For those needing proof of the value of small high-tech companies to San Diego, the SBA reports that more than 107 percent of San Diego’s payroll growth from 1990 to 1998 was created by the little guys. The report, "Developing High-Technology Communities: San Diego," analyzes how the region became a technology powerhouse in such a short period of time. Lots of credit goes to UCSD, and its past and present chancellors, Richard Atkinson and Robert Dynes.

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From 1997 to 1998, San Diego County added 54,067 people to its workforce, the fifth most of any county in the nation, reports the U.S. Commerce Department in its County Business Patterns series. Los Angeles added the most workers — 104,706. San Diego also added the fifth most business establishments in the time period, growing from 63,304 to 64,413, a gain of 1,109 or 1.8 percent. San Diego was not one of the top five counties in terms of wage gains.

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Now that everyone is reminded about the importance of energy, it will be interesting to see the turnout when the San Diego Regional Energy Office holds a workshop Aug. 30 on long-term energy needs. The 9 a.m. meeting is at 401 B St. 8th floor, Downtown.

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San Diego consumers spend an average of $39,917 a year on living expenses, the San Diego Regional Chamber reports in its Economic Bulletin. The amount was $6,145 higher than the national average over the two-year period studied, 1997-98, but only $561 higher than the West regional average. Average annual San Diego household income in the study period was $46,915.

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Large message signs that overhang Downtown streets are being flicked on this month. Paid for by $430,000 in federal congestion mitigation and air quality monies, the signs will carry messages written by the city traffic department. In addition, the Convention Center will be able to dial in its updates on traffic and parking, says Duncan Hughes, a project manager in the city's engineering and capital projects department. The five locations to find the signs are Harbor Boulevard — one north and one south of the convention center — Tenth Avenue where Highway 163 dumps into Downtown, F Street where SR-94 enters Downtown and Front Street between Cedar and Beech, where southbound I-5 plops Centre City-bound drivers. One thing you won’t see on the signs — most are 12 feet long and 3 feet tall — are commercial messages. Since they overhang the public right of way, that’s against city law.

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In a report on local office space, the 1999 average annual rent in the buildings surveyed was higher Downtown than it was in the suburbs. The San Diego chapter of the Building Owners and Managers Association reports that the average annual rent per square foot in 15 Downtown buildings with 5.4 million square feet was $21.97. Of 24 suburban buildings, with a total of 2.4 million square feet, the average annual rent was $20.60. The 2000 Experience Exchange Report is available in print to BOMA San Diego members for $155 and to non-members for $275. For more information, call (619) 460-5641.

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Dust is the enemy of computers — and computer technicians in one recent survey reported that 91 percent of personal computer and peripheral equipment failures could be prevented with regular cleaning. That's a niche that Oceanside-based Symind, a technology cleaning and disinfecting service, hopes to fill. "Rather than expect or allow non-trained employees to clean their own PCs and equipment, many businesses are hiring technology cleaning services like Symind to come in twice annually to clean their equipment," says Steve Monas, Symind president. For more information, call (760) 721-1568.

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Imperial Capital Bank has provided a $15,000 grant to ACCION San Diego, a nonprofit that provides marginalized communities with micro-loans ranging from $300 to $25,000. "Our partnership with Imperial Capital Bank will enable us to provide more credit to microentrepreneurs, thereby allowing them to become self-sufficient and to gradually gain access to traditional commercial credit," explains Patti Mason, director of operations for ACCION.

The businesses supported by ACCION vary from childcare providers to artists, to restaurant owners and general contractors. Its services are available to those who reside and have been doing business in San Diego for at least six months and have demonstrated a commitment to make their businesses work. For additional information, call (619) 685-1380.

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Speaking of ACCION, the organization is launching a new Web site — www.accionsandiego.org — to provide information and services to small-scale entrepreneurs who want to gain access to business credit.

