaz named the new vice president
of Student Affairs at Cal State San Marcos
Viridiana Diaz, a 20-year veteran of higher education, has been named the next vice president of Student Affairs at Cal State San Marcox, effective Jan. 13.
Her job will be to oversees 32 departments and 190 employees dedicated to supporting student success across the student life cycle, from pre-matriculation to graduation and beyond.
Diaz will follow Lorena Checa, who is retiring after more than 27 years of service to CSUSM.
Diaz currently serves as associate vice president for strategic student support programs at California State University, Sacramento, where she serves as one of the primary vehicles for leveraging student success initiatives, breaking down systemic barriers to success, tending to equity gaps and achieving goals set forth by the Graduation Initiative 2025 through program development, implementation, assessment, project management and fundraising.
She is also responsible for the leadership of nine Student Affairs departments offering admissions and outreach, academic advising, financial advising, career counseling, experiential learning, leadership development, health and counseling services, tutoring, mentoring, peer-based support and population-specific interventions.
Russ Fowlie named executive vice
president of Guild Mortgage
Guild Mortgage has named Russ Fowlie executive vice president of loan servicing.
Fowlie has 25 years of mortgage banking and servicing experience, which includes leading operations and launching and implementing successful business transformation projects.
He will oversee the loan administration division of Guild Mortgage, with responsibility for enhancing the overall customer experience, from customer service through default loan management, maximizing productivity, efficiency, service and compliance.
He will also lead Guild’s investor reporting relationships with Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs), such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Prior to joining Guild, Fowlie spent seven years at JPMorgan Chase where he served as executive director of home lending, finance and compliance.
Before that he was the executive vice president and director of mortgage servicing for Flagstar Bank.
Southwestern College awards $202,956
in student scholarships this fall
Southwestern College and the Southwestern College Foundation awarded $202,956 in scholarships to enrolled students this fall. The funds awarded this year are nearly double the $114,769 that was awarded in fall 2020.
Funds awarded this year include honors for academic achievement, fields of study, graduation from local high schools, financial need, community service and memorial scholarships in honor of loved ones. Enrolled students are eligible for these awards and many do not require that students be financial aid eligible.
Southwestern is offering a bounty of new scholarships for the first time, including rewards for LGBTQIA and ESL students and students studying community health. Existing scholarships, including an endowment by the late Dr. Susan Crittendon, were also expanded.
Grossmont College science, math and
career complex reaches new heights
A steel beam was hoisted atop Grossmont College’s new science, math and career technology complex during a topping-out ceremony Friday, marking the apex of the $37.1 million construction project.
The 59,000-square-foot structure, spread across twin buildings, will greatly expand classroom, lab and office spaces for programs including Physical Geography and Oceanography, Human Geography and Social Sciences, Math and Geology.
Targeted for completion next spring, the structure will also quadruple the space of the current Veterans Resource Center and will include a one-stop center providing counseling, tutoring and a social space for the college’s student veteran population.
“It will be a place to support the 700 veterans who call our college home,” said College President Dennis Whisenhunt.
UC San Diego breaks ground on
revitalization of Hillcrest campus
A celebratory groundbreaking event Friday marked the beginning of a comprehensive revitalization project of UC San Diego’s Hillcrest campus, which upon completion will feature state-of-the-art facilities, expanded patient care services and technologies and other community amenities to promote wellbeing.
Construction for the UC San Diego Long Range Development Plan encompasses approximately 60 acres and the redevelopment of the more than 50-year-old campus. Complementing the new academic medical facilities and services will be new housing and fitness facilities.
Redevelopment construction on the $2.5 to $3 billion project is expected to continue over approximately 15 years in five major phases.
Local physician receives $180,000 grant
for palliative care initiative
David Wang, M.D., a palliative medicine physician affiliated with Scripps Health, was recently accepted into Cambia Health Foundation’s Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program. As part of his selection, Wang will receive $180,000 in grant funding to lead an educational initiative to help first responders improve the care they deliver to patients on emergency calls.
He is one of 10 palliative care leaders from across the United States selected for this year’s leadership group, and the only one from San Diego County.
Wang is a director with Scripps Health Inpatient Providers Medical Group, which provides palliative care to patients at all five Scripps hospital campuses, as well several clinics across San Diego County. He also serves as director of palliative medicine at Scripps Health.
With the grant funding, Wang will implement a palliative care curriculum and patient care protocol created for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) clinicians.
