Daily Business Report-Aug. 15, 2017
Surfer champion Bethany Hamilton (Photo: Mike Coots)
Academy of Our Lady of Peace
Hosts Hall of Fame Surfer, Shark
Attack Survivor Bethany Hamilton
The Academy of Our Lady of Peace (OLP) will host world-renowned surfer and shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton for a day of empowering events on-campus on Tuesday, Oct. 10. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and interact with Hamilton.
“This partnership with Bethany supports our mission to empower young women,” said Dr. Lauren Lek, Head of School. “She inspires, fosters community and serves as an excellent role model of what it means to be a ‘woman of faith, courage, heart, and excellence.’ We are excited and enthusiastic to host this amazing “Unstoppable” woman and ignite passion for others through her incredible example.”
The special event is open to the public and will consist of four mini-sessions over the course of the day and evening:
- Architects of Change @ School Live Conversation. From 11:20 a.m. to 12:05 p.m., OLP, in partnership with Maria Shriver’s Architects of Change, will host Bethany Hamilton for a moderated Q&A session, which will give guests the chance to hear Bethany share her story of courage in the face of fear and how to thrive and reach your dreams. Space is limited to 300 guests.
- Lunch with Bethany. Following the AOC Live Conversation, Bethany will join a select group of guests for a more intimate lunch and Q&A session. Guests are invited to ask Bethany questions and get to know her more personally. Additionally, each guest will have the opportunity to have a one-on-one photo taken with Bethany. Space is limited to 75 guests.
- VIP “You + Bethany” Exclusive Experience. In the evening, there are only four spots available for a highly exclusive and private experience with Bethany. Each guest will enjoy 15 minutes to sit and talk personally with Bethany and meet her husband and son. The intention of this experience is to provide an intimate opportunity with Bethany for personal empowerment. Additionally, each guest will enjoy a photo opportunity with Bethany.
- Shine Forth Event. The evening will conclude with a free on-campus celebration, hosted together with The Friends of Bethany Organization in support of the Beautifully Flawed Retreat. The open session will encourage the local community to join together to share more inspirational stories of choosing courage over fear. Doors will open at 5:15 p.m. for access to the vendor marketplace and the event will officially begin at 7 p.m. and conclude at 9 p.m.
Tickets may be purchased at www.aolp.org/BethanyHamilton
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Outback Steakhouse to Anchor New
Mixed-Use Project in San Marcos
Construction is underway on a new Outback Steakhouse restaurant at Corner @ 2Oaks — a new Class A mixed-use project in San Marcos. Currently in development, the multi-building, multi-phase project is located at the intersection of Twin Oaks Valley Road and San Marcos Boulevard and across the street from the San Marcos Civic Center.
Outback fully leased one of the commercial buildings totaling 6,500 square feet.
Corner @ 2Oaks is jointly owned/developed by Sea Breeze Properties LLC and The McDonald Group. Cushman & Wakefield represented ownership in the lease with Outback.
The developers also plan to construct another new commercial building within the project that will total approximately 14,400 square feet of office and/or retail space in two stories; the building’s ground floor will offer 7,600 square feet of leasable space and the second floor will have 6,800 square feet. As part of the project, a new 116-room Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites is already open and operating, and 118 townhomes by ColRich Development will be made available for sale early next year.
Outback is scheduled to open its new San Marcos establishment in December. The Australian-themed casual dining chain currently has seven other locations spread across the San Diego region.
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Embroiled in Scandal, SANDAG
Chief to Resign as Early as Friday
The embattled leader of the region’s top transportation agency, Gary Gallegos, could step down as early as this Friday. The executive director of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) sent a letter Monday asking the agency’s board of directors to waive a 120-day advance notice requirement and allow him to resign by the end of the week.
Last week, Gallegos, 57, said that he planned to retire by the end of the year.
The news comes in the wake of revelations that the agency bungled billions in revenue projections and potentially tried to cover up the scandal.
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College District Offering More Programs,
More Online Courses in 2017 Fall Semester
With an array of new programs ranging from cybersecurity to freelance photography, the San Diego Community College District is expanding opportunities for students to secure the skills needed for in-demand jobs when it opens its doors for the 2017 fall semester starting Aug. 21.
In addition, 12 percent of the 6,764 course sections at City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges and Continuing Education are being offered online, providing additional flexibility for busy students including working adults and those raising a family.
New programs that are being offered are weighted heavily toward preparing students for new careers. New certificate of performance programs at City College, for example, include cybersecurity, freelance photography, and special effects makeup. A new associate degree program is being launched in nutrition and dietetics at Mesa College, and new associate degree programs are getting under way at Miramar College in entrepreneurship and financial services.
