Daily Business Report: Thursday, March 3, 2022
Bristol Myers Squibb takes long-term lease
in Alexandria Real Estate Equities’ mega campus
Biopharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb has signed a long-term lease for its newest core R&D facility in Alexandria Point, a 427,000-square-foot life sciences building in University Town Center. The building is Alexandria Real Estate Equities’s first mega campus.
Upon completion, Alexandria Point will provide over 2 million square feet of laboratory and office space, as well as over 100,000 square feet of amenities.
In addition to the campus’s existing suite of amenities, which include an organic eatery, a best-in-class wellness and fitness center, state-of-the-art conference space, expansive green space and an on-site garden, Alexandria plans to expand the mega campus’s amenity offerings to include a large event lawn and an expanded conferencing center to accommodate a range of tenant needs from intimate group meetings to large 800-person events.
A full-court gymnasium, additional employee-centric dining options and a rooftop deck with views of the surrounding mountains and Torrey Pines will also be added to the campus.
TOP PHOTO: Photo courtesy of Alexandria Real Estate Equities.
Board of Supervisors moves to prepare three
county properties for affordable housing sites
The Board of Supervisors voted to designate three vacant county properties as excess property and to request proposals so that they can be developed into affordable housing.
Two properties are in the City of San Diego. One is the former Northeast Family Resource Center, located at 5001 73rd St. in the College Area. The 1.26-acre property has been vacated by the County Health and Human Services Agency and includes a 22,000-square-foot building that will be demolished in late 2022.
The second property is located at 6255 Mission Gorge Road in the Grantville area. The land includes a 23,385-square-foot building on 0.86 acres that will also be demolished in late 2022, as well as a separate 18,731-square-foot parking lot across Glacier Ave. to the northeast.
The third property is in Escondido, located at 600-620 E. Valley Parkway, and includes 1.88 acres of vacant land that used to be the home of the North Inland Family Resource Center.
By demolishing and clearing the existing structures at the sites in the City of San Diego, at a cost of about $1.29 million, the properties could then be turned over to selected developers in a clean condition and will help expedite the development process for a financially feasible development.
General Atomics, Orion Space to build weather
satellite prototypes for Space Force
GovCon Wire
The U.S. Space Force has exercised contract options by selecting General Atomics and Orion Space Solutions to build and launch demonstration satellites as part of the Electro-Optical/Infrared Weather System program.
Orion Space Solutions will deploy a EO/IR Cubesat prototype in the fall of 2022 for a one-year demonstration, Space Systems Command said. General Atomics’ electromagnetic systems group will conduct a three-year demonstration of a small satellite prototype, which is expected to provide operational data by 2025.
The command expects the EWS satellites to replace the aging Defense Meteorological Satellite Program and support U.S. and its NATO allies in providing weather data that are important to warfighters’ operations, including combat search and rescue, enemy missile observation, maritime surface tracking and intelligence collection.
Elizabeth Babcock named the new president
and CEO of Forever Balboa Park
Forever Balboa Park, the City of San Diego’s nonprofit partner in sustaining Balboa Park, has named Elizabeth C. Babcock, current chief public engagement officer and Roberts-Wilson Dean of Education at the California Academy of Sciences, as the new president and CEO of the organization. She will begin her new role in April.
During her 10+ years at the California Academy of Sciences, Babcock proved her ingenuity and ability to inspire curiosity and interest in visitors to the institution. She also directed teams in developing and delivering a variety of innovative educational programs within and beyond the museum’s walls.
Dr. Babcock’s career accomplishments include:
• Directed a $13 million budget at the California Academy of Sciences and grew
offerings to 3.2 million annual in-person learning engagements and 20 million
online views of education products and programs.
• Expanded and diversified program offerings in her last position by personally
securing $4+ million in grants each year.
•Cofounded and served as volunteer Chair of ChangeScale, the Bay Area’s
Environmental Education Collaborative, serving over 180 environmental education
organizations and 35+ member organizations and universities.
• Honored as a White House Champion of Change in 2013 for her leadership in
museum and library partnerships.
Minneapolis’s Aleran Software opens
office in Downtown San Diego
Minneapolis-based Aleran Software announced that it is opening its first office outside of Minnesota in San Diego.
“San Diego’s at the epicenter of the new manufacturing and B2B tech growth engine,” said Aleran Software CEO Alex Sayyah. “The days of industry pessimism and tolerance for good-enough operations have transitioned into a manufacturing sector that is surging with real value, with real operations that deliver that value fast. San Diego’s and Southern California’s resurgence and re-shoring, coupled witnew generations of software that’s nimble and streamlined make this the place to be.”
