Daily Business Report: Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022
Northrop Grumman played critical role
in deployment of U.S. Space Force-44 mission
Northrop Grumman Corporation played a critical role in the integration, launch and deployment of the United States Space Force (USSF)-44 mission that successfully launched Tuesday from Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Several hardware and software platforms were provided to deliver multiple missions for customers including highly complex payloads from multiple industry partners.
The Long Duration Propulsive ESPA (LDPE)-2 spacecraft on this mission consists of an ESPAStar satellite, built in Northrop Grumman’s Gilbert, Ariz. satellite facility — one of several facilities with a legacy of advanced manufacturing capabilities. The bus carries six payloads with independent mission objectives.
“ESPAStar vehicles can use excess payload space on launches and our streamlined integration process allows for unification at the launch site,” said Troy Brashear, vice president, national security systems, Northrop Grumman. “These capabilities enhance mission value and redefine rapid access to space as we provide the U.S. Space Force with the technology to make their missions more efficient.”
Top Photo: The ESPAStar platform (as pictured) can accommodate up to six payloads with independent mission objectives. (Courtesy Northrop Grumman)
Feds demand Colorado River water cutbacks
By Dan Walters | CalMatters
One must wade through a thicket of bureaucratic jargon to find it, but on Friday federal officials issued what appears to be a serious warning to California and other states that use water from the highly stressed Colorado River:
If they cannot agree on sharp reductions in diversions of the Colorado’s water, the feds will impose them unilaterally.
It’s the latest wrinkle in decades of interstate squabbling over the river, which has become more heated as the river’s flows continue to decline and conditions in its two major reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, reach the crisis stage.
The federal Bureau of Reclamation wants California, Arizona and Nevada to reduce diversions by at least 2 million acre-feet a year and as much as 4 million, but negotiations have been fruitless. California, which takes the most water from the river, by far, has offered just a 400,000 acre-foot reduction. An acre-foot is 326,000 gallons.
Downtown Works taking reservations for events, meetings, etc.
Downtown Works, developer of coworking spaces, is taking reservations for corporate events, private meetings, and offsites for 2 to 275 people in its Carlsbad, Pacific Beach and Little Italy San Diego locations. The company provides event spaces and furnished, tech-enabled conference rooms for board retreats, off-site strategy meetings, collaborations, trainings, and more.
The Downtown Works location in Carlsbad offers 2.5 acres of outdoor event space, and scalable furnished indoor conference areas. Free parking is included.
The Little Italy San DiegoandPacific Beach locations offer a variety of indoor event spaces and private conference rooms. All include coffee service, A/V and more.
To book an event or meeting, contact Director of Operations Niki Ellis at Niki@downtownworks.com.
Restaurateur Sami Ladeki expanding into Oceanside
Sami Ladeki, the restaurateur behind Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza and Toast Gastrobrunch is opening a blended concept –Toasted Gastrobrunch & Sammy’s Dinner in Oceanside at 339 North Cleveland Street (92054).
Toasted will have all the brunch favorites from Toast Gastrobrunch (formerly in Carlsbad) served daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. At 3:00 p.m. Happy Hour begins with shareables and other items at 50 percent off until 6 p.m. Sammy’s Dinner menu will be served from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. which will have new specialties – an elevated dinner experience.
Sammy’s dinner favorites will include the fan favorites of the Chopped Chicken Salad, Mini Duck Tacos and the pizzas that made them famous. There will be new additions to enhance the menu, such as an octopus shareable, a roasted lamb shank entrée, and lobster orzotto. And, of course, the Messy Sundae will be on the menu for dessert!
Asurion Tech Repair & Solutions opens in Otay Ranch
A new electronics repair shop, Asurion Tech Repair & Solutions, has opened in Otay Ranch at 1392 East Palomar St. The store offers professional fixes for most consumer electronics, from smartphones, tablets and computers to game consoles, smart speakers, drones and more. While common repairs include cracked screens, battery issues and water damage, the company’s repair experts have fixed millions of devices and can help with most any tech mishap, and many basic repairs can be completed in 45 minutes or less. The store is owned by Ahmad Bashir and Hamid Azizi, who also own locations in Chula Vista and Downtown San Diego.
The store’s expert repair technicians fix all kinds of technology, regardless of make or model, and the store is an authorized repair provider for Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel smartphones. Customers can book a repair appointment online or stop by the store for walk-in service.
Jamul Casino to present Chef Sean Sherman
for limited-seating culinary event Nov.19
Jamul Casino will welcome Chef Sean Sherman, founder and CEO of the company The Sioux Chef, for a one-of-a-kind culinary event on The Rooftop, on Saturday, Nov. 19.
Internationally renowned for advancing indigenous cuisine, Sherman will guide guests through a three-course, curated meal, exclusively prepared for the evening.
Offering two seatings at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., tickets for the Chef Sherman culinary event are $85 and may be purchased here.
By partnering with Sherman, Jamul Casino continues to elevate and expand its culinary offerings and experiences.
Sherman, of the Oglala Lakota tribe, has been delighting palates across the globe for the last three decades as a caterer, educator, cookbook author, and restaurant owner.
Achyuta Adhvaryu to lead UC San Diego School
of Global Policy and Strategy India Center
By Christine Clark
Achyuta Adhvaryu has been appointed as the inaugural director of the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy India Center and will serve as professor of economics at the school effective Jan. 1, 2023. Adhvaryu is currently the Alexander M. Nick Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business. Prior to that role, Adhvaryu was an assistant professor at Yale University’s School of Public Health.