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Sandy and Kathy Purdon are so disgusted with the slow pace of the process to get a 6,914-square-foot home built on Golden Park Avenue in Point Loma that they're circulating petitions to present to the Planning Commission this month and later to the City Council if necessary. Bruce Peeling designed the house on 0.48 acres. The Purdons say the floor-area ratio would permit 12,257 square feet, so they feel they're well within their rights. But some neighbors are opposing.

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Chuck Nichols, Pacific SuperYacht Promotions LLC, and friends on Shelter Island, are planning a YachtFest in San Diego Sept. 14-17 on Shelter Island in order to attract some of the world's largest yachts and their accompanying vendors and services. YachtFest includes a celebrity gala dinner with comedian Bob Newhart at Humphrey's, with proceeds benefitting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, San Diego chapter.

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Property Enterprises I of San Diego has spent $35.56 million to purchase from affiliates of M.F. Diessner & Co. of Phoenix six local business parks — five in the Miramar area and one in Oceanside. American Property Enterprises, which will manage the sites, expects to spend $2.3 million over the next three years on rehabs and repositioning of the properties.

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Schmidt Scanlon Gordon may be the most wireless (phones), and wired (Internet), architectural firm in town. The company just moved from 402 W. Broadway into techy quarters at 600 B St., Suite 1540. Molly M. Scanlon, a partner in the firm, says the new offices are strictly high-tech, with a completely digital wireless telephone communication system and DSL modem lines. Says Scanlon, "We utilize modern technology to maintain constant communication and keep our clients directly involved throughout the project design process."

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What breed of dog is green? The kind found at San Diego Macy's West stores, where Greendog is the new brand of children's clothes. Advertised as "tougher than cafeteria meat" and "food-fight proof," these child-friendly fashions are moderately priced, at 25 to 40 percent below the status brands. The line was launched just in time for the back-to-school crowd. It aims to enliven the relatively sedate world of children's wear. "Fashion emerges from the streets. It bubbles up from the culture," says Malcolm Drummond, the design director for San Diego-based Greendog. "Our goal is to be as edgy and extreme as we can while staying within the parameters acceptable for the age range."

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US Bank is willing to pay about 3.2 times book value for Scripps Bank not "about twice" as reported last month. The Metropolitan regrets the error.

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The reuse of the San Diego Trust & Savings Building has received a historic award from the San Diego Historical Site Board and a 2000 Preservation Design Award from the California Preservation Foundation. The $27 million project was done by a wholly owned subsidiary of Amstar Group Ltd. The same Amstar affiliate secured a $17 million loan from the Irvine office of MONY Life Insurance Co. for the historic 246-room Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown at Sixth Avenue and Broadway.

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Clocking in at more than 800 pages, Thomas A. Powell, a San Diegan, recognized Internet expert and best-selling author, is out with his latest work, "Web Design: The Complete Reference." The publisher is Osborne/McGraw-Hill. The book has been adopted for use by UCSD for Web publishing programs and upper division Web design classes.

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On Aug. 10, UCSD Connect will hold its seventh annual Springboard lunch at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines. About 25 companies a year go through the program which consists of six to 10 weeks of intensive coaching, followed by a presentation to a group of advisers. The lunch is noted for showcasing some of the best companies that have been through the program. For registration details, click on www.connect.org or call (858) 534-6114.

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Traffic got you irritated? Pop open your favorite beverage on Aug. 14 and sit down in front of the tube at either 6 or 8:30 p.m. for "Path to Paradise: Getting About," a documentary exploring the causes and solutions for San Diego’s growing traffic problem. The hour-long program airs on UCSD-TV, which is channel 76, 58, 18 or 3, depending on your cable system or on channel 35 if you go UHF. The show features key transportation experts and the conflicting ideas on how to halt increasing congestion on roadways as the region prepares to accommodate 700,000 new cars in the next 20 years.

