Daily Business Report: Friday, July 1, 2022
Deal is close on recycling California’s plastic trash
By Sameea Kamal | CalMatters
In Summary:
A bill negotiated by environmentalists, the plastics industry and lawmakers appears likely to keep a California recycling measure off the ballot. The bill sailed through the Assembly on Wednesday night, a day before the deadline to withdraw the initiative.
The California environmentalists who back a November ballot measure to reduce single-use plastics appear headed to withdrawing it just ahead of the Thursday deadline, following fierce negotiations with lawmakers and others on a bill that aims to achieve many of the same goals and that is supported by some influential environmental organizations.
Though the Natural Resources Defense Council has continued concerns, the three signatories of the initiative said in a joint statement late Wednesday that they would withdraw it once Gov. Gavin Newsom signs Senate Bill 54 into law.
“However, if the California State Legislature is not convinced we can implement these plastic pollution reduction reforms, disadvantaged community protections, and conservation programs and they do not pass SB 54, we are ready to take the issue to the voters in November,” they wrote.
Wednesday night, the bill sailed through the Assembly on a 63-1 vote. It now heads back to the state Senate, where it also needs approval to reach Newsom’s desk, and time is running short.
Top Photo: A trash can full of plastic waste. (Photo by PeskyMonkey via iStock)
General Dynamics NASSCO awarded $600 million
to support construction of 3 U.S. Navy ships
General Dynamics NASSCO was awarded $600 million in U.S. Navy contract modifications for long-lead-time material to support construction of the seventh and eighth ships in the John Lewis-class fleet oiler (T-AO) program, as well as the sixth ship in the Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program.
“NASSCO shipbuilders are honored to build T-AO 211, T-AO 212 and ESB 8,” said Dave Carver, president of General Dynamics NASSCO. “The NASSCO team is excited to work with our Navy partners to ensure the success of both historic programs which are critical in supporting the Navy’s forward presence.”
The contract modifications for long-lead-time material provide $500 million for T-AO 211 and 212, and $100 million for ESB 8.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2023 and continue into 2027, providing the opportunity to sustain and grow the workforce along San Diego’s working waterfront.
Mark Dankberg returns to chairman, CEO roles at Viasat
Richard Baldridge to become vice chairman
Mark Dankberg, co-founder and executive chairman of Viasat has returned to his roles as chairman and CEO of the company.
Viasat President and CEO Richard Baldridge will transition to the newly created role of vice chairman and will focus on finalizing the Inmarsat acquisition, manage execution strategy and integration planning for the combined entities and continue to oversee Viasat’s assessment of strategic initiatives and organizational efforts, the company said.
The leadership changes came a week after shareholders at Viasat approved the company’s proposed acquisition of Inmarsat, which is expected to close in the second half of 2022.
Dankberg co-founded Viasat in 1986 and held the roles of CEO and chairman until his appointment as executive chairman in 2020.
He will oversee the company’s daily operations with the support of Chief Operating Officer Kevin Harkenrider, who has been with Viasat since October 2006.
Sean Pak, lead independent director at Viasat, said the executive moves allow the company to optimize the contributions of Dankberg and Baldridge as leaders and reflect Viasat’s commitment to a planned integration with Inmarsat needed to advance growth initiatives in the satellite industry.
Justine Nielsen named chair of ULI San Diego-Tijuana
The Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) San Diego-Tijuana District Council has named Justine Nielsen chair of the 700-member binational council, which promotes responsible land use and sustainable communities in the Cali Baja mega-region. Nielsen’s two-year term starts today.
Nielsen is senior vice president of development for IQHQ, a life sciences development REIT with more than 10 million square feet under development in key life sciences markets including Boston, the Bay Area and San Diego. Justine oversees all aspects of development and entitlements for premier life science districts across IQHQ’s national portfolio.
Nielsen has been involved with ULI throughout her career, most recently as governance chair. She has also chaired the district’s Young Leaders Group and served on the management committee.
Prior to joining IQHQ, Nielsen was a land-use partner and practice group leader at Procopio, where she represented private entities and public interest groups on a variety of land use, planning and entitlement matters throughout various stages of the real estate development process and municipal law.
Nielsen also serves on the board of the Downtown San Diego Partnership and participates on its political action committee, and she just completed a term serving as a commissioner on the city of San Diego’s Redistricting Commission.
American Society of Landscape Architects’ San Diego
chapter presents the 2022 Design Awards
Landscaping at the Mission Trails East Fortuna Field Station — a project by Spurlock Landscape Architects — was awarded the President’s Award at Thursday’s 2022 Design Awards sponsored by the San Diego chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLASD). The award was in the parks, trails, recreation category.
Schmidt Design Group’s Civita project captured an Honors Award in the parks, trails and recreation category. It also won an Honors Award for the E Street Greenway.
Other Honor Award winners:
• HLW Architects for the Bluff Creek Sculpture Garden.
• City of San Diego for the City of San Diego Parks Master Plan
In addition to the President’s and Honor Awards, 19 firms received Merit Awards.
Judged by a country-wide jury of peers, the awards included the categories of construction detailing, commercial, historic restoration and San Diego landmarks, environmental solutions, institutional, pro-bono, unbuilt works, residential large single-family, residential multi-family, parks, trails and recreation, planning and analysis, public and municipal.
