Daily Business Report: Friday, Sept. 2, 2022
The indoor skydiving center turned homeless service hub
The city converted a shuttered indoor skydiving facility into a
homeless service hub, but the project’s staying power is unclear
By Lisa Halverstadt | Voice of San Diego
More than four years ago, the city bought a shuttered East Village skydiving center with a vision to transform it into a hub linking homeless residents with housing and services.
That controversial vision is essentially reality – at least for now.
The Housing Commission is now directly overseeing the project after the nonprofit initially chosen to operate the facility at 1401 Imperial Ave. exited less than a year after it began serving homeless San Diegans there.
Nearly two years after nonprofit Family Health Centers CEO decried the project as a “public relations undertaking” rather than a needed homelessness response, the former indoor skydiving facility is drawing a constant flow of visitors seeking aid. A Housing Commission executive who led efforts to refine the project after the departure argues it’s proven worthwhile.
In a nearly 14-month period after the building now known as the Homelessness Response Center reopened last May, the Housing Commission reports it has accommodated more than 17,400 visits from people seeking shelter or other aid. That’s the equivalent of nearly 1,245 visits a month.
The center is for now open five days a week, but the Housing Commission said it hopes to resume Saturday hours next month.
The commission also reports 490 homeless residents who had not been receiving support elsewhere have been connected with case managers and housing navigation services at the center. Of those, 108 have moved into permanent or longer-term homes.
Top Photo: The indoor skydiving center building in East Village. (Courtesy of Carrier Johnson+Culture)
Arm sues Qualcomm and Nuvia
for breaching license agreement
By Catherine Sbeglia Nin
Arm is suing Qualcomm and Nuvia, the startup that Qualcomm acquired in 2021, claiming that the companies violated the licenses they have to use Arm’s processor designs and architecture.
According to Arm, when Qualcomm purchased Nuvia for $1.4 billion, it was told that it couldn’t use the startup’s licenses without Arm’s approval. This is because Arm gave Nuvia licenses to use its “off-the-shelf” processor designs, and to build its own designs using Arm’s architecture. However, Arm has argued that due the acquisition, these licenses are no longer valid as they were established under certain terms and cannot be transferred to new ownership.
The company says it has spent over a year trying to negotiate an agreement for Qualcomm’s use of Nuvia’s licenses to no avail, apparently. While Arm terminated the licenses agreement in February 2022, the company has remained suspicious that Qualcomm has continued designing chips with the licenses.
Concealed carry bill meets surprising end
CalMatters
The California Legislature has been a fountain of some of the strictest gun laws in the country. But Senate Bill 918 was evidently a bridge too far. In the final hours of the session, lawmakers failed to pass a bill that would have rewritten state regulations on who can get a license to carry a concealed handgun and where they can go while armed. The measure, authored by Attorney General Rob Bonta, was introduced by Democratic state Sen. Anthony Portantino of Glendale shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws giving local law enforcement wide discretion over who gets a license.
Bumble Bee Seafoods suspected of human rights abuse
and environmental destruction in its supply chain
San Diego-based Bumble Bee Seafoods is suspected of having environmentally harmful illegal fishing and human rights abuse in its supply chain, according to an investigative report by Greenpeace East Asia.
The American brand, owned by Taiwanese tuna traders FCF, has long worked to establish its reputation as “champions for sustainable fishing and dedicated advocate for fishers.” However, the “Fake My Catch – the unreliable traceability in our tuna cans” report uncovers information that shows that by sourcing seafood from vessels that are suspected of labor and human rights abuses, the company is failing to deliver on its promises to the American consumers, according to Greenpeace.
“Instead of disclosing a list of all their supply vessels, they have used smokescreens such as the Trace My Catch program to fake transparency while leaving it up to consumers to dig up information on an incredibly complex and opaque supply chain,” said Mallika Talwar, a senior oceans campaigner at Greenpeace USA. “Even then, as this report shows, there is no guarantee the information Bumble Bee shares is correct. That is not what real transparency looks like.”
Bumble Bee did not respond to the report.
San Diego’s Robolink selected as new partner
for international Aerial Drone Competition
San Diego-based Robolink has been officially selected as the new partner for the international Aerial Drone Competition, held by the REC Foundation. Middle and high school students qualifying for the weekend-long spring tournament, formerly named RADC, can now compete with the CoDrone EDU, a programmable drone designed for ages 12 and up. Team registration is now open for the 2023 season for students to prepare for the regional competition.
