Daily Business Report: Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022
Feeding San Diego providing much-needed
food assistance this holiday season
Feeding San Diego, the county’s leading hunger-relief and food rescue organization, is working diligently with the help of its staff and volunteers to source, pack, and distribute enough food for families this holiday season. The organization anticipates that it will distribute around 3.5 million pounds of food by the end of the month. To be capable of distributing such a high volume of food, the organization relies heavily on its volunteers. In December, there will be up to 2,700 San Diegans donating their time to make the holidays brighter for families in need.
“While we focus on providing hunger relief throughout the county year-round, the holidays are certainly a time when no family should have to worry about not having the budget to purchase nutritious and seasonal foods,” said Dan Shea, CEO of Feeding San Diego. “It’s the time of year when we hope to give hope and share joy in our community. Our mission of rescuing surplus food to feed people in need simply isn’t possible without all our stakeholders.”
In its last fiscal year, Feeding San Diego provided 35 million meals to San Diegans in need across the county. Those in need of help can visit Feeding San Diego’s website to use the Find Food Map, which allows the public to search for food distributions byZIP code.
NASSCO lays keel for future USNS Robert F. Kennedy
On Monday, Dec. 5, General Dynamics NASSCO laid the keel for the future USNS Robert F. Kennedy(T-AO 208), the fourth ship in the John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oiler program for the U.S. Navy.
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, sixth Lt. Governor of Maryland, the sponsor for the future USNS Robert F. Kennedy and daughter of the ship’s namesake, welded her initials onto a steel plate that will be permanently affixed to the ship’s keel and will remain with the vessel throughout its time in service.
Former Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus declared the John Lewis-class of oilers be named after leaders who fought for civil and human rights. The fourth ship honors Robert F. Kennedy, who served as the U.S. Attorney General from 1961 to 1964 and as a U.S. Senator from New York from 1965-1968.
Tracing the 12,000-year pedigree of beer
By Sarah White
San Diego State University population geneticist Arun Sethuramanand evolutionary biology Ph.D. student Alex Adame are an unlikely pair to be studying how the genetics of hops have changed throughout 12,000 years of history: neither of them drink beer.
“I might have a hops allergy,” said Adame, which, in addition to her being pregnant, makes systematically sniffing (for science) dozens of pungent pellets of the key beer ingredient a little nauseating.
But answering the infinite questions about how hops’ genes influence drought tolerance, resistance to pests, and ultimately the flavor of beer motivates her through the mild discomfort.
With funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Adame and Sethuraman are sequencing the genetic code of hundreds of varieties of hops with the goal of understanding the past and future of beer.
Viasat receives Better Satellite World Award
Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) recently honored Viasat for helping to improve the world as part of its 8th annual Better Satellite World Awards.
The awards honor companies and innovators that help make the world more prosperous, healthy, better-educated, sustainable, and inclusive. Viasat was recognized for its role in helping Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia access the internet by deploying its satellite connectivity across various sites – at no cost to the refugees.
An international jury chose this year’s three recipients, which also included water testing service ASTERRA for its underground potable water leak detection technology, and data and analytics company Spire Global’s use of weather and data to predict and mitigate environmental disasters.
All three companies were honored at the Dec. 5 Better Satellite World Awards dinner in London.
Liver cancer study encourages caution
with certain gene therapies
Research led by Randal J. Kaufman, has found that misfolded proteins in liver cells contribute to the development of liver cancer, shedding new light on the mysterious origins of one of the world’s deadliest diseases. The findings, published in the journal Molecular Therapy, could also help improve the safety of certain gene therapies for hemophilia.
“Liver cancer takes many years to develop, but it is one of the fastest-growing causes of cancer-related death in the United States,” says Kaufman, a professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys. “There is still a lot of mystery about what causes liver cancer to develop, and our findings show for the first time that misfolded proteins in liver cells play a key role. This effect needs to be taken into account when developing therapies that help the liver produce proteins, such as those for hemophilia A.”
Fallbrook dog Lotus wins AKC Humane Fund Award
Lotus, a German Shepherd Dog owned by former active duty Marine Asia Duhamel of Fallbrook has been selected as one of the winners of the AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE) in the category of Service Dog. In its 23rdyear, the ACE Awards celebrate five loyal, hard-working dogs that have significantly improved the lives of their owners and communities.
The winners in each category were featured in a special broadcast titled AKC HEROES: 2022 AWARDS FOR CANINE EXCELLENCE which aired Sunday, Dec. 11, on ESPN2, and will re-air Saturday, Dec. 24t at 2 p.m. on ABC.
