Qualcomm Launches 'Proximity Beacons'; Could Boost Retail Staffs
Qualcomm Inc. is touting a series of new devices that could give retailers a boost in identifying interested shoppers in their stores.
Active Network Upgrades Software to Support 'Mob' Events
San Diego-based Active Network’s race registration software now supports “mob” events, the company said recently.
Imagine Communications to Be Sold to Colorado-Based Harris Broadcast
Imagine Communications has agreed to be acquired by Colorado-based Harris Broadcast.
Ezoic Brings the ‘Feng Shui’ of Website Formatting to Small Sites
TECH: Company Looks To Boost Advertising And User Engagement
Engineers at Carlsbad-based Ezoic are wrestling with how to build more attractive websites that can fetch more advertising dollars. They think the solution may be in more computers and software.
Northrop in Position For Navy IT Contract
DEFENSE: Company Is Doing Current Work; Decision in 2014
Northrop Grumman Corp. will learn in 2014 whether its early work on a U.S. Navy information technology program pays off.
Qualcomm Continues to Innovate, Turns in 30 Percent Growth
TECH: Company Is San Diego’s Largest, Employs 31,000 Worldwide
Qualcomm Inc. — big and iconic and long past its splashy 25th anniversary in 2010 — continued to grow like a spry young company in 2013.
Lines of Conflict Are Drawn Over Barrio Logan Zoning Issues
PROPERTY: Activist Groups Clash With Area’s Shipyards Over Changes
Homes and heavy industry have coexisted — often uneasily — in Barrio Logan for nearly a century; 2013 turned into the year that the simmering issue boiled into a citywide matter.
Cubic Corp. Announces $70M Defense Contract, Reports Earnings
San Diego-based Cubic Corp. said that its defense systems subsidiary received a contract worth more than $70 million from an overseas customer.
Northrop Considers Bigger Designs for ‘Bat’ Unmanned Aircraft
Engineers at Northrop Grumman’s unmanned systems unit in Rancho Bernardo are asking themselves whether their unmanned aircraft called the Bat could be a little bigger.
Cubic Receives Navy Training Contract Worth Up to $112M
San Diego-based Cubic Corp. said recently that it won a contract to develop training materials for the U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ship.
Northrop Gets $13.9M Contract for Fire Scout Logistics
Northrop Grumman recently received a $13.9 million award from the U.S. Navy, for logistics services related to its Fire Scout unmanned helicopters.
Kratos Decides Against Refinancing $625M Bond
Market conditions are no longer right for Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. to refinance a $625 million bond, company CEO Eric DeMarco said recently.
General Atomics Scientist Participates in Nuclear Fusion Experiment
A scientist from a private San Diego company was part of a multinational effort to make nuclear fusion better suited for commercial power production.
Going to the Beach Is Entrepreneur’s Business Plan
STARTUPS: Co-Working Site Plans P.B. Location For Innovation, Inspiration
To Raymond Hivoral, the beach and entrepreneurship are like ice cream and a 90-degree day — they go together.
Energy Monitoring System Puts Power to Conserve in Your Tablet
TECH: User-Friendly System Provides Tracking At the Granular Level
A $1,000 home energy bill was a wake-up call for Scott Steele. The former Motorola executive had recently moved into a 5,000-square-foot home in Poway and wanted to know more about where the electricity was going.
American Innotek Inc. Gets Contract Potentially Worth $12M for Waste Bags
The Defense Logistics Agency has awarded Escondido-based American Innotek Inc. a sole-source contract for disposable solid-waste relief bags.
Coast Citrus Distributors Gets $15M Pentagon Contract
The Pentagon signed a $15 million contract with San Diego-based Coast Citrus Distributors, which has agreed to provide fresh fruits and vegetables through mid-2015.
Ahntech Receives $12.4M Contract Modification From Air Force
The U.S. Air Force recently said it awarded Mission Valley-based Ahntech Inc. a $12.4 million deal to provide services at several Air Force training ranges.
Training Mission
DEFENSE: Companies’ Realistic Simulations Bring Home the Lessons of War
The blood and the chaos seem very real during a morning spent training sailors to be U.S. Navy corpsmen on the grounds of Strategic Operations Inc. in Kearny Mesa.
