San Diego Business Journal

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

Builder expanding with military projects: base work specialty for Fallbrook firm.(CONSTRUCTION)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's news that seems to have come out of another decade: A construction company adds middle managers to better handle a growing volume of work. But it s happening today in . . .

Kohl's moving in where Mervyns failed to succeed: fifth largest U.S. chain adding stores in county.(RETAIL)(Kohl's Department St
Kohl's Department Stores, which announced plans to open three San Diego locations in space formerly occupied by Mervyns, likely got a honey of a deal on the leases. The Wisconsin-based discount re . . .

Chicken of the sea comes out of its shell.(SDBJ INSIDER)(real estate broker Jim Taylor plans to open an office)(finance to sea t
"Ask any Mermaid You Happen to See ... What's the Best Tuna? Chicken of the Sea!" Remember that "catchy" jingle from the early days of commercial television? Well, it's back in the news! San Diego's . . .

Facebook offering second chance to protect trademarks: firms should monitor social networking sites.(LAW)
Minutes past the stroke of midnight June 13, millions of Facebook users rushed to claim unique Web addresses that identify them by name. A few local businesses, and individuals among them, quickly . . .

Hospitals are under pressure to improve quality of care: state-imposed fines for medical errors may be increasing.(HEALTH CARE)
As federal lawmakers consider ways of squeezing the most value out of the U.S. health care system, San Diego hospitals and others nationwide are preparing for higher fines and additional scrutiny fr . . .

Sempra Energy sees profits, revenues decline.(Financial report)
Sempra Energy said July 31 that it had second-quarter earnings of $198 million on revenue of $t.7 billion. During the second quarter of 2008, the utility and energy services corporation reported ear . . .

Temecula Valley bank parent to file bankruptcy: Temecula Valley Bancorp, parent of failed Temecula Valley Bank, said in a recent
Temecula Valley Bank Parent To File Bankruptcy: Temecula Valley Bancorp, parent of failed Temecula Valley Bank, said in a recent securities filing it will file for bankruptcy protection. That's not . . .

Hanmi Bank in Los Angeles, with a single office in San Diego, said it had to restate its first-quarter results because of a rece
Hanmi Bank in Los Angeles, with a single office in San Diego, said it had to restate its first-quarter results because of a recent examination, which increased the net loss to $17.2 million from the . . .

Arena Pharmaceuticals cuts loss, focuses on obesity drug.(Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s financial news)(Financial report)
Arena Pharmaceuticals, which plans to submit a new obesity drug to the FDA this year, posted a smaller second-quarter loss Aug. 3 as it shifted focus toward its lead drug candidate. The biopharmac . . .

Smart charger rolling out as part of electric vehicle test.
San Diego Gas & Electric said Aug. 5 it will test and evaluate Plug Smart, a mobile smart charging device for plug-in electric vehicles developed by Ohio-based Juice Technologies. It's part of a l . . .

Research Institute reports skin cell breakthrough.(Brief article)
Scientists with The Scripps Research Institute of La Jolla have reported breeding live mice using skin cells, progress that could one day lead to using a patient's own cells to grow replacement orga . . .

Cubic earnings go higher, backlog increases to $2.1b.
Cubic Corp. reported net earnings for its third quarter of $14.9 million, up 76 percent from net earnings of the same quarter last year. Sales at the San Diego-based provider of defense training s . . .

DJO calls sales good, finishes quarter with a loss.(financial news)(Financial report)(Brief article)
DJO, the Vista maker of prosthetic devices, reported July 30 a net loss of $13.1 million on revenue of $235.1 million for the second quarter. That compared to a net loss of $20.8 million on revenue . . .

Jack in the Box feels slump in discretionary spending.(Financial report)(Brief article)
Jack in the Box reported reduced profits and sales for its third quarter in a press statement Aug. 4. The company said for the third quarter that ended July 5 it had a net profit of $19.6 million . . .

Check amounts increase, Rubio's earnings tick up.(Rubio's Restaurants Inc.'s financial news)(Financial report)(Brief article)
San Diego-based Rubio's Restaurants, traded on Nasdaq as RUBO, reported net income of $512,000. or 5 cents a share in the second quarter, an increase of 53 percent from $335,000, or 3 cents per shar . . .

Buick nameplate comes off Torrey Pines tournament.
San Diego's long running pro golf tournament, the Buick Invitational held at the beginning of the year at Torrey Pines Golf Course, is seeking a new sponsor after General Motors and Buick severed ti . . .

