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Is Bob Beyster a genius? "I think so. That is one thing I can state unequivocally," says attorney Sue Volek, spokeswoman for the mighty SAIC. Beyster chairs the Golden Triangle company with $2.2 billion in annual revenues, 22,000 employees and 475 locations worldwide. His latest move: SAIC is buying Bell Communications Research Inc. (with $1 billion in sales and 5,600 employees) from the seven Baby Bells. The deal, worth about $650 million, should take about a year to close due to regulatory hurdles. A swift-loading Internet link with news about the effort www.bellcore.com has been created by Bellcore. *** The Pacific Stock Exchange is expected to announce next month a decision on at least a short list of homes for its future headquarters. San Diego, which submitted an application Oct. 30, has fallen to third on an unofficial short list, says a source close to the city's effort. San Francisco, the current PSE home, has the inside track, followed by Oakland. At least nine cities have expressed interest. If the PSE does move here, tentative plans call for it to take over the existing City Hall at 202 C St., with Golden Hall being remodeled to serve as the stock and option trading floors. "We expect to hear some word, perhaps a short list, in January or early in the year," says MaryAnne Pintar, spokeswoman for Mayor Golding. "A final decision is expected sometime next year." *** Ken Satterlee of John Burnham & Co. and Gordon Carrier of Carrier Johnson Wu are smokin' on the side. They're partnering with Fumar, the "hot" cigar store in Pacific Beach owned by two 30-something SDSU fraternity brothers, Bill Boyer, a former mortgage broker, and Jim Ault, a former Hotel Del tennis pro. The partnership will create Fumar The Lounge at Trophy's in Mission Valley. There's also talk of moving Downtown for a second Fumar. *** Stoorza, Ziegaus & Metzger Inc. has taken the entire 18th floor (14,859 square feet) of the Home Savings Tower on Broadway. "With clients all over San Diego County and Tijuana, we feel a central location is imperative," says Gail stoorza-Gill, chairman and CEO. *** The boarded-up Lincoln Hotel at 536 Fifth Ave. in the Gaslamp Quarter is being rehabilitated by a partnership of the San Diego Filipino American Humanitarian Foundation and Barone Galasso and Associates. When the $1.5 million project is complete, the upper three floors will house 41 low-income single-room apartments and the ground floor a restaurant. *** Developer Bud Fischer went home with the Founders Award at the sold-out 34th annual Downtown Partnership Recognition Dinner Nov. 21 at the Westgate Hotel. Winning the Frank Curran Humanitarian Award was Craig Irving of the Irving Hughes Group. Winners of Alonzo Awards were CCDC for Children's Park and the Broadway medians; Fischer for Church Lofts; refurbishment of the San Diego Power and Cooling Plant; People for Trees' planting of more than 400 trees Downtown; the new Harborside School; House of Charm architect Carrier Johnson Wu; Hall of Justice developer Lankford and Associates; Union Bank of California for renovating its building at 530 B St.; Southwest Value Partners for renovating the 525 B St. building lobby; the Holiday Inn on the Bay for its interior and exterior renovations; the Gaslamp Quarter Foundation for its historic plaque program; the Police Department for its RNC work; and the Jewel Box bar for getting prettier at 16th Avenue and F Street. *** In a former life Mission Valley baker Don Hacker, who with his wife, Danielle, owns Upper Crust Artisan Breads, was president of Tribune Entertainment and producer of TV shows for Geraldo Rivera and Joan Rivers. Working those relationships, he may soon be airing a radio commercial featuring Rivers. And he's also planning to take the Upper Crust concept nationwide. *** Ted Jacobs, 73, is retiring in January and closing his Downtown A.L. Jacobs and Sons Jewelers store at 675 B St. The family business, started in 1937 by his father, has been a Downtown mainstay. Jacobs moved to his current location 14 years ago. After the last diamond is sold, Jacobs will have more time to gear up for another perfect 300 bowling game he's already scored two. *** Ted Jacobs' son, Chris Jacobs, will uphold the A.L. Jacobs and Sons' tradition with a slightly different twist. He's developed a partnership "with one of the biggest estate dealers in New York City" to buy and sell estate jewelry. *** Moving from a California Arts Council grade of 4-minus to the top grade of 4 means