With edgy, smart and in-your-face marketing, the San Diego Internet Roundtable and UCSD Connect are teaming on the March 24 presentation of iLounge, a day-long conference at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines featuring 50 dot.com start-ups and wanna-bes. The event has two primary goals: raise awareness, and hence, funding, for the presenting companies and raise awareness nationally on the robust nature of the region's fledgling e-businesses.
What should attendees expect? "We will rock your withered ass," says Bob Bingham, an organizer and Internet success who is now backing 10 other Net businesses in San Diego. "iLounge really for us is a national platform to showcase San Diego Internet companies. We are flying in, prodding, cajoling, strong-arming national media to come to town and sit in the front row and hear what our companies are up to. They have a story to tell and the story is things are moving. We are billing iLounge as San Diego’s Internet 'coming-out party.'" The cost is $325 by March 17; $425 after that. Click on www.iLounge.net to register.

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After a four-month wait, the new Courtyard by Marriott in the old San Diego Trust & Savings building now has its liquor license. The lounge, constructed around and to include the old tellers' cages, should prove a cool place to cocktail. Also, G.M. David Bilbe says the kitchen has started serving breakfast and later will add a lunch and dinner menu.

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Intergulf Development Corp., one of British Columbia's largest residential builders, has purchased an entire block bounded by Kettner Boulevard and India, A and B streets, and plans to build two high-rise 24-story condo towers that would add 320 to 350 living units to the area. Vancouver-based Intergulf paid $7.27 million for the 60,000-square-foot parcel, and plans to build units with one to three bedrooms as large as 1,600 square feet, most with ocean views. Intergulf was represented by Burnham Real Estate Services. The seller, Sarofin Realty Advisors, was represented by Grubb & Ellis. Intergulf's COO Joe Werner says the building is planned in two phases, the first to start construction in September.

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Of the last three decades, the 1990s were the smallest for San Diego County in terms of population growth. The latest Info report by Sandag shows the county added 415,200 residents in the decade, boosting the population by 17 percent. In the 1980s the region added 636,200 folks for a 34 percent growth rate, while in the 1970s it added 504,000 folks, for a 37 percent growth rate.
The slow down in housing is even more dramatic. In the 1970s 269,800 new units were built for a 60 percent growth rate. In the 1980s 225,900 were built for a 31 percent rate. In the 1990s 92,500 homes were built for a 10 percent growth rate. "The discrepancy between population growth and home construction has spawned a housing crunch today that could easily become a housing crisis tomorrow," the publication concludes.

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San Diego’s gross regional product is expected to surpass the $100 billion mark this year, hitting $100.4 billion, a 6.4 percent increase from 1999's $94.4 billion. Adjusted for inflation, the real increase is 4.5 percent, the San Diego Regional Chamber reports.

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The Downtown San Diego Partnership has won city approval of its Clean & Safe Program that will provide security and physical maintenance services Downtown. But it was close. The first vote by the City Council, for permission to count votes from property owners deciding whether to tax themselves for the program, was 5-3, with councilmembers Christine Kehoe, Valerie Stallings and George Stevens opposed. (Barbara Warden was not present for the vote.) Once the votes were counted and a majority of property owners were found to be in favor, the council revoted and unanimously approved the program. Clean & Safe starts in May.

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Plans for a new power plant on Otay Mesa may be falling behind schedule. In a report, California Energy Commission staff says it lacks sufficient information in three areas Ð air quality, biological resources and transmission systems engineering Ð to complete a preliminary assessment by March 21. The potential delay is due in part to the commission working simultaneously on 12 power plant applications. Otay Mesa Generating Co.'s plans for the 510 megawatt Otay plant call for it to come on line in May 2002, just in time to be up and running during the peak power season.

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The National Law Journal is reporting that Leonard B. Simon, a San Diego partner of Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach, will be among the lead litigators heading a consolidation of class action antitrust lawsuits filed in state courts against Microsoft.

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When it comes to expediting business, the Southeastern Economic Development Corp. is on a roll. Late last year, with SEDC riding herd on city permits, Costco pulled off a six month tear-down-and-rebuild of its Gateway warehouse store. The new one is 45,000 feet larger. Now SEDC is partnering with Pacific Development Partners on the $40 million, 30-acre Imperial Marketplace. Ground was broken last month and the developer, with SEDC again bird-dogging permits, expects a new Home Depot to be open by Thanksgiving. The agency also does small well. To wit: Late last month it turned dirt for a small business center that will house 15-employee Padre Janitorial. An end of August opening is planned.

