Daily Business Report: Friday, Feb. 25, 2022
San Diego County Toyota dealers to become
founding sponsor at Snapdragon Stadium
San Diego County Toyota Dealers are extending their partnership with San Diego State Athletics by becoming a founding partner of the new Snapdragon Stadium at SDSU Mission Valley.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with San Diego County Toyota Dealers and welcome them into Snapdragon Stadium,” said SDSU Director of Athletics John David Wicker. “Their commitment to the community of San Diego makes them a great fit as a founding partner.”
San Diego County Toyota Dealers are a Legacy Partner to the University, solidifying their dedication to and support of SDSU, Aztec Athletics, and the greater San Diego community.
The partnership will feature the Toyota Terrace, a branded section in the northwest corner of the end zone at Snapdragon Stadium, when the state-of-the-art facility opens in the fall.
“This seating area will be a great spot for San Diegans to watch the Aztecs or take in a concert or other event offering a great vantage point and in-seat service,” Wicker added.
The Toyota Terrace will provide a unique experience as a hybrid of a premium and reserve seat offering, which will include in seat service, great sightlines, a food and drink countertop, and extra space for a luxury feel.
TOP IMAGE: Rendering of Snapdragon Stadium (Courtesy of SDSU)
Design underway for new Arts and Media
Building at MiraCosta College
The design of MiraCosta’s future new Arts and Media Building at the Oceanside Campus is underway, creating a state-of-the-art hub on campus and bringing together arts programs currently located in multiple buildings.
The new building will support certificate and degree programs in the arts, including art history, digital photography, museum studies, studio arts, and media arts and technologies, including graphic design and digital media. Demand for professionals in these fields continues to grow. The San Diego Workforce Partnership has identified digital media as one of the top career subsectors in San Diego County.
The 10,471 square foot Arts and Media facility will include several unique features, including:
A spacious new and museum-quality Art Gallery; a Media Arts Lab; a 40-person classroom; student study spaces; extensive spaces for displaying student artworks, both indoors and outdoors; dedicated spaces for students to study and collaborate.
San Diego Community College District saves
taxpayers $38.1 million by refinancing bonds
San Diego taxpayers will experience gross savings of $38.1 million in bond debt as a result of the San Diego Community College District’s (SDCCD) sale of $523.2 million Taxable General Obligation Refunding Bonds on December 7, 2021. The bonds sold were to replace existing outstanding bonds for Propositions S and N at a lower interest rate without extending debt beyond the original maturity dates.
Since the passage of Proposition S (2002) & N (2006) and sale of original bonds, the district has sold five refunding series resulting in $308.6 million in combined City of San Diego taxpayer savings.
“This marks the third time in five years the San Diego Community College District’s responsible fiscal policies have allowed it to refinance voter-approved bonds at a lower interest rate and save local taxpayers millions of dollars,” said SDCCD Chancellor Carlos Cortez.
Vista teacher Lisa Harrison receives STEM
Research Grant from Society for Science
The Society for Science has named Lisa Harrison, a teacher at Rancho Minerva Middle School in Vista, as a recipient of a STEM Research Grant to advance science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning in middle and high school classrooms in the United States and abroad. She is one of 95 teachers selected for the grant.
“With the ongoing public health emergency challenging education systems everywhere, these awards pay tribute to the perseverance, labor and critical role teachers and mentors play in supporting future STEM talent and leaders, including the next generation of climate scientists, astronomers, geneticists, data analysts and engineers,” Society for Science said in announcing the grants.
Harrison has been teaching at Rancho Minerva Middle School for 12 years.
She started as an 8th grade science teacher, but, thanks to the support of Digital Promise and Verizon
Innovative Learning Schools, she has transitioned to STEM electives. She currently teaches 6-8th grade computer science, robotics and Maker Lab.
“Students learn best when they are answering questions that they themselves ask.This grant will
provide students with the resources to answer questions or solve problems that are important to then,” said Harrison.
UCSD gifted $10 million from foundation
trustee and alumna Sally T. WongAvery
Sally T. WongAvery, a 1975 graduate of UC San Diego, is donating $10 million through the Avery-Tsui Foundation to support East Asian collections, research and scholarly activities at the UC San Diego Library.
The gift, which establishes the Sally T. WongAvery Fund for East Asian Collections and the Natasha Wong Endowment for East Asian Collections, will ensure that East Asian scholarship and collections are a key part of the UC San Diego Library in perpetuity. The university will rename its existing Biomedical Library the Sally T. WongAvery Library, to be commonly known as the WongAvery Library.
WongAvery was the first female elected president of the Chinese Benevolent organizations, one of San Diego’s oldest Chinese community organizations dedicated to preserving and educating the public about Chinese history and culture. She also co-founded the Chinese Historical Society in 1985 to further preserve San Diego’s Chinese heritage. Today, she leads the Chinese Bilingual Preschool, which she founded in 2009.
Bradley Feldmann named
chairman and CEO of Neology
Neology announced that Bradley H. Feldmann has been appointed chairman and CEO. Founder Francisco Martinez de Velasco will continue to serve as president.
Feldmann is a well-known leader across the transportation, defense, and security industries, mostly notably from his tenure at Cubic Corporation.
His expertise and guidance will accelerate Neology’s momentum of modernizing smart mobility systems through its proven open-platform solutions and advanced AI techniques particularly during the current inflection points happening globally.
As the former chairman, president and CEO of Cubic Corporation, Feldmann expanded Cubic’s enterprise value by 169 percent.
