Daily Business Report-March 2, 2017
Twenty-one of Higgs Fletcher & Mack’s attorneys were named 2017 San Diego ‘Super Lawyers.’ John Morell is pictured in center. Steven Cologne is at left, seated.
Longtime Higgs Fletcher & Mack
Managing Partner to Step Down
John Morell to take president’s post at Douglas Wilson Companies
Executive team member Steven Cologne named successor
John Morell, for 20 years the managing partner of Higgs Fletcher & Mack, one of San Diego’s largest law firms, is relinquishing his post to become president of the Douglas Wilson Companies, a new position.
Morrell will continue his affiliation with the Higgs firm on a number of special projects as its chairman emeritus, the first ever to serve in this position.
Succeeding Morell on March 31 will be Steven J. Cologne, a longtime executive team member of the firm.
“The partners could not have chosen a better successor,” said Morrell. “I’ve known Steve since our law school days and consider it a privilege to have called him a partner for the past 17 years. He’s a proven leader and dedicated attorney who cares about the clients he serves and the people with whom he works. We’ve been planning this transition for several months, and I’m excited for the new direction Steve will take Higgs Fletcher & Mack.”
As an attorney for over 30 years, Cologne began representing individuals and entities in construction defect and medical professional liability litigation. His practice grew rapidly to becoming the primary outside litigation counsel for San Diego Unified School District on a variety of claims in state and federal court, a position he still holds today.
Cologne joined Higgs Fletcher & Mack in 1999 and has been part of the executive team since then. He previously enjoyed 15 years as an associate, partner and shareholder with the law firm of McInnis, Fitzgerald, Rees & Sharkey, then San Diego’s premier litigation firm.
“I am honored to be named to this position and have some exceptionally big shoes to fill,” said Cologne. “John not only spearheaded the tremendous growth of the firm, nearly doubling our size since taking over as managing partner in 1997, but also championed many of our initiatives toward diversity and community involvement. We’ll continue to build upon this solid foundation as we refine our internal operations in the coming weeks.”
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Move past the adversity in your life with Tanya Brown
In its eighth year of bringing the message of empowerment to women in the region, San Diego Women’s Week features an author, speaker and life coach who is no stranger to adversity or trauma. Faced with near overwhelming life challenges, Tanya Brown used obstacles in her path to ultimately improve the quality of her life.
Tanya has written two books to help readers overcome difficult, traumatic situations. Through her revealing and thought-provoking memoir, “Finding Peace Amid the Chaos,” she would share her journey of self-discovery and shows how even the most severely traumatizing life experiences can carry lessons that teach new ways of being. Visit SDWomensweek.com to hear Tanya Brown speak on bouncing back from adversity: Monday, March 20, noon to 7 p.m.,Wyland Center Del Mar Fairgrounds.
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UC San Diego Astrophysicists
Contribute to Major Planet Discovery
The recent announcement that NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope had revealed the first known system of seven Earth-size planets around a single star was noteworthy for UC San Diego — which played a contributing role in the discovery.
Physics professor Adam Burgasser and his team at UC San Diego’s Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences has been studying the tiny star around which the seven Earth-sized planets orbit to determine its temperature, surface gravity (a measure of mass and radius) and elemental composition. The team also obtained measurements of radio emission of the star to determine its magnetic activity, important for assessing the habitability of its seven planets.
Three of the planets are located in an area around the star astronomers call the “habitable zone,” where the surface temperatures of rocky planets are just right for liquid water, a critical ingredient for life as we know it.
In addition, the discovery of this planetary system—named TRAPPIST-1—set new records for the greatest number of both Earth-sized planets and habitable zone planets found around a single star outside our solar system.
“The discovery of TRAPPIST-1 as a rich system of planets spanning the star’s entire habitable zone is very exciting from the perspective of finding habitable worlds throughout our Milky Way Galaxy,” said Burgasser.
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USD Among Peace Corp’s 2017 Top
Producing Colleges and Universities
The Peace Corps announced that University of San Diego ranked No. 14 among medium-sized schools on the agency’s 2017 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. There are 18 Toreros currently volunteering worldwide.
