Daily Business Report: Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022
Northrop Grumman names next Cygnus
mission after space pioneer Sally Ride
Northrop Grumman Corporation has named the next Cygnus mission to the International Space Station in honor of Dr. Sally Ride, astronaut, physicist, and first American woman to fly in space. The NG-18 mission is scheduled to launch on Nov. 6.
The “S.S. Sally Ride” follows the company’s tradition of naming Cygnus spacecraft for an individual who has pioneered human spaceflight. Ride became the first American female astronaut serving on the crew of the second flight of Challenger and was a steadfast advocate for diversity and equality in science — inspiring countless women to pursue STEM careers.
Northrop Grumman uses Cygnus to perform International Space Station resupply flights under the second Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract. The Cygnus vehicle provides a number of advanced capabilities during these cargo resupply missions, including acting as laboratory space while docked to the station and reboost services – a critical part of altitude maintenance for the station.
Click here to watch a video of Kathy Warden, chair, chief executive officer and president, Northrop Grumman announcing the “S.S. Sally Ride.”
Illumina launches strategic research collaboration
with AstraZeneca to accelerate drug target discovery
Illumina Inc., a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, announced a strategic research collaboration with AstraZeneca, a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company, to accelerate drug target discovery by combining their strengths in artificial intelligence (AI) based genome interpretation and genomic analysis techniques along with industry expertise. The collaboration will evaluate whether a combined framework of these technologies can increase the yield and confidence of target discovery to find promising drugs based on human omics insights.
“Illumina and AstraZeneca are uniquely positioned to improve the efficiency of pharma pipelines by leveraging industry-leading abilities to identify genetic variants that contribute to human disease,” said Joydeep Goswami, chief strategy and corporate development officer, interim chief financial officer at Illumina. “By identifying genes that show evidence of human disease causality, the combined framework has the potential to prioritize drug candidates with increased likelihood of approval.”
Scripps Research receives $2.5 million
CDC contract for SARS-CoV-2 program
A team led by Scripps Research scientists has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) in support of one of the largest SARS-CoV-2 surveillance programs in the United States. The two-year, $2.5 million contract will fund the large-scale, near real-time sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 isolates from hospitals and local public health agencies in San Diego and nearby northwestern Mexico, and the development of software for tracking the evolution and geographical spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants.
The contract, an extension of one originally awarded in 2020, will be carried out by the San Diego Epidemiology and Research for COVID Health (SEARCH) Alliance, which was co-founded by Scripps Research, the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego), and Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego.
Nominations open for Small Business Week Awards
The U.S. Small Business Administration San Diego District Office is now accepting nominations for its 2023 National and Local Small Business Week Awards, including the annual Small Business Person of the Year award. San Diego District Office awards will be presented at a Small Business Awards ceremony in early to mid-May 2023.
Visit SBA’s dedicated website www.sba.gov/nsbw to download forms, criteria, and guidelines for submitting a nomination.
The SBA Awards given in celebration of National Small Business Week include the following award categories:
• Small Business Person of the Year
• Small Business Exporter of the Year
• 8(a) Graduate of the Year Award
• Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award
• Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award
Salk Institute professor Geoffrey Wahl receives
2022 Susan G. Komen Brinker Award
Salk Institute Professor Geoffrey Wahl has received the 2022 Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in Basic Science from Susan G. Komen®, the world’s leading breast cancer organization.
According to the foundation, the award recognizes leading scientists who have made the most significant advances in breast cancer research and medicine.
Wahl was honored for his significant contributions to the field of cancer genetics, including the mechanisms of drug resistance and genome stability.
He will present a keynote lecture at the 45th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in early December 2022.
Paul Duvall joins Sullivan Hill law firm
Paul H. Duvall has joined the law firm of Sullivan Hill as an of counsel attorney in the San Diego office.
He will be a member of Sullivan Hill’s Employment Law and Commercial and Business Litigation practice groups.
Duvall’s practice is focused in the areas of employment and labor matters as well as wage and hour issues.
Prior to joining Sullivan Hill, Duvall was an attorney at a San Diego law firm representing plaintiffs in employment cases alleging discrimination, wrongful termination and wage/hour violations in state and federal courts.
Before that, he was a managing partner of the San Diego office of King & Ballow where he represented various California newspapers and other clients in employment and labor matters.
Previously, Duvall practiced law with Sullivan, Jones & Archer, a San Diego law firm specializing in complex civil litigation.
ViaSat-3 satellite completes
mechanical environmental testing
Viasat Inc., global leader in satellite communications, announced Tuesday that the ViaSat-3 Americas satellite has completed mechanical environmental testing. This is a significant milestone that is designed to verify the satellite can endure the rigors of launch and continues the momentum for launch later this year.