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Lynne Heidel, an attorney with Sullivan Wertz McDade & Wallace and chair of the CCDC, is the new president of the San Diego chapter of Lambda Alpha, a land economics fraternity. She replaces Ken Sulzer, executive director of Sandag.

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More than 20,000 square feet of green astro turf will be rolled out for ShamRock 2000, the Gaslamp Quarter's St. Patrick's Day party on March 17 from 4 p.m. to midnight. Tickets to the event, which is held on F Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues, are $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Tickets include admission to Maloney's Irish Pub, Tsunami, Parrot Grill and Martini Ranch. Seven bands are scheduled, including the Atomic Punks at 9:30 p.m. doing a tribute to Van Halen and the Disco Pimps at 11 p.m. to close the show.

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Creative Leather, which bills itself as the largest all-leather furniture showroom in the country, has opened its first San Diego area store, this one on San Marcos Boulevard. The company plans soon to open a second location on Miramar's "Furniture Road" and later in Mission Valley. Michael Gregory, company president, expects to have four to six stores in the county.

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Attorney John Brooks is out with the 2000 edition of his Passport Pal: The Pacific Rim. The pocket-sized reference guide features up-to-date information on traveling and conducting business in Australia, Burma, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, China, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The Luce Forward lawman sells the 76-page book for $19.95, which includes access to quarterly updates of regional information. Click on www.passportpal.com for more.

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Billing itself as the world's first online sign company, San Diego-based Readysigns.com has opened for business and promises to ship Internet-ordered signs within 24 hours.

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When Janet Lowe speaks, it often is with the words of the world's greatest business minds. The author of 15 books this past decade, and creator of the "Speaks" series, her works include "Warren Buffett Speaks," "Bill Gates Speaks," "Oprah Winfrey Speaks," "Michael Jordan Speaks" and "Billy Graham Speaks." To learn how she does it, check out Lowes March 22 Learning Annex class titled "Write & Sell a Bestselling Celebrity Biog." Lowe, also this magazine's senior contributing editor, repeats the talk April 6 in L.A. The cost to attend is $34 for Annex members; $49 for others. For more information, call the Annex at (619) 544-9700.

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San Diego-based 1-800-Call Doc made more than 11,000 housecalls in 1999, averaging more than 900 a month and peaking at 1,181 in October. "People are discovering you don’t necessarily have to go to the emergency room and sit for sometimes hours in the waiting room just to see a doctor," says Dr. Gresham Bayne, company founder and chairman. A basic visit costs less than $200. The company, founded in 1985, is expanding into Riverside.

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The renovation of the El Cortez Hotel is a family affair for Marshall Simmons. The sheet metal fabricator is doing the same type of work on the project that his father, Troy Simmons, did more than 40 years ago.

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The fourth Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation energy ministers meeting held since 1989 is coming to San Diego May 10-12. Energy ministers from 21 countries are expected to attend.

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Mary Adams, the cleverly insightful marketing woman who specialized in high-tech and all things political, has left San Diego to work for iVendor, a "pre-IPO Internet start-up located in the Silicon Valley." (Her words.) Adams worked for Mayor Golding, helped Sprint hustle its then-new all-digital wireless service in the days when you needed some ham to go with the Swiss cheese coverage and worked for an SDSU foundation. She leaves town a big backer of Barbara Warden and the Downtown ballpark.

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Promote La Jolla is hosting a public forum and budget workshop on March 8, 7 p.m., that features City Manager Michael Uberuaga. The meeting is at the La Jolla Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St., following Promote La Jolla's monthly board meeting.

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Closed for about a month during a remodel, Z Gallery reopens March 10. But it will be a smaller Z Gallery. The top two floors have been separated from the ground-floor retail. A store manager was unsure what the building's L.A. owner planned to do with the space.

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In February's coverage of the mayoral race, an article noted that San Diego Councilwoman Barbara Warden voted against the proposed Downtown ballpark financial plan. After San Diego Metropolitan went to press, and after the San Diego Padres conceded more money for the project, the City Council took another vote. Warden was part of the unanimous approval for a series of ballpark funding agreements.
In the same feature, the projections for population growth in the next two decades should have read 1 million more people countywide. The city of San Diego’s share of the increase is estimated at 450,000, nearly half. Metropolitan regrets the errors.

