| San Diego Business Journal

Locals Put Down Roots in Hydroponics Farming

AGRICULTURE: With a Growing $8.1B Market, Farmers Create New Markets, Methods

According to a report released in May, the hydroponics market is estimated at $8.1 billion in 2019 and projected to reach $16 billion by 2025.

High-Tech Area Gets Innovative Restaurant Concept

DINING: Food Hall’s Variety May Be Big Draw In Sorrento Valley

Whisknladle Hospitality is a San Diego-based restaurant group behind La Jolla’s Whisknladle comfort food eatery.

Sycuan Appoints New General Manager

According to a press release, Robert Cinelli will hold the general manager post at the Sycuan Casino Resort starting Jan. 1, 2020.

Economic Impact of Local Wineries Put at $58.6 million

The "2019 Economic Impact of San Diego County Wines” report states there was a 9/7% increase in San Diego County wine industry jobs in 2018.

Company Tastes Success With Dehydrated Bone Broth

RETAIL: Portability Sells; Revenue Expected To Be $10 Million in 2019

According to Global Market Insights Inc., the worldwide bone broth market will be worth more than $2.8 billion by 2024.

Chefs Connect Cuisines to Vegan Trend Developing New Options

DINING: Asian Restaurants Start With Advantage of Already Using Vegetables

While vegetables have traditionally been a predominant staple of Asian cuisine, along with rice and meat, it is only as of recent that they have become the chief ingredient.

Pilot Program Puts Zero Emission Buses on Sustainability Route

CARB Goal Is to Have ZEB Fleets Replace Polluting Vehicles By 2040

On Oct. 19, 2017, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) Board of Directors unanimously approved an 18-month Zero Emissions Bus (ZEB) pilot program.

Hotel Karlan San Diego to Close

According to WARN filing made with the Employment Development Department, the 174-room Karlan Hotel will be permanently closing on Dec. 31.

Hotel Del’s Plan Sees Room For More Grandeur

TOURISM: $400 Million Being Spent on Iconic Hotel

In late October, Hotel del Coronado, a Curio Collection by Hilton, and a historic beachfront hotel located in the city of Coronado, filed a WARN notice with the Employment Development Department.

Petco Opens Its First Tijuana Store as Part of Joint Venture

RETAIL: Store is 85th In Mexico; Goal Is for 90 Locations in 2019

On Nov. 1, Petco Animal Supplies Inc., the San Diego-based pet specialty retailer, and Petco Mexico, opened the first Petco store in Tijuana.

Customer Service Kept Store Open For 60 Years

Oceanside Site Sells for $2.5M

The building formerly known as Red & White Market has officially been sold.

SeaWorld Entertainment Appoints New CEO

Prior to becoming CEO of SeaWorld Entertainment, Sergio Rivera served as president and CEO of ILG Inc’s Vacation Ownership Segment.

Giving Chickens Room To Roam Appeals to Chefs And Customers

Pluck Takes Humane Approach To Raising Chickens

From free-range to cage-free to the latest term pasture-raised, there are plenty of poultry production practices a chef and/or restaurant owner can choose from.

Red & White Market Officially Closes, Sells Building

After closing its doors to the public late September, the building that housed Red & White Market on South Oceanside was sold by Red & White Properties for nearly $2.5 million early November.

San Diego MTS Launches Zero-Emission Bus Pilot Program

According to a spokesperson, MTS deployed six battery-electric buses and is currently testing on routes 1, 2, 4, 10, 13, 815, 905 and 936, with the goal is for public transit agencies to gradually transition to 100% zero-emission bus fleets by 2040.

International Moves Part of SPY’s Plans

RETAIL: Sunglasses Maker to Use Resources of New Owner

In mid-September, Bollé Brands, an eyewear company based out of France, acquired Carlsbad-headquartered SPY, makers of sunglasses, prescription eyewear, snow and MX goggles.

Cross Border Xpress Sees 30% Increase in Passenger Traffic for Q3

TOURISM: Improvements Are Planned for Both In And Outside the Facility

Cross Border Xpress, the 390-foot, one-of-a-kind pedestrian bridge that connects the United States to Mexico’s Tijuana International Airport from a terminal in San Diego.

Need for Versatility, Sustainability Drives Food Container Co.

ReVessel’s Containers Take on Many Tasks From Cooking to Storage

ReVessel is a company that makes sustainable, travel-friendly food storage containers.

Petco Opens Store in Tijuana

Petco Tijuana is the 85th Petco store in Mexico, states the press release, with the goal of expanding to 90 locations by the end of 2019.

Lyft Selects San Diego Nonprofits for Grants

According to a press release, Burn Institute, Mama’s Kitchen and Wounded Warriors Homes will all benefit from Lyft rides grant program to further their causes.

Mostra Coffee Draws A Crowd as Well as Accolades

Company Plans on Releasing a Cold Brew and Opening Second Location

Chocoana, made of housemade banana milk and cold brew concentrate; this is just one of Mostra Coffee Inc.’s best-sellers.

San Diego Voted 3rd Best Winter Holiday Destination

According to a press release, the list was based 37 different cost and convenience metrics, not scenic beauty, although weather forecasts, safety and variety of activities were also considered.

It Is Brains Over Brawn at CleverMade

RETAIL: Founders Find a $35M Market In Everyday Efficiencies

From collapsible crates and totes, coolers and laundry caddies to inflatable outdoor chairs and its recently introduced Parcel LockBox (more on that later), CleverMade carries over 30 innovative products.