The Aerial Drone Competition offers an educational drone sporting event that focuses on hands-on, student-centered learning. Teams learn to pilot drones, code with python, understand flight principles, and build their communication and social skills, all while expanding their interest in the growing drone-related workforce and advanced career opportunities.
“Last year, there were 350 participants; this year, we are expecting close to 1,500-2,000!” said Hansol Hong, CEO of Robolink. “We’re thrilled to be a part of this growing event. Students learn to fly, dive, and perform airborne flips – all while learning real-world STEM skills.”
CoDrone EDU – the newest obstacle-detecting, color-sensing, airborne flipping, coding drone – has been designed for both competitions and the classroom setting. CoDrone EDU codes lights, flight patterns, and can harness the power of seven sensors.
Douglas Wahl takes helm
of the Downtown San Diego Lions Club
The Downtown San Diego Lions Club has elected Douglas Wahl to be its new president to take the reins with a renewed vision of the club motto: “We Serve.” A new board of directors also was elected.
Wahl has volunteered for the Downtown San Diego Lions Club for several years, working his way up the ranks in the club.
He served as a surface warfare officer and an oceanographer in the U.S. Navy, reaching the rank of commander.
Returning to San Diego in 2015, Wahl is heavily involved in the Cub Scouts and has served as committee chair for Cub Scout Pack 299 of Clairemont, where he oversaw the business side of the coed Cub Scout Pack.
He most recently became a den leader and assists with coordinating the efforts of the adult volunteers who run the Pack.
Wahl graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and calls Claremont home where he lives with his wife of almost 20 years, Melissa, and his son, Declan.
Fall semester begins Sept. 6 at San Diego
College of Continuing Education
Fall semester begins Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, at San Diego College of Continuing Education (SDCCE). With over 300 free on-campus, fully online, and hybrid classes to choose from, students can enroll at SDCCE to change careers or develop skills with innovative workforce training.The variety of free career training certificates at SDCCE provide the skills and knowledge to land good-paying jobs in priority industries such as the behavioral health aide certificate in the Healthcare program or the Cloud Solutions AWS-Associate Certificate Program as part of the Information Technology program.
Classrooms mirror industry settings for a real-world learning experience — student welders fabricate metal in a welding yard at the Educational Cultural Complex in Southeastern San Diego while parents earn a Child Development certificate in a STEM playground environment at West City Campus in Point Loma.
Additional free classes include high school diploma/equivalency, citizenship, English as a second language (ESL) and Emeritus enrichment courses for ages 55+.
Half the student body of 30,000 students at SDCCE is made up of immigrants, refugees, and English language learners. A dedicated Immigrant-Based Support Program resource center will open this fall at SDCCE’s César E. Chávez Campus in Barrio Logan.
General Atomics Aeronautical
Systems partners with Ramco Systems
SkyGuardian Global Support Solutions (SGSS), a sustainment program introduced by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., has announced a new partnership with Ramco Systems. Ramco will provide its Enterprise Resource Planning software platform for maintenance repair and overhaul services to support MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian remotely piloted aircraft systems.
Ramco Aviation MRO Suite delivers end-to-end support of MRO requirements for MQ-9B systems, which includes line, component, engine, hangar, and OEM aftermarket services.
“Ramco’s technology leads the industry by providing a turnkey solution for digitizing MRO operations, enhancing turnaround times, improving customer satisfaction, service level compliance, on-time delivery, and management of other complex business processes,” said GA-ASI Vice President of Sustainment Sam Richardson.
SOCi achieves 120 percent revenue growth
SOCi Inc., the marketing platform for multi-location brands, has announced continued triple-digit revenue and employee growth as the company closes the books on the first half of 2022. In addition to realizing revenue growth of 120 percemt compared to the first half of 2021, the SaaS organization cemented partnerships with notable brands across various industries, continued to release future-focused integrations and product optimizations, secured top business accolades, and bolstered its leadership team with a number of seasoned industry experts. In doing so, SOCi further solidified its position as the leading platform for enterprise level multi-location marketing.
