Daily Business Report: Friday, May 27, 2022
Element Biosciences debuts new San Diego headquarters
Company moves to a new world-class laboratory and office space in the Alexandria Tech Center
Element Biosciences Inc., developer of a new DNA sequencing platform AVITI, has moved its headquarters to the Alexandria Tech Center located on the 37-acre, 14-building campus in the Sorrento Mesa life science hub of San Diego.
The new headquarters includes amenities such as a fitness center, fire pits, meditation gardens, eateries and conference space.
Element will anchor 10055 Barnes Canyon Road, occupying 186,000 square feet. The five-story building is designed for a 50/50 mix of lab and general office space featuring an open concept with natural materials like wood and concrete. The company was previously located at 9880 Campus Point Drive, No. 210, San Diego 92121.
“We are excited to move into our new headquarters as we continue to grow and disrupt every ‘element’ of the DNA and genetic sequencing market with AVITI,” said co-founder and CEO Molly He. “Our technology will empower the scientific community with more freedom and flexibility to accelerate our collective impact on humanity — so that together, we can realize the incredible.”
With the launch of AVITI and other technologies in the pipeline, the company continues to expand its workforce in several key areas including commercial, finance and accounting, and general and administrative services. This move will consolidate employees working in three separate locations under one roof and provide the additional space needed for future workforce growth. The Alexandria Tech Center campus is designed to promote health, wellness and productivity so that employees can “work the way they live” while giving employers an edge to attract and retain the most talented individuals.
Top Photo: Element Biosciences anchors a five-story building on the campus of the Alexandria Tech Center in Sorrento Mesa.
Sharp HealthCare launches $2 billion building program
Sharp HealthCare, the largest medical provider in the region, kicked off a decade-long, $2 billion investment in its medical facilities throughout the region Thursday when workers broke ground on a new emergency and trauma expansion at Sharp Memorial Hospital in the San Diego neighborhood of Serra Mesa.
It’s the third billion-dollar health facilities building campaign now underway in San Diego County, with Scripps Health and UC San Diego Health both undertaking capital campaigns in the coming decade.
Reaction to new sidewalk-vending ordinance intense
By Dave Schwab
Reaction to a new sidewalk-vending ordinance authored by District 2 Councilmember Jennifer Campbell charging vendors $38 annually, approved May 17 by the City Council and set to begin in mid-June, has been intense.
City staff had originally recommended that the new vending permit fee be $230 per year, the same as a city business tax certificate. But that amount was decreased by City Council members, fearing it might harm those it was intended to help, along with the proviso that staff would do an analysis after one year to determine if any fee modifications are necessary.
“Enforcement will be handled mostly by Neighborhood Code Enforcement personnel and park rangers,” said City spokesperson José Ysea of the new street-vending ordinance adding, “Maps for the ‘designated’ areas where vendors are to be allowed are still being developed. They should be coming soon.”
Bob Evans, president of La Jolla Parks & Beaches, Inc., was not happy with the end result of the ordinance. “It was the expected and typical business that is done by the City Council when there were a few amendments to be added from the first passing and discussions in March,” said Evans, who pointed out that, while enforcement in Balboa Park and Downtown are to begin in mid-June, that is not true of beach communities.
Voyager Supercomputer enters testbed phase
By Cynthia Dillon
Voyager, the experimental compute resource newly installed at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), is ready for use. Sanctioned for production by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the high-performance/high-efficiency supercomputer located at UC San Diego is moving into its operational testbed phase.
Envisioned as a system to facilitate exploration of new architectures in support of artificial intelligence (AI) in research and engineering, Voyager is a major departure from former NSF systems that have been focused on delivering computing resource in support of traditional applications and programming models. Instead, Voyager emphasizes deep engagement with the AI research community and features specialized hardware and software, close collaboration with applications teams and the opportunity to share these experiences within the community.
Voyager Principal Investigator Amit Majumdar explained that the NSF-supported Voyager project is structured in two phases: 1) a three-year testbed phase and 2) a two-year allocations phase.
Using everyday WiFi to help robots
see and navigate better indoors
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a low cost, low power technology to help robots accurately map their way indoors, even in poor lighting and without recognizable landmarks or features.
The technology consists of sensors that use WiFi signals to help the robot map where it’s going. It’s a new approach to indoor robot navigation. Most systems rely on optical light sensors such as cameras and LiDARs. In this case, the so-called “WiFi sensors” use radio frequency signals rather than light or visual cues to see, so they can work in conditions where cameras and LiDARs struggle—in low light, changing light, and repetitive environments such as long corridors and warehouses.
And by using WiFi, the technology could offer an economical alternative to expensive and power hungry LiDARs, the researchers noted.
A team of researchers from the Wireless Communication Sensing and Networking Group, led by UC San Diego electrical and computer engineering professor Dinesh Bharadia, will present their work at the 2022 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), which takes place this week in Philadelphia.
The Conrad Preby Foundation grants more than $1 million
to support La Jolla Institute for Immunology
The Conrad Prebys Foundation has given more than $1.17 million to support La Jolla Institute for Immunology’s (LJI) Flow Cytometry Core and more than $415,000 to fuel infectious disease research led by LJI Instructor Julie Burel, Ph.D.
“This support allows LJI scientists to buy essential equipment and pursue fascinating early career research,” says LJI President and CEO Erica Ollmann Saphire, Ph.D. “We are proud to strengthen our relationship with The Conrad Prebys Foundation as we lead immunology research here in San Diego.”