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Bycor General Contractors has begun work on 35,579 square feet of office and manufacturing space at the Summit Ridge Business Park for Nu Ear, a Minnesota-based hearing aid manufacturer. Larry Rowe is the project manager and Ray Kanter the superintendent.

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More than 3,500 UCSD students will receive their degrees during eight separate commencement ceremonies set for June 4, 17 and 18. An all-campus commencement on June 17 will feature poet and writer Maya Angelou.

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Four buildings totaling 85,384 square feet in the 4S Ranch Business Park have been sold in separate transactions that totaled $9.17 million. Three of the buildings were sold as shells, the fourth, a new 26,533-square-foot, two-story office building sold for $4.5 million. Tim Hoag, a senior v.p. with Burnham Real Estate Services, represented both parties in each of the transactions.

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Southwest Community Bank expects this month to open a business banking center at 1146 W. Valley Parkway in Escondido's Plaza Las Palmas Center immediately west of I-15. In two months, the bank expects to convert the center into its third full-service branch. "We have received requests from several different business communities to establish offices in their markets," says Frank Mercardante, the bank's president and CEO. "The Escondido facility is the first of several new locations we have planned over the next few months."

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Johnson & Jennings General Contracting expects this month to complete a 3,924-square-foot improvement and remodeling of the offices of Chicago Title in the Chicago Title Office Building located at 925 B St., Downtown. Patrick Willette is project manager; Lupe Gomez onsite supervisor.

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Design work is under way for a 3,500-square-foot expansion of Federal Defenders of San Diego. Jossy+Carrier Design Group is handling the planning, interior design, construction documents and contract administration. The work should finish next month. Roi Jossy is principal in charge.

After 19 years with Coleman College, former computer engineering instructor Robert Blanchard has earned the title of president. Blanchard started as a teacher and, after a series of promotions, was serving as v.p. of academics before Coleman's board handed him the top slot.

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Three local business executives are set to receive special honors March 31 during the 23rd annual Leavey Awards for Excellence In Private Enterprise Education, presented by Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. Next Millennium awards will be presented to J. Robert Beyster, founder and CEO of SAIC; William Geppert, v.p. and g.m. of Cox Communications-San Diego; and John Hawkins, CEO of Cloud 9 Shuttle. Honorary chair of the event is Sally B. Thornton.

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Phil Wise has been promoted to senior v.p. of Colliers International. A 20-year industry veteran, Wise specializes in the sale and leasing of office, industrial and R&D properties. His résumé of deals, totaling 3.5 million square feet valued in excess of $357 million, includes representing Qualcomm in the purchase of the San Diego Design Center. He comes over to Colliers after 11 years with John Burnham & Co.

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The Southwestern College Concert Choir is holding a benefit reception March 11 to raise money for the group's biggest performance ever, the singing of John Rutter's Requiem Mass in New York City's Carnegie Hall. At the benefit, the choir will perform the piece. Tickets are $10 and $20. Call (619) 482-6367 for more.

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Ninteman Construction Co. has completed $7.8 million in tenant improvements for Gateway's new headquarters at Towne Centre Technology Park.

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The McRae Agency, a San Diego marketing firm headquartered in the Gaslamp Quarter, has opened an office in San Francisco.

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A search is under way to line up the 40 or so bands that will play during the June 4 Suzuki Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. Click on www.rnrmarathon.com for more.

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Fitness Warehouse, an affiliate of San Diego-based Hoist Fitness Systems, has opened in the Mission Valley West Shopping Center. It’s the second location in San Diego; the other is at Balboa Avenue and Convoy Street. Run by CEO Jeff Partrick, Hoist is a big deal in the fitness world. Its products are in more than 400 retail locations nationally and comparable sales have jumped 40 percent in the last six months.

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Carlsbad's Mostré Design Inc. has acquired Exhibit Design Systems Inc. of Minneapolis for an undisclosed price. Chris Wilson, Mostré's president and CEO, says its new company will be known as Mostré Design.

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Set to receive Peacemaker Awards during the March 24 dinner that culminates the San Diego Mediation Center's Day of Dialogue program are: the conflict management program at the county's juvenile ranch in Campo for developing a successful peer mediation program; the Mercy Outreach Surgical Team of Scripps Mercy Hospital for providing life-changing corrective surgery to poor children in the United States and Mexico; San Diego Dance Institute for developing innovative arts instruction programs that teach school children the basic principles of conflict resolution; the Adams Avenue Business Association for orchestrating an unlikely coalition to solve overcrowding at John Adams Elementary School; and Star 100.7 FM's "Jeff and Jer" show for founding and leading the effort to build the 10-unit "Becky's House" for battered women. For more information about the Peacemaker Awards, call Chris Salvacion at the Mediation Center, (619) 238-2400.

