Bill Cook Plays High In The Sky With His ‘Toy’
Bravo, Bravo, Bravo, Bravo San Diego
Customized Drugs Are In Demand At Downtown Pharmacy
Holiday Bowl ‘Insured’ Four More Years
Promoting The Idea Of Holding Events With Purpose
New Franchise Represents Merge Of Retail And Industrial Experts
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*** The local hotel resale market has cooled considerably. Atlas Hospitality Group says in the first half of 2002 the number of sales in San Diego County declined 57.1 percent, the largest decline in the state. The dollar volume recorded fell 82.2 percent, also the steepest decline in the state. The 12 hotels sold for a combined $32.3 million. In the first half of 2001, 28 hotels sold for a combined $181.3 million. The median per-room price paid was $48,718, down 7.6 percent from the $52,720 paid in the first half of 2001. *** Monet Mobile Networks, a Seattle-based wireless Internet service provider, has launched in Duluth, Minn., a wireless broadband service for homes and businesses that is based on Qualcomm’s CDMA technology. This is a first for commercial use of CDMA in a non-voice network. Monet considers DSL and cable its competition. Service runs from $39.95 to $59.95 per month, after equipment purchases. Monet is focusing on markets where it owns spectrum, which leaves San Diego out. *** While local Starbucks are offering wireless access for sale, zippy connectivity through the airwaves is available for free Downtown at the Santa Fe Depot, NBC and 101 West Broadway buildings. All you need is an 802.11a/b card in your laptop or other device. *** Interviews with Ben Clay, Ron Zappardino, Charlie Robins and Kathi Diamant are featured this month on the “Heart of San Diego,” San Diego Metropolitan’s Fred Lewis-hosted television show that airs in prime time on ITV. The full schedule is on Page 26. *** Regents Bank, operating in La Jolla and Downtown San Diego, reports the fastest asset growth of any San Diego de novo, at least since 1996. At Sept. 30, just 12.5 months after opening, Regents booked $77.92 million in assets, $68.3 million in deposits and•$43.4 million in loans. Typical for a start-up Regents lost $342,000 in the recent quarter.“We are operating considerably ahead of budget and are on track to turn a profit by mid 2003,” says CEO Dan Yates. Tom Young is chairman; directors include Bill Nelson, Bill Roper, Ronald Spogli, Roger Joseph and Pat Shea. *** Scott Silverman’s Second Chance/ STRIVE is celebrating its 10th anniversary. *** Rubio’s has closed its Downtown restaurant at Fourth Avenue and E Street while it hunts for a bigger space. “The lease expired,” says Ralph Rubio, CEO of Rubio’s Restaurants Inc. “We’ve been looking to relocate, but we couldn’t do it simultaneously with the lease.” The new restaurant will be designed from the ground up, “an opportunity to put a showcase restaurant Downtown,” Rubio says. The new restaurant also will serve as a prototype for a design that offers more dinner ambience. The new Downtown location will feature the company’s new style of open kitchens that allow guests to see the food preparation. Rubio’s plans to open its new Downtown restaurant within a year. *** Starting Jan. 1 as founding dean of UCSD’s new Graduate Management School is Robert S. Sullivan, dean of the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sullivan is an internationally acclaimed expert in entrepreneurship, knowledge management and venture financing. He has served as dean of the Graduate School of Industrial Administration at Carnegie Mellon University and director of the IC2 Institute and founder of the Texas Telecommunications Policy Institute at the University of Texas. ***
*** A new business census is surveying 8,000 companies with more than 25 employees to gain insights into projected growth patterns by industry, barriers to growth, and unique intelligence on small and mid-sized businesses. The effort is a partnership of the San Diego Chamber, International EDC and National Center for Business and Economic Research. Co-sponsors are Wells Fargo and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. “We are going to develop intelligence that no previous studies have,” says Jessie Knight, chamber president. “From the 50,000-foot picture to specific opportunities for business growth, this census will break new ground.” *** Speaking of surveys, next month, 49,000 San Diego businesses will be among 5 million in America to receive their 2002 Economic Census forms, which must be returned by Feb. 12. Collected every five years, the data produces the country’s most widely used business statistics. New this year is a measure of e-commerce for all industries. *** Pardee Homes has been commended by the San Diego Board of Supervisors for the company’s outstanding service, leadership and commitment to the well-being of area residents and its dedication to energy-efficient building practices. A proclamation was presented by Supervisor Pam Slater, 3rd District, to Pardee President Mike McGee, along with Chuck Corum, Beth Fischer and Carlene Matchniff, Pardee’s San Diego directors of community development. Pardee got the attention after introducing its Living Smart program. It features HealthSmart, EnergySmart and EarthSmart components that bring environmentally sound building techniques and products into its new home developments. ***
*** Pacific DataVision, a wireless technology company, took home $10,000 as the winner of PitchFest 2002, an annual competition hosted by the San Diego Venture Group. The company develops and sells data software for