a boost in funds for the San Diego Rep. With the lofty ranking, the Rep stands to receive $32,790 from the Organizational Support Program and $22,500 from the California Challenge Program. *** John Willett, arts critic for San Diego Metropolitan Magazine and the California Newspaper Publishers Association's premier critic last year, has joined the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture as a member of its marketing and public relations committee. *** George Arimes, the sincere front man for the city of San Diego’s Process 2000 program, is moving on. The program he leaves behind is seeking to revolutionize building, planning and their counterpart departments through powerful computers, custom software and extensive customer hand holding. Recruited by Infrastructure Management Group of Bethesda, Maryland, Arimes leaves the city this month. Arimes joined San Diego in 1989 after 9 1/2 years with the city of Austin. He remains interested in municipal government and sees the IMG position as offering invaluable experience. And his mother and family live on the East Coast. "You can’t always create the opportunities," he says of the timing. Arimes' boss, Tina Christiansen, will pick his replacement. *** The Women's History Reclamation Project, Southern California's most complete collection of feminist archives, hosts a grand opening display of its collection at 2323 Broadway, Suite 103, in Golden Hill. It starts at 2:30 p.m., Dec. 14. Among items available for viewing are the six-volume "History of Women's Suffrage" and perhaps the last edition of the 150-year-old Etiquette for Ladies. Mary B. Maschal, who has worked 13 years on the collection, says a permanent center, museum and library will open in 1998. *** Grubb & Ellis has opened a new University City office on Governor Drive. Nancy Kohutek is manager. *** Oral argument in Libertarian Richard Rider's suit to put expansion of the San Diego Convention Center to a public vote is scheduled for Dec. 10, 11 a.m. *** The city of Coronado and its Transportation Management Association are debuting a 175-page Internet site. Punch up www.coronado.ca.us to check it out. *** The San Diego Community College District is one of three educational institutions selected to participate in a $750,000 federal effort to design a multimedia curriculum. *** CMS Duplication, which specializes in replicating software (CD and diskette) titles, has outgrown its former headquarters and is moving to 9370 Waples St. CEO Alan Gill says the move accommodates new equipment and provides increased warehousing space for customers. *** Employee knowledge of Grossmont Bank product lines, history and corporate culture are tested annually in a game-show like competition. When the recent double elimination tournament at the Scottish Rite Center was over, a team from administration, "AKA," defeated the Mission Gorge "Power Rangettes" to win Grossmont's coveted Sterling Bowl. Winning team members were Sahar Ashoo, Rita Horne, Betsy Lenhart, Melinda Jansen and Jennifer Shea. *** Cruise Holidays International has been ranked as one of the nation's top 100 franchise businesses by Success (60th) and Franchise Times (89th) magazines. "This is a giant leap toward being recognized as among the most desirable franchise opportunities in North America," says Peter Kowal, v.p. and g.m. of the Kearny Mesa-based firm. Founded in 1984, Cruise Holidays has nearly 200 individually owned and operated franchise locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. *** When it opens its 6,500-square-foot branch on the first floor of 525 B St. in February, Grossmont Bank will be occupying interiors designed by the McCulley Group. Next up Downtown for Grossmont is a private and business banking operation on the first floor of Emerald Plaza. Renee Comeau, v.p., will continue as the senior Grossmont officer Downtown. Both buildings 525 B St. and Emerald Plaza are among the real estate interests of Robert G. Sarver, the GB Bancorporation chairman and CEO from Phoenix. GB is the parent of Grossmont. *** The nation's leading SBA lender among all commercial banks for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 is Bank of Commerce, says the bank. The bank's 10 loan production offices in California, Nevada, Arizona and Oregon generated 350 loan approvals for SBA guaranteed loans of $141.26 million during the 12 months, a 127 percent increase from 1995. *** Duane Roth, the Alliance Pharmaceuticals chief executive profiled on these pages in September, proved an able ally for the