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The U.S. Small Business Administration discusses the resources available to small businesses when it hosts the "Women's Dollars & Sense Workshop" on Aug. 10. The workshop is part of the SBA's pledge to help women understand how to capture their 5 percent of federal contracting dollars the law says must be spent with women-owned businesses, says George Chandler, San Diego district director of the SBA. In addition, the program provides instruction on working with large regional contractors such as Spawar, the Navy and SAIC. Also on hand will be San Diego’s Contracting Opportunities Center, which gives free assistance to small businesses involved in government contracting. The workshop runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Pacific Bell Directory Building, 2375 Northside Drive in Mission Valley. To register, call Delores Braswell with the SBA at (619) 557-7250, Ext. 1147.

United States International University will start the region's first global logistics specialist program next month. The Port of San Diego, Sony Technology Center-San Diego and the regional Sony Logistics Group are sponsoring the program and supporting it by enrolling their employees. Sony and the port each contributed $10,000. Students will learn practical skills, such as how to ship freight around the world and develop logistics plans. Cost of the program is $2,995. For more information, call (858) 635-4571.

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"Developing the Foundation of Economic Empowerment" is the theme of the fifth annual Virtually Black Business Weekend. The three-day event begins Aug. 25, at Bryco Center, 5475 Market St., with a political and business summit focused on the opportunities and challenges facing black economics. A black business barbecue is scheduled Aug. 26 at Martin Luther King Park on Skyline Drive. Keynote speaker is Mirinda Jackson, deputy associate administrator for the Office of Enterprise Development at the U.S. General Services Administration. The program concludes Aug. 27 with a champagne and live jazz and fashion show at the Ramada Limited in Old Town. For information, call (619) 262-4922.

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San Diego advertising and public relations agency Chapman Warwick has been acquired by Corsi Agency of San Francisco. The move was part of Corsi's campaign to create a statewide organization with a physical presence in every major California market. The Chapman Warwick acquisition creates an agency with combined capitalized billings projected at $100 million and 80 employees in three offices. Nancy Higgins, president of Chapman Warwick for the past four years, will continue as president of Corsi Chapman Warwick.

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Just when it looked like young professionals were going to be priced out of the Downtown housing market, British Columbia-based Intergulf Development Group came along with a major condo and apartment proposal many may be able to afford. Condo prices will start at $160,000 at Treo@Kettner, slated to break ground in October. Carrier Johnson architects designed the project, which straddles the Little Italy and Columbia districts, to offer a variety of unit sizes and styles. And it’s strictly high-tech. Every residence will have pre-wired, high-speed Internet access. The main highrise structure incorporates a 22-floor stepped building, offering two-story "sky lofts," while the adjacent 24-story tower has large single-story living units. On the Kettner Boulevard side, the developer will build row homes and on the India Street side, two-story live-work lofts. Garden apartments designed to resemble trolley cars will wind through the center courtyard. Completion is scheduled for 2002.

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Ralph Rubio, co-founder, president, CEO and chairman of Rubio's Restaurants Inc., is mixing philanthropy and business to help the city's homeless kids. He's sponsoring a nonprofit restaurant Downtown. Proceeds will go to a scholarship endowment fund for Monarch High, the county's high school for homeless and at-risk teens. The homeless youth will learn job skills by working in the restaurant, which won’t be part of the Rubio's Baja Grill chain. Supervisor Greg Cox, who co-chairs the joint Task Force on the Homeless, honored Rubio's effort with a proclamation and got the Board of Supervisors to appropriate $50,000 to help equip Monarch.

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San Diego’s Erik Zingheim retired from the construction industry, but he's more interested in fixing that rocking chair than sitting in it. He's turning his woodworking skills into a second career by opening a Guardsman WoodPro franchise, providing on-site furniture repair, restoration and refinishing of commercial and residential furniture. For information, call (619) 297-7667.

