Daily Business Report-May 19, 2015
Model of MEIS-designed Chargers stadium for the Mission Valley site.
Canopied Chargers Stadium
Would be Unique in the NFL
By Dan Meis
San Diego’s sunny and mild climate provided us with the opportunity to design a multipurpose, state-of-the-art stadium that would be both unique in the NFL and a home field to the San Diego Chargers unmatched by any other stadium on the planet in its ability to be completely evocative of the environment of which it is born.
The temperate climate allowed us to design a building that is far more open in nature. Concourses, club areas, lobbies —areas that are traditionally enclosed and electronically heated or cooled — can in this climate often be open air, or significantly less weather protected than in a northern climate.
The ability to forego the facade wrapping that most stadiums of this size require reduces both the capital and operating cost of the venue, while enhancing the fan experience by providing a truly unique-to-San Diego venue.
The natural landscape of San Diego became a critical part of the architecture with the integration of native species of trees and flowers providing a natural tie to the site.
The defining design feature of the proposed stadium is a sun canopy we have dubbed “the Helios.”
Helios, the personification of the sun in Greek mythology, here is a fabric canopy employed specifically to shade the seating bowl from the San Diego sun while maintaining an open-to-the-sky, “California convertible” feel.
The form of the canopy is derived from a sophisticated computer simulation of the sun angles throughout the seasons at this specific geographic location. The canopy provides an added benefit in acoustical enhancement, capturing crowd noise, and allowing for sound and lighting distribution, ensuring a raucous home-field advantage and state-of-the-art broadcast conditions.
The steel, fabric and cable structure MEIS designed are instantly evocative of the masts and rigging of the sailboats so identified with the San Diego lifestyle.
The design is at once simple and instantly iconic. The shape of the seating bowl reflects the desired sideline orientation of the majority of seating and the best site lines in the NFL. Regular capacity of 65,000 seats is easily expanded to 72,000 for Super Bowls and other major events through the addition of temporary end zone seating sections.
This design allows for one of the most cost-effective stadiums of its size in the world while providing a uniquely San Diego experience and an instantly recognizable, iconic addition to the region.
Dan Meis is the founder and managing principal at MEIS, a New York-based stadium architecture and design firm. This essay appeared in the Citizens’ Stadium Advisory Group report on stadium financing.
Women-Owned Firms in San Diego
Contribute $14.6 Billion to Economy
California leads the nation in the number of women-owned firms with an estimated 1.2 million. These firms employ almost one million and attribute to roughly $218.9 billion.
That’s according to the fifth annual State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, commissioned by American Express OPEN, a comprehensive report released Monday analyzing the 1997, 2002, and 2007 data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s quinquennial business census, the Survey of Business Owners.
San Diego has an estimated 95,100 women-owned firms, employing 92,400 people and attributing to nearly $14.6 billion.
Similar to previous annual reports released this time last year, the unique analysis, reported by industry, revenue and employment size at the national and state levels, shares a new and nuanced investigation into the growth trends among the 9.4 million women-owned enterprises over the past 18 years.
Nationally, the number of women-owned businesses has increased 74 percent since 1997. California is ranked 14th (74.1percent) in growth of number of firms over the past 18 years and 27th (80.6 percent) in growth of firm revenue between 1997 and 2015. Out of the top 25 metro areas, San Diego is ranked 16th (29.4 percent) in growth of firms since 2002 and 17th (38.3 percent) in growth of firm revenue.
Real Office Centers Opens Second
Downtown Office Space for Startups
Real Office Centers (ROC) is opening today a second Downtown San Diego location for tech start-ups, providing entrepreneurs with private offices and a large communal workspace that fosters a creative and nurturing environment for their businesses to thrive.
The creative space at 101 Broadway is over 21,000 square feet and features 96 private offices (furnished and unfurnished), conference rooms, collaborative workspace, a fully equipped kitchen/lounge, mail receipt and distribution, guest reception, Cafe Bar serving local coffee, beer on tap, bike parking (racks), lockers, monthly events such as Free Lunch Friday, professional administrative and concierge services, free maintenance and utilities, and 24/7 office access.
The new ROC location will open 25 percent leased and house creative and technology forward startups such as Zirx, a valet on demand car service app company.
The initiation of ROC’s second Downtown location was prompted by a collaboration between ROC, EvoNexus (a technology incubator) and the Irvine Company to connect entrepreneurs at various stages of development and facilitate growth all under one roof — collectively called TheVineSD.
“Part of ROC’s platform is to support and foster the growth of the startup community,” said Ron McElroy, founder and CEO of ROC. “As seeded companies from EvoNexus graduate and get funded, ROC is the natural next progression and this new location allows them to stay close to both mentors and continued funding.”
A recent Inc. magazine study showed the tech start-up sector growing by more than 150 percent over the past five years, resulting in the demand for affordable and flexible office space and lease options.
ROC said it is working with community partners Microsoft Bizpark, Founders Institute, Conscious Capitalism, and Tech Coast Venture Network.
The Downtown space includes a full wall mural by in-house artist Kaleo.
Kearny Mesa Office Building Sold for $4.63 Million
REAlliance LLC has purchased a 27,239-square-foot medical office building in San Diego’s Kearny Mesa submarket from Daley Industrial Venture, No. 5 for $4.63 million. The property is located at 9737 Aero Drive.
Realliance LLC (The Super Dentists) has plans to renovate and retrofit the entire building. According to Dr. Kami Hoss, CEO of The Super Dentists and managing partner at REAlliance, the space will be utilized for their corporate office and will also include the main campus for their dental assisting school and their fifth multi-specialty dental practice.
JLL represented the buyer. Voit Real Estate Services represented the seller.