use by mobile phone subscribers. At PitchFest, it landed the most votes of three finalists that presented before more than 300 members of the venture community. CEO Peter Lasensky was enthusiastic about winning: “I can’t wait to call everyone I know to tell them.” ***
*** Brilliant political insight will be served up Nov. 12 when The Lincoln Club hosts an election analysis fest featuring heavyweight consultants Tom Shepard and Jennifer Tierney and the region’s leading political writer, Gerry Braun of the Union-Tribune. With Shepard and Tierney running the show for opposing candidates in District 2, arguably the city’s most important council seat, one panelist will have a winning strategy to discuss at the Town & Country Hotel luncheon. Cost is $35 for members, $45 for others. Call (858) 812-2096 for reservations. *** As it celebrates its 15th year in the Gaslamp Quarter, Café Sevilla has launched a full-scale catering division. G.M. Eric Van Den Haute promises to re-create the authentic Spanish ambience and flavor of the company’s three restaurants at the location of a client’s choice. With restaurants in Carlsbad and Riverside, Sevilla now has more than 200 employees and annual sales topping $10 million. *** San Diego home builder Hallmark Communities nails down fourth place on the National Association of Home Builders’ Builder magazine Fast Track 2002 that ranks the nation’s fastest growing home builders. Mike Hall’s Hallmark, the only local on the list, boosted gross revenue 95 percent between 1999 and 2001. The company expects to deliver eight new North County communities in 2003, including the Pinehurst Collection overlooking Twin Oaks Golf Course in San Marcos. *** Artist Doron Rosenthal opens Gallery 726-3 Ninth Avenue Nov. 8 in the East Village. The gallery will feature emerging and California talent. Rosenthal, who first showed his art 20 years ago at the Natalie Bush Gallery, is well-known for his public art, including the project Fossils Exposed, commissioned by the city of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and the Hillcrest Business Association. *** All the whimsical details that once decorated the San Diego Children’s Museum — two and three dimensional art, an airplane and a Mercedes Benz — will be sold on Dec. 7. Prices start at $1. Doors open at 10 a.m. Don’t worry, the favorites — the truck, double decker bus and Cora’s House — are being stored during construction of a new Downtown museum and will go back on exhibit when the building opens in 2005. *** McMillin Commercial has broken ground on the first two of seven office complexes at Liberty Station, the former Naval Training Center. When finished, the project will offer more than 380,000 square feet of commercial space on 22 acres. *** A new 3,800-square-foot balcony and gangway has been installed at the San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal. The $1.7 million mobile gangway built by Sweden’s FMT Aircraft Gate Support System will speed the boarding and disembarking of folks traveling on passenger ships. The 300 foot long, $1.8 million fixed balcony was built by Douglas E. Barnhart Inc. ***
With a combined 600 rooms and 50,000 square feet of meeting space, five Shelter Island hoteliers have banded together as the Shelter Island Hotel Group. The primary target is convention business along with leisure travelers from L.A. and Orange counties. Kevin Konopasek, g.m. of the Shelter Pointe Hotel & Marina, is group president. Next year, the auto-accessible peninsula created by the Port District in 1953 will celebrate its 50th anniversary. *** Jennifer LeSar, a v.p. and investment manager with Bank of America, is the newest member of the Centre City Development Corp. board. She replaces Pete Davis, the retired banker who is now a member of the Port Commission. *** On Nov. 15, the installation of structural steel at the San Diego Padres’ Downtown ballpark will have made its first round tripper through the main seating bowl. Three days later the 500-day countdown to opening day starts. *** Charger Girls Captain Kathy Perez is scheduled to attend the inaugural Pardee Homes Ocean View 5K Run/Walk for Education at 8 a.m. on Nov. 9. Also, Salsa Y Fuego Productions, San Diego’s premier Salsa dance company, is performing a special show at the event. Race proceeds benefit educational programs in the Sweetwater, San Ysidro and Chula Vista school districts. For more information about the race and on-line registration, visit www.kozenterprises.com or call (858) 268-1250. *** Several trends were apparent in the October feature on the growing number of home resales Downtown. But a few things weren’t as clear. The story implied that real estate agent Mike Althof closed 45 sales in 1995 and 250 sales this year. Althof actually was referring to the number of resale properties sold in those years, a number that included those he represented. “Basically, I was trying to illustrate two trends happening Downtown,” he says. “That there were more properties sold so far this year than were sold in all of 1995 and that the prices are higher.” Both trends are noteworthy. San Diego Metropolitan regrets any confusion. *** Organizers of the 10th annual San Diego Latino Film Festival are accepting entries for the 2003 festival. SDLFF will take place March 13-23 at the new Madstone Theaters at Hazard Center. Deadline for submissions to the festival is Nov. 30. There is an entry fee of $15 for shorts and $25 for features. For information, call (619) 230-1938. *** Three of the homebuilding industry’s top professionals received honors during the SAM 2002 sales and marketing awards. Jeff Pitzer of Barratt American received the Sales Manager of the Year Award, Jayne Vanderhagen of Prudential New Homes received the Brian Angelini Memorial Marketing Director of the Year Award and Steve Doyle, president of Brookfield Homes, got the Gary Campbell Industry Professional of the Year Award. The annual SAM awards honor the leading real estate and homebuilding professionals for their most inventive home designs, creative marketing efforts and contributions to the homebuilding industry. ***
