Daily Business Report: Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022
Port of San Diego set to welcome 460,000 cruise
ship passengers after cruise season opens on Monday
The Port of San Diego’s new cruise season begins on Monday with 140 cruises scheduled, up 45 percent from last year, with all sailings at or near capacity and serving 460,000 passengers. It is poised to be the Port’s busiest season since 2010.
“The Port of San Diego’s cruise business is definitely experiencing a rebound and we expect continued growth,” said Port of San Diego Chairman Dan Malcolm. “We’re pleased to be welcoming our cruise customers back to San Diego and to share how wonderful our port is to our cruise passengers. This season’s business will be a great boost to our regional economy.”
The new cruise season begins Monday with the arrival of Silversea Cruises’ Star Breeze. Star Breeze will be cruising to Papeete, Tahiti on a 13-day voyage. It will be followed by the Disney Wonder arriving on Sept. 23.
Disney Cruise Line is more than doubling its sailings from San Diego this season, moving from 16-24 per season to 51. Princess Cruises is also adding new business to San Diego with 13 sailings and will be homeporting here for the first time ever.
The full schedule features long-term Port of San Diego partners Holland America Line and Disney Cruise Line, as well as Princess Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line. Voyages from MSC Cruises, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Scenic Luxury Cruises, Oceania Cruises, and American Queen Voyages are also on the calendar.
Itineraries featured include voyages to the Mexican Riviera, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and the California Coast. For true cruise afficionados, there is a 20-day Mexican Riviera and Central America cruise; a 25-day Pacific crossing to Japan; and a 35-day voyage to Hawaii, Tahiti, and the Marquesas.
The Port is making some major repairs and improvements to the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal. A project to install a new curtain wall to extend the life and long-term stability of the pier structure is underway. Additionally, shore power capacity is being doubled and the Port will begin connecting two cruise ships simultaneously this fall. Also, in 2024, the Port will begin construction on a $5 million project to make interior improvements to the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal.
Top Photo: Cruise ships in port in San Diego. (Courtesy of Port of San Diego)
EDF Renewables North America signs agreement
with McDonald’s Corp. for Apollo Solar Project
San Diego-based EDF Renewables North America announced a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with McDonald’s Corp. The 255 MWac / 332 MWdc Apollo Solar project will help McDonald’s meet its sustainability goals and advance its commitment to climate action. Apollo Solar, located in Texas, is expected to begin delivery of low carbon electricity in June 2024.
Approximately 300 jobs are expected to be created during the 2023-2024 construction phase with more than $30 million generated in new tax revenue over the operating life for taxing entities. Apollo Solar will produce clean energy while minimizing impacts to wildlife, habitat, and other environmental resources.
County libraries add Chromebook laptops that library
card holders can check out to access the internet
San Diego County’s 33 branch libraries have added something new to the books, movies, and music they lend to the public – 7,000 sets of Chromebook computers and hotspots to support people in need of digital access. This TechConnect program, funded by a $4.3 million federal grant from the Emergency Connectivity Fund (EFC), will help people access the internet.
While supplies last, San Diego County Library customers can check out an ASUS Chromebook C204, ATT Moxee Hotspot device, and charging cables free of charge for up to one year. They are available at any county library branch to people with a SDCL library card. Customers are also required to sign a form saying they do not have sufficient equipment or services to access the internet. Minors need to have a parent or caregiver compete the form to check out a set.
The program started in June, and more than 3,000 have been distributed by branches and through local community organizations helping SDCL identify people with the greatest need. The community feedback has been positive. A young mother from the Lakeside Branch told library staff that the program was life-changing, and an unsheltered customer said she hopes it will enable her to find a job. You can visit your local SDCL branch to check out a TechConnect set today or learn more at sdcl.org/techconnect.
LEAD San Diego honoring regional
leaders for outstanding contributions
LEAD San Diego will bring together business, community and elected leaders tonight for its 20th annual Visionary Awards. Six awards will be presented in recognition of the individuals whose passion and commitment to the community are outstanding.