Lotus is an Assistance Dogs International-accredited psychiatric/mobility Service Dog for her owner. Duhamel is a former active-duty Marine who was struggling with PTSD when she thought a service dog might help her get through daily life. Though retired from mobility except for retrievals, Lotus assists her owner in many ways, including disrupting repetitive and anxious behavior, responding to increased breathing, and crowd control. With Duhamel, that means putting her body on her lap, moving her hands out of the way, and licking her on her back until she recovers. Since receiving Lotus, Duhamel has started her training apprenticeship with Next Step Service Dogs after being ADI-accredited through the organization. She is now the lead trainer at a nonprofit organization called Canine Support Teams training service dogs.
Planet Based Foods enters partnership
with Oregon-based supermarket chain
San Diego-based Planet Based Foods announced that popular Oregon-based supermarket chain Market of Choice,will now feature the company’s products across all 11 in-store locations. The announcement is expected to start immediately, which is especially timely for the company as December is typically the busiest month for grocery stores and supermarkets. Currently, The Southwest Burger, a hemp seed, brown rice and pea protein burger with a kick can be found on shelves at various Market of Choice locations, while The Original Burger will be available later in January 2023.
TuSimple appoints independent
director to its board of directors
TuSimple, a global autonomous driving technology company, announced the appointment of James Lu to its board of directors as an independent director. Lu brings more than 20 years of experience in the technology sector as a seasoned entrepreneur, executive, and investor. Lu serves as the chairperson of Grindr, the world’s largest LGBTQ social dating application. He is also director, chairman and CEO of Life Concepts Holdings Limited, an investment company mainly engaged in restaurant operations
Sempra named one of Newsweek’s
‘Most Responsible’ companies’ for 2023
Newsweek has named Sempra as one of “America’s Most Responsible Companies” for 2023 for the fourth consecutive year. “This prestigious recognition is a reflection of our commitment to sustainable business practices that help drive high performance, capture new opportunities and deliver long-term sustainable value for our shareholders and other stakeholders,” said Lisa Alexander, senior vice president of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer for Sempra.
Dave Chanet joins Presidio Capital Management
Presidio Capital Management, one of San Diego’s leading wealth management firms, announced that Dave Chenet will be joining the firm as the new director of wealth management.
Chenet brings over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry and has a passion for helping families and businesses navigate financial markets by building solutions designed to meet their goals.
Prior to joining Presidio, Chenet served as the chief investment officer for a boutique wealth management firm in the New York City area where he not only oversaw the firm’s investment portfolios but was directly responsible for managing many of the client relationships.
Verimatrix selected by Nomitri
to protect its technologies
Varimatrix, the leader in powering the modern connected world with people-centered security, announced that Berlin, Germany-based AI software company Nomitri selected Vermatrix XTD technologies, among others, to protect its embedded visual AI technologies used by brick and mortar retail shoppers. Nomitri turns cutting-edge research in the field of embedded visual deep learning into innovative solutions for retail and quick commerce. Nomitri’s modular software stack can turn any camera into a smart camera.
Onchilles Pharma nominates first drug development candidate
Onchilles Pharma, a private biotech company developing new cancer therapeutics to modulate myeloid biology, announced the nomination of its first drug development candidate, N17350, a first-in-class biologic therapeutic that is designed to leverage the immunobiology of neutrophils, a key part in the innate immune system, against a wide range of cancer types. The company is targeting to start first-in-human clinical trials in 2024. Onchilles also disclosed the expansion of its technology platform to design new therapeutics modulating the M2-like TAMs found in multiple solid tumor indications.
Heritage Global raises target
for full year operating income
Heritage Global Inc. is raising its target for full year operating income to exceed $10 million, increasing its previously stated target of $9 million. “2022 has been a record year for us as a resurgence in consumer spending has driven increased volumes and provided significant traction on both the brokerage and the lending sides of our business. Likewise, our Industrial Assets segment has benefited from strong demand and a robust auction calendar,” said Ross Dove, CEO of Heritage Global.
Cubic Transportation Systems opens new
Global Engineering Centre in Perth, Australia
Cubic Transportation Systems, a division of Cubic Corporation, has officially opened the new Global Software Engineering Centre in Perth, Australia. CTS President Jeff Lowinger and Senior Vice President of Product and Engineering Galen Chui were in attendance to welcome the team to the new location. Over the past several years, CTS has expanded its presence in the Western Australian capital and now employs more than 60 highly skilled people who play an integral part in the business’s global success. The Global Centre was officially opened on Monday, and will accommodate the team of 65 CTS employees and allow for new testing and product engineering areas
Holiday Bowl Parade and Game set for Dec. 28
America’s Largest Balloon Parade – the Port of San Diego Holiday Bowl Parade presented by Kaiser Permanente — will take place Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 10 a.m. on Harbor Drive in front of the Convention Center. The new parade route will start at the South side of the convention center and will end at Pacific Highway. The route was changed due to a cruise ship will be in port that day. More than 100,000 street-side spectators are expected for this year’s event, along with a live streamed audience from CBS 8+ and www.holidaybowl.com . The parade is part of the festivities surrounding the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl. This year’s 43rd annual game will be played at Petco Park on Dec. 28 at 5 p.m