Aleran will initially be based at 600 B St., Suite 300. Aleran’s chief arketing officer, vice president of business development and corporate development, senior director of inside sales and members of the sales team will be based from the new location, with CEO Sayyah working from both Minneapolis and San Diego.
Sayyah said San Diego provides a logical hub for Aleran in Southern California. The San Diego IT sector saw three-year revenue growth of 188 percent entering 2020. San Diego itself is a center for advanced manufacturing companies, with nearly 3,150 manufacturing companies currently supporting more than 110,000 jobs. Computer and electronic product manufacturing lead San Diego and North County’s manufacturing industry, employing 12,746 people.
Fortis Life Sciences acquires San Diego’s
Abcore, leader in nanobody technologies
Fortis Life Sciences, a Massachusetts company, has acquired Abcore, a San Diego-based antibody discovery platform specializing in nanobody technology. With the addition of Abcore, Fortis extends its capabilities into the antibody discovery market serving biopharma customers developing antibody and nanobody-based therapeutics.
“We are excited about accelerating Abcore’s growth as part of the Fortis family,” said David Barraclough, Chief Executive Officer of Abcore. “Fortis shares our commitment to scientific discovery, innovation, and customer service and is the ideal partner for Abcore as we expand our technical capabilities and bring new products and services to market.”
Greater San Diego Association of Realtors
forms partnerships in Canada and Mexico
Greater San Diego Association of Realtors has formed partnerships with real estate associations in Canada and Mexico to pioneer innovative business opportunities beyond the U.S. border. With over $50 billion in home sales made to foreign buyers in the past year, SDAR is helping members seize a share of this market by making it easier to connect with international clients buying property in San Diego.
The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBVG), and the State Council of Real Estate Professionals of Baja California (CEPIBC) will partner with SDAR to create new opportunities for Realtors to connect with foreign buyers looking to purchase real estate in San Diego, as well as earn commissions from referring local buyers to properties outside of the United States.
County of San Diego launches microgrant program
The County of San Diego is providing Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grants.
This program will provide grants of $2,500 to County of San Diego microbusiness owners who were in operation in 2019, still in operation today, and were impacted by the Covid-19 public health restrictions.
To be eligible you need to have:
• Been in business on or before December 1, 2019 and still in business in 2022.
• Have gross revenue under $50,000 (as reported for 2019).
• Demonstrated decline in revenue or service demand due to COVID-19 in 2020 or 2021 as compared to 2019.
• Operating within the County of San Diego.
• The business was the primary source of revenue for the business owner.
• Not have received other sources of COVID relief such as a grant from a city, the state, or a forgiven PPP loan.
To learn more about this program and apply visit https://www.sdivsbdc.org/county-of-san-diego-micro-business-grant-program/
Otay Water District launches 2022
WaterSmart Landscape Contest
The Otay Water District has launched its annual WaterSmart Landscape Contest, which aims to help residents save water during the drought. The contest awards the title of “Best in District” and a $250 nursery gift card, among other prizes, to one resident for their attractive, water-efficient garden. The deadline to enter is Friday, May 13, 2022.
Because more than half of residential water use occurs outdoors on landscape irrigation, the district encourages homeowners to improve water-use efficiency of their outdoor use through this contest.
To participate, residents must fill out an application, submit before and after photos of their landscape, a plant list, and a description of their landscape’s transformation. Nominations are also welcome. To enter and for contest rules, tips for improving applications, and photos of past winners, visit landscapecontest.com.
Workforce Partnership names four new board members
The San Diego Workforce Partnership announced the appointment of four new members to the Workforce Development Board:
• Connie Lundgren, director of workforce relations, General Dynamics NASSCO.
• Matt Martin, executive vice president, PNC Bank.
• Aida Rosa, chief human resources officer, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
• Mark Sutton, senior vice president, managing director, regional executive, Bank of America.
General Atomics’ MQ-9A drone passes 2 million flight hours
The MQ-9A Remotely Piloted Aircraft built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has surpassed 2 million flight hours in support of global customers, the company announced.
“We developed the MQ-9A to set the standard for persistent surveillance and rapid strike capability, and it’s delivered on expectations,” said GA-ASI Vice President of DoD Strategic Development, J.R. Reid. “The effectiveness of a military aircraft can be measured in how often its used (total flight hours) and in its readiness to perform, and the MQ-9A exceeds in performance on both metrics.”
When combined with the flight hours of other GA-ASI aircraft, which includes Predator A and Predator XP; Predator B Extended Range (ER), Guardian, Gray Eagle and Gray Eagle ER; Predator C Avenger; and MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian, the total flight hours for the GA-ASI fleet exceed 7.2 million supporting close to 500,000 missions.
