Daily Business Report: Sept. 7, 2023
Science Research Park appointment expands
opportunities for industry partnerships
By Debra Bass | UC San Diego
A veteran advocate for UC San Diego public-private partnerships, Anne O’Donnell joins the Science Research Park (SRP) project as senior executive director for corporate strategy and engagement. She will shepherd the corporate partnerships for the 30-acre development on UC San Diego’s east campus.
O’Donnell has over 21 years of experience building corporate partnerships at UC San Diego, including 15 years with Jacobs School of Engineering, where she established the Corporate Affiliates Program (CAP) as a best-in-class corporate alliance activity and developed eight Agile Centers of Excellence. Most recently, she led Corporate Relations in Advancement which brought in a record number of new strategic partnerships with companies whose roadmaps intersect research on campus.
Managed by Wexford Science & Technology, the project will begin construction next year in a multi-phased plan that will populate 14 undeveloped acres. SRP will be similar to developments at other UC campuses that connect on-campus resources — faculty, research labs, and students — to compatible, committed industry partners.
“Our goal is for the Science Research Park to become the epicenter of research development and commercialization in Southern California,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla.
Top photo: Center for Novel Therapeutics opened in UC San Diego’s planned Science Research Park in 2019. One of only two companies on the 30-acre parcel, it will soon have new neighbors.
U.S. Navy will dismantle carrier USS Enterprise at a commercial shipyard
For more than a decade, the U.S. Navy has been mulling options for disposing of the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and her eight nuclear reactors. On Tuesday, the service announced that it has reached a decision: Enterprisewill be disassembled at a private shipyard, freeing up much-needed drydock space at the Navy’s own public yards for repairing vessels in active service.
The winning yard has not yet been selected, but the Navy is considering options in three locations: Newport News, Virginia; Brownsville, Texas; and Mobile, Alabama.
The Enterprise’s nuclear reactors have been defueled, but there are still “legacy radiological and hazardous wastes” on board, said the Navy’s Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in a statement. Under the approved plan, these components will be removed, dismantled into hundreds of pieces and shipped to storage facilities at one of three inland sites: Energy Solutions in Clive, Utah; Waste Control Specialists in Andrews, Texas; and the DOE Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina.
Program to present San Diego real estate
and its impact on the global market
The Greater San Diego Association of Realtors International Committee (IREC) is hosting Global Connections – International Cottages: Balboa Park – a presentation highlighting San Diego real estate and its impact in the global market, taking place Tuesday, Sept. 12.
This event will present global initiatives promoting the City of San Diego and provide attendees an opportunity to connect and network. The IREC provides educational and networking opportunities, develops international business, encourages cultural diversity, and otherwise supports SDAR members’ international real estate business.
Notable guest speakers include SDAR 2023 President Frank Powell; IREC Chair Orr Olson; Director of Global Affairs for the City of San Diego, Javier Gomez; executive director of the United Nations of San Diego, Bettina Hausmann; among others.
When: Sept. 12, 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: International Cottages, Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park
Cost: $60
Some of California’s best-paid employees will
get bonuses of $40,000 or more in new contract
By Kristen Hwang
California’s prison psychiatrists are in line to get bonuses of at least $42,000 through a contract negotiated with Gov. Gavin Newsom just days before the state’s deadline to close out deals with public employees. The tentative agreement reached last week for the Union of American Physicians and Dentists Bargaining Unit 16, which represents roughly 1,600 employees, averts a strike authorized by membership last month.
The deal includes some lucrative incentives, but it also reflects a high vacancy rate in hard-to-fill positions. The staff vacancy rate at state hospitals and prisons exceeds 50%, according to court documents filed by the state in June for an ongoing lawsuit over prison conditions and safety.
The deal offers the same 3 percent raise recently given to other California government employees in recent contracts, but it’s laden with bonuses, pay differentials and retirement benefits for doctors who work in prisons and state hospitals. It increases maximum pay ranges for many physicians and dentists, too, effectively raising salaries for experienced employees.
SDSU ranked No. 16 on Forbes’ 2023 Top Public Colleges
San Diego State University ranked No. 16 on Forbes’ 2023 rankings of the Top 25 Public Colleges in the U.S. and No. 43 in the magazine’s annual list of top 500 colleges, up 20 spots from last year.
Forbes, a business news magazine, said the list “showcases 500 of the finest U.S. colleges, ranked using data on student success, return on investment and alumni influence.” Forbes said it used data on graduation rates, graduate salaries, and outcomes for low-income students, among additional factors, to arrive at its rankings, recently released.
The magazine also considered retention rates, earmarks of success such as the number of Fulbright scholars, and the college and universities’ “return on investment,” a comparison of post-graduation earnings and the cost of obtaining a degree.
Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo performs in San Diego
Corteo, another production from Cirque du Soleil, is back in North America and heading to San Diego. The production, directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, first premiered in Montreal under the Big Top in April 2005. Since its creation, the show has attracted over 10 million spectators, in 20 countries, on four continents. Corteo will be presented at the Pechanga Arena for seven shows only from Wednesday, Sept. 6 to Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.
Corteo, which means cortege in Italian, is a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth.
Dr. Emily Young and Chris Sichel to join Conrad Prebys Foundation
The Conrad Prebys Foundation is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Emily Young and Chris Sichel to the foundation’s leadership team. Dr. Young and Mr. Sichel will share the title of VP of Programs, with Young leading the foundation’s arts and health grantmaking and related efforts, Sichel leading on youth and workforce issues, and with both leaders sharing responsibility for program management, medical research, as well as the foundation’s leadership development and nonprofit capacity building efforts.
Sony Electronics announces update to Camera Remote SDK
Sony Electronics announced an updated version of its Camera Remote Software Development Kit, which allows users to operate Sony’s cameras remotely from their computer. Updated functionality includes compatibility with the newly announced ILX-LR1 camera and support for third parties in the development of bespoke applications using the leading performance of Sony cameras.
San Diego’s ProtoStar Foundation sponsors
the Matt Stevenson Junior Tennis Tournament
The Matt Stevenson Junior Tennis Tournament, which is sponsored and organized by San Diego-based ProtoStar Foundation, will again take place at Flushing Meadows, NY, right after the U.S. Open, is expanding its Mental Health mission to include “The Team Approach.” New this year are interactive exercises for parents/guardians on supporting the emotional well-being of their junior tennis players. This is the first and only junior tennis tournament in the country to promote the importance of youth mental health as part of the event.
Enlyte acquires Therapy Direct from Upstream Rehabilitation
Enlyte, a leader in cost containment technology, announced it has finalized its acquisition of Therapy Direct, a national physical therapy provider network, from Upstream Rehabilitation Inc. The acquisition offers a natural extension of Enlyte’s position as a market leader in provider network access, care management and workers’ compensation services. For Tennessee-based Therapy Direct, the deal provides a greater investment of its national network of physical therapy providers.
Kintera Therapeutics to present at 2023 European
Association for Neuro-Oncology annual meeting
Kintara Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing new solid tumor cancer therapies, announced it will be presenting at the 2023 European Association for Neuro-Oncology annual meeting in Rotterdam on Sept. 21-24. The presentation will include data from its lead program, VAL-083, for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma. Abstracts will be published on the website of Neuro-Oncology on Sept. 7, 2023.
CV Sciences launches Reserve Sleep Gummies
CV Sciences Inc., a consumer wellness company specializing in hemp extracts and other natural ingredients and products, announced the launch of +PlusCBD Reserve Collection Sleep Gummies as the brand continues to expand into the sleep aid market. Like all +PlusCBD Reserve products, Sleep Gummies feature a potent blend of naturally occurring CBD and THC for a broader, full-spectrum cannabinoid experience. Sleep Gummies are available in a natural blackberry flavor sweetened with organic cane sugar.
PriceSmart opens tenth warehouse club in Colombia
PriceSmart Inc. announced that on Sept. 1, 2023, the company opened its newest warehouse club in Medellín, Colombia, bringing the total number of warehouse clubs in operation by the company to 52. The El Poblado club is the second club in Medellín and tenth overall club in Colombia and was constructed on a three-acre property in the El Poblado area. PriceSmart, headquartered in San Diego, owns and operates U.S.-style membership shopping warehouse clubs in Latin America and the Caribbean.
David Topper joins Inmagene Biopharmaceuticals as CFO
Inmagene Biopharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing innovative and differentiated therapies for immunological and inflammatory diseases announced the appointment of David Topper as chief financial officer. Topper has 40 years of experience in finance, investment management, and investment banking. Previously he was a partner at Frazier Life Sciences, an investment management firm with $5 billion under management.
Jacob Thaysen appointed president of Illumina’s
Life Sciences and Applied Markets Group
Illumina Inc. a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies has appointed Jacob Thaysen, senior vice president of Agilent Technologies and president of its Life Sciences and Applied Markets Group, as chief executive officer, effective Sept. 25. Thaysen’s extensive background and experience in genomics, life sciences, and technology fits closely with Illumina’s mission. Since 2018, he has overseen the unit responsible for Agilent’s market-leading analytical instrument portfolio, informatics, and cell analysis franchise.
18 nonprofits to participate in Far South/Border North
To help raise awareness about social issues through the arts, 18 regional arts, culture, community and social service organizations will receive over $2.52 million in grants for Far South/Border North. Each grant of $140,500 will be used to hire artists and cultural practitioners who will create artistic content to raise local awareness of public health, energy and water conservation, climate mitigation, civic engagement and social justice in San Diego and Imperial counties. This is the second round of grants for Far South/Border North and this round focuses on job creation to enhance public work opportunities and participation for artists and cultural practitioners