“Peace Corps service is an unparalleled leadership opportunity that enables college and university alumni to use the creative-thinking skills they developed in school to make an impact in communities around the world,” Acting Peace Corps Director Sheila Crowley said. “Many college graduates view Peace Corps as a launching pad for their careers because volunteers return home with the cultural competency and entrepreneurial spirit sought after in most fields.”
Since the Peace Corps’ founding in 1961, 217 alumni from USD have traveled abroad to serve as volunteers. This is the second year the university has held the No. 14 spot.
In 2016, California ranked No. 1 among states with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers, with 916 volunteers serving worldwide.
Service in the Peace Corps is a life-defining, hands-on experience that offers volunteers the opportunity to travel to a community overseas and make a lasting difference in the lives of others.
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600 Graduating High School Seniors
To Receive Free Tuition and Books
Six hundred graduating high school seniors are being notified they will receive free tuition and books beginning the fall of 2017 at a San Diego Community College (SDCCD) campus through the San Diego Promise.
The San Diego Promise pays for enrollment fees and books that are not covered by financial aid. In exchange, San Diego Promise participants must to take part in orientation services and map out an education plan, be enrolled in at least 12 units for both fall and spring, provide at least eight hours of community service, and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0.
More than 1,100 seniors from 26 San Diego Unified School District high schools submitted applications for the free college program offered by the SDCCD, which is quadrupling the number of students admitted into the program to nearly 800 in the fall of 2017, the program’s second year. Applications were accepted through Feb. 10, and the number of applications received was nearly four times as many as last year.
Students were selected based on a combination of need, including barriers they have faced in the past, and commitment to completing a college degree, certificate, or transfer program.
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Cubic to Display GATR Line of Inflatable
Antennas at March 6-9 SATELLITE 2017
Cubic Mission Solutions, a business division of Cubic Corporation, announced it will display Cubic |GATR’s line of inflatable satellite communications antennas in addition to recently acquired Cubic | Vocality’s communications and optimization products at SATELLITE 2017, held in Washington, D.C. March 6-9.
SATELLITE is the largest annual gathering for the industry community, bringing together companies and leaders to discuss issues and technology breakthroughs.
“SATELLITE will be the first formal event for Vocality since its acquisition by Cubic late last year,” said Mike Twyman, president of Cubic Mission Solutions. “We look forward to continuing our integration of technologies in CMS in order to offer the best comprehensive Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) solutions to enable our customers’ next mission.”
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Heaviland Landscape Management Reports
Water Savings of 14 Million Gallons in 2016
Heaviland Landscape Management’s 2016 commercial landscape and irrigation renovations are projected to save San Diego more than 14 million gallons of potable water annually, while reminding residents and business-owners to continue conservation efforts, the Vista company announced Wednesday.
Turf removal projects, which also include installing drought tolerant plants and water-efficient irrigation, are water-savings solutions that commercial and residential properties throughout the county can implement. For 10 commercial turf removal projects in 2016, Heaviland Landscape Management helped San Diego County save an estimated 2.8 million gallons of potable water annually, the company said.
“According to the California Water Board, the average San Diegan uses 59 gallons of water per day, which equals 21,535 gallons per year,” said Rajan Brown, vice president of resource management for Heaviland Landscape Management. “That means the savings accumulated from our 2016 projects would provide enough water for 654 Californians each year.”
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Personnel Announcements
Elley Klausbruckner Reappointed to State Building Standards Commission
Elley Klausbruckner, 48, of San Diego, has been reappointed to the California Building Standards Commission by Gov. Jerry Brown. She has served on the commission since 2014.
Klausbruckner has been owner and principal at Klausbruckner and Associates Inc. since 1998. She is a member of the National Fire Protection Association, International Code Council and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. She earned a Master of Science degree in fire protection engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is a registered professional engineer in the State of California. The position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Klausbruckner is registered without party preference.
