Help Wanted
CYBERSECURITY: Norwegian Firm Brings U.S. Headquarters As Well as Jobs to San Diego
Norman ASA is shifting its U.S. headquarters from Washington, D.C., to San Diego, in part, to draw — and keep — talented employees for its enterprise security software business.
SAIC’s Strategy Is to ‘Divide and Conquer’
TECHNOLOGY: Firm to Split Into Solutions, Services
Seeking to spur growth, create efficiencies and brace itself for an era of shifting federal spending priorities, leadership at SAIC Inc. unveiled plans to split the $10.6 billion corporation into two companies by mid-2013.
LRAD Welcomes New Board Member
Bill VanDeWeghe has joined the board of directors at Rancho Bernardo-based LRAD Corp.
Kratos Announces $4.6M Navy Contract
San Diego-based Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. announced that its Micro Systems business received a U.S. Navy contract — specifically a $4.6 million deal from the U.S. Navy Aerial Target and Decoy System program office in Maryland.
Getting in the Card Game
E-COMMERCE: Devices Give Merchants Easy Way To Take Plastic Payments
People who visit Hess Brewing can enjoy a fresh beverage whose origins go way, way, way back in human history.
There Is No Treading Water In the E-Commerce World
SALES: Exec Knows It’s Sink or Swim as Field Changes Rapidly
Chris Shimojima, the new CEO at Provide Commerce Inc., has seen e-commerce at its best.
Columnist Tom Blair Sets a New Course
Tom Blair, the longtime columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune and former editor in chief of San Diego Magazine, has joined California Strategies LLC.
Ecke Ranch Sells to Agribio Group
Ecke Ranch, the Encinitas-based family business long synonymous with poinsettias, will soon be part of the Dutch-based Agribio Group in a deal expected to close in September. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Padres to Tap Talent of the Storm for at Least 2 More Years
The San Diego Padres announced that the team has extended its player development contract with the Single-A Lake Elsinore Storm for two more years, through the 2014 season.
Air Force Orders $87M in Unmanned Aircraft Upgrades
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. of Poway recently received an $87.3 million contract to retrofit up to 80 U.S. Air Force Reaper unmanned aircraft, applying heavier landing gear and modified bomb racks.
Phoenix Footwear Reports Loss, New Borrowing Power
Phoenix Footwear Group Inc., which produces the SoftWalk and Trotters shoe brands, recently reported a net loss of $470,000 on net sales of $3.15 million in the quarter ended June 30.
Dutch Firm to Buy Ecke Ranch
Ecke Ranch, long synonymous with poinsettias, will soon be part of the Dutch based Agribio Group, according to a statement released by the Encinitas-based grower.
Business Course Geared Toward Military, Veterans
Active military and military veterans who would like to start or grow their own businesses can take advantage of a 10-week class offered in National City.
Victory Laps: Cubic Meets Its Olympic Challenges
TECHNOLOGY: Fare Collection, London Tube Run Smoothly at Games
The people staging the Summer Olympics in London worried about everything from terrorism to bad weather to a mass transit meltdown.
The View From Local Charter Jet Businesses Is Pretty Good
AVIATION: Carriers See An Increase in Demand As a Good Economic Sign
Economists measure many factors, from building permits to help-wanted advertising, to assess the health of the overall economy.
Juno Finds a Mentor in Northrop
Northrop Grumman Corp., the giant defense contractor based in suburban Washington, D.C., has entered a mentor-protégé relationship with small defense contractor Juno Technologies Inc., Northrop announced.
GA-ASI Works On IED Detection Device for the Military
The U.S. Army has enlisted the help of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. to improve technology to find roadside bombs.
Space Race
TECHNOLOGY: AIS’ New Cloud Has Room, Resources and Security
Imagine your company has to sequence a portion of the 2.85 billion nucleotides in the human genome, a task common to San Diego area biotech companies.
The Right Video Can Make Your Firm More Visible in Many Ways
MARKETING: Marketer Offers ‘Do-It-Yourself’ Video-Making Directions
America is the land of the do-it-yourselfer: the weekend building contractor, the artist with the studio in her spare bedroom. In the last few years, video producer Jill Addison has noticed do-it-yourselfers, including small business owners, making videos.
Sentek Global Names President
Defense information technology specialist Sentek Global said recently that it promoted Andrew Nugent to president.
GOT A MATCH?
ECONOMY: Nearsourcing Brings Together Local Businesses
Survey the factory floor at Rancho Bernardo’s D&K Engineering Inc. and you will see kiosks, kiosks and more kiosks.
Helicopter Warning System Avoids Obstacles and Mistakes
AVIATION: Nuisance Alerts Reduced; Database Has Map of Power Lines
Sandel Avionics Inc. is working to take the annoyance out of the helicopter cockpit. Instruments can often give false alarms about perceived dangers.
Hotel Tower Part of Casino Expansion Being Considered
GAMING: Steakhouse, Nightclub, More Slots Part of Harrah’s Vision
The Rincon San Luiseño Band of Mission Indians is weighing whether to build a second, 21-story hotel tower and whether to expand the gaming floor of its Harrah’s brand casino, located on its reservation northeast of Escondido.
ViaSat Gets National Exposure in Australia
INTERNET: $240M Deal May Open Doors Elsewhere
ViaSat Inc. has signed a multimillion-dollar electronics deal that will help the Australian government deliver broadband Internet, by way of satellite, to people in that country’s most remote regions.
Mayor Goes on Offensive Against Sequestration
The prospect of federal spending cuts is triggering alarm at home and around the country.
