Daily Business Report: Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022
Binational partnership with Mexico advances
new port of entry at San Diego-Tijuana border
Agreement provides a 50-50 toll revenue split
Governor Gavin Newsom announced a historic agreement that strengthens California’s partnership with Mexico and advances key border projects and initiatives. In Mexico City, state representatives and a delegation of regional leaders joined the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) to sign the new Toll Revenue Sharing Agreement with Mexico which supports the construction of the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry at the San Diego-Tijuana border.
The new state-of-the-art border crossing facility will reduce wait times, curb greenhouse gas emissions, power economic growth and bolster binational trade along the busiest border region in the Western Hemisphere.
The signing Toll Revenue Sharing Agreement comes on the heels of the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry Project receiving a $150 million INFRA grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the largest award nationally, which will go toward the construction of the new border crossing facility and related transportation infrastructure. The new port of entry is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.
Top Photo: A conceptual drawing of wht the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry will look like. (Caltrans/SANDAG)
UC San Diego launches new Human Milk Institute
Researchers hope to creat a global hub for understanding and
accelerating knowledge and application of human milk
By Scott LaFee
Building upon a long and robust history, the University of California San Diego has launched a new Human Milk Institute (HMI) to accelerate research into the nature, biology and therapeutic potential of human milk to prevent or treat both infant and adult diseases. The new institute is believed to be the first of its kind worldwide.
The new institute harmonizes efforts across multiple, ongoing enterprises and programs at UC San Diego related to human milk and lactation.
“Physicians and scientists at UC San Diego and elsewhere have been doing this work for a while, but largely isolated in their respective fields of interest,” said Lars Bode, professor of pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine and the HMI’s founding director. “With the novel, comprehensive approach of the Human Milk Institute at UC San Diego, we have an opportunity to learn, coordinate and interact in a single, go-to place, and be able to speak with one voice. Research can inform clinical care, clinical care can inform research and both can help educate.”
San Diego’s Single Use Plastic Reduction
Ordinance proposal up for panel vote
The San Diego City Council’s Environment Committee on Thursday will consider reintroducing the Single Use Plastic Reduction Ordinance before the full City Council for a vote. The ordinance, which prohibits throwaway foam foodware citywide, was originally approved by the City Council in January 2019. However, the city agreed to stay the ordinance and conduct an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to avoid a costly, plastics industry-funded lawsuit. Get the full story here.
Now that the Final EIR is out and concludes that the benefits far outweigh any potential negatives, the ordinance must by approved by the Environment Committee before heading to the full City Council for re-adoption.
SBA accepting applications for
National 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:
National Award Categories:
National Award Categories: (Accepted by the San Diego District Office no later than 12 p.m. PST on Dec. 8, 2022)
• 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
Cognizant collaborates with Qualcomm to launch
5G experience center for digital transformation
Cognizant, a New Jersey company, is expanding its collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies Inc., to accelerate enterprise digital transformation through a new 5G experience center in Atlanta, Ga. The collaboration combines Cognizant’s deep experience in 5G, IoT, cloud and data analytics with Qualcomm Technologies’ intelligent edge devices, AI and 5G connectivity solutions.
Building upon the improvements that 4G made to the consumer mobile experience, 5G was conceived with enterprises in mind, enabling and accelerating broad digital transformation journeys across industries.
Private 5G networks make possible next-generation services, such as autonomous driving, robotic automation, synthetic biology, virtual reality and smart manufacturing in an ultra-reliable, low-latency, secure and scalable way.
“Qualcomm Technologies is a pioneer in advancing 5G power to the intelligent edge, and we’re proud to collaborate with them in this critical space,” said Vibha Rustagi, global head of IoT at Cognizant.
Nearly 1 million older adults living in San Diego by 2030
The projected population growth of adults age 60+
was announced at SDSU’s Age-Friendly University Lecture Series
By Peggy Pico
For the first time in U.S. history, adults age 65 and older will outnumber children under age 18 by 2034, according to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The generational population shift is already underway in San Diego County, according to the newest California Department of Finance Demographics report, which projects more than 910,000 people aged 60+ are expected to live in the county by the year 2030.
“In the next eight years, the number of older adults living in San Diego County will have increased by 80 percent since 2010,” said Kim Gallo, director of Aging & Independent Services at the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency.