Contributing to the immense growth of SOCi in 2022, the company has inked partnerships with some of the most recognizable multi-location brands in the U.S., including Ford Motor Company/FordDirect, Jersey Mike’s, Rent-A-Center, Smashburger, and Taco John’s.
In total, 75 new multi-location brands made up of over 100,000 locations have joined the brand’s customer portfolio since January 2022.
Cue Health makes de novo submission to FDA
for full clearance of its Cue Flu Molecular Test
Cue Health announced that it has made a de novo submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for full clearance of the Cue Flu Molecular Test for at-home and point-of-care (POC) use. There are currently no flu tests on the market for home use. FDA clearance of Cue’s test would provide the public, for the first time, an at-home and POC molecular flu test that has been fully reviewed by the FDA for safety and effectiveness.
Clinical study results with the Cue Flu Molecular Test were favorable, demonstrating 99 percent accuracy compared to FDA cleared molecular (PCR) laboratory tests for influenza A&B. The Cue Flu Molecular Test cartridge uses a lower nasal swab and is compatible with the Cue Reader, which communicates test results digitally via Bluetooth to a mobile device in approximately 25 minutes.
“This FDA submission for our Cue Flu Molecular Test is another important milestone on Cue’s path to pioneer a new approach to diagnostics in homes, enterprises, and health care settings,” said Ayub Khattak, chairman and CEO of Cue Health.
Element Biosciences hires former ThermoFisher executive
Element Biosciences, Inc.— developer of the AVIT System, a new and disruptive DNA sequencing platform — announced the addition of an industry veteran to its commercial team. Shelly Peariso has been a life science and clinical sales executive for more than 20 years. Most recently, She led the Americas Commercial Organization in the Clinical Next Generation Sequencing Division at ThermoFisher.
Peariso started her sequencing career at Applied Biosystems in 2005 selling Capillary Electrophoresis and then transitioned to selling Next Generation Sequencing when SOLiD was introduced to the market.
“I haven’t seen researchers this animated since Next Generation Sequencing hit the market. After years of incremental progress, Element Biosciences has brought exponential thinking back to the field,” said Peariso, vice president of sales. “I am so excited to talk to scientists about what this level of data quality, flexibility, and price means for them and what they can achieve with an AVITI.”
Pearosp was a driving force behind the first major uptick in Next Generation Gene Sequencing in the early 2000’s and has worked with every aspect of the technology, from reagents to instrumentation, since then.
Realtor.com housing report: Days on market
grows for first time in over two years
The U.S. housing market offered buyers more breathing room to make decisions in August, with the first year-over-year increase in time on market (+5 days) since June 2020,
accordingo to the Realtor.com Monthly Housing Trends report. Additionally, August home shoppers had more active listings to choose from than last year (+26.6 percent), even as new sellers continued to pull back.
“For many of today’s buyers, the uptick in for-sale home options is taking away the sense of urgency that they felt during the past two years, when inventory was scarce,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist for Realtor.com. As a result of this shift coupled with higher mortgage rates, competition continued to cool in August, with listing price trends indicating that home sellers are noticing shoppers tightening their purse strings. As we soak up the last days of summer, the housing market is beginning to find more balance between buyer-friendliness and still favorable selling conditions.”
MG Properties expands Arizona portfolio
MG Properties, a private San Diego-based real estate investor, owner, and operator has purchased 2150 Arizona Ave South Apartments l for $107 million.
“The Phoenix economy has benefitted from tremendous growth, which we expect to continue during our long term investment horizon,” said Jeff Gleiberman, president of MG Properties. “2150 Apartments provides a value-add opportunity to continue a proven interior renovation program to increase rents, while staying below new construction rents.”
BlueNalu joins United National Global Compact
San Diego-based BlueNalu, a leader in the development of cell-cultured seafood, announced that it has joined the United Nations (UN) Global Compact, demonstrating the company’s commitment to responsible and sustainable business practices.
The UN Global compact is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world, with voluntary participation from over 16,000 companies, spanning 160 countries. The initiative provides guidance to its members to take actions that advance societal goals, utilizing 10 key principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. As a member, BlueNalu is committed to incorporating these principles into its strategies, setting the standard for public accountability and transparency in the cell-cultured seafood industry and sharing an annual Communication on Progress.
To learn more about BlueNalu, visit www.BlueNalu.com.
