Daily Business Report: Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Former Navy pilot Victor Glover chosen
to pilot four-person crew to the moon
Former San Diego-based Navy pilot Victor Glover, 46, has been selected for a four-person crew chosen by NASA to venture around the moon on Artemis II in November 2024. Glover will be the pilot for the the approximately 10-day Artemis II flight test that will launch on the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket, prove the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems, and validate the capabilities and techniques needed for humans to live and work in deep space.
The mission will be Glover’s second spaceflight, serving previously as pilot on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1, which landed May 2, 2021, after 168 days in space. As a flight engineer aboard the space station for Expedition 64, he contributed to scientific investigations, technology demonstrations, and participated in four spacewalks.
“The Artemis II crew represents thousands of people working tirelessly to bring us to the stars. This is their crew, this is our crew, this is humanity’s crew,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
The other crew members are Commander Reid Wiseman, Baltimore, Md.; Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch, a native of Grand Rapids, MI; and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen, from London, Ontario. They will work as a team to execute an ambitious set of demonstrations during the flight test.
Top photo: Astronaut Victor Glover spent 167 days as a crew member on the International Space Station.
Nostalgia Coffee Roasters founder and CEO
Taylor Fields makes Inc.’s Female Founders List
Tayor Fields, founder and CEO of San Diego-based and LGBTQ-proud coffee company Nostalgia Coffee Roasters, has been named to Inc.’s sixth annual Female Founders list, which honors 200 women whose innovations and ideas are shaping the future of business.
“I’m beyond grateful to be recognized alongside so many incredible female founders,” said Fields, who at 30 years old is paving a new path in a male dominated industry. “I certainly would not be here without the incredible work and dedication of our entire team. They have spent countless hours pursuing our goal of bringing systemic change to the coffee space and fighting for more equity, sustainability, diversity, and inclusion. As a gay-female founder, fighting for equity is deeply personal, so this recognition truly means a lot.”
Challenging industry standards is something Fields does every day.
More than 50 percent of Nostalgia’s coffee is produced by women-owned farms, and the company gives 5 percent of its revenue directly back to producers each year in an effort to help improve their facilities and to pay employees higher wages.
Fields also ensures that everyone on her own team is paid a thriving and equal wage, while focusing on advancing women, LGBTQ and BIPOC community members to leadership roles.
The company prioritizes sustainability by using 60 percent less fuel during its roasting process, creating an innovative and fully compostable brew bag, and ensuring its producing partners use the climate-smart and rainforest alliance best practices on their farms.
Rebecca Katzke joins The Kleinfelder Group
Rebecca Katzke has joined The Kleinfelder Group Inc., an engineering, design and construction management company, as senior vice president and national water market manager.
In this role, Katzke will drive strategic growth and business development opportunities through engineering design, environmental permitting and compliance, and construction management/inspection services to local, state, and federal water market clients across Kleinfelder’s U.S. operations.
Katzke has held multiple high-level positions throughout her 20-year career in the AEC industry.
Before joining Kleinfelder, Katzke most recently served as WSP’s vice president of business development and Central Gulf Coast Region Water Sector Leader, where she was responsible for developing and implementing strategy, performing business development, and managing water sector growth for the earth and environment business in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Illinois.
Guest Commentary
Federal government needs to step up
and fund California high-speed rail
By Ray LaHood, Republican from Illinois and former U.S. secretary of transportation
Intensifying climate change, worsening traffic congestion and volatile gas prices have affected us all, and it is now clearer than ever that our nation deserves a world-class high-speed rail network powered by carbon-free energy. In order to compete globally, decarbonize the transportation sector and achieve long-term energy security, we urgently need to get serious about high-speed rail.
During my tenure as secretary of transportation, one of President Obama’s visions was development of a high-speed rail program and we included $8 billion for high-speed rail initiatives in the economic stimulus bill. The Obama administration was especially proud to help launch the rail program in California, advanced under the visionary leadership of former Gov. Jerry Brown, with a $4 billion investment.
Opponents of California’s high-speed rail program continue to jeer from the sidelines, as the project reports new cost increases. But the real impediment to progress is a long-term lack of federal support for high-speed rail.
Illumina’s NovaSeq X exceeds 200th
order milestone in first quarter 2023
SAN DIEGO — Illumina Inc., a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, announced it has already exceeded more than 200 orders for its revolutionary NovaSeq X sequencing system in the first quarter of 2023. The orders represent a diverse customer base spanning research and clinical customer segments in nearly 30 countries, across five continents, all seeking to add NovaSeq X – the fastest, most powerful, most sustainable high-throughput sequencer available, according to the company.
