Earlier this month, Erica M. Pinto, chairwoman of Jamul Indian Village of California (JIV), received the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of California’s Warrior Award, the chamber’s highest honor.
The award recognizes Chairwoman Pinto’s continuous work on behalf of tribal businesses and community growth for native peoples.
Pinto has been involved with the JIV Tribal Council since 1997. In 2015, she was the first woman elected chairwoman of the JIV and has led the tribe to make economic progress on its path to self reliance. Under her leadership, the tribe oversaw the groundbreaking of its world-class gaming facility in Feb. 2014. In 2016, Jamul Casino opened creating nearly 1,000 permanent jobs.
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The San Diego Business Journal editorial team received 11 San Diego Press Club awards at the organization’s 2020 Excellence in Journalism Awards held virtually this year on Oct. 27.
Reporter Mariel Concepcion received an honorable mention under the magazine profiles category for her “After RAR Sale, Rauch Focusing on His Properties” story.
Reporter Fred Grier won a first place award in the non-daily business and financial category for his “Qualcomm Wins Appeal” story.
Reporter Brad Graves won a first place award in the non-daily science/technology/biotech category with his “Swimming Robots Scoop Up Data.”
Reporter Ray Huard won several awards. He won a non-daily real estate reporting first place award for his story “Ramona Project Modeled After Pre-War Communities.” He also won a second place award in this category for his story “Pandemic Brings Changes to Everything from Office to Apartments” and a third place award for “The Plunge’s $12M Renovation Makes a Splash,” also in the real estate category. He also won a second place award in the non-daily history category for his “Irwin Building Co., Architect Tim Martin Renovating Historic Home.” In addition, he won a third place award in the non-daily architecture story category with his “Boxing Club Aims to Succeed in East Village.” He also received an honorable mention under the non-daily business and financial category for his “Carrie Bobb & Co. Using Social Media” story.
Contributing writer Emmet Pierce received a non-daily business and financial category second place award for his story “Taylor Guitars Stays in Tune with Mexico Operations.” He also received a second place award in the non-daily environment category for his story “City Finds Link Between a Clean Environment and Economic Prosperity.” Pierce also received a third place award in the non-daily science/technology/biotech category for his “Cloud Computing Levels the Playing Field for Small Businesses.”
Congratulations to our entire editorial team for a job well done.
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In this issue, winners of the 2020 Leaders in Law Awards are announced. We congratulate the 20 local attorneys who have been recognized for their outstanding accomplishments. The winners start on page 13. Also, our Business Women of the Year finalists are announced starting on page 29. 