Adventrx lays out strategy for chemotherapy drug.
San Diego-based Adventrx Pharmaceuticals said Aug. 4 it intends to submit its experimental chemotherapy drug ANX-530 to the FDA before the end of the year. The specialty pharmaceutical company ind . . .

Foundation, research center target type 1 diabetes.
La Jolla's Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation said Aug. 5 it has entered into a research agreement with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to push treatments for type 1 di . . .

Speaker knows secret of mingling, making money.(LA MESA)(Rhonda Sher)(Costco Wholesale Corp.)(Brief article)
Costco Wholesale plans to host the third Chamber of Commerce breakfast of 2009, with guest speaker Rhonda Sher presenting the "Secret of Mingling and Making Money" on Aug. 12. The event begins at . . .

Connect expands, looks to drive more funds to startups.(SAN DIEGO)
Connect, a nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs involved in the technology and life sciences industries, said July 29 that it's expanding to address the problems associated with commercializing ear . . .

Learn how to succeed in business by really trying.(OCEANSIDE)(workshop)(Brief article)
The "How to Succeed in Business" workshop schedule continues at the Small Business Development Center at MiraCosta College, 1823 Mission Ave. The lineup includes: * Business lending, 10 a.m. to no . . .

City to spend some of its green on new bowling green.(CORONADO)(Palm Engineering)(Brief article)
How much does a good lawn bowling green cost these days? The city opened bids to restore its civic bowling green with artificial turf. The apparent low bidder at the July 29 bid opening was Palm E . . .

Verve Wireless seeks more ad revenue for its partners.(ENCINITAS)(Bill Ganon)(Brief article)
Verve Wireless, which provides publishing technologies to local media businesses, has created the position of chief revenue officer to drive market development. Verve announced the hiring of adver . . .

Designer displays true grit, opens apparel boutique.(SOLANA BEACH)(Elisabeth King has opened King Kouture boutique)(Brief articl
Elisabeth King has opened King Kouture, an apparel boutique, at 437 S. Highway 101. King, a former swimwear model, has designed couture pieces for boutiques throughout Southern California, includi . . .

Economic woes force event manager to close.(CARLSBAD)
Concepts Worldwide, a meeting and event management services provider, is no longer in business. Terri Breining, who launched the business 20 years ago, said that the loss of several key accounts t . . .

Business services company generates greater profits.(POWAY)(Financial report)
First Advantage, a business services company that may soon be absorbed by its majority owner in a stock-for-stock deal, said July 27 that it had net income of $12.9 million on service revenue of $16 . . .

Firefighters hope folks fill the boot for 'Jerry's Kids'.(SAN MARCOS)
The San Marcos Professional Firefighters Association-Local 4184 plans to hold its annual "Fill-the-Boot" fundraiser for "Jerry's Kids" on Friday, Aug. 14. Off-duty firefighters are scheduled to co . . .

Pharmacy services provider, nonprofit building center.(SAN DIEGO)
Allion Healthcare of New York said it has entered into a partnership with Being Alive San Diego to launch a Community Learning Center. Construction on a building in Hillcrest started in late July wi . . .

Financial services firm sees growth opportunities locally.(SAN DIEGO)(Conference notes)
NeoSystems, a Virginia-based financial management services firm, said Aug. 3 that it's making a significant investment in the local market. It said it hired Tom Hernandez to be vice president for . . .

North county redevelopment plans are plentiful.(BUSINESS IN THE NORTH COUNTY)
Nearly the last major piece of oceanfront real estate in Carlsbad is beginning its redevelopment process. The project, named Ponto Beach, is located south of Poinsettia Lane, east of the South Car . . .

Sales tax revenues from most of the county's shopping malls are down.(BUSINESS IN THE NORTH COUNTY)
Sales tax revenues from most of the county's shopping malls are down. The Westfield Group shopping center company is looking to upgrade or expand several of its malls. The plans are in limbo, most . . .

Pacific Marine Credit Union.(BUSINESS IN THE NORTH COUNTY)
Pacific Marine Credit Union has begun construction of its new corporate headquarters in the Ocean Ranch Business Park in Oceanside. The two-story, 56,700-square-foot, LEED-certified project will hou . . .

Discovery Channel offers content on Qualcomm's Flo TV.(TECHNOLOGY)
Qualcomm is slowly building content for its Flo TV mobile service for cell phones with the recent announcement that Discovery Communications launched a Shark Week Mobile Channel. Discovery Channel . . .

