January 16, 2001

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt will be in San Diego today for a 10 a.m. signing of the historic Colorado River agreement.

Babbitt will sign during a ceremony hosted by the San Diego County Water Authority at the Coronado Island Marriott Resort.

The agreement will allow California to receive surplus Colorado River water for the next 15 years.

“It is very significant that the secretary shoe to sign this accord in San Diego County, since this is where it all began,” says James Turner, chairman of the county water authority board. “A linchpin of California’s Colorado River Water Use Plan is the San Diego County Water Authority-Imperial Irrigation District water transfer agreement — the first agreement of the plan to be reached and the catalyst for the plan’s other elements.”

The transfer agreement will provide up to 200,000 acre feet of conserved water annually to San Diego. It is the largest agriculture-to-urban water transfer in United States history.

***

In response to the disastrous earthquake in El Salvador, San Diego-based International Relief Teams is sending emergency medicines and medical supplies to affected areas in El Salvador.

“Obviously with the conditions facing the medical personnel in El Salvador right now, we will try to raise enough cash donations to send as many shipments of emergency medicines and medical supplies as needed,” says Barry La Forgia, IRT’s executive director.

Cash donations to support the effort can be sent to: International Relief Teams, 3547 Camino del Rio South, Suite C, San Diego, 92108.

For more information, call (619) 284-7979.

***

Quake Global, formerly known as Quake Wireless, changed its corporate name to more closely reflect its role as a worldwide supplier of asset and fleet management products, services and information.

The San Diego-based technology firm designs, manufactures, and delivers communication hardware and reporting software. In doing so, Quake utilizes the latest in global satellite technology, cellular and other developing technologies.

"We are confident that our new name more accurately describes the services we provide our clients," says Ray Calhoun, the firm's president and CEO. "We wanted to avoid any confusion with potential customers who might assume we provided a phone system of some sort. Instead, we provide a system of tracking and monitoring through a hi-tech system of cellular and satellite connections."

Quake offers its clients the ability to keep an accurate track of their assets by simply logging onto the Internet at www.quakeglobal.com.

***

LightPointe Communications Inc., a San Diego designer and manufacturer of free-space optical networking products that offer connectivity to metropolitan optical networks, hired Baksheesh Ghuman as v.p. of marketing.

Ghuman is responsible for developing and executing all aspects of LightPointe's domestic and international marketing strategy and his appointment completes the LightPointe executive management team.

"We are thrilled to have Baksheesh aboard," says John Griffin, the company’s president and CEO. "His extensive marketing experience, excellent understanding of the various market segments, customers and technology—along with his optical networking background—make him an invaluable asset to LightPointe. I look forward to his leadership and vision in growing LightPointe's domestic and international market presence."

"The vision, people and culture of LightPointe are what attracted me to the company," Ghuman says. "I am excited to be joining such a smart and innovative group of people who are not only experienced but are also very focused. I look forward to being a part of this team and helping execute on the company’s vision."

Ghuman brings more than 12 years of marketing experience in various segments of the telecommunications industry, including access, transport, switching, and management and metropolitan optical networking.

He was most recently v.p. of marketing for Sorrento Networks, a metro optical networking company where he was responsible for executing Sorrento's overall marketing vision and strategy.

He has a BS in chemistry with a minor in physics from Punjab University, India, and a diploma in systems management from the National Institute of Information Technology, New Delhi.

Ghuman has both an MS in telecommunications management and an MBA with a marketing concentration from Golden Gate University. He also has attended executive education programs at Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

***

BakBone Software of San Diego, a global provider of storage management software, has introduced the latest commercial version of its NetVault software.

The new version, 6.03, features added support for network-attached storage. It enables users, from work groups through enterprises, to use the same software across a wide range of data storage topologies, from direct-attached storage to NAS, and ultimately to storage area networks.

The software is designed so that it can be installed within minutes or hours, instead of the days or weeks required by competing products.

"NetVault's new version delivers on what the market is demanding," says Michael Karp, director, storage management at the Hurwitz Group. "They need software that can easily manage their constantly growing data backups, and quickly restore that information when it’s needed most. They are asking for software that doesn’t require a Ph.D. to operate, and enables them to run it regardless of where it’s installed. As different topologies such as SANs and NAS come together, those abilities will be crucial. NetVault 6.03 meets those requirements today."

NetVault is designed to grow with a company’s escalating storage needs. A study, conducted exclusively for BakBone Software, found that even small and mid-sized business will need to backup average loads of between one and two terabytes this year.

"Those needs will continue to grow, given the escalating demands on business," says Tony Cerqueira, BakBone's CEO. "Companies will be trying to make their backups and restores as easy as possible, and to complete them as quickly as possible. And they won’t settle for products that do half the job; they need to be able to make the process work across local area networks, with network-attached storage, and ultimately with SANs. Whatever they choose, the software must be able to respond."

"Our message," Cerqueira continued, "is that these companies need hardware and software that will meet their data storage needs both today and tomorrow. NetVault is that software."

***

Stellcom Inc., headquartered in San Diego, has opened a new office in Austin, Texas.

The office, located at One Congress Plaza, will help Stellcom meet growing demand for wireless enterprise and infrastructure solutions in this fast growing region of the country.