The Conrad Prebys Foundation works to improve quality of life—primarily in San Diego County—through the distribution of grants to support medical research, healthcare, visual and performing arts, and other charitable causes. These new grants carry on founder Conrad Prebys’ legacy of supporting truly innovative research in the health sciences.
The new funding to LJI’s Flow Cytometry Core will allow the Institute to purchase new cutting-edge equipment for research into diseases such as cancers, COVID-19 and heart disease.
“The Foundation is pleased to support this world-renowned institute,” says Erin Decker, Director of Grantmaking at The Conrad Prebys Foundation. “LJI is driving understanding and progress across a wide range of diseases. The Institute’s vanguard flow cytometry core and its top team of technicians are poised for future breakthroughs, and this funding means LJI scientists, and the entire San Diego research community, will have access to enhanced equipment.”
Flow cytometry is a method for sorting individual immune cells and analyzing their roles in fighting disease or contributing to autoimmunity.
Entrepreneurs’ Organization to debut
‘Young Female Founders Summit’
The San Diego Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EOSD) announced the debut of its “Young Female Founders Summit” on June 23, 2022, from 1-4:30 p.m. Held at the renowned Lavin Entrepreneurship Center at San Diego State University, the inaugural event will bring 12 to 20-year-old girls and women together for an inspiring, entrepreneurship-filled afternoon, featuring speakers, panelists and healthy competition.
“Young Female Founders Summit” attendees will hear from San Diego’s leading female entrepreneurs and connect with successful women founders, business owners and CEOs. Attendees will also partake in an invigorating new business challenge where they’ll get to flesh out their creative ideas, collaborate with each other and have the chance to win prizes.
There is no cost to attend the summit and lunch will be provided for attendees. In addition, prizes will be awarded to teams based on original ideas and presentations.
Girls, ages 12 through 20 that are interested in attending the event can register here. To learn more about Entrepreneurs’ Organization and future EO events, attendees can visit the website here or connect on Facebook @entrepreneursorganization, Instagram @entrepreneursorg or Twitter @entrepreneurorg.
Barbachano International named No. 26 on
Forbes list of Best Executive Recruiting Firms
San Diego-based Barbachano International, an executive search and leadership advisory company, has been named to Forbes’ 2o22 list of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms for the sixth consecutive year, moving up one spot to No. 26 in America and No. 3 on the West Coast and California.
We are honored to be ranked No. 26 by Forbes and to be continually recognized by the business community and our clients, candidates, and peers for excellence in executive recruiting,” said Fernando Ortiz-Barbachano, President and CEO of Barbachano International. “Since 1992, we have delivered a superior client and candidate experience with a multicultural focus. Developing and strengthening our people, culture, process, and technology has impacted the growth and success of our clients and our candidates.”
Spirit Airlines begins nonstop flights
between San Diego and Oakland
Spirit Airlines has celebrated its first nonstop flight from San Diego International Airport to Oakland via Oakland International Airport. It is the first new route Spirit Airlines has added at San Diego since 2017.
Flights operate between Oakland and San Diego once daily. Spirit Airlines also offers year-round nonstop service from San Diego to Las Vegas via Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) and summer seasonal service to Houston via George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Detroit via Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW). For schedule and tickets, visit spirit.com.
New clinic provides comprehensive care
for digestive diseases in Westerfield UTC
UC San Diego Health announced the opening of a new, multi-disciplinary clinic for patients with gastrointestinal and digestive diseases located at 4303 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 2110 in Westfield UTC.
The state-of-the-art clinic is a first of its kind in San Diego County to offer the most advanced care by a wide range of specialists under one roof for patients with a range of health issues in the upper and lower digestive tract, including the esophagus, stomach, intestines and colon.
An interdisciplinary team of physicians, surgeons, endoscopists, oncologists, radiologists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists and dieticians will care for patients with conditions and diseases, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), hernias, obesity and cancer.
Deciphering gene cluster for potent freshwater toxin
Scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, the University of São Paulo and UC Santa Cruz collaborated to discover and validate the enzymes responsible for the production of one of the most toxic and fast-acting neurotoxins associated with freshwater harmful algal blooms in lakes and ponds.
The team combined genetic and biochemical studies to show how freshwater cyanobacteria produce the potent neurotoxin called guanitoxin. This discovery revealed that guanitoxin-producing cyanobacteria are more prevalent than originally known in the United States, opening the possibility for new molecular diagnostic testing to better inform and protect the public from this natural freshwater toxin. Findings were described in a paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on May 18, 2022.
The paper also “shows guanitoxin being produced in freshwater bodies that have undergone past very toxic events,” said study lead author Stella Lima, a former PhD student at the University of São Paulo and visiting scholar at Scripps Oceanography.
Subway hiring 50,000 new team members in June
Subway announced plans to add more than 50,000 new in-restaurant team members in June as part of a nationwide hiring program. The push to hire at restaurants across the country comes as Subway prepares for its biggest summer yet, following record sales in 2022 and the company’s menu refresh last year.
More than 20,000 Subway restaurants have opportunities for jobseekers across the nation, with open roles ranging from Sandwich Artist to management. In addition to employee training, growth and development programs, Subway restaurant careers offer a variety of employee perks and benefits to help achieve personal and professional goals.
Some 230 sandwich artists around the world have been awarded Fresh Start Scholarships this year.
Persons interested in summer jobs should visit www.mysubwaycareer.com or text SUBHIRE to 242424. Subway restaurants are independently owned and operated. Franchisees are the employers of all team members and are solely responsible for employment responsibilities in their restaurants.