More than 72,000 students are expected to attend City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges and Continuing Education this fall. This is an increase of more than 1,000 students over fall 2016. Open enrollment is currently underway. Classes are $46 per unit, and students can register by visiting the district’s website at www.sdccd.edu.
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TSRI Scientist Wins
Young Investigator Award
Staff Scientist Kathryn Hastie of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has won the 2017 William E. and Diane M. Spicer Young Investigator Award of Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, for her persistent work to reveal the Lassa virus glycoprotein structure. Lassa fever is a severe and sometimes fatal hemorrhagic disease caused by the Lassa virus.
The Spicer Young Investigator Award is presented each year to a new investigator who has made significant technical or scientific contributions that are beneficial to the Lightsource community.
“It is an honor to be recognized for the years of work that I and my colleagues dedicated to this discovery,” Hastie said. “We are excited to now use the structure to develop better, more effective therapeutics and vaccines.”
“It was Dr. Hastie’s tenacity and experimental creativity that brought this project to light,” TSRI Professor Erica Ollmann Saphire said. “Finding a way to solve this structure was essential so we could move forward with vaccine development.”
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New to San Diego, PR Agency Offers Year
of Free Services in Small Business Contest
The Hensler Agency, a marketing and public relation agency founded in Chicago in 2010, has announced its expansion to San Diego. To kick off its new West Coast operations, the agency is launching an America’s Finest Small Business Contest to provide a free year of services to small businesses located in San Diego County.
America’s Finest Small Business Contest will award one small business with a complimentary year of public relations, social media strategy and management and email marketing. The agency said the prize is valued at $36,000 in services. To enter, business owners will be required to submit a video that is 60-seconds or less with their business elevator pitch and why their company should receive a free year of marketing services.
Matt Hensler is the agency founder. He won the city of Chicago’s Online Marketing Award for three years in a row and was a 2016 PR News Award Winner.
The agency office is located at 1228 University Ave. in Hillcrest.
For more information or to enter the contest, visit http://hensleragency.com/americas-finest-small-business-contest.
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Johnny Miller Joins Team at
Warner Springs Ranch Golf Club
Warner Springs Ranch Resort has signed on golfing pro Johnny Miller to add his name and signature touch to the Warner Springs Ranch Golf Club. Miller, with his Johnny Miller Design Group, will provide expert knowledge on the redesign of select components, complementing the heritage and history of Warner Springs Ranch Resort.
“After our first visit to the resort, my sons and I were intrigued by the opportunity to be part of this amazing property’s legacy,” said Miller. “We hope to host champion-level events here once the updates are complete.”
Miller has signed an ongoing deal to continue the improvements to the Warner Springs Ranch Golf Club and maintain its status as a championship golf course. The Johnny Miller Design Group is a family-centered enterprise, with sons Johnny Miller Jr. and Andy Miller working together on various high-profile design projects.
The Warner Springs Ranch Golf Club was reopened in November 2015 and includes an 18-hole golf course, golf clubhouse and restaurant, the Warner Springs Golf Grill. Miller’s improvements to the golf course will begin immediately and visitors will start seeing enhancements later this year. The partnership could also lead to the future creation of nine additional holes.
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Personnel Announcements
MarQuies Willis Promoted at Kimpton Solamar
Kimpton Solamar announced the promotion of MarQuies Willis to associate director of sales. In his new role, Willis will be responsible for business development, training and mentorship of the sales team, assisting with creation and development of new revenue plans and strategies, and expanding on business opportunities for the 235-room downtown hotel.
MarQuies started his hospitality career with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in 2006 in the Washington D.C. area. Prior to joining Kimpton Solamar as a sales manager in 2014, he served as an area sales manager at Kimpton’s Rouge, Topaz, Madera and DC Palomar, where he handled the association and nonprofit market segment for group business in Washington DC.
In his most recent position as a sales manager at Kimpton Solamar, MarQuies focused on group sales in the education, engineering, financial, insurance, real estate and sports markets, along with international group sales.
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Cody Cocanig joins Brown Law Group
Cody J. Cocanig has joined the Brown Law Group as an associate attorney in the area of business litigation and employment law. His experience in law is comprehensive, beginning with work as a law clerk, then as an investigator, before becoming an attorney
Cocanig comes to Brown Law Group from Winston & Strawn in Chicago, where he represented multinational financial institutions in litigation and appellate proceedings in state and federal courts.
He has argued before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (January 2017), Massachusetts Court of Appeals (March 2017), and the Illinois Appellate Court (June 2012).
Cocanig earned his J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School, and his B.S. and B.A. in Criminal Justice and Political Science, respectively from Loyola University, Chicago. He is a member of the San Diego County Bar Association and the Lawyers Club of San Diego.