This year’s Visionary Award honorees:
Neil Morgan Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement:
Constance Carroll, former chancellor, San Diego Community College District, and president and CEO of California Community College Baccalaureate Association
LEAD Graduate of the Year award:
Sam Attisha, senior vice president of field operations, Cox Communications
Innovation and Economic Opportunity Award:
Adela de la Torre, president of San Diego State University
Ronald Kendrick Memorial Award for Regional Collaboration:
Nathan Fletcher, chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors
Charles Nathanson Memorial Award for Cross-Border Region Building:
Yolanda Selene Walther-Meade, co-founder, This is About Humanity
The 2022 Community Spotlight Award will be announced at the awards ceremony, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Marriott Marquis and Marina Grand Ballroom.
California launches abortion website
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the launch of abortion.ca.gov — providing people both inside and outside of California with information about abortions, their legal rights, where to find providers, how to pay for services and financial assistance, ways to locate wellness and emotional support, and more.
While other states try to prevent people from accessing this critical information or traveling to other states to obtain reproductive health care services, abortion.ca.gov provides information specifically for those coming to California for an abortion. The website does not collect any personal information about visitors to the site.
“This new website is a critical resource, providing essential information to patients in and out of California, and can hopefully serve as a model for the rest of the nation,” said Jodi Hicks, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates California. “No person should be forced to travel outside of their home state for essential health care, including abortion care, yet extreme politicians are making that a reality for millions across the country. This new website will increase access to accurate information and is critical so that people can seek the care they want or need here in California.”
Real estate and management veteran Christie Kong
named general manager of Downtown’s Campus at Horton
Stockdale Capital Partners has named Christie Kong as general manager of Campus at Horton, he largest adaptive reuse and urban mixed-use tech and life sciences campus in the western United States, slated for completion in 2023.
Kong brings more than 20 years of operations, asset management, leasing, and project management experience to the role, as the 1 million-square-foot Campus at Horton edges toward completion. A long-time San Diegan and former East Village resident, Kong will lead property management operations.
Most recently with Cushman and Wakefield, Kong brings a well-rounded skill set in Class A office, retail, industrial, medical office and life-science management to her role.
Prior to her time at Cushman and Wakefield, Kong oversaw the West Coast portfolio and the third-party leasing and property management teams as asset manager with Gemini Rosemont. She was also responsible for running multiple capital and repositioning projects, including lobby and corridor remodels, mechanical upgrades, and tenant improvements in her previous roles.
San Diego County public health officials
report 1,036 new COVID cases, 5 deaths
Times of San Diego
San Diego County reported another 1,036 new COVID-19 cases Monday, while also noting five more deaths from the disease.
According to the county Health and Human Services Agency, another 474 infections were recorded Saturday, 331 on Sunday and 231 on Monday.
The new cases gave the county a total of 917,054 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. The deaths increased the county’s virus-related death toll to 5,479.
The number of people hospitalized with a coronavirus infection in San Diego County decreased by 14 to 221, according to the latest state data.
Meanwhile, new COVID-19 boosters that target multiple strains of the virus are now available in San Diego County, public health officials announced.
Black Rock Coffee Bar to open Friday in Escondido
Black Rock Coffee Bar, a national boutique coffee chain founded in Portland, Ore, is opening a new drive-through only store in Escondido. With more than 100 sores across seven states, this is Black Rock’s third location in the San Diego area following the openings in Oceanside and Vista.
Known for its premium roasted coffees, teas, smoothies and flavorful Fuel energy drinks, Black Rock Coffee Bar is set to open on Friday at 1906 East Valley Parkway.
To celebrate its grand opening, Black Rock Coffee Bar will offer all customers free 16 oz. drinks all day at this location.
“We are excited to add another store in the San Diego area,” said Josh Pike, CEO of Black Rock Coffee Bar. “Escondido is a diverse, vibrant community with just the right mix of small-town friendliness and big-city buzz, and we look forward to our baristas serving great coffee and providing a fun, high-energy experience for the community.”
UC San Diego and UC San Francisco join NIH
‘Bridge to Artificial Intelligence’ program
Researchers at University of California San Diego and University of California San Francisco have been selected to lead components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund’s Bridge to Artificial Intelligence (Bridge2AI) program. Over the next four years, Bridge2AI will award $130 million to accelerate the widespread use of AI in biomedical research and health care.
Physicians and scientists have long recognized the potential of AI to help understand and treat disease, but its use in clinical and research settings remains limited. This is, in part, because AI tools cannot always be easily or appropriately applied to new datasets that were not organized for this type of analysis.