“Older adults are living healthier, longer lives,” Gallo said in her keynote speech at the SDSU Age-Friendly University (AFU) lecture series hosted by the Center for Excellence in Aging & Longevity. “They’re working longer, contributing to our economy and communities, and are actively engaged in learning.”
ShipLab signs sublease for Vista industrial building
San Diego-based ShipLab has signed a sublease for a freestanding 86,465-square-foot industrial building at 3055 Enterprise Court in Vista. ShipLab will use the space for expansion of its ecommerce fulfillment business. Built in 1998, the building offers 20 dock high doors, four grade level doors, 28-foot clear height, large truck court and ESFR sprinklers. JLL’s Scott Schindler represented ShipLab. The sublessor, Peloton, was represented by Blake Wilson of CBRE.
Wildfire Systems secures investment from Citi Ventures
Wildfire Systems Inc. a San Diego innovative fintech platform that powers white-label reward programs and shopping companions, announced that it has secured a strategic investment from Citi Ventures. The funding will support Wildfire’s technological innovation and continued ability to deploy new features that will drive rewarding online shopping experiences for consumers worldwide. The company’s white-label, turnkey offering enables partners — which include financial institutions, telecom leaders, and technology companies — to provide their customers with cashback rewards, digital coupons and other benefits when they shop at thousands of online merchants.
Shadowbox closes Series A
funding round with Baleon Capital
Shadowbox, a San Diego company specializing in health care automation solutions, announced the close of its Series A financing with Baleon Capital, an early-stage growth fund. Baleon Capital will invest up to $6 million to drive scale, expand market penetration, and enhance product automation. Shadowbox redefines workflow automation between health care providers and their customers, instantly connecting their systems to a library of electronic health records (EHRs). Shadowbox’s patented technology enables complete, accurate, and cost-effective transfer of patient data, freeing providers from costly and time-consuming traditional integration projects.
Dalrada Corporation acquires Bothof Brothers Construction
Dalrada Financial Corporation, an innovator in clean energy technology and services, has acquired Bothof Brothers Construction, a leader in high-end construction. The acquisition adds significant value to Dalrada’s fast-growing Energy Services division by providing more energy-efficient building capabilities. “We’re excited to launch our Commercial Construction Services division with this acquisition,” said Dalrada Energy Services President, Tom Giles. “By combining our energy-efficient services with the unmatched expertise, consistent reliability, and unwavering integrity of Bothof Brothers Construction, we will be able to provide more value to our clients as they embark on their building projects.”
Sharp HealthCare rated one of best
health systems in U.S. for heart care
Sharp HealthCare has been recognized by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) as one of the best health systems in the U.S. for providing top quality care to heart patients in 2022. Sharp is one of only 89 health systems nationally recognized by the ACC and the only system in San Diego. “Sharp is committed to providing the highest quality heart care and we are excited to be recognized as one of the best programs in the nation by the ACC,” said Joe Lo Duca, vice president of the Cardiovascular Service Line at Sharp HealthCare.
General Atomics demonstrates
air-to-air laser communications
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) successfully completed an air-to-air laser communication link between GA-ASI’s Laser Airborne Communication (LAC) terminals integrated onto two company-owned King Air aircraft. Laser communication is desirable for military applications because of its Low Probability of Intercept/Low Probability of Detection (LPI/LPD) and anti-jam capability that can support much higher data rates than radio frequency systems. “This air-to-air demonstration was a major success and marks a critical milestone for GA-ASI’s Lasercom development team,” said Satish Krishnan, vice president of mission payloads and exploitation.
Northrop Grumman delivers first GEM 63XL
solid rocket boosters to support Vulcan flight
Northrop Grumman Corporation has delivered the first two 63-inch-diameter extended length Graphite Epoxy Motors (GEM 63XL) to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. The solid rocket boosters will support the inaugural flight of United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket planned for first quarter 2023. At approximately 72-feet-long, and weighing over 117,000 pounds, the GEM 63XL is the longest monolithic single-cast solid rocket motor ever produced. Together the two boosters will provide nearly one million pounds of additional thrust for ULA’s Vulcan rocket with each booster contributing over 463,200 pounds of thrust at launch.