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Two years ago, Wellington USA bought a tired 24-unit multifamily complex in La Jolla, revamped it with dramatic columns and luxury features and renamed it Villaggio. The concept worked so well — only one condo remained on the market as of June — that Wellington is looking for other urban properties to redevelop. "We will be focusing on mature infill markets such as La Jolla, Banker's Hill, and Golden Hill where there is little if any new development to meet the demand," says Grant McPhail, Wellington USA's president and CEO. The secret, says McPhail. is not only to renovate underdeveloped properties but to make them blend with the character of the surrounding neighborhood.

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San Diego-based Enviance has created a new Web site designed to make it easier and faster for businesses to deal with the red tape of environmental regulations. The site — www.enviance.com — already offers California businesses the ability to access, complete, file and store the annual storm water discharge report required by the state Water Resource Control Board. The water form is the first of a comprehensive set of forms that Enviance is developing for its business customers.

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The fragile San Diego Symphony and its orchestra musicians agreed to a one-year contract extension, which went into effect July 1. Sue Robboy, violinist and chair of the orchestra, said musicians are encouraged by the recent hiring of a full-time executive director, Doug Gerhart. She adds that the musicians "look forward to a year in which he will have an opportunity to start implementing a plan which allows for stability and future growth."

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Cdworld.com, an online music and entertainment store, has signed a five-year, $557,172 lease for 10,318 square feet of research and development space in Palomar Oaks Technology Park. Burnham Real Estate Services*ONCOR International represented the lessor, Carr America. Irving Hughes represented the lessee.

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Athena Research has a new Web site, www.AthenaResearch.com, offering information on published crime statistics, armed robbery and crime prevention methods and security training. The 20-year-old San Diego research firm is headed by Rosemary Erickson, a national expert in robbery and business crime prevention including convenience stores, banks and hotels.

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The demand for Webmasters is on the rise. Sharon Heafey, CEO of Executive Assistance Integration, says more companies and organizations are turning to in-house staff to design and maintain their Web pages. EAI offers Web training classes, ranging from a one-day introductory course to a five-day certification program. For more information, call (858) 271-5300.

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Irwin Jacobs, chairman and CEO of Qualcomm, will serve as chairman of the San Diego Urban League's annual Equal Opportunity Awards Dinner. "To have such a prominent San Diego executive serve in this capacity speaks well of the league's growth and stature as a nonprofit organization that serves the interests of so many people," says John Johnson, the league's soon-to-retire executive director. This year’s dinner will be at the Sheraton Harbor Island Hotel Sept. 14, starting with a reception at 5:30 p.m. Dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. For information, call (619) 263-3115.

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A 5,000-square-foot commercial building at 355 Sixth Ave. has been sold to Sarah P. Cheng and Pei-Lee Lin for $625,000. Walsh Property Group represented the sellers, White Family Trust, while the Triwest Group represented the buyers.

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MC Direct has opened its West Coast corporate headquarters at 12650 Danielson Court in Poway. The $5.5 million, 77,000-square-foot concrete, glass and steel structure will serve as MC Direct's West Coast data and processing center, designed to provide a full range of direct marketing services under one roof. The company has about 200 full-time associates, with 125 of them at the Poway facility. MC Direct has another regional headquarters and East Coast processing operation in Virginia Beach.

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Cox Communications has a telecommuting program that allows its employees to provide customer service from their homes. Through the CyberForce program, 100 Cox customer service representatives work at home, using a high-speed cable modem and the company’s virtual private network, a secure tunnel to the Customer Care Center's network.

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San Diego-based Tachyon Inc. has signed an agreement with AwayMed.com to provide 70 Tachyon access points, satellite-delivered broadband connections, to physicians' offices across the country. Tachyon Inc. specializes in marketing two way, high performance satellite-delivered Internet connections.

