Daily Business Report: Dec. 12, 2024
StartBlue Accelerator Program awarded
$13.5 million to expand support
for ocean-focused startups
By Karissa Duran | UC San Diego
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will award UC San Diego’s StartBlue accelerator program $13.5 million to evolve into a program called the StartBlue Ocean Enterprise Accelerator, with the goal of providing a coordinated continuum of support from early stage through small-medium business ocean-based startups across the nation with their technology and business development solutions.
Launched in fall 2021, the StartBlue program has supported innovation and industry growth within San Diego’s blue economy. Co-led by the Rady School of Management and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, this program has supported the formation of science and engineering startups tackling ocean-focused challenges and solutions integrated into science, industry, investment and government.
The World Bank defines the blue economy as the “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic prosperity, livelihoods and ocean ecosystem health.” A significant portion of this funding will be invested directly into these small businesses to support technology and commercialization development to build upon the blue economy nationwide.
“Scripps is a foundational part of the San Diego Blue Tech community, and we are so glad to be working with them in our accelerator program,” said U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System Office Director Carl Gouldman. “With their extensive expertise and broad network of partners, we’re excited to see where this program leads.”
Top Photo: FjordPhyto’s team (Scripps PhD candidate Allison Cusick and Scripps PhD student Christian Johnson) at StartBlue Demo Day 2024. (Photo: Long Truong)
San Diego Rotary honors community boosters
Ben and Nikki Clay as “Mr. and Mrs. San Diego”
San Diego Rotary 33 honored its 70th “Mr. and Mrs. San Diego” recipients, Ben and Nikki Clay of Mission Hills with the prestigious award. With over 300 attendees, the Clays were presented with the award by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. San Diego State University president Adela de la Torre offered remarks during the ceremony, highlighting the couple’s commitment to their alma mater over the years, and past Mayor Jerry Sanders also spoke to the Clay’s unwavering philanthropy for the City of San Diego. Their son, Jonathan Clay, spoke proudly of all of his parents’ accomplishments.
The couple was chosen for the award for their long history of working to better San Diego through years of service to the community. Their vision and fortitude have shaped the region’s shorelines, skylines, and the civic pride of San Diego County. Attendees at the ceremony also included friends and family, Rotary 33 members, elected officials, business and community leaders.
The Clays have called America’s Finest City their home for over 50 years. They met while attending San Diego State University (SDSU) in the late 1960s, the place they like to say helped launch them. However, upon graduation in 1968, the future looked grim. Nikki recalled it was a challenging time for her and Ben, as the restored military draft and increase of the height limit, which had previously exonerated him, no longer applied. He immediately enrolled in the Army Medical Service and served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps from 1969 to 1972. While Ben was serving on active duty, Nikki was working as the Education Director at Walson Army Hospital and helping Vietnam veterans earn their high school diplomas and college credits.
Museums merge to preserve their futures
By Jill Alexander | sdnews.com
Across the nation, struggling museums are finding innovative ways to collaborate and combine resources to enhance their missions – and keep from going under.
In San Diego, this idea is exemplified by the Women’s Museum of California becoming an official program of the San Diego History Center. This partnership promises to amplify their shared goals while preserving their distinct identities, according to those involved.
A year ago, a similar move occurred when The San Diego Museum of Art and The Museum of Photographic Arts merged—becoming a unified institution which allowed for the combination of collections, resources and expertise.
Bill Lawrence, president and CEO of the San Diego History Center, said the driving force behind the merger is that all nonprofits, including museums, must make business-savvy decisions to stay open in a difficult economy. “Just as the climate [post-pandemic] has been challenging for for-profit businesses, it especially hits nonprofits hard,” said Lawrence. “Coming together to combine resources makes sense – especially in the nonprofit sector. Many people think that museums get lots of government money and that’s usually not the case.”