American Heart Association. The Roth-chaired Healthy Choice American Heart Walk raised $39,687, up 25 percent from last year. Alliance employees, along with their families and friends, led the way, raising $12,913 of the total. *** A $95,000 grant from the Legler Benbough Foundation will fund improvements to USIU's Legler Benbough Theatre, says Garry Hays, university president. *** Curtis Moring Insurance has opened a multimedia insurance and risk management training center in Mission Valley. CMI says it is the first agency in San Diego to create an interactive Web site www.thinkmoring.com/insurance for personal auto and business insurance, as well as a corporate site that enabled a major state association to access its insurance program services on-line. *** The exterior lighting design contract for the huge Taman Anggrek Mall and Apartments in Jakarta, Indonesia, went to Luminations Inc. of San Diego. The project consists of a six-story mall and 3,000 apartments in four 36-story buildings that sit above the mall. *** Springfield College has opened a San Diego site for its school of human services in Kearny Mesa near I-15 and Balboa Avenue. *** Components that help run devices ranging from virtual reality golf simulators to aircraft instrument panels were good enough to get Wintriss Engineering Corp. recognized twice recently for its entrepreneurship. Wintriss was named by Inc. magazine as one of the nation's top 500 fastest growing private companies (it placed 378th with sales of $3.1 million, up 748 percent from 1994) and recognized by Bank of America as a finalist in its second annual Enterprise Awards. *** The Business Service Center at the San Diego Convention Center is now being run by Mail Boxes Etc. In a proposal competition, the company beat three others for the three-year contract that expires Oct. 31, 1999. Lisa Murphy serves as on site manager. *** Johnny Burnham bought the MBE franchise on Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest. *** The Ken Cinema celebrates its 50th anniversary on Dec. 27 with a week of films that have been popular with patrons. "Pink Flamingos" didn’t make it. *** Emerald Studios Downtown did the computer animation for the Mission Valley Auto Circle ad now airing on TV. Baker Media produced. *** Neil C. Whiteley-Ross, v.p. of the San Diego Economic Development Corp., is the new chairman of the Border Trade Alliance. The BTA will hold four trade conferences in 1997, the first, in March, will be in San Diego. *** A 100-bed hostel is in the works for the old Metropolitan Hotel on Market Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. The San Diego Council of Hostelling International/American Youth Hostels says it has signed a letter of intent with building owner Bud Fischer for a 23-year lease. Renovations and furnishings are pegged at $260,000. Dick Bundy is the architect. Opening is planned for April 1, 1997. Hostelling, which now uses space at the Armed Services YMCA, has been seeking Gaslamp quarters for a while. At one time it was slated to take the McGurck Building that Z Gallerie now calls home. *** The McRae Agency, formerly Wenrick McRae & Associates, has moved its offices into the Louis Bank of Commerce building on Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter. *** Winners of Metropolitan Magazine's fax-in Play Metro contest for tickets to opening night of "Damn Yankees" were Julie Kraus, Paul Revere Insurance in Mission Valley; Leslie Harpenau, SDG&E, Downtown; Charles Samarkos, Stephenson Worley Garratt Schwartz Heidel & Prairie, Downtown; Rosemary Ghosn, FHP Healthcare, Mission Valley; and H. Arturo Arthur, P.S.A.A.I./Arthur World Wide, Downtown. *** Tickets to opening night of "Cats" went to Metropolitan Magazine's Play Metro winners Nicole Bartlett, Cerfnet in Sorrento Valley; V.B. Cornwell, Lawrence United Corp., Downtown; Tracy Landauer, WestEd in Mission Valley; and grand prize winner Joan Henderson Brown, Excel Communications in the Golden Triangle, who also received dinner at Fio's. *** Sara Muller, v.p. of PR at Stoorza, is training for the London marathon in April, her third. She's training nightly, after work, on the streets of Downtown "Don't run me over," she pleads and has already settled on the new Ralphs as her favorite spot for an after-run Gatorade. *** A 600-member gathering of the National Potato Council will occupy 750 room nights during three days this month at the Marriott Mission Valley. The event is worth $427,200 to San Diego’s economy. No word on whether Dan Quayle will be spelling. |
