Daily Business Report: Monday, March 21, 2022
General Atomics to display full-size SeaGuardian
UAS at Qatar Armed Forces conference
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) will feature an actual SeaGuardian Unmanned Aircraft System as part of its display at the upcoming Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference.
The conference is organized by the Qatar Armed Forces and will be held at the Qatar National Convention Center today through Wednesday.
“SeaGuardian provides persistent multi-domain situational awareness over land, sea and undersea, which is vital to our partners in the Middle East region,” said Mark C. Brinkley,
senior director of strategic communications and marketing. “SeaGuardian is a critical security tool and General Atomics is proud to build on our relationship with Qatar by putting the aircraft on display.”
SeaGuardian is being included as part of the General Atomics display as a result of the strong global and regional interest in the MQ-9B line. SeaGuardian is the maritime version of General Atomics’ MQ-9B SkyGuardian.
The Qatar government is interested in procuring MQ-9B to support their national security and defense.
TOP PHOTO: General Atomics’ SeaGuardian UAS.
General Atomics names new VP for nuclear fusion division
The nuclear fusion division of San Diego-based General Atomics has a new boss.
Wayne Solomon has been promoted from deputy director to vice president of the company’s Magnetic Fusion Energy Division.
The move comes at a time when greater attention has focused on whether nuclear fusion technology can live up to its long sought-after potential as a power source.
“A confluence of events has set the stage for rapid advancemnts in fusion energy in the coming years,” Solomon said in a statement, “and I look forward to working with the team to secure an inspiring and rewarding future for everyone in (the Magnetic Fusion Energy Division) as we strive to make fusion energy a reality.”
Your house probably made more than you did last year
The term “household income” was given new meaning in 2021 as a banner year for home appreciation found houses themselves earning more than the median worker in major metros across the country, according to a new study by Zillow.
“More than anything, 2021 was a year of haves and have-nots, and the chasm between the two widening throughout,” said Zillow economist Nicole Bachaud. “Those who owned a home saw their household wealth increase dramatically. But many renters witnessed that dream either soar out of reach or had to drastically adjust their expectations and plans.”
Home value appreciation in 2021 was higher than median incomes in 25 of 38 major metropolitan areas studied by Zillow, with appreciation reaching higher than $100,000 in 11 of them. Though San Jose has the highest median income at $93,000, it also led all major metros in annual home value appreciation — with the typical home growing a whopping $229,277 over 2021, nearly what oral surgeons make.
Point Predictive reports 260 percent hike
in suspicious auto loan applications
Point Predictive Inc., the San Diego-based company that provides artificial intelligence solutions to lenders, released its 2022 Auto Fraud Trends Report, which details record-high levels of attempted vehicle loan fraud in 2021, a trend that Point Predictive believes will continue to increase throughout 2022.
Key findings:
• More than 1 in 5 (21 percent) of lenders reported fraud was a significant threat to their organization in 2021
• Income fraud, employment fraud, and synthetic identity were the leading causes of increases in auto lending fraud for 2021
• More than $1 Billion in loan application value was tied to fake employers – more than 5,000 fake employers were used by consumers and dealerships on auto loan applications
• Forged and falsified paycheck stubs and bank statements increased by 22% in 2021 driven by higher levels of unemployment and increasing car prices due to supply chain delays
• Rates of suspicious synthetic identity attempts on auto loan applications increased to 68 basis points from 35 basis points in 2020
Female entrepreneurs sweep
Union Bank Start-up Pitch Competition
CONNECT ALL@ Jacobs Center and Union Bank announced the winners of the fifth Union Bank Start-Up Pitch Competition providing local entrepreneurs with $26,000 in business grants. New this year, additional funding from Union Bank provided larger business grants, a fourth-place winner to the competition, as well as additional funds for all participants.
The first-place winner of the competition is elevatEd Classrooms, a startup owned by Jaclyn Sarnese and focused on educational consulting and professional development services to K-12 schools, districts and other youth-serving organizations – taking them from “surviving to thriving.” elevatEd Classrooms received a $10,000 cash prize from Union Bank to support its business.
The second-place award went to Village Kids Early Childhood Community, a company that provides high-quality child care environment, grounded in principles of social justice and inclusion, focused on the child care needs of Southeast San Diego, led by Michelle DeJohnette. The startup won $5,000.
Braid Street, which specializes in protective hairstyle services, hair care courses and styling products for the Afro-mixed population in San Diego under the leadership of Soely Sanchez, was awarded the third-place prize, including $2,500.
For the first time this year, a fourth-place business grant of $1,500 was given to founder Amaya Ford for Mya’s Catering Company, a classic bakery that makes homemade desserts with a touch of love.All other participants received a $1,000 prize.