During mechanical environmental testing, the ViaSat-3 Americas satellite was subjected to simulations of the vibration and acoustic environments it will experience during launch. The satellite had already successfully completed thermal vacuum testing that simulated vacuum and extreme hot and cold conditions of space where the satellite will operate during its expected 15-year lifetime.
“The completion of the mechanical environmental testing, coupled with the earlier successful completion of thermal vacuum testing, confirms that the first ViaSat-3 spacecraft can withstand the extreme environments from launch through in-orbit operations,” said Dave Ryan, president of Space & Commercial Networks at Viasat. “The combined Viasat, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman teams have done an outstanding job in progressing through environmental testing with very successful results.”
KPI Logistics acquired by TA Services Inc.
TA Services Inc., an Alabama full-service logistics provider and subsidiary of PS Logistics, has completed the acquisition of San Diego-based KPI Logistics LLC, a multimodal third-party logistics provider specializing in truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, and managed transportation services. The acquisition of KPI Logistics is part of TA Services’ commitment to continued brokerage growth and expansion of service offerings for new and existing customers. Financial terms of thetransaction were not disclosed.
KPI Logistics was founded in 2010 and has built its foundation on collaborative, long-term relationships to serve the specialized needs of shippers throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
San Diego breweries win 15 medals
San Diego breweries last week won 15 medals at the Great American Beer Festival, the nation’s largest professional brewing competition that takes place annually in Denver, Colorado. Three breweries took home Gold Medals, including BNS Brewing & Distilling (My Bloody Nightmare in the “Strong Red Ale” category), North Park Beer Company (NZ-FU! in the “English IPA or New Zealand IPA” category), and Rouleur Brewing Company (Domestique Blonde Ale in the “Belgian-style Ale or French-style Ale” category).
North Park Beer Company won a San Diego-best four medals overall, including one silver and two bronze. It also took home 2022 Brewery of the Year honors for the 2,001-5,000 barrel breweries.
General Atomics flight tests next-generation flight computer
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) successfully performed the first flight tests of the next-generation flight computer for the MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). The tests took place at GA-ASI’s El Mirage Flight Test Facility in El Mirage, Calif., as part of the U.S. Army-funded development efforts to upgrade and modernize the GE-ER.
General Atomics successfully flight tested the new Flight Control Module on Sept. 13-14, 2022. The flights included the Eagle Flight Computer Assembly that provides increased processing power, memory, and a high speed ethernet interface. Modernized avionics will enable advanced computing, Modular Open Systems Approach, and automation, as well as redundancy, and environmental improvements.
Local judges, attorneys help
incarcerated women find success
Local judges, attorneys and other professionals will gather at the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility Friday, Oct. 14, for “Success Inside and Out,” an annual program providing support and assistance for incarcerated women preparing for their release and transition back into the community. The half-day program, sponsored by the National Association of Women Judges, will provide workshops aimed at helping the women build healthy relationships, reconnect with their children, improve their finances, continue their educations, and change behavior patterns.
New Immigrant and Refugee Welcome Center previewed
County and community leaders gathered on Monday to tour a new Welcome Center in National City that will serve San Diego’s immigrants and refugees. The center, scheduled to open by the end of the year, will open just over a year after the Board of Supervisors approved the establishment of a new office dedicated to providing critical support to immigrants and refugees. The Welcome Center will connect individuals — from refugees to asylum seekers to longtime residents of the county — with a wide variety of resources and services all accessible in one building. These services include employment assistance, housing support, interpretation, referrals to legal services and health screenings.
Amanda Cass promoted to COO
of American Council on Exercis
The American Council on Exercise (ACE) promoted Amanda Cass to the role of chief operating officer. Cass, formerly the ACE executive vice president of central services, brings expertise in operations, human resources, and accounting to the reinstituted ACE senior leadership role. Cass will provide the leadership and management to ensure ACE has the necessary operational controls; strategic planning processes and accountability measures; and human resource systems in place to effectively grow the organization. She will oversee daily operations of more than five ACE departments.
“It is an honor to step into the role of chief operating officer and build upon the excellent work that ACE is already doing,” said Cass. “Supporting ACE in an operational capacity allows for an organization that can effectively and efficiently achieve our vital mission.”
Local nonprofits encouraged to apply for grants
The San Diego County Employees’ Charitable Organization (CECO) is accepting applications for its 2023 Community Grants now through Friday, Nov. 4. In 2022, CECO distributed $120,130 among 82 local nonprofit programs, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County, Coastal Roots Farm, Gary and Mary West Senior Dental Center and Voices for Children. CECO grants fund tangible goods such as equipment, furnishings and other durable goods that directly benefit the population served by the applicant program. A complete list of prior grant recipients, as well as 2023 grant instructions and application can be found at sdceco.org.