Co. Weighs Its Options Buying Jenny Craig
RETAIL: North Castle Adds Buy To Portfolio That Includes Curves
An iconic name in San Diego County business is changing hands, again. Swiss multinational company Nestlé SA is selling weight-loss industry competitor Jenny Craig to North Castle Partners LLC, a small-cap consumer private equity firm focused on health, wellness and active living.
BioSeal Seeks to Breathe New Life Into the Body Bag Market
MANUFACTURING: Co. Meets Variety of Needs for Containment, Transport
Body bags are hardly a pleasant topic of conversation, but someone has to make them to serve a niche market need.
Global Hawk Unmanned Spy Plane Is on South Korea’s Radar
DEFENSE: Foreign Sale Could Give Northrop New, Key Client
A defense contractor with a large San Diego workforce may get a key overseas military sale next year.
Navy Enlists Help of Online Game to Create Sea Change
Technology Column
The U.S. Navy has a to-do list longer than Point Loma: The world is getting more complicated, there’s a fleet to maintain, infrastructure to tend, and only so many bodies. Now, the defense budget is shrinking.
Local Business Sells Tanks in Cuba … Scuba Tanks, That Is
SPORT: Dive Shop’s Guantanamo Bay Location Serves Navy Base Personnel
Werner Kurn has one of the most unconventional defense contracts in San Diego.
Those Virtual Worlds Are Fast Becoming a Business Reality
Technology Column
My avatar is better looking and probably taller than I am in real life. He stands in place outside the lecture hall, shifts his weight and brings one hand to his chin while the other goes akimbo on his waist. The body language says, “Hmmm ….”
Achates’ Innovations Drive Fairbanks Deal
TECH: Cleaner, More Efficient Engines Are Goals
A young, venture-funded engine technology company has found a partner in one of the country’s most established engine manufacturers.
Aqua Lung Gets More Breathing Room
SPORT: Diverse Product Line Counters Dips in Dive Market
On the surface — or rather, just below it — Aqua Lung International would seem to be merely a diving equipment company. But the Vista-based company has crafted a strategy of late to expand into neighboring market segments, knowing that the tides of business can quickly turn on a limited product line.
Qualcomm Likely to Appeal $173M Verdict
TECH: Co. Says Patents at Issue Are ‘Old Technology’
Qualcomm Inc. plans to appeal a federal jury’s decision to award $173 million in damages to a Florida company that sued the San Diego tech giant for patent infringement.
Zuza Strives to Make Your Business Look Real Good ‘on Paper’
SERVICE: Company Combines Print, Digital to Deliver Custom Materials
The smartphone and the tablet did not kill off the printing press. In fact, digital technology is turning Johannes Gutenberg’s 15th century invention into a different machine altogether.
New CEO, New Course Improve Co.’s ‘Score’
SPORT: Callaway Golf Takes Leaner, More Decisive Approach
Callaway Golf Co. seems to be shooting under par on its comeback course. The Carlsbad-based maker of golf clubs, balls and accessories reduced its traditional third-quarter loss, increased its yearly revenue forecast and said it might even turn a profit for 2013.
Soon, You May Not Want to Treat a Robot ‘Like a Robot’
Technology Column
Bot-Brained? Research teams at Qualcomm Inc. are working on an experimental processor that mimics the architecture of the human brain and nervous system, the company recently disclosed. It’s called Zeroth. Among other things, the processor would be able to learn much as human brains do.
Aiming for New Piece of Artillery Market
DEFENSE: General Atomics Uses Own Funds for Railgun
General Atomics is betting millions of dollars that the U.S. Army or U.S. Marine Corps will want weapons based on the same technology that the company has developed for U.S. Navy ships.
Growing Reliance On Technology
TECH: Agriculture Has High-Tech Helpers
The proper way to care for grapevines — very old knowledge depicted in ancient art and mentioned in scripture — is being taught to robots in Sorrento Valley.
The Kitchen Snitch: New Plug Socket Tracks Rising Energy Use
CLEAN-TECH: Co.’s System Also Delivers Tips on Conservation
Vladymir Rogov is looking to connect with his market — literally. The local industrial designer put an innovative twist on the humble electric plug socket, turning it into a tool in the fast-emerging market of home-energy monitoring.