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The Fashion Careers of California College, at its 14th annual Golden Hanger Fashion Awards Gala, honored Peggy Matthews with its 2000 Lifetime Achievement Award. Other awards went to Charlotte Russe/Rampage, retailer of the year; Arline Fisch, accessory designer; Reef Brazil, manufacturer; Rebecca Bray for Rip Curl, fashion designer; Aaron Chang, fashion company; Vanity, progressive retailer; Buffalo Exchange, resale store; and Reba Brophy, special award.

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A group of artists from San Diego and Tijuana have been invited to an international art show, the Havana Bienale 2000. But the artists have to raise their own money because the U.S. State Department won’t pay for their travel to Cuba. As a fund-raiser, the RevArte artists — Luz Camacho-Espinoza, Jim Bliesner, Jim Hammond, Ana Maria Herrera and Irma Sofia Poeter — are holding a preview show at the Spruce Street Forum, 301 Spruce Street, Aug. 11 at 5 p.m. Representations of their work will be sold. For information, contact Bliesner at (619) 280-0360 or Camacho-Espinoza at (619) 428-1115.

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CashPile.com, a business-to-business online service, has signed a five-year $1.78 million lease for 10,998 square feet of office space at 5355 Mira Sorrento Place in Sorrento Towers North. Burnham Real Estate Services * ONCOR represented the lessor, WCB Five Limited Partnership. CB Richard Ellis represented the lessee. (You can read more about CashPile.com in a feature article on Page 52, and in the cover story for the July issue of San Diego Metropolitan.)

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The San Diego campus of the University of Phoenix will offer a new master of arts in education degree program, providing specialized training in curriculum and technology or curriculum and instruction. "As the field of technology becomes more and more prevalent in our daily lives and the industry around us, so increases the need for teachers to integrate technology into the learning environment," says Bruce Williams, San Diego campus director. For more information, call 1-888-UOP-INFO.

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Need home furnishing tips? Ask Jean, the new virtual advice columnist online at iHome.com. The animated advice columnist is the latest addition to the "Living Made Easy" corner. Started one year ago, San Diego-based iHome.com offers an enhanced, one-stop shopping and information service.

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The Woolworth building on Fifth Avenue Downtown has been sporting barricades this year, but there's no work going on. It was being touted as a future House of Blues. But the project, originally headed by developer Gina Champion-Cain and now by Chris Jones, is in limbo. Jones says he may have some news to report by the middle of this month.

Twenty years ago Mail Boxes Etc. was founded in San Diego. This month the city is the home of the MBE Worldwide Family Reunion 2000. Set for Aug. 14-19 at the San Diego Convention Center, the event is themed "The Power of the Dream." More than 1,500 are expected to attend. A highlight will be a speech by Capt. James Lovell Jr., commander of the Apollo 13 mission.

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PixArts, a new digital photography retail franchise business, has named Eastman Kodak Co.'s Professional Division as its preferred supplier of digital photographic imaging products. Under the agreement, Kodak Professional will provide PixArts with special large-format printers, photographic papers and related material. Launched by Mail Boxes Etc. founder Anthony DeSio, PixArts had about two dozen franchises in June. DeSio says he expects rapid growth, with 100 franchises opening per year for the next three to five years. You don’t think DeSio will show up at the reunion to pitch PixArts, will he?

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Have trouble making the dry cleaners during working hours? Well, then Kensington Park Plaza at 4134 Adams Ave. is the place for you. Warner Architecture + Design has just completed at the project the second of two dry-cleaning stores for the CleanTouch chain. The store not only allows customers to use a swipe card to retrieve clothing 24 hours a day, it also features a retail store filled with cleaning supplies of all kind.

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With the help of a delivery guy on a bicycle, Gaslamp Video is offering Downtown residents a new way to rent movies without moving off the couch. Last month, the store at 587 Third Ave. began delivering videos in the Downtown area. Cost of delivery is $1 on top of the movie rental fee. Pickup service is available for $1 per video. Owner Gary Truman says he started the unusual service so customers could avoid Gaslamp parking and traffic hassles. For more information, call 237-0028. (Now if you could just get a pizza included in that order...)