*** Market Creek Plaza in Southeast San Diego reached a milestone with its anchor tenant, Food 4 Less, reporting nearly 1.6 million customer transactions since opening in January 2001, making it one of the highest traffic stores in the region. Market Creek Plaza is a shopping and cultural center designed to meet the needs of its neighboring residents. The project was launched in 1998 by the Jacobs Center for NonProfit Innovation. “The community didn’t want another mall where national chain stores take money out of the neighborhood,” says Jennifer Vanica, president and CEO of the Jacobs Center. All Market Creek decisions are made by residents in a team atmosphere, in an effort to capture and keep wealth in the community where it benefits those who live there. *** Force Field Corp., manufacturer of ballistic carrying cases, is selling a personal defense backpack, computer carrying case and shoulder bags. A built-in extendable shield in each carrying case provides protection against 9 mm and 44 caliber Magnum bullets. The shield can be extended with a flick of the wrist. For more information, call (619) 523-4870. *** Living lettuce hits local supermarket produce sections in January. The hydroponic Romaine called Hydromaine comes in a bag with its roots intact and still alive. After five days in an office refrigerator, a sample bag of the Carpinteria-grown vegetable provided by Hollandia Produce still was fresh. *** City College’s Performing Arts present the West Coast premiere through Nov. 18 of Peter S. Beagle’s “The Last Unicorn.” The show runs at the college’s Saville Theatre. Prices are a moderate $12 for adults. Call (619) 388-3676 for details. *** The Patricia Rincon Dance Collective celebrates its 20th anniversary this month with a theater/dance production entitled 20/20 that includes the world premiere of “Un Leger Sourire” (A Little Smile). The Nov. 15-16 performances are at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego in La Jolla. Call (760) 632-5340 for information. *** The new San Diego Cooperative Charter School at 2850 Sixth Ave. is accepting students in kindergarten through fifth grade. In addition to the core curriculum, it will offer daily courses in Spanish, music, art and movement. Principal Randy Drabman holds “Coffee With The Principal” each Friday, 9-11 a.m., at Jimmy Carter’s Restaurant. *** New to the Convention Center Corp. board are April Boling and Eric Rivera. Boling, a CPA and incoming chair of the San Diego Taxpayers Association, replaces Gail Stoorza-Gill who served the maximum two terms. Rivera, special assistant to the v.p. of student affairs at SDSU, replaces Patrick Shea, who also completed his time. ***
*** David Copperfield, the man who vanished the Statue of Liberty and walked through the Great Wall of China, exhibits this month artifacts from his private museum. Items from Copperfield’s International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts can be seen at the San Diego Civic Center Nov. 25-27. The museum is home for antiquarian props, books and other historical ephemera related to conjuring. Materials in San Diego for public viewing include Houdini’s first magic wand, the only recording of Houdini’s voice, the handcuffs used in Houdini’s most important and famous handcuff challenge of his career and Houdini’s secret devices. Along with the historical magic items, Copperfield, whose parents live in San Diego, is performing a nightly magic show. For more information, call (619) 525-5000. *** Clif Bar Inc., the maker of Luna nutrition bars, is hosting the second annual Lunafest, a national film festival showcasing women’s themes and female directors. Films will be judged by directors of both genders. This year, the festival features six films, including three documentaries, an animated short, a dance narrative and a retelling of a Washington Irving story. Topics ranging from self-identity and body image to women in the criminal justice system offer a platform for budding directors to exhibit their work and generate dialogue about topics vital to women’s lives. The festival takes place Nov. 7 at USD. For more information, click on www.lunabar.com. *** Robert D. Friedgen, former g.m. of the Helix Water District, received the distinguished George Warren Fuller Award from the American Water Works Association. Friedgen began working for Helix in 1955. He became g.m. and chief engineer in 1980 and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1998. *** Howard Sneed Architecture & Design has received the contract for programming, space planning and interior architectural design for the new global headquarters of The Memec Group, a specialist semiconductor distributor relocating from England to San Diego. Memec is moving into Building Four of Kilroy Centre Del Mar, a building formerly controlled by Peregrine, which also will accommodate the corporate offices of Memec’s U.S. divisions, Insight and Unique. *** A 6,900-square-foot parking lot at 320 W. Ash St. in Downtown was sold for $620,000 by West Ash Investors, Berkson