Petco unveils Clean Grooming initiative
SAN DIEGO — Petco Health and Wellness Company Inc. has launched its Clean Grooming initiative, becoming the first national omnichannel pet retailer to offer designated Clean Grooming services and products. Across more than 1,350 Petco pet care centers, petco.com
and in the Petco app, pet parents can now easily identify grooming services and products without parabens, phthalates and chemical dyes, so they can make informed decisions about their pets’ routine care and overall health.
Urban Plates dropping prices on
a selection of its most popular meals
SAN DIEGO — At a time when many restaurants are raising prices, Urban Plates, the 17 location, chef-driven concept, is doing the opposite. Urban Plates announced it is dropping prices on a selection of some of the restaurant’s most popular salads, sandwiches, and bowls. Additionally, Urban Plates has expanded its Everyday Value Menu to include 13 meals for under $13. Urban Plates has also expanded the lineup of items on its Everyday Value Menu and revamped prices to start at just $9.95.
AnaBios Corporation acquires Cell Systems
SAN DIEGO — AnaBios Corporation announced the acquisition of Cell Systems, a human primary cell and cell culture media company located in Kirkland, Wash. The purchase of Cell Systems will further enhance AnaBios’ unique human tissue and cells portfolio and help scientists expedite drug discovery and further their understanding of cell biology through access to an expansive array of biologically relevant tools. Financial details have not been disclosed.
Platform Science brings ConMet Digital’s
telematics portfolio to fleet solutions
SAN DIEGO — Platform Science, a leading connected vehicle platform based in San Diego, and ConMet Digital of Vancouver, Wash., announced a new collaboration to offer ConMet’s telematics portfolio in Platform Science’s industry-leading marketplace of solutions. The ConMet Digital suite of products provides fleet managers, drivers, and dispatchers with real-time visibility of a vehicle, including critical component condition and asset location. Platform Science’s innovative transportation solutions make it easier for fleets to develop, deploy, and manage mobile devices and applications on commercial vehicles.
Sony Electronics introduces new
generation spatial reality display
SAN DIEGO — Sony Electronics is adding a new model to its Spatial Reality Display portfolio with the addition of the ELF-SR2. At 27 inches, the larger 4K option provides highly realistic, three-dimensional content without the use of special glasses or VR headsets. Highlights of the new offering include an upgraded high-speed vision sensor, image quality enhancing technologies and installation flexibility. Additionally, the ELF-SR2 enables more robust functionality through its support of applications and development.
TuSimple brings to market
autonomous domain controller
SAN DIEGO — TuSimple, a global autonomous driving technology leader, has introduced its proprietary, high-performance central compute unit – the TuSimple Domain Controller (TDC). The TDC will serve as an autonomous truck’s central computational unit, incorporating sensor inputs, high performance computing, integrated vehicle control unit (VCU), and autonomous software to enable advanced autonomous driving solutions. The TDC has been a multi-year project following the January 2022 announced use of NVIDIA technology to develop a proprietary domain controller.
Planet Based Foods enters European
market with UK subsidiary
SAN DIEGO —Planet Based Foods Global Inc. has formed a UK subsidiary under the name PBF Europe LTD. for the purpose of entry into European markets. Planet Based Foods Global Inc., the parent company of San Diego’s Planet Based Foods, will continue its operations in the United States as it establishes itself in new international territories. Planet Based Foods will solicit advisory services from development consultant Jason Smith to help establish the company’s presence in Europe.
Drata expands global footprint
with Distology partnership
SAN DIEGO — Drata, a continuous security and compliance automation platform, announced its partnership with Distology, a leading value-added distributor (VAD) specialising in cybersecurity. The partnership marks the continued growth of Drata’s channel program and global expansion efforts by extending its integrated risk and compliance offerings to Distology’s community of IT resellers in the EMEA region. Distology is an award-winning and highly knowledgeable cybersecurity distributor, representing leading and emerging vendors.
centrexIT announces its Companywide
Employee Ownership plan
SAN DIEGO — centrexIT, a leading provider of information technology (IT) services helping businesses thrive through technology and support, announced the launch of its Companywide Employee Ownership (CEO) plan. Modeled after an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), the program is effective immediately. The CEO plan is named that by design. Every one of the employees is responsible and held accountable to the goals and mission of the company. It is designed to give employees a direct stake in the company’s future success and align their interests with those of the company.