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Total Gym has begun airing nationally its fourth infomercial in four years. This one again features spokespersons Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley, says Tom Campanaro, founder of the San Diego-based fitness company. Products of the 25-year-old firm are used in more than 5,000 clinics, hospitals, sports training facilities and universities nationally.

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The historic neon "Majorette" will be relighted at 6 p.m. on March 10 at the seriously renovated College Grove Center. Councilwoman Judy McCarty flips the switch. The majorette was originally installed on the old Campus Drive-In on El Cajon Boulevard in the mid-1940s.

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Set to co-chair the 10th annual Building Industry's Greatest (BIG) Awards on June 8 are Kathy Sciarrino, co-founder of European Natural Stone Co., and Alan Willingham of Standard Pacific Homes. Nominations are due May 1.

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Janez Properties has awarded Koll Construction an $8.8 million contract to build Plaza Del Mar III within the San Diego Corporate Center. Vic Laidlaw, president of Koll Construction, says the four-story project, when completed in December, will feature 118,000 square feet of office space with 48,990 square feet of underground parking.

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When Commodore Day Cruises launches its 850-passenger day cruise lines March 24 between San Diego and Rosarito Beach, the following executives are making sure it all works: Chuck Summers, v.p. and g.m.; Jim Rannan, v.p. of sales and marketing; and Dan White, director of operations. The venture is a partnership of Commodore Cruise Lines, the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians and Mexican investors. Fares for day cruises, which include meals, will run between $49 and $59, plus $12 in port charges; a package including a one-night stay at the Rosarito Beach Hotel is $99 while two nights are $149.

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Coleman College is offering, for free, refurbished computers to nonprofit organizations in San Diego. Call (619) 465-3990, Ext. 790, for more information.

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Jacques LeLong, a women's clothing store, has signed a $534,375 lease for retail space located at 635 Fifth Ave. in the Gaslamp Quarter. Bill shrader handled the deal for the Burnham Retail Group.

Seeking to increase children's awareness of the graphic arts world, the Children's Museum/Museo de los Niños has opened "GraphicUs," the third installation of its Design Worlds/Diseño Mundos exhibit. Robert Anderson, an internationally known East Coast artist, designed a 5-by-15-foot mural using orange crate labels for the exhibition's centerpiece, which was painted by San Francisco artist Glenn Brill, Los Angeles artist Dean Swick and Anderson. Also featured is a piece using road signs to make the shape of the United States by San Diego sculptor Bill Schindler.
"GraphicUs" allows kids to have fun and be creative while strengthening their literacy skills. A large magnetic word board teaches typography with a variety of words in different typefaces, while a board game on the floor demonstrates how graphic design has evolved since the invention of movable type. A large maze, a billboard installation, giant picture blocks, 3-D chalkboard constructions and artwork activities round out the exhibit, which goes through July. The museum address is 200 W. Island Ave., phone (619) 233-8792.

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Work is under way on a five-story, 73,000-square-foot care center at the La Jolla Village Towers, A Classic Residence by Hyatt. Set to open in spring 2001, the new center will offer on-site assisted living, Alzheimer's care and skilled nursing. The retirement complex won state permission last summer to build the care center. "The care center assures residents that they can continue to live near their family and friends throughout their lives," says Mary Leary, COO of Classic Residence by Hyatt.

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Kevin Mayer, who in 1988 earned his master's degree in electrical engineering from San Diego State University, has been named CEO of New York City-based Playboy.com. His boss is Christie Hefner. In his new role, Mayer - who also will serve as a director on Playboy.com's board - will be charged initially with taking Playboy.com public with an IPO.
Mayer joins Playboy.com from Buena Vista Internet Group, where he was g.m. of the GO Network portal. In addition to his SDSU degree, Mayer, 37, holds an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Jason "The Mailman" Hughes is so nicknamed, claims he, "because I always deliver." Geez.

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The Feb. 28 edition of Time magazine reports bidding starting at $100,000 for premier perks at August's Democratic Convention in San Diego. The perk price is probably right. The Aug. 14-17 convention is in Los Angeles.