Daily Business Report: Friday, March 17, 2023
Spotlight on New Business
New exhibit showcases work of botanical artist
By Brian Hiro
In her former life, Britton Neubacher was a crisis worker. To spruce up an otherwise drab environment, and because the organization she worked for didn’t have money for elaborate decorations, she would stuff her drop-in center with plants.
“The more plants I brought in,” Neubacher said, “the calmer people felt – including me.”
At a certain point, the plants that she surrounded herself with began to feel more inspirational than the crisis work itself. Seeking to transform the office into even more of a sanctuary for her clients, Neubacher decided to create a terrarium inside of a glass orb, then hang it from the ceiling.
A second career was born, with Neubacher reinventing herself as a botanical artist and creating a company – San Diego-based TEND – in 2007 to support her fledgling passion. Her work has been featured in such diverse locations as the San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego International Airport, Trash Lamb Gallery in South Park and the Sturt Haaga Gallery at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge.
Top photo: Botanical artist Britton Neubacher stands behind a sculpture she created for an exhibit on display through July in the CSUSM library. (Photo by Jamie Higgins)
Go AzTechs: SDSU team wins first
place in national hackathon
By Melinda Sevilla
San Diego State University students are working to solve pressing public safety issues for crowd control at concerts, sporting events, and other large-scale events. Team AzTechs, a group of SDSU electrical and computer engineering students, won the grand prize of $10,000 in a competition at the DASSH (Designing Actionable Solutions for a Secure Homeland) Student Design Challenge held Feb. 24-26. The hackathon competition tasked teams with finding an efficient and safe solution to manage crowds in a public place under a threat.
Team Aztechs’ first-place finish was the product of Tiber “Tito” Hernandez, Jared Acosta, Milan Bujosevic, Chris Choo, Elisha Reece, and DJ Younkin, accompanied by their faculty adviser and engineering associate professor Baris Aksanli.
“Our task at hand was to find an effective and easily communicable means of crowd control that enables crowds to make good decisions in the midst of terror,” explained Reece.
Team AzTechs focused on Petco Park, the San Diego Padres’ downtown stadium, as an example for their submission video. Together they created a proposal using hardware sensors to detect changes in the nominal states of mass-gathering areas to pinpoint the location of an attack.
Former Chula Vista mayor appointed to the
California Community Colleges Board of Governors
Former Chula Vista Mayor Mary Salas has been appointed to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Salas was mayor of Chula Vista from 2014 to 2022 and served on the City Council from 2012 to 2014.
She served as a California State Assemblymember from 2006 to 2010.
Salas was a corporate communications coordinator for Community Health Group from 2001 to 2004 and an economic development specialist at the California Trade and Commerce Agency from 1994 to 2001.
Thes position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per month. Salas is a Democrat.
North Park’s former Waldorf Television Building
undergoing transformation to residential and retail uses
Constructed in 1950, the North Park building formerly called the Waldorf Television Building is undergoing a transformation into a mixed-use development with 11 residences and 6,400 square feet of retail space.
North Park resident Nathan Cadieux acquired the 12,000-square-foot property at 3140 University Ave. in 2022 under the umbrella of his new real estate development troup Purpose.
With construction underway on The Waldorf, a façade renovation and interior repositioning will open the space and revive the design to honor the iconic character of the original building. Meanwhile, the addition of 1,000 square feet of outdoor patio space will activate the University Avenue/Iowa Street corridors and augment the neighborhood’s sidewalk experience.
Cadieux is working with OBR Architecture and Moniker Design Studio on the buildout, and upon completion this summer, The Waldorf will reopen as a mixed-use development with eleven design-forward residences and 6,400 square feet of retail.
One of The Waldorf’s two retail suites will be operated by San Diego hospitality firm Moniker Group, opening the Moniker General Outpost.
NASA unveils next-gen spacesuits destined for the moon
Axiom Space has unveiled NASA’s next-generation spacesuit that astronauts will be wearing when they step onto the lunar service in the Artemis III mission.The new design offers increased flexibility, increased protection against the harsh environment, and specialized tools for exploration and science-based activities.
Four bright lights around the helmet will enable astronauts to illuminate shaded areas as they traverse the lunar surface, and a camera will provide high-definition footage of their activities. Although blue in its current form, Axiom Space said that the finished article will be mostly white.
Michael T. Suffredini, Axiom Space president and CEO, said the suit will be “ready to meet the complex challenges of the lunar south pole and help grow our understanding of the moon in order to enable a long-term presence there.”
Currently set for 2025, Artemis III will put the first woman and first person of color on the moon in what also be the first crewed lunar landing in five decades.
Blocked by legislators, Newsom shifts
oil profits penalty plan to regulators
By Alexei Koseff | CalMatters
Facing public skepticism from lawmakers over his push to penalize oil companies for excessive profits, Gov. Gavin Newsom has dropped that proposal in favor of an alternative that would pursue a similar aim through regulations.
