SANTEE
Firm Tapped for $221.5M Detention Facility Project
Dallas-based Balfour Beatty Construction and its San Diego-based division, formerly known as Barnhart Balfour Beatty, have been awarded a $221.5 million contract to build the first phase of a county-run women’s detention facility in Santee.
The local office, overseeing the firm’s southwest operations, was recently renamed Balfour Beatty Construction.
A Sept. 15 statement from the local office said the Santee project consists of 34 buildings across 45 acres. The 1,216-bed facility will replace the 1960s-era Las Colinas Detention Facility, the primary point of intake for women prisoners in San Diego County.
Eric Stenman, southwest regional CEO for Balfour Beatty said the four-year construction project is expected to create an estimated 700 jobs and require the services of more than 60 local subcontractors. Pre-construction work began in late September, with completion set for October 2015.
— Lou Hirsh
SAN DIEGO
Expansion Expected to Follow VC Investment
MeLLmo Inc., a provider of mobile applications to smartphones and tablets, said it recently obtained $30 million in a first round venture capital investment led by Sequoia Capital.
The latest round of funding will allow MeLLmo, whose products are branded under the name Roambi, to expand into new offices in Boston, New York, San Francisco, London and Shanghai, and hire new employees, the company said.
Since its launch in 2009, the company’s customer base has grown to include many of the world’s largest companies such as Primerica and Vodacom SA.
— Mike Allen
SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Garden Fresh Certified Green in Industry Program
San Diego-based Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp. recently obtained certification from the Green Restaurant Association, the largest chain so far to gain certification for its sustainability practices from the nonprofit industry association.
Garden Fresh has headquarters in Rancho Bernardo and 13 Souplantation restaurants throughout San Diego County. It operates more than 120 salad buffet-style restaurants nationwide under the names Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes.
A Sept. 14 statement said Garden Fresh has been working toward the certification during the past two years and recently completed the process.
It has upgraded to high-efficiency spray valves, energy-efficient lighting, recyclable packaging and green-certified cleaning products.
— Lou Hirsh