Military Housing Benefits Also Contribute to Local Economy
DEFENSE: Allowances Estimated to Bring More Than $1B Into Market
The Pentagon offered housing benefits worth an estimated $2.34 billion to sailors and Marines in San Diego County during 2013, new research shows.
What’s Big, Gray and Flat and Brings $245.8M to the Region?
DEFENSE: Carriers and Other Navy Ships Deliver Big Dollars to San Diego
San Diego could become home to more U.S. Navy ships during the next decade, as some vessels are shifted west under what military leaders call the Pivot to the Pacific.
Area to See Reduction In Military Spending
DEFENSE: Area Should Still Fare Better than Most in Cuts
Slightly less military money will circulate through San Diego County in 2014, thanks to the economy, Washington politics and what’s known of future military priorities.
Hot Technology, Cold Hard Facts Combine in Weather Forecasting
SOFTWARE: Weather Is Big Part of Business Climate For EarthRisk’s Customers
How cold will it be in the week leading up to Thanksgiving? It’s mid-October, and the people at EarthRisk Technologies are already mulling that question.
Sports, Fitness Industry Is Growing, But Has Weak Bench
SPORT: Unskilled Hiring Pool a Concern as Are Business Logistics
Amateur sports and fitness is a growth industry in San Diego County but one that faces challenges in areas such as logistics and workforce skills, according to a new study commissioned by the San Diego Workforce Partnership.
Welcome to the Big Show
GROWTH: Newcomers to The Largest Private Companies List a Diverse Group
Welk Hospitality Group Inc. acquired three geographically distinct properties for its time-share resort business in 2013, making this a watershed year for the privately held company.
Nirvanix’s Chapter 11 Filing Accompanies Cloud Shutdown
TECH: Customers Told to Transfer Data By Oct. 15
Cloud storage provider Nirvanix is ceasing operations and trying to help customers move their data elsewhere as it seeks Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Sunglasses Maker’s Ads Not Meant for Everyone
RETAIL: Spy Focusing Its Efforts on a Specific Demographic and Lens
A few thousand dollars spent on a sexually suggestive billboard in Encinitas one year ago appears to still be paying dividends for Spy Inc., CEO Michael Marckx said in a recent interview.
Region Receives $24.57B in Pentagon Spending
DEFENSE: Report Sees Amount Dipping Slightly in 2014
Civilian taxpayers got a rare look from the bridge of the USS Ronald Reagan during a recent Fleet Week open house.
Urban Renewal
ECONOMY: Some See New Library as Catalyst For Area’s Development
Thomas Fitzpatrick looks toward the new San Diego Central Library a block from his East Village restaurant, The Mission, and sees more than the lively and cheerful architecture emanating from the $185 million building. The restaurant co-owner has been seeing groups of 10 to 14 library employees visiting in recent weeks.
Coalition Hopes to Capsize Barrio Logan Plan
INDUSTRY: Maritime Businesses Object to Rezoning Of Five-Block Area
A dispute over the future of Barrio Logan may end up at the ballot box by the middle of next year.
Enterprise Finds New Homes for Unwanted Corporate Castoffs
RECYCLING: 150,000 Pounds Of Solid Waste Diverted From Landfills
Sue Prelozni hates waste; the thought of putting a useable item in the trash doesn’t sit well with her.
Qualcomm on CourseWith Wireless Charging
TECH: Racecars New Twist On Tried Development Route
Qualcomm Inc. is hoping its Halo business will get a charge out of — as it puts one into — auto racing next year.
Shipyards See Plenty of Hazards in New Zoning
Industry: Businesses to Face New Rules and Limitations
Businesses serving the U.S. Navy see a difficult road ahead after the City Council approved new zoning for Barrio Logan, the site of San Diego’s ship repair yards.
Minimum Wage Boost Could Cost Labor, too
WORKFORCE: Business May Turn to Automation Or Reductions in Staff
Phil Spear’s business is about to get even more complicated. Spear employs 49 people at The Hamburger Factory restaurant in Poway, which he owns with wife Cleta Spear. Already the couple faces higher bills from food suppliers and new requirements from the Affordable Care Act.
Qualcomm on CourseWith Wireless Charging
TECH: Racecars New Twist On Tried Development Route
Qualcomm Inc. is hoping its Halo business will get a charge out of — as it puts one into — auto racing next year.
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