To establish and expand Stellcom's presence in Texas, the company welcomes Bill Witt as g.m. of the Austin office. Witt — who founded and managed several companies that provided software solutions to the Fortune 1000 — has more than 20 years of executive management, sales and engineering experience in the software and Internet industries.

Witt reports Stellcom will continue to expand in Austin by hiring business development managers and engineering development and support staff.

"Austin is fast becoming a national leader in some of the hottest, fastest developing industries including software, semiconductors and telecommunications," Witt says. "Stellcom looks forward to mining Austin's top-quality talent pool and building a presence in this area by offering integrated wireless solutions for the mobile workforce."

Stellcom recently secured $50 million in a second round investment led by the Frontenac Co. The company will use the capital infusion in part to grow the Austin office and continue its expansion into additional regional technology centers.

***

Tadpole-Cartesia Inc., the San Diego-based field mapping software business unit of mobile computing and network infrastructure vendor, Tadpole Technology plc, appointed of Jason G. Linley as director of business and operations, North America.

Linley has both a military and IT background. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, he was commissioned into the U.S. Marine Corps and served in a number of administrative and IT project management capacities.

He then joined SAIC and moved into project management with the vendor after completing his education at San Diego State University. He was recruited by Tadpole-Cartesia in 2000.

In his expanded role, Linley is charged with the further development of the vendor's business from utilities in North America, the development of nationwide sales channels, and the promotion of the vendor's unique field mapping solutions at trade shows, conferences and seminars.

"Tadpole-Cartesia's human resource in North America is now a powerful combination of business generators and technologists capable of ensuring sustained growth from the utilities and telecommunications markets,” says Mark Ketteman, general manager of Tadpole-Cartesia. “Linley's skillset in team leadership, project management, and in understanding the specific needs of our customers, is a further example."

***

San Diego’s Java Users Group has chosen a new location for its monthly events, in order to accommodate an upsurge in attendees.

JUG is a local networking group for software programmers that provides in-depth technical presentations about the use and application of the Java Programming Language.

As the group continues to gain momentum, increased attendance has created a need for a larger venue. Meetings will now be held at the Quality Resort, 875 Hotel Circle South in Mission Valley. The group meets the third Tuesday of every month from 6 to 8 p.m., and the first event will take place today.

The meeting will feature a presentation titled "Extreme Programming II" by Paul Webber of ieWild Inc. Second in a series, Webber will look at the four values and 12 practices of extreme programming.

January's meeting also marks the second anniversary of the group's formation. JUG welcomes Java programmers of all levels of expertise, although attendees should expect an advanced level of discussion. Refreshments, free parking and a chance at raffle prizes, compliments of JUG and its sponsors, are all part of the monthly events.

The programmer's group is supported by Polexis, a San Diego-based company that creates enterprise application integration technologies for commercial businesses and government agencies.

Polexis has hosted the group since its inception in 1999, and continues to support the JUG Web site www.jug.polexis.com.

The company has been able to secure a prestigious roster of national speakers. Past JUG presenters have included Janet Koenig and Onno Kluyt from Sun Microsystems, Shalabh Goel from Sybase, Chris Voisey from SilverStream Software, and Richard Scott from IBM.

Individuals who would like to be added to the JUG e-mail list for meeting notifications should contact Kerry Tepedino at tepedino@polexis.com.

***

The Townsend Agency has hired Larry Bevins as v.p. of creative/creative director.

Bevins brings to the agency 20 years of experience in the creative field. In his role, he will be the company’s creative initiator and guide. His primary concern will be focused on creative work that is strategically driven for large brands.

Prior to joining the agency, Bevins worked for five years as creative director at several well-known San Diego firms and was principal and creative director at his own firm, the Strata Group, for 11 years with offices in Central Virginia and Raleigh, North Carolina.

"We are pleased to welcome Larry Bevins and his vast creative experience working with successful high-technology and bio-technology clients," says Jacqueline Townsend Konstanturos, president and CEO of the agency. "Bevins' expertise will contribute to the talent engine of the agency and to the expansion of the creative department to serve the growing needs of our clients."

"I am delighted to be leading such a smart and strategic team of designers," Bevins says. "My goal at the agency is threefold: one, to raise the bar on our creative; two, to make sure that 'the big idea' is always in line with our clients' strategic and branding needs; and three, to build a dynamic, creative team that can deliver and have fun doing it."

***

From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m Jan. 25, MP3.com Inc. will conduct a free seminar at its San Diego headquarters to demonstrate how some of the more progressive record labels are attempting to make money by aggressively using the Internet to cost-effectively increase exposure and demand for their new CD titles.

To register for this event, visit www.mp3.com/events.

One problem currently faced by some record labels is that they have assets stowed in their vaults that could be earning them money. The seminar will feature industry experts who will unveil low-cost ways for labels to unlock the power of the Internet to potentially rejuvenate sales for back-cataloged CDs.

"We are working to provide labels with the necessary knowledge to unlock the marketing and promotional potential of the digital music space," says Rick Walker, v.p. and head of label marketing and promotion at MP3.com. "This seminar is an excellent opportunity for any label, big or small, to get a first-hand look at the money-making opportunities available online."

The seminar is intended to show how successful record labels license their music for television and film placement, how they gain exposure for their artists in business establishments and how they successfully promote concerts and events online.

***