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Regional Roundup

Encinitas: Institute, Firm

To Open Stem Cell Centers

NeoStem Inc., a publicly traded company specializing in adult stem cell collection and banking service for long-term storage for therapeutic uses, has signed an agreement to open collection and storage centers nationally and internationally.

The agreement with Dr. Ron Rothenberg was announced Sept. 18. He will operate the centers in conjunction with his practice at the Encinitas-based California HealthSpan Institute. Rothenberg, a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and a pioneer in anti-aging medicine, is certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. He is an attending physician at Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas.

The value of the contract was not disclosed. Patients typically are charged $6,000 to bank their stem cells and pay a yearly storage fee of $400.

NeoStem, formerly known as Phase III Medical, is based in New York City. Its shares are traded on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board as NEOI.OB. Shares closed Sept. 18 at 85 cents.

NeoStem recently established an adult stem cell processing laboratory and long-term storage facility at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, licensed by the state Department of Health Services. The company also plans to open such collection centers in locations and facilities across the nation and anticipates collaborations and partnerships with pharmaceutical firms, medical institutions and other customers that will use NeoStem technology.

Between its New York headquarters and Los Angeles lab, NeoStem has 11 employees.

, Connie Lewis

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Escondido: Hours Change

At Weekly Farmers Market

Vendors at the Escondido Farmers Market will soon be breaking down their displays just a little bit sooner.

Beginning Oct. 3, fall hours will take effect with the weekly market kicking off at 2:30 p.m. and ending at dusk. The market runs every Tuesday year-round, adjusting its hours for the season.

During the summer months, the market has been open from 4 to 7 p.m.

The Downtown Business Association of Escondido hosts the market, which is staged on Grand Avenue between Broadway and Kalmia. Roughly two dozen to three dozen vendors participate on a regular basis.

, Jessica Long

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Poway: Nexus, Covaris

Play Let’s Make a Deal

Poway-based Nexus Biosystems Inc. has signed a marketing and distribution agreement with Massachusetts-based Covaris Inc.

The agreement states that Nexus will exclusively distribute the Covaris line of adaptive focused acoustic, which enables computer-controlled, mechanical energy waves to penetrate closed vessels, such as tubes and vials, to join in an acoustic zone, in North America and Asia markets.

“We are enthusiastic about the strategic partnership between Covaris and Nexus as it will allow us to accelerate the adaptation of our AFA technology into a number of new markets, especially those that are chemistry based. In addition, this partnership enables Covaris to focus on developing and delivering new AFA products for other growing markets where our technology provides exceptional end-user benefits, such as biological sample processing,” said Jim Laugharn, president and chief executive officer of Covaris.

Financial terms of the agreement were not available by press time.

Nexus Biosystems, a privately held company led by President and Chief Executive Officer John Lillig, has since 1996 been a developer and provider of technologies and automation systems for pharmaceutical, biotech and academic research institutions worldwide.

, Stacey Bengtson

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El Cajon: Author Ready to

Talk Business Next Month

Author Rick Segal is set to address the business community in El Cajon on Oct. 3.

His speech, “How to Make Your Business Stand Out in a Crowded Marketplace,” is being sponsored by the El Cajon Community Development Corp. and the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce.

Segal has written nine books, including “How to Become a Preferred Vendor,” “Laugh & Get Rich,” and “Retail Business Kit for Dummies.”

The event at the Ronald Reagan Community Center, 195 E. Douglas Ave. in El Cajon, takes place from 9 a.m. to noon. Breakfast is included in the $15 event fee, but the event is free to El Cajon CDC member businesses. To attend, contact the El Cajon CDC at (619) 401-8858.

, Katie Weeks

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Chula Vista: Panel to Help

City With Redevelopment

The city’s newly formed Redevelopment Advisory Committee held its inaugural meeting this month in advance of the city adopting a specific plan for its urban core area.

The committee was recently established to provide public comment on the redevelopment projects within the city, said Ann Hix, acting community development director.

The committee’s recommendations are forwarded to the Chula Vista Redevelopment Corp., the agency that manages and oversees redevelopment in the city. The group did not make any recommendations at its first meeting.

The nine-person committee consists of 10 community groups from three categories: technical advisory bodies; community organizations; and business associations.

Groups in the technical advisory category are the city Planning Commission, the design review committee, and the resource conservation commission.

Community organizations represented on the committee include the Northwest Civic Association; Crossroads II; and a shared seat between the Environmental Health Coalition and Healthy Eating and Active Communities. Business groups on the committee are the Chamber of Commerce; Third Avenue Village Association; and Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors.

, Mike Allen

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Oceanside: New Henry’s

Market Gets First Director

David Sparano has been named director of the Oceanside Henry’s Farmers Market store, which is scheduled to open Oct. 11.

An 18-year veteran of the supermarket and retail industries, Sparano has served as store director for three Henry’s Farmers Markets in University City, Solana Beach and Escondido.

Before joining Henry’s, he held various positions with Smith’s Food and Drug, and Rite Aid.

According to Al Bercuson, director of operations for Henry’s Farmers Markets in San Diego, the new Oceanside store will create about 100 jobs.

, Pat Broderick

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San Marcos: Businesses

Hope Folks Sprint to Mall

Groundbreaking ceremonies were scheduled last week for Civic Center Plaza, a San Marcos shopping center situated next to a planned Sprinter light-rail station.

The 5.92-acre center site is located at Highway 78 and Twin Oaks Valley Road and will eventually be home to a 60,000-square-foot development. The center is expected to open in the first quarter of 2007.

The $12 million project has already attracted LA Fitness Sports Club. The fitness gym chain has signed a 15-year lease valued at $14 million for 43,000 square feet, according to Colliers International.

Colliers is the exclusive marketing team for the center, while the San Diego-based McDonald Group is the lead developer. San Diego-based Bycor Construction is the general contractor.

The Sprinter, a project of the North County Transit District, will take commuters along the Highway 78 corridor back and forth from Oceanside to Escondido and is expected to open in December 2007. In total, it will consist of 15 station stops along a 22-mile route.

, Jessica Long

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Coronado: Construction

Measure Stirs Controversy

A Coronado citizens’ initiative regarding residential construction and demolition could be removed from the Nov. 7 ballot because it violates state law, according to city officials.

Coronado city officials filed suit in San Diego Superior Court on Aug. 28 to have Proposition J removed or to remove the parts that are “illegal and unenforceable.” City officials say the initiative interferes with Coronado’s legal obligations to provide their share of regional housing.

Proposition J would increase the minimum lot size necessary , from 3,500 to 5,250 square feet , to build a single-family home; a move that residents hope would prevent developers from tearing down small houses and replacing them with two or more tall, narrow homes commonly referred to as “Billy Boxes.” The proposition would not affect existing homes built on less than 5,250 square feet.

The city conducted a legal analysis and found that, should the initiative pass, the city would have to increase the number of homes in other areas to prevent a net loss of housing.

, Andy Killion

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