The governor’s office said late Wednesday that it plans to put forward an amended bill in the coming days that would create a watchdog division within the California Energy Commission to investigate alleged price gouging by the oil industry and authorize the commission to set through its rule-making process a threshold above which profits would be penalized.
Dana Williamson, Newsom’s chief of staff, said the shift in approach was the result of months of consultation with legislators, who broadly felt that an appropriate penalty would best be determined by industry experts.
“We feel like this is stronger from where we started,” Williamson said. “It is the only one of its kind in the country. And it’s really going to set up a watchdog entity that is going to watch the industry every single day.”
FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Michigan
chooses San Diego’s QCI Platform
SAN DIEGO — FireKeepers Casino Hotel and Quick Custom Intelligence jointly announced that the casino in Battle Creek, MI has chosen San Diego’s QCI Platform. The QCI Platform is currently being deployed throughout the property and the marketing, player development and casino operations team will begin training soon. The QCI Platform aligns player development, marketing and gaming with powerful real-time operational tools developed for the gaming and hospitality industries. Based in San Diego, QCI also has offices in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Dallas and Tulsa.
San Diego Loyal Soccer Club enters
partnership with Sycuan Casino Resort
SAN DIEGO — San Diego Loyal Soccer Club announced its partnership with Sycuan Casino Resort as the official and exclusive casino partner for the 2023 season. As part of the partnership, Sycuan will have presenting rights of the “Sycuan Endline Suites” at Torero Stadium. The all-inclusive premium seating area is located on-field along the east endline and offers an up close and personal view of game action. The partnership also includes a 40th Minute Presented by Sycuan broadcast and Halftime Kick Contest throughout the season.
Airgain secures contract for multi-million
dollar opportunity with railcar leader
SAN DIEGO — Airgain Inc. a leading provider of wireless connectivity solutions that creates and delivers products, including embedded components, external antennas, and integrated systems, across the globe – announced that a leading provider of railcars and associated services to the nation’s top railways has selected Airgain’s NimbeLink asset tracking solution to track and monitor its fleet of railcars. Airgain’s cellular-based solution allows organizations to track assets whether indoors, outdoors, or in transit without the need for additional investment in wireless infrastructure.
San Diego advances plan for new safe parking
lot with live-in-ready camper trailers
The San Diego City Council’s Rules Committee has forwarded a plan to open a new safe parking log in the Clairemont neighborhood that will include live-in-ready camper trailers as well as free, safe parking for people who sleep overnight in their vehicles. The City Council’s Rules Committee voted unanimously on the proposal by the city’s Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department to amend a contract with Jewish Family Service of San Diego to operate the new lot. Located near the City’s Rose Canyon Operations Yard, the lot will operate 24 hours a day and provide a safe place for unhoused residents needing to sleep overnight in their vehicles.
Turning Point Ministries hires
new chief development officer
SAN DIEGO — Turning Point Ministries announced the hiring of Mark Crozét as its new chief development oficer, effective April 1. Crozét brings a wealth of experience in the field of development with a proven track record of success in taking organizations to new levels of donor relations. Crozét comes to Turning Point from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation where he served as vice president. During his time there, he was responsible for building out fundraising operations, increasing revenue, and growing the organization.
TuSimple trucks cruise past the 10 million mile mark
SAN DIEGO — TuSimple, a global autonomous driving technology company, announced that its trucks have driven more than 10 million cumulative miles through testing, research and freight delivery. Among its many milestones: it was the first company to demonstrate an autonomous semi truck’s capabilities on surface streets and highways with its 1,000-meter perception breakthrough in 2018, and the launching of the Autonomous Freight Network in 2020.
SeekHer Foundation releases report
to ‘Bridge the Gap in Women’s Mental Health’
SAN DIEGO — SeekHer Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advocates for women’s mental well-being, announced its latest research findings published in the 2023 SeekHer Shift Report on “Bridging The Gap in Women’s Mental Health.” Insights from the second annual report were gathered from 1,612 survey respondents across the United States, with support from leading brands and organizations to identify the barriers negatively impacting women’s mental well-being – and the need to create safety, trust, and belonging within our home, work, and community environments.Download the report.
Netradyne partners with Cover
Whale Insurance Solutions
SAN DIEGO — Netradyne, an industry-leading SaaS provider of artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing solutions focused on safety and driver coaching for commercial fleets, today announced its partnership with Cover Whale Insurance Solutions Inc., a leading commercial trucking insurance provider and fast-growing insurtech. The partnership enhances Cover Whale’s Driver Safety Program by using Netradyne’s advanced AI safety technology to gain insights into driver behavior, identify critical incidents on the road, and deliver real-time alerts.
San Diego Wave FC and PenFed Credit
Union announce multi-year partnership
SAN DIEGO — San Diego Wave Fútbol Club announced a multi-year partnership with PenFed as the official credit union of Wave FC. PenFed Credit Union, the nation’s second-largest federal credit union, will serve as the presenting partner of the Wave’s Military Appreciation Night on Saturday, May 26. The partnership also incorporates PenFed Credit Union with digital LED signage at Wave FC home matches and a pre-game activation on May 26 at Snapdragon Stadium.