The awards ceremony was held at the Farmer and Seahorse restaurant at 10996 Torreyana Road. Guest speaker waslandscape architect Eugenia Martin, recognized nationwide for her leadership, experience, and vision for making the world a better place, coupled with an unbridled passion for landscape architecture and the engagement of fellow design professionals.
Olympic skateboarder Bryce Wettstein joins
Feeding San Diego to raise hunger awareness
Feeding San Diego, the county’s leading hunger-relief and food rescue organization, is partnering with local Olympic skateboarder Bryce Wettstein to ensure the public knows about the need for food assistance in the summer months, and the food resources available throughout San Diego County.
The non-profit, which is providing meals to children facing hunger this summer through its programming in collaboration with county recreation centers, libraries, and other non-profits, will be at one of its Summer Food Service Program sites with the skater, who herself is a San Diego County student. Those who want to get involved and give back this summer are encouraged to sign up for a volunteer shift or make a monetary donation.
Local families are already dealing with soaring inflation and record-high gas prices this summer, and for some the loss of school meals presents a big challenge. Feeding San Diego provides food resources at no cost throughout San Diego County. Anyone in need of no-cost meals for kids or groceries can visit the Find Food Map to find the food distribution closest to them.
MiraCosta College to hold groundbreaking
ceremony for new Gymnasium Complex
MiraCosta College will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on July 7 at 9 a.m. for the new Gymnasium Complex at the Oceanside campus, located at 1Barnard Drive. The $43.1 million 40,415-square-foot complex will replace the existing guy buildings and provide a consolidated location for a new gymnasium, athletics instruction spaces, and the Wellness Center.
The complex also will include locker rooms, equipment storage, and a multi-purpose studio.
The Gym Complex will be part of the Health and Wellness Academic Hub on campus and is part of a design-build procurement that includes the new Allied Health Building and Parking Lot-5A.s
HMC Architects and Balfour Beatty Construction serve as the design/build team for the project, and will include the new Teresia M. Heyden Hall for Nursing & Allied Health, currently under construction. Construction is expected to be completed in fall 2023 and is funded through MiraCosta’s capital improvement program using funds from Measure MM.
NuVasive opens Singapore Experience Center
San Diego-based NuVasive Inc., the leader in spine technology innovation, focused on transforming spine surgery with minimally disruptive, procedurally integrated solutions, announced the grand opening of its Singapore Experience Center for the Asia-Pacific region, supporting the Company’s growth strategy to globalize its business.
“The NuVasive Singapore Experience Center demonstrates our continued global commitment to scale our world-class business in markets like the Asia-Pacific region and support premier surgeon education,” said Chris Barry, chief executive officer of NuVasive. “This investment plays an integral role in expanding our global footprint while driving our technology strategy to advance less-invasive surgery and integrate enabling technology with the Pulse platform.”
Brius Technologies launches teeth-straightening solution
Brius Technologies, an orthodontic technology company creating a new category in teeth straightening through AI, announced the launch of Brava, the world’s first teeth straightening solution featuring Independent Mover technology for today’s youth.
“Brava is a teeth straightening solution that was designed specifically for the needs of teens and young adults as they are the largest segment and in the most need of innovation,” said Ted Schwarz, CEO, Brius Technologies.
The company’s patented biomechanical back-of-the-teeth system uses AI and Independent Mover technology to plan the independent and simultaneous movement of teeth for a patient’s ideal smile. In partnership with a certified Brava orthodontist, the patient’s customized per-tooth treatment plan is pre-programmed into Brava’s’ NiTi arms that are made in the U.S. from lightweight shape memory alloy, a material invented for the space program, and puts each tooth on an independent path to its final planned position.
Concorde Career Colleges In. launches diagnostic programs
Concorde Career Colleges Inc., a national leader in health care education with 17 campuses in eight states, has launched associate degree programs in Cardiovascular Sonography (CVS) and Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) at its San Diego campus. The accelerated programs will provide pathways for students who want to pursue in-demand health care careers as quickly as possible.
The demand for professionals in diagnostic medicine is estimated to grow by 14 percent from 2020 to 2030, largely because of retirements and career changes, according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics. About 12,000 openings for medical sonographers and cardiovascular technologists are projected each year.
Enrollment for both programs are now open. Classes for the DMS Program will begin in July 2022 and for the CVS Program in September 2022. Both programs are fast-paced and offer 960 clinical hours. Students can complete the DMS Program in as little as 20 months and the CVS Program in 21 months.
CMSPI announces opening of San Diego office
CMSPI, the leading global advisor in retail payments, announces its expansion to San Diego with the opening of its sixth office. The San Diego location will allow CMSPI to meet the demands of the firm’s growing list of West Coast clients and attract new talent to the company’s rapidly expanding team of consultants, economists, e-commerce experts and fraud prevention specialists.
CMSPI’s new foothold in the Western United States comes at a time of strong growth for the advisory firm, which works with retailers across the globe to increase revenue, reduce cost and minimize fraud in their payments systems and e-commerce platforms. Over the past two years, the company has doubled its number of offices and is on track to have tripled its workforce by year’s end.
Faced with increased economic uncertainty, retailers rely on CMSPI’s 20-plus years of expertise, accumulated market intelligence and unrivaled data insights to better manage razor-thin margins and maximize profits.
The San Diego location will join CMSPI’s existing offices in Atlanta (North American headquarters); Singapore; Düsseldorf, Germany; Sydney, Australia; and Manchester, England (global headquarters).