Realty Advisors to Billoard Lofts, who will be developing 24 apartment units on the site. Kraig Kristofferson and Nelson Ackerly of CB Richard Ellis represented the buyer and seller. *** About 150 luxury condos, many with ocean views, will replace La Jolla Inn, a 1950s-era motel, and an abandoned restaurant on a 4.2-acre site at 5450 La Jolla Blvd. A 5,700-square-foot retail facility also will anchor the new community. Once completed, the mixed-use development will be worth about $100 million. Condo designs are expected to reflect a traditional La Jolla architectural style, with custom exterior finishes including slate roofs and stucco walls with wood trellis accents. Developed by a new joint venture partnership formed between Barratt American Inc. and CLB Partners Ltd., the homes will range in size from about 840 to 2,300 square feet. Prices should range from $500,000 to more than $1 million. Site preparation begins next summer with the first move-ins expected in 2005. Stephen M. Chiles and Nicholas Arthur of La Jolla Capital Partners represented Barratt American Inc. in the acquisition of the property as well as the joint venture partnership. *** Contracts for reconstruction at three sites have been awarded to Gary Harden and Michael Bruce, co-owners of Epoch Construction. The projects include balcony reconstruction of 120 condominiums in La Jolla; deck and stair reconstruction for 40 units in Camelot, Pacific Beach; and interior reconstruction for 250 units at Ocean Pointe in Carlsbad. ***
*** High school seniors who will attend an accredited institution after they graduate have until Feb. 15 to complete applications for a one-time scholarship of $1,500 to be awarded by the Simon Youth Foundation Community Scholarship Program. Applications are available at the Fashion Valley Customer Service Center. *** How organizations capture and use knowledge for business development is the topic for a day-long Nov. 14 workshop hosted by the UCSD Extension Leadership and Management Institute for Technology Professionals. Those gathered at the Ericsson building at 6455 Lusk Blvd. will learn of the findings from a year-long research study and will hear keynote speaker Bipin Junnarkar, v.p. of IT data and management practices for Hewlett-Packard. For more information visit uclamp.org. *** The deadline is Jan. 8 for nominations to the Women’s Hall of Fame at the UCSD. The hall will honor five women for their contributions to the history and culture of San Diego County. The second annual induction ceremony is planned March 22. Forms are available at the Women’s History Reclamation Project at 23rd Street and Broadway in Golden Hill, by calling (619) 233-7963, or online at www.WHRP.net. Named for the honor last year were the late Hon. Madge Bradley, Lucy Killea, Alemi Daba, Gracia Molina and Jane Dumas. *** Eleven school design concepts were unveiled for the City Heights neighborhood following a study by the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in coordination with the San Diego Unified School District and the city of San Diego. The study was sponsored by San Diego-based Tucker Sadler Noble Castro Architects and Price Charities. A publication detailing all proposed design concepts may be used as a tool to assist the school district and local architects in developing new schools. *** Just in time for the holiday season, on Nov. 15, Cox Communications in San Diego will join its Atlanta-based mother ship in a marketing partnership for the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox Live. The promotion centers on the ability to connect a Cox high-speed Internet modem with the video game console. Players not only compete online, but they wear headsets that allow them to talk and even disguise their voices, to sound like a cartoon or robot, for example. Many of the first games out are rated E, so 10-year-olds fortunate enough to have the right equipment — a $199 Xbox, $49.95 starter game with one-year online access and high-speed connection — can come home from school and let the real games with their friends, anywhere, begin. During media previews at Cox’s Kearny Mesa operation, an editor’s 10-year-old quickly was engrossed in NFL 2K3, exchanging voice-disguised insults with a Microsoft employee in Seattle. Titles also are available for teen and mature gamers. Fortunately, Xbox has a parental control feature to govern what the ethernet card in its housing allows into the home. The game will work on DSL too, but Cox is among the first to land rights to the “Xbox Compatible” logo.
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The YWCA is recruiting San Diego women to be table captains for the fifth annual In the Company of Women luncheon set for Feb. 6 at the San Diego Convention Center. This year’s chair is Kristy Gregg, a v.p. at San Diego National Bank. Newspaper columnist and author Ellen Goodman will be the featured speaker. The event annually raises more than $100,000 for YW efforts like Becky’s House and the new transitional shelter for homeless families opening soon on Cortez Hill. For more information, call Suzanne McClain, (619) 239-0355, Ext. 218.
Harold (Hal) Brown, creator and director of the Center for Community Economic Development in the College of Business Administration at SDSU, received the prestigious international Richard Preston Award. The presentation acknowledges Brown’s devotion to the center since it began 10 years ago and his lifetime of working for improved economic opportunities for low-income communities.
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