City Council Vote on One Paseo
Delayed Over Possible Compromise
A City Council vote on whether to proceed with a ballot referendum on the controversial One Paseo project was postponed because of a possible compromise between opposing developers.
Councilman David Alvarez who represents south San Diego, sought the delay because he said a compromise that would reduce traffic in Carmel Valley was at hand.
Representatives of One Paseo developer Kilroy Realty and Donahue Schriber Realty Group, which owns the shopping center across the street and financed signature-gathering for the referendum, told the council they could not specifically discuss a possible compromise. But under questioning, they implied there was progress.
“More time is always helpful,” said Jeff Chine, an attorney for Kilroy.”We’re closer to home than not.”
Councilman Scott Sherman argued that it makes sense to take three more days and possibly save taxpayers money on a ballot referendum, which the city clerk estimated would cost nearly $900,000.
Council President Sherri Lightner, who represents Carmel Valley, said she opposed delaying a vote. “It’s unfair to the public to do this at the last moment when I know this has been going on for awhile,” she said, referring to the ongoing discussions.
The postponement until the next regular council meeting on Thursday was approved 7-2. At that time, the council could either rescind its approval of One Paseo or allow the referendum to proceed.
— Times of San Diego
Chargers Owner Dean Spanos
Stepping Down From Operations
On the day that the possible framework of a financial plan to build a new football stadium in San Diego was released, the Chargers Monday announced that owner Dean Spanos is stepping down from day-to-day operations of the team.
His sons, John and A.G. Spanos, have been promoted as co-presidents after serving as executive vice presidents. John Spanos will continue to be the head of football operations, while A.G. will still oversee the business side, according to the Chargers.
Dean Spanos will remain chairman of the board.
ESPN reported that the elder Spanos felt the time was right to hand off control of the team, and that the main difference is that his sons will now have the final say over their sides of the operation.
Spanos will remain involved in the Chargers’ hunt for a new stadium, whether in San Diego or Los Angeles, according to the report.
— City News Service
Storage Company Illegally Sold Navy
Service Members’ Stored Belongings
A San Diego-based storage company agreed to pay $170,000 to resolve allegations by the Department of Justice that it unlawfully sold U.S. Navy service members’ stored belongings, federal authorities announced.
A lawsuit filed in March claimed Across Town Movers had a practice of selling active-duty service members’ storage lots without obtaining necessary court orders.
“Federal law protects our military service members and their dependents from businesses taking certain adverse actions against them,” said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy. “These protections permit service members to devote their full attention to defending the United States.”
Among the aggrieved service members is Master Chief Petty Officer Thomas E. Ward, now retired, who will receive $150,000 as compensation for his auctioned personal property.
A longtime car enthusiast and 30-year veteran, Ward placed his valuable car parts and many household items into storage when he was deployed overseas.
He entrusted Across Town Movers to keep his property safe until he returned home to San Diego. Just before completing his final tour, Ward learned that Across Town Movers had auctioned off all of his stored personal property, including rare, vintage car parts. without providing any notice or obtaining a court order, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Across Town Movers continued to collect payment of storage fees from the government after it sold Ward’s goods, prosecutors said.
— City News Service
Towne Centre Technology Park Sold
Towne Centre Technology Park, a four-building property in University Towne Center, has been sold to BioMed Realty Trust for $83.8 million. The seller was Arden Realty Inc.
The property is located on Towne Centre Court and Towne Centre Drive and totals 183,000 square feet.
Foundry Medical Innovations Merges with Zeis,
Changes Name to Toolbox Medical Innovations
CARSLBAD — Foundry Medical Innovations, a medical and diagnostic device development company, has merged with Zeis Consulting Group, a leader in IVD clinical research, and changed its name to Toolbox Medical Innovations.
Along with the merger comes building improvements to its Carlsbad headquarters that includes a new engineering laboratory, additional office space, numerous upgrades to the current facility, a new top-of-the line injection molding machine, and a usability testing area.
“With the merger, we now have a wider focus and more tools at our disposal that will help us deliver the best in medical and diagnostic technology, such as usability studies, to our target markets,” said Meghan Alonso, Toolbox Medical Innovations business development director. “Given these dramatic changes, we believe our re-branding to Toolbox Medical Innovations was definitely warranted.”
San Diego County Education and School
Technology Leaders to be Honored Wednesday
The Classroom of the Future Foundation will honor education leaders, schools and programs that utilize the most forward-thinking uses of educational technology in San Diego County at the 12th annual Innovation in Education Awards to be held Wednesday at the University of San Diego.
Among the awardees is local resident Thomas Greaves, recipient of the Visionary & Outstanding Leadership Award. Greaves spearheaded ProjectRED (Revolutionizing Education), the first large-scale national research study to identify and prioritize the factors that make K-12 technology implementations successful.
Recipients of education program awards include the San Diego County Office of Education, Feaster Charter, School ( Chula Vista Elementary School District), Poway Unified School District and Longfellow Elementary School (San Diego Unified School District).
Along with Greaves, individual education leader honorees include Timothy Baird, superintendent of the Encinitas Union School District; Steve Bailey, principal of Emerald STEAM Magnet Middle School; Rick Oser, principal of Lemon Grove Academy for Sciences and Humanities.
Scott Moss, a teacher at Innovation Middle School, will receive the Innovative Technology award for a member of San Diego Computer Using Educators (SDCUE). It includes a $1,000 award in recognition of his nearly 30 years of educational technology experience as an educator, administrator, conference presenter, instructor, and Google Certified Teacher and a CUE Lead Learner.
In addition to the individual awards, $40,000 in scholarships provided by USS Midway Museum and the Jack in the Box Foundation will be distributed among 20 AVID (college prep program) students.
For more information, visit www.classroomofthefuture.org.