Laura L. Mitchell, the former executive director of the Women’s Museum, now serves as the vice president of public programs at the History Center. She said, “As Bill rightly observes, nonprofits still have business models. Smaller organizations like The Women’s Museum of California have all the overhead of larger organizations, but often not the resources to cover those costs adequately and to comply with state and federal regulations. For the Women’s Museum, it made sense to become a part of a larger organization to leverage those economies of scale.”
Walker & Dunlop arranges 2nd largest sale in San Diego in 2024
Walker & Dunlop, Inc. that it arranged the $185,000,000 sale of Preserve at Melrose, a suburban multifamily community built in 2015 that comprises 410 units in Vista, one of San Diego’s most sought-after North County neighborhoods. This sale represents the 2nd largest single-asset transaction in San Diego and the fifth largest in California year-to-date in 2024.
The Walker & Dunlop Investment Sales team, led by Hunter Combs, represented the seller, a local San Diego-based group, and buyer, Mesirow.
Events.com acquires Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival
Events.com, an industry-leading event management platform, announced the acquisition of the renowned Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival, a marquee cultural event in the heart of San Diego. This acquisition underscores Events.com’s commitment to enhancing the live event experience and expanding its influence within Southern California’s vibrant festival landscape. Launched in 2019, the Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival has quickly become a must-attend event for music lovers and art enthusiasts. Held annually along San Diego’s downtown waterfront, the festival combines a diverse lineup of more than 80 musical acts alongside art, food, and cultural experiences to create a one-of-a-kind three-day experience.
Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa selects ROH to modernize sales and payments
ROH, the hospitality industry’s first sales and payments management platform driving hotel profitability, announced that Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, a Nobel House property owned by Pebblebrookand a part of the Curators Hotel & Resort Collection, has selected ROH to streamline its end-to-end payments process, eliminating aging AR and improving sales lead conversion. ROH is purpose-built for the hospitality industry, providing automated workflow tools to unlock productivity and collaboration across departments. Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa is successfully leveraging ROH to upgrade its payments processes, efficiently transitioning bookings from sales to service to finance and improving sales conversion rates
QuidelOrtho appoints two independent directors to its board
QuidelOrtho Corporation, a global provider of innovative in vitro diagnostic technologies designed for point-of-care settings, clinical labs and transfusion medicine, today announced the appointments of John R. Chiminski and R. Scott Huennekens to its board of directors, effective Dec. 6, 2024. These appointments align with QuidelOrtho’s commitment to maintaining a strong, independent board with the right mix of expertise and experience.
Porter Airlines landing in San Diego and Palm Springs
Porter Airlines is celebrating the launch of its non-stop service to San Diego International Airport (SAN) and Palm Springs International Airport (PSP). These new routes, departing from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), offer passengers a seamless and elevated economy experience to Southern California. The first flight to San Diego departed Dec. 9, marking the start of Porter’s year-round service with four weekly flights. Seasonal service to Palm Springs takes off on Dec. 12, with three weekly departures, providing a winter escape to sunny skies and iconic desert landscapes.
Genasys announces $3.35 renewal agreement for Indian Navy LRAD systems
Genasys Inc., the global leader in Protective Communications, announced a three-year, $3.35 million follow-on maintenance agreement for LRAD systems deployed by the Indian Navy. This is the third agreement under which the Indian Navy’s LRADs are serviced through Genasys at in-country maintenance centers. LRAD by Genasys is the global leader and de facto standard of acoustic hailing devices…………….Featuring Genasys’ Advanced Driver and Waveguide technology, LRAD systems broadcast audible voice messages with incomparable clarity over long distances and above loud background noise.
Acadia Pharmaceuticals appoints Thomas Garner chief commercial officer
Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced that Thomas Andrew Garner has been appointed chief commercial officer. Garner will spearhead Acadia’s commercial strategy and operations, driving the company’s plans for sustained growth and expansion of its product portfolio and pipeline across U.S. and international markets. Garner will report to Catherine Owen Adams, Acadia’s CEO, and serve on the executive leadership team. Garner joins Acadia with more than 25 years of commercial experience in the pharmaceutical industry.