To address this, Bridge2AI will fund four Data Generation Projects to create comprehensive AI-ready datasets that will lay the groundwork for new, interpretable and trustworthy AI technologies. The four multi-site projects will be unified by the Bridge Center, an executive hub that oversees the integration, dissemination and evaluation of all Bridge2AI activities.
Trey Ideker, professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine, will serve as principal investigator for one of the Data Generation Projects
Generali Global Assistances appoints
chief transformation officer
Generali Global Assistance announced the appointment of Paul-Adrien Maizener as chief transformation officer. Maizener will focus on further developing the company’s Lifetime Partner relationship model to increase customer value by expanding digital advisory capabilities and establishing a seamless omnichannel strategy. He will also lead projects for scaling up the company’s data capabilities and in the wider adoption of smart automation and artificial intelligence technologies, while further expanding execution capabilities.
Maizener previously worked as chief transformation officer of Europ Assistance France. During his tenure there, he oversaw the implementation of the new partnership between Europ Assistance France and Credit Agricole Assurances.
Successful implementation of this partnership between France’s top bank insurer and one of the world leaders in assistance allowed Europ Assistance France to strengthen its position as the benchmark assistance services company in terms of customer experience, service quality, and innovation at the service of all its partners and customers.
Generali Global Assistance operates offices in San Diego and Florida.
Mitchell transforms estimating platform
to meet the needs of electric vehicles
Mitchell, a San Diego company and leading provider of technology, connectivity and information solutions to the property and casualty claims and collision repair industries, announced enhancements to Mitchell Cloud Estimating that can simplify the collision damage appraisal process for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). These enhancements—which come as the electric vehicle (EV) sector is bracing for unprecedented growth—establish Mitchell’s position as a trailblazer in the development of advanced appraisal and claims management solutions for automotive insurance carriers and collision repairers.
Historically, estimating platforms have not accounted for the design differences between EVs and their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts. This can create challenges for insurance appraisers and collision repairers. Without EV-specific parts and categories, they have to write BEV damage assessments using ICE alternatives, which can impact estimate accuracy and appraiser efficiency.
The enhancements to Mitchell Cloud Estimating will address these challenges by incorporating new functionality not available in other appraisal platforms.
Eone Diagnomics Genome Center recruits
Sam Martin as VP of overseas business development
Eone Diagnomics Genome Center (EDGC), a company specializing in genomic analysis and precision medicine, announced the hiring of Sam Martin as the vice president of overseas business development. By recruiting Martin, who has a wealth of experience and network in the overseas genome market, EDGC will make a full-scale entry into overseas markets and solidify its status as a global bio company.
Martin is an American board-certified genetic counselor who holds multiple master’s degrees in human genetics/genetic counseling and software engineer and design from the United States. He recently worked for Invitae and Ambry genetics, two of the top U.S. genetics companies specializing in personal genomic medicine. He also has clinical experience as a genetic counselor, working eight years at Beth Israel Hospital in New York City.Martin joined EDGC because of his relationship with CEO Lee Min-Seob. Martin was born in Korea in 1978 and was adopted by an American couple. Bcause of this, he worked with Lee Min-Seob at ShareGenome, a nonprofit research organization, to find the families of Korean adoptees through individual genetic analysis.
NICB president and CEO to meet with San Diego
County District Attorney Summer Stephan
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the insurance industry’s association dedicated to predicting, preventing, and prosecuting insurance crime, is strengthening its longstanding relationship with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. NICB President and CEO David Glawe and San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan will meet today to discuss their partnership and future collaborations as they work to investigate and prosecute offenders.
During the meeting in San Diego, Glawe, senior vice president and chief operating officer Tim Slater, senior vice president and general counsel Pat Martin, and other NICB leadership will meet with Stephan, Insurance Fraud and Workplace Justice Division Chief John Philpott, and Assistant Chief Luis Mendez. As crime around the U.S. continues to increase, including the highest vehicle theft numbers since 2008, staggering catalytic converter thefts, and fraud exceeding $300 billion annually nationwide, California is experiencing some of the highest crime rates. The state currently ranks third in the nation for the highest vehicle theft rates per 100,000 people.