He made Cubic into a dominant player in the transportation payments systems industry by winning $3 billion of backlog through breakthrough technology offering.
Catalina Chacon appointed to Commission
on the Status of Women and Girls
The Senate Rules Committee, chaired by Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), has appointed Catalina Chacon to the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.
Catalina Chacon has been a councilwoman on the Pechanga Tribal Council since 2012.
Previously, she served as chair of enrollment for the Pechanga Tribe and as legal secretary for the St. Joseph Health System.
She is a member of the National Indian Child Welfare Association, the treasurer of the California Tribal Family Coalition, and vice chair of the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations.
Catalina Chacon lives in Temecula and the term is four years. Compensation is $100 per diem, not to exceed 12 days a year, and actual and necessary traveling expenses.
“Catalina is a problem solver who has proven herself to be an effective advocate and coalition builder, qualities that will serve her well on the commission,” said Atkins.
Adelle Walker named vice president
of consumer products for DermTech Inc.
Adelle Walker has been named vice president of consumer products for DermTech Inc. She takes on the role as the company further invests in bringing its precision genomics platform to the skin health and wellness categories.
Walker brings more than 20 years of experience to DermTech, having led category-defining products at Allergan in both Medical Dermatology and Aesthetics, SkinMedica, Candela Laser Systems and SENTÉ Labs.
She has a proven track record in launching new products, building markets and using a data-driven and analytical approach to grow brands.
DermTech has successfully launched its DermTech Melanoma Test, which uses Smart Stickers to assess suspicious moles for selected genomic markers associated with melanoma.
The company is continuing to expand its revolutionary non-invasive skin genomics platform with the development of UV damage DNA risk assessment products to serve patients seeking better skin health.
Davidson Communities’
Waters Edge at Delta Coves honored
The national building industry’s most prestigious awards have honored Waters Edge at Delta Coves on Bethel Island, Calif. as the nation’s Community of the Year. Waters Edge is a waterfront community featuring a private boat dock for each residence, as well as water-centric architecture and interior design.
Built by Del Mar-based Davidson Communities, Waters Edge at Delta Coves was honored at the recent National Sales and Marketing Awards presented by the National Association of Home Builders, an annual competition that attracts entries from the best new home builders in North America.
Founded in 1978, Davidson Communities is a private homebuilder whose track record includes over 6,000 new homes as well as the historical renovation of such landmark properties as the Grant House and the Amy Strong Castle in San Diego County, and The Oaks Farms in San Juan Capistrano.
Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank adds
300,000 meals with Bank of America donation
Bank of America announced a $60,000 donation worth 300,000 meals to Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank to address food insecurity in the region. An estimated 38 million people
were food insecure in the United States in 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As the pandemic continues, hunger relief organizations in San Diego and across the country are facing ongoing challenges such as increased demand for their services and rising food prices.
Of San Diego’s 3.3 million residents, 1,034,579 people face food insecurity every day. Of this number, 285,000 are children. One in three adults, and more than two in five children face food insecurity in San Diego. For every $1 donated, the organization can provide five meals to the community. With help from the bank’s donation, Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank is providing 300,000 meals to individuals and families throughout San Diego.
New owners take over The Wine Pub
and Coffee Hub Café in Point Loma
By Dave Scwab
The guard has changed at The Wine Pub and Coffee Hub Cafe in Point Loma, and the owner has a very personal connection with his new establishment.
“My wife, Nina, and I met here on our first date, which was a blind date: It was a safe place where we could run away if we didn’t like each other,” joked Roy McClish, who took over both businesses Dec. 17.
McClish comes from a hospitality background. He started out in 1984 in what was then La Jolla Village Inn, setting up for banquets. He ultimately worked in several other area hotels, in numerous capacities, including Humphrey’s on Shelter Island.
“But I was burned out by 2001 and my brother said, ‘You should go into the mortgage business,’” said McClish. So he did, going from working in hotels to having his own real estate and mortgage brokerage.
Sandy Hanshaw, The Wine Pub’s previous owner, founded the business in 2009 and added the Coffee Hub five years later.
CSU Chancellor Joseph I. Castro resigns
California State University Chancellor Joseph I. Castro has submitted his resignation to the Board of Trustees. The board accepted Castro’s decision after a recent USA TODAY report revealed Castro’s mishandling of sexual harassment complaints against a former employee during Castro’s tenure as president at Fresno State.
Castro has faced public backlash ancriticism since the report’s release along with other CSU presidents calling for him to resign.
“I have been honored to serve the California State University for more than eight years, including as its eighth chancellor, and the decision to resign is the most difficult of my professional life,” Castro said, in a press release Thursday night.
Castro’s term as chancellor lasted just 13 months after taking over for former Chancellor Timothy White on Jan. 4, 2021.
U. S. ends ban on imports of avocados
The United States has ended a ban on imports of avocados from Mexico’s Michoacan state and restarted an agricultural inspection program it had halted out of concern for the safety of U.S. workers. In its announcement, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said imports could resume immediately.
The United States had paused its inspection program on Feb. 11 after U.S. inspectors were verbally threatened.
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla
elevated to Level 1 trauma center
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla has been verified as a Level 1 trauma center, the highest designation awarded by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) to indicate the highest range of injury care available to patients.
Scripps Health now has two of the three Level 1 adult trauma centers in San Diego County, with Scripps La Jolla joining Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego.
Driving the achievement was the development of a cutting-edge and collaborative research program, establishment of an academic training program for surgical residents from the Naval Medical Center San Diego and expansion of education programs for partnering healthcare providers as well as community members.