We Brake for Life
VEHICLE: New Brakes Go The Distance In a Green Way
Douglas Wall can talk business. Nathan Meckel can talk technology. But for now, they are talking about car chases.
Gathering Looks for Essence of Good Marketing
The essential element of a can’t-miss marketing campaign is … what? The San Diego Business Journal’s inaugural Marketing Professionals Awards will take a dive into that issue, and other topics pertinent to the field.
Qualcomm’s Bill Davidson Headlines Marketing Professionals Event
Qualcomm Inc. executive Bill Davidson will be keynote speaker for the San Diego Business Journal’s inaugural Marketing Professionals Awards, set for the evening of July 26 at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa.
Tealium Receives $10.5M in Series B Funding
High tech startup Tealium Inc. said it received $10.5 million in series B venture capital from Boston-based Battery Ventures. The investment follows a $1.1 million series A contribution in January.
ViaSat Signs Deal to Provide Satellite Broadband Access in Australia
ViaSat Inc. has received a deal valued at more than $240 million that will help deliver broadband access to people in the most remote regions of Australia, including outback areas and distant territories such as Christmas Island and Norfolk Island
Companies Look to Curb Energy Appetites of Devices
TECHNOLOGY: Systems Designed to Know When To Reduce Battery Drain
Why can’t the battery last longer? Local venture capitalist Rick Cooper says that’s among the top three concerns coming out of consumers’ mouths when they discuss their smartphones or tablet computers in focus groups.
A Competitive Race Is on to Find a Longer-Lasting Battery
WIRELESS: Huge Markets Draw Firms To Difficult Challenge
The trick of extending battery life on smartphones and tablets is “a big problem and a big opportunity,” said Rick Cooper, a San Diego-based venture capitalist and treasurer for the Tech Coast Angels.
Grocery Outlet Arrives in East Village
“Extreme value” food store Grocery Outlet is open in the East Village.
Kratos Defense Closes Purchase Of Sacramento Aircraft Producer
TECHNOLOGY: Its Natural User Interfaces Are Blazing New Trails
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. said recently that it closed its purchase of drone aircraft maker Composite Engineering Inc., sewing up the $155 million deal nearly two months after it was first announced.
Making the Case
TECHNOLOGY: LifeProof Negotiates a Competitive Market
LifeProof has built a burgeoning business on the strength of a slim, protective iPhone case. What does it do for an encore?
Work For Everyone
EMPLOYMENT: Nonprofit Taps Talents of Disabled Workers
Kelly Abbott has found an able and engaged software tester in Gilbert.
Content Strategists Take Medium and Messages to the Next Level
TECHNOLOGY: Firms Get Help in Creating an Effective Online Presence
Caritta Lee says her job is part treasure hunter, part artist and part scientist. Actually, she is none of the above.
Arena Stock Rises as FDA Approves Diet Drug
Shares of Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. closed 29 percent higher on June 27 after word that the Food and Drug Administration had approved its diet drug.
Down the Dark Alleys of Data
TECHNOLOGY: Experts Give Firms Self-Defense Tips for Network Safety
Seated behind his desk in his office overlooking Sorrento Mesa, Jim Matteo ponders a paradox: Can a computer network ever be completely secure?
Cyber Security ‘Rides Shotgun’ On PCs, Networks and Nations
TECHNOLOGY: Range Of Threats Requires Evolving Defenses
Cyber threats come in all sizes, from the personal to the national.
Defense Dollars Still Flowing, for Now
ECONOMY: Regional Effects Huge; $20.7B Seen in FY 2013
Defense Department spending is again on the rise in San Diego.
Pentagon to Spend $20.6B in Region, Study Says
A new study predicts the Pentagon will spend $20.6 billion in San Diego County during fiscal 2012, up slightly more than 1 percent from $20.3 billion in fiscal 2011.
Executive Personality Put to the Test
Insights into the personalities of key people in an organization can help an organization move forward.
LRAD’s ‘Sound Cannon’ Goes to the London Olympics
LRAD Corp.’s high-volume “sound cannon” will apparently be used for security at the London Olympic Games, which begin on July 27.
Buyers Have Their Eyes on the Biotechs
INVESTMENT: Some Deals In Works; Other Sectors Active
Springtime brought a flowering of biotech acquisitions to San Diego, but it ultimately disappointed a Swiss firm that wanted to make the biggest buy of them all.
Mad Catz Reports Revenue Of $117.6M
Mad Catz Interactive Inc., the San Diego maker of computer gaming peripherals, had to settle for a lower score when fiscal 2012 came to an end.
New Scope Aims to Reduce Friendly-Fire Incidents in War
TECHNOLOGY: Device Tells Shooter if a Target Is One of the Good Guys
Cubic Corp. is trying to address the problem of “friendly fire” with technology.
City, SDG&E Settle 2007 Fire Case
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. will pay the city of San Diego $27 million to settle a lawsuit over the October 2007 wildfires, the city and the utility said in a joint statement June 12.
Jimbo’s to Open Fifth Location in Horton Plaza
Natural food grocer Jimbo’s … Naturally! says it has signed a lease for 28,000 square feet in the Westfield Horton Plaza shopping center.
Cubic Tracking System Goes the Extra Mile
Defense: Vehicle Tags Mesh With Military Needs
The scene at the U.S. Army’s Camp Arifjan in Kuwait is mind-boggling. “It’s just acres of equipment, as far as your eyes can see,” said Mary Ann Wagner, president of Cubic Global Tracking Solutions.
