Daily Business Report — Dec. 6, 2011
METRO Movers to Watch
SD Metro is soliciting nominations for our annual Metro Movers to Watch awards, which will be published in January. Send your nominations to Rebeca Page at rebecapage@sandiegometro.com. Nominate a man or woman you believe will make outstanding contributions in San Diego County during the new year. Nominations will close on Dec. 22.
Residential Real Estate Conference Set for Dec. 13
USD’s Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate will host the 12th annual Residential Real Estate Conference on Dec. 13 from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Hahn University Center. It will feature keynote speaker Doug Duncan, chief economist and vice president of Fannie Mae, who will speak on the state of the economy and housing. Other presenters will include: Alan Gin, associate professor of economics at USD, who will provide a California economic outlook; and Ryan Ratcliff, assistant professor of economics at USD, who will present a San Diego economic outlook. The program also will include a panel of residential real estate professionals including Rick Hoffman, president and COO, Coldwater Banker Residential; John Olinski, executive vice president, One West Bank; and Lorne Polger, senior managing director and co-founder, Pathfinder Partners. Panelists will discuss the state of the industry and give their projections for the 2012 residential real estate market. Registration for the event, which includes breakfast, is $60. To register go to sandiego.edu/outlook. For questions, contact Diane Gustafson at dgustafson@sandiego.edu or call (619) 260-2379.
Council Could Delay Pension Reform Ballot Measure
The San Diego City Counciul voted 5-3 on Monday to begin the process of placing a pension reform measure on the June ballot, but several members opposed the action and suggested the measure be delayed until November 2012. Councilman Carl DeMaio, author of the measure and a candidate for mayor, said any delay on the pension reform measure is unacceptable. “Millions in taxpayer savings would be lost if the City Council neglects its constitutional duty to place this measure for a public vote in June 2012,” said DeMaio.” San Diegans have waited long enough for pension reform, and I will fight any attempt to delay the vote on this measure.” DeMaio is part of a coalition working to pass the measure. Supporters say the measure will produce billions in savings for taxpayers by moving new employees into 401(k) retirement accounts and capping the pensionable pay of existing employees.
PERSONNEL MOVES
NAI Promotes Rob Kerr to Vice President
Rob Kerr has been promoted to vice president of NAI San Diego. Kerr closed sales and lease transactions in excess of $20 million in 2011. He joined NAI San Diego in 2004 following several years of holding executive level positions in startup to fortune 500 companies. His specialties include investment, owner-use, retail and redevelopment sales and purchases. He has been in the commercial real estate industry for eight years and has represented small and large companies in the leasing and purchasing of retail, office, and industrial spaces both domestically and internationally..
SmartDrive Names Dane Smith VP of Worldwide Sales
SmartDrive Systems has named Dane Smith vice president of worldwide sales. Smith is a technology industry veteran with more than 20 years experience in global enterprise sales. He has held senior executive positions with such companies as VMWare Inc., where he was vice president; Sun Microsystems, where he spent 13 years in senior sales management roles; and most recently as vice president of western area field sales and engineering.
Garth Monroe Hired as CFO at BioNano Genomics
BioNano Genomics Inc. has hired Garth Monroe as chief financial officer. Monroe previously served as CFO for Epocal, a medical device company. He also was a station manager for JetBlue Airways and a financial analyst at United Technologies. He is a certified public accountant and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree from the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business.
Small Business Workshops
SCORE San Diego continues its series of small business workshops. For more information, call (619) 557-7272 or visit score-sandiego.org.
Upcoming SCORE San Diego Workshops:
• Dec. 7 – Hiring and Managing Employees – 9 a.m. to noon at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).
• Dec. 8 – How to Start a Nonprofit – 9 to 11:30 a.m. at The San Diego Foundation – Point Loma (2508 Historic Decatur Road, #200, San Diego 92106; pre-paid registration $39, $49 at the door).
• Dec. 8 – Financial Statements: What They Mean, How to Use Them – 9:30 a.m. to noon at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).
• Dec. 8 – Effective Marketing: Identify and Target Your Customers – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at National University – Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• Dec. 9 – Import/Export – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at National University – Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• Dec. 10 – Introduction to Starting Your Own Business – 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at National University – Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).
• Dec. 12 – Business Basics 101 – 9 a.m. to noon at National University – Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego 92123; No charge – please preregister to confirm space).
The Daily Business Report is produced by REP Publishing Inc., publisher of SD METRO, the North Park News and the West Coast Craftsman. Contact: Manny Cruz (619) 287-1865.