The winner of the Audience Choice award is Braid Street, selected by public vote on the business accelerator’s YouTube channel
Karen Hooper named chief strategy and
implementation officer for Curebound
Curebound, a San Diego-based philanthropic organization that raises and invests funding in translational cancer research projects, has named Karen Hooper as the new chief strategy and implementation officer. Hooper brings more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience to the Curebound team.
As the new CSIO, Hooper will be responsible for organizational infrastructure, staff and community engagement and strategic alliances.
Hooper’s most recent role as the executive director with Diabetes Research Connection, she led significant community engagement efforts resulting in a 90 percent increase in research applications, exceeding revenue goals and mission delivery investment.
Before that, she served as the vice president of program development and engagement for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, where she created a nationwide programmatic approach for mission delivery.
She holds a marketing degree from San Diego State University.
City Ballet of San Diego to present
‘Rhapsody in Blue’ at Balboa Theatre
by San Diego Community Newspaper Group
Pacific Beach-based City Ballet of San Diego, under the direction of Steven and Elizabeth Wistrich, continues its role as a presenter of works by great choreographers in dance history, in the March 25 and 26 production of “Rhapsody in Blue” at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave. in Downtown San Diego.
The ballet program includes Geoffrey Gonzalez’s “Rhapsody in Blue” (choreographed in 2021) with music by George Gershwin, the San Diego premiere of Balanchine’s “Danses Concertantes” (first choreographed in 1944 and then re-choreographed in 1972) with music by Igor Stravinsky, plus Petipa’s “Kingdom of the Shapes from La Bayadere” (choreographed in 1877) with music by Ludwig Minkus.
Tickets may be purchased at www.cityballet.org or through Ticketmaster.
Alvarado Hospital and Paradise Valley Hospital
honored as 2022 Patient Safety Award recipients
Alvarado Hospital and Paradise Valley Hospital, members of Prime Healthcare, have been recognized by Healthgrades as 2022 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipients.
This distinction places Alvarado Hospital and Paradise Valley Hospital among the top five and 10 percent, respectively, of all short-term acute care hospitals as evaluated by Healthgrades, a marketplace connecting patients and providers.
Alvarado Hospital, a member of Prime Healthcare, is a 306-bed full-service, acute care hospital adjacent to San Diego State University. Ranked in the top 5 percent nationally for patient safety, the hospital has also been ranked among America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery, Spine Surgery and Critical Care.
Alvarado Hospital offers more than 25 programs and services, including the Advanced Spine & Joint Institute, cardiac services, surgical weight loss, San Diego Rehabilitation Institute outpatient rehabilitation, sexual medicine, geriatric-psychiatric care, vascular services, an emergency department that is specially accredited for geriatric care.
Virtual town hall on State Auditor
report on Sheriff’s Department
The Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board will host a virtual town hall March 22 on a report recently published by the California State Auditor on the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and deaths of individuals in its custody, and CLERB practices.
The Acting California State Auditor will present an overview of the auditor’s report and answer questions regarding its findings, and the public can provide comments.
The auditor published the report last month, and made several recommendations to the Sheriff’s Department, CLERB, the Board of State and Community Corrections, and the Legislature. Responses to the recommendations are contained within the report.
The public is invited to participate in the virtual town hall at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22. Town hall link. No registration is required.
U.S. Navy awards BAE Systems $125.5 million contract
The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair a $125.5 million contract to maintain, modernize and repair the USS Essex ship. The work plan includes repairs and overhauls of major systems and will fuel San Diego’s defense industry.
NIH launces HIV vaccine clinical trial
The National Institutes of Health has launched a clinical trial evaluating three experimental HIV vaccines using specific mRNA sequences and developed by investigators at the Scripps Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development at the Scripps Research Institute. The clinical trial is expected to be completed by July 2023.
San Diego Wave names Kaiser Permanente as health partner
San Diego Wave Fútbol Club has named Kaiser Permanente as the club’s first health partner and trusted team physician provider to provide sports medicine care to help club players achieve their peak performance. The organizations have a shared commitment to community, diversity, honesty, progress, and inclusion, as well as a shared goal to build a better path forward for women athletes and professionals to succeed.
Register to vote today for
the 80th Assembly District election
If you live in the 80th Assembly District and want to vote in the April 5 Special Primary Election, you must register by today to receive a ballot in the mail. Otherwise, you will need to make a trip in person to the Registrar’s office in Kearny Mesa or visit a vote center to conditionally register and vote provisionally through Election Day.
Only those who live in the state’s 80th Assembly District under the 2011 district boundaries can vote in the election. The district covers portions of southern San Diego County and includes parts of the cities of Chula Vista, National City and San Diego. If you’re not sure whether you were in the 2011 district boundary, you can look it up at sdvote.com.