Sowing the seeds of capital: the Tech Coast Angels is accepting applications for its Quick Pitch competition for entrepreneurs s
Sowing The Seeds Of Capital: The Tech Coast Angels is accepting applications for its Quick Pitch competition for entrepreneurs seeking seed capital. The acceptance period runs through Aug. 21 or u . . .

Wired in.(TECHNOLOGY)
Wired In: UC San Diego Medical Center was recently named among the nation's top 25 Most Wireless hospitals and among the top 100 "Most Wired" by the American Hospital Association. This is the four . . .

Lindbergh spreading the news on Facebook, Twitter.
The agency that operates Lindbergh Field is reaching out to more folks via two of the most popular social media sites, Facebook and Twitter, to let them know all about what the nation's busiest sing . . .

St. Madeleine Sophie's Center: Debra Turner Emerson, MBA, executive director.(NONPROFIT profile)
ORGANIZATION MISSION OF ORGANIZATION: To empower adults with developmental disabilities to discover, experience and realize their full potential as members of the greater community. St. Madeleine' . . .

Marie Betts-Johnson.(EXECUTIVE profile)
Marie Betts-Johnson spawned the idea for the International Protocol Institute of California during her work with the United Nations and her former experience while in the employ of the late King Hus . . .

San Diego public stocks.(MARKET place)(Statistical table)
Index Watch Net Index 8/04108 7/28108 Change % Change San Diego Business Journal Index 1592.45 1576.25 16.20 1. . . .

Stimulus, bond funds send high-speed rail on its way: Sacramento to San Diego line to ease load off urban transit arteries.(TRAN
Piggybacking on President Obama's stimulus package, a high-speed rail system, similar to those in Europe and Japan, is being proposed in California to alleviate the load that existing transit lines . . .

Rail stops envisioned as starting points for development: high-density, mixed-use projects at hub stations would bring business
As the nation and California work on financing a proposed high-speed rail project, developers, though cash-strapped, are eyeing the HSR as a promising business venture. Planned to run from Sacrame . . .

Airlines servicing Lindbergh field.(THE LISTS)(Company rankings)
AIRLINES SERVICING LINDBERGH FIELD Ranked by number of passenger carried in and out of San Diego in 2008 Airline * 2008 Rank Reservation phone number . . .

Executive summary.
Southwest Airlines, a low-fare carrier that analysts say influences the ticket prices other airlines are able to charge in order to remain competitive in San Diego, has long maintained the lion's sh . . .

Car dealerships take a shine to building green: using an environmentally friendly approach pays off in long run.(CONSTRUCTION)
Some car dealerships are finding that economic pragmatism and environmental stewardship can coexist as they embrace green construction practices, since higher expenses can ultimately be offset by co . . .

Marinas.(Company rankings)
MARINAS Ranked by number of slips Rank Marina Telephone (last Address Fax year) Web site . . .

MTS recognized as 'Outstanding Transit System'.(award for Metropolitan Transit System)
San Diego's Metropolitan Transit System was honored with the Outstanding Transit System of the Year award by the American Public Transportation Association on July 30. As an industry leader, APTA . . .

Office market vacancy rate climbs as businesses downsize.(REAL ESTATE roundup)
The San Diego County office market continues to experience rising vacancy rates. A Cushman & Wakefield report released Aug. 3 shows that countywide direct vacancy is 15.8 percent, up from 14.1 per . . .

PCL finishes work on parking structure.(REAL ESTATE roundup)(PCL Construction Ltd.)(Brief article)
PCL Construction has completed the last concrete pour on the parking structure in Old Town Temecula. As part of Temecula's civic center complex, the structure is four levels and includes 462 space . . .

Acquired realty firm upgrades to Elite name.(REAL ESTATE roundup)(Brief article)
Weiehert, Realtors-Elite owners Mark Marquez, Donna Sanfilippo and Erik Weichelt have acquired Weichert, Realtors-Traditions in Chula Vista, and renamed it Weichert, Realtors-Elite. Marquez will ser . . .

Jones Lang LaSalle surpasses sustainability goal.(REAL ESTATE roundup)(Brief article)
Jones Lang LaSalle said Aug. 3 that it has surpassed its 2009 goal of employing 500 sustainability accredited professionals six months ahead of schedule. As of July 1, the firm said it had 544 emp . . .