The newly created India Center will serve as a world-class hub for research, education, and public engagement related to sustainable growth in India and advancing U.S.-India collaboration. Drawing from UC San Diego’s strengths across academic disciplines, the center will produce innovative research and bring together thought leaders as well as top public and private sector decision-makers to inform policy discussions.
Jack in the Box partners with The Cypress Group
to assist with refranchising of Del Taco restaurants
Jack in the Box Inc. announced that it has partnered with The Cypress Group, a leading restaurant and franchise investment banking firm, to manage the sale of certain company-owned Del Taco restaurants, which currently make up roughly half of the brand’s total restaurant count, to existing and new franchisees. The sale process will begin immediately and represents the next step toward asset-light portfolio optimization of the Del Taco system, positioning it for future growth. Cypress has more than 30 years of multi-unit M&A and corporate refranchising experience in the restaurant industry. Jack in the Box completed its acquisition of Del Taco last March, adding a clear growth opportunity to its portfolio – and seeks to make meaningful progress in 2023 on refranchising its newly-acquired brand to new or existing growth-oriented franchisees committing to develop additional restaurants.
Koji announces ‘Fund My Projecgt 2.0’
Koji, the e-commerce platform built for social media, announced the launch of Fund My Project 2.0, an updated template featuring a fresh redesign and new capabilities that allow sellers to better interact with their audience and crowdfund their projects. With Fund My Project 2.0, sellers can now promote their fundraisers and set rewards for fans who donate to help fund their latest project. Using tiered donations, donor rewards, and seller updates, the app lets audiences donate and receive meaningful feedback on progress throughout the project’s fundraising period. This template is free to use and available today on the Koji.
Arima Genomics to present data on cancer structural variants
Carlsbad’s Arima Genomics Inc., the leader in 3D genomics, announced that new data on the detection of actionable structural variants from cancer samples embedded in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues will be presented at the Association of Molecular Pathology Annual Meeting and Expo in Phoenix, Ariz. The data, developed in partnership with researchers from NYU Langone Health, shows how Arima Genomics’ 3D genomics tools were useful in detecting previously undetected gene rearrangements, fusions, and other structural variants of clinical significance.
Azamara unveils 155-night World Voyage for 2025
Azamara, the upmarket cruise line and leader in Destination Immersion experiences – is announces its 2025 World Voyage, departing from San Diego and visiting 37 countries before concluding in Southampton, UK. Taking place on the independent cruise line’s latest ship, Azamara Onward, this itinerary will include 15 overnights and 31 late stays in port, giving guests more time to immerse themselves in each unique destination. Due to the high demand for Azamara’s 2024 World Voyage, which is currently sold out with a waitlist, the cruise line is showing its appreciation for trade partners, loyalty guests, and past and current world-cruisers by giving them the exclusive opportunity to book first.
Fuse conducts successful live-flight demo
of tactical edge networking capability
Fuse Integration, a warfighter-focused engineering and design firm, announced another successful live-flight demonstration of its Tactical Edge Networking capability in support of a Technical Concept Experiment hosted by the Office of Naval Research. In the joint multi-domain exercise, which replicated expeditionary operations in a contested littoral environment, Fuse enabled the interconnecting of distributed nodes and provided persistent sea-to-shore networked communications via text, voice and live video feeds.
Throughout the multi-day exercise, held along Camp Pendleton’s Red Beach training area in California, Fuse engineers and technical personnel effectively integrated user data from various technologies into the overall event network architecture
Unifeye Vision Partners completes newest
partnership in greater San Diego market
Unifeye Vision Partners, a leading network of comprehensive eye care providers, announced the completion of a strategic partnership with Eye Care of San Diego, based in Mission Hills. This represents UVP’s ninth practice partnership in California and the 13th member of the growing UVP community. Delivering medical and surgical eye care since 1994, Eye Care of San Diego’s physicians and staff provide laser eye surgery, glaucoma medications and treatment, cornea and cataract surgery, and the full range of optical services. In addition, the team operates an ambulatory surgery center, utilized by their highly skilled team of fellowship-trained ophthalmologists. Led by John Bokosky, M.D., the team of five ophthalmologists and optometrists serves patients from three clinic locations in Hillcrest, Escondido, and La Jolla and from the ambulatory surgery center in Hillcrest.
Alterome Therapeutics extends
Series A to nearly $100 million
Alterome Therapeutics Inc. a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of alteration-specific targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer, announced that it has raised more than $35 million in a Series A2 financing, bringing total funds raised to nearly $100 million. Colt Ventures and OrbiMed co-led the round, with participation from all Series A investors including Nextech Invest, Vida Ventures, and Boxer Capital. The original round of $64 million closed in January 2022. The proceeds will be used to advance Alterome’s pipeline of three next-generation precision oncology programs designed using “The Kraken,” its in-house computational chemistry platform.
Daniel O’Connor joins Ambrx Biopharma as CEO
Ambrx Biopharma Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company using an expanded genetic code technology platform to create Engineered Precision Biologics (EPBs), announced the appointment of Daniel O’Connor as chief executive officer. O’Connor has over 23 years of executive experience and leadership in all aspects of the biopharmaceutical industry, including CEO leadership of two public oncology-focused companies, OncoSec Medical and Advaxis Inc., as well as C-Suite leadership roles at ImClone Systems, Bracco Diagnostics, and PharmaNet, Inc. (today, Syneos Health). He has a proven record of accomplishment in oncology drug development, with a focus on business strategy, clinical execution, product development, business transformation and corporate development.