Park to Give SeaWorld an Attraction Without Distractions

TOURISM: Sesame Place Bets on Big Bird Making Big Splash in Chula Vista

SeaWorld San Diego will soon have one up on SeaWorld Orlando with the addition of the second-ever Sesame Place theme park.

Co., Curry on Course to Bring Golf to Communities, College

NBA Player Supporting Golf Team For Howard University

Golf equipment manufacturer, Callaway Golf Co., and three-time NBA champion Stephen Curry, have partnered to bring the game of golf to underrepresented youth.

Pacific Surfliner Is Expanding So-Cal Services

One-Way Tickets to L.A. Are $36 for Coach and $55 for Business Class

LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency, which oversees the San Diego Surfliner service operation since 2015, is adding additional trips to and from the Southern California cities.

La Jolla Taco Stand Voted Fourth Fast Casual Restaurant in U.S.

According to the Trip Advisor website, The Taco Stand prides itself in making handmade corn tortillas and guacamole and salsas made from scratch daily.

Cross Border Xpress Grows Passenger Traffic by 30%

According to a press release, in order to better accommodate the growing number of travelers crossing the bridge every day, CBX has plans to expand “key areas” within terminals.

Caliper Covers Give Drivers a Reason to Stop, Take Notice

RETAIL: Co. Has Licensing Deals, Expects 10% Growth in 2019

Before Mike Barland launched MGP Caliper Covers a little over a decade ago, there were two common practices for beautifying a car’s calipers.

Hoot Rides Pilot Program Kicks Off in Oceanside

The Hoot Rides Shuttle Service can be hailed through the Hoot app and will take riders along the beach, pier and Harbor.

Mead Makers Rely on Their Creative Juices

BEVERAGE: Drink Fits in With Craft Culture, Return to Nature

For a few decades now, San Diego has been distinctively known as the craft beer capital of America.

Callaway Golf Partners with Basketball Player Stephen Curry

According to a press release, and as part of the initiative, Stephen Curry helped Howard University, a historically black university in Washington, D.C., launch its first-ever Division 1 Golf Program last month, set to debut in 2020.

SeaWorld to Open Sesame Place Theme Park in San Diego

The Sesame Place theme park will mark the second location in the United States and the first on the west coast.

Co.’s Barware Mixes Function And Style for Intoxicating Blend

Extensive Market Research Backs Co.’s Products; Plan Is to Scale Slowly

When Rachel Eva and her husband and business partner Shawn Michael noticed the rise in the craft cocktail scene a few years back.

Luna Looking to Draw Millennials As It Scales Up

Company Has Leaders In Place to Handle Accelerated Growth

San Diego-based Luna Grill Restaurants LLC, continues on a path of growth.

Uber Bike Lane Alert Product Now Available in San Diego

According to a press release, Uber's Bike Lane Alerts feature aims to “increase the awareness of people on bikes and scooters via the Uber app by sending notifications to riders when their drop off is on or near a bike lane,."

Markstein Beverage Co. to Close

Markstein Beverage Co.'s closure follows the acquisition of "key Markstein assets" in September by Anheuser-Busch InBev. The terms of that deal were undisclosed.

Cutwater Tequila Proudly Took the Long Way to Market

BEVERAGE: Ten Years In the Making, Co. Tapped Traditional Methods, Experts

San Diego-based Cutwater Spirits has revealed its latest creation: the brand’s first tequila offering.

SD Climate Delivers for Coffee Drinkers

Local Production Seen As Start of Sea Change For Organic Coffee Scene

San Diego-based Bird Rock Coffee Roasters signed a deal with Oceanside’s Mraz Family Farms to sell the first San Diego-grown coffee and sold out in just four days.

Glasses Focus on Style, Lifestyle

RETAIL: Pricing, Action Sports Connection Help Drive Sales

In its first year in business, Blenders Eyewear, founded in 2013, sold about one thousand pairs of sunglasses.

Soccer Team Owner Sees It as a Business And a Community Investment

Andrew Vassiliadis To Lead Club With Warren Smith

In mid-June, Sports Illustrated reported that retired professional soccer player Landon Donovan and his business partner, Warren Smith, were looking for local investment.

Luna Grill Appoints Chief Brand Officer, New CFO

According to a press release, Rich Pinnella is Luna Grill's first ever chief brand officer and Bob Bartlett its chief financial officer.

Sourcify Connects Cos. to Overseas Manufacturing

STARTUP: Company Went Through EvoNexus And Y Combinator

In 2010, when 25-year-old Nathan Resnick lived in China as part of a high school foreign exchange program and after starting his own fashion e-commerce business.

619 Spirits Gets USA TODAY’s Best Craft Vodka Distillery Nod

619 Spirits, with a 4,200 square foot distillery and tasting room located in North Park, was founded by San Diego local Nick Apostolopoulos in 2012.

First San Diego-Grown Coffee Sells Out at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters

According to a press release, this marked the first time a Geisha coffee varietal “has been grown and harvested on San Diego soil and made available online and to local consumers.”

Union Kitchen & Tap Launches Food Truck

According to a press release, Union Kitchen & Tap, with locations in Encinitas and Gaslamp, recently hit the streets of San Diego with its Union Kitchen & Catering Food Truck.

Kitchens Changes Lives Through Culinary Career Paths

FOOD: Nonprofit Trains Workers While Feeding Those in Need

Since its founding in 2014, Kitchens for Good, a nonprofit that tackles issues of food waste, poverty and hunger, has helped more than 300 individuals.

Cutwater Spirits Releases First Tequila

According to a press release, Cutwater Spirits’ master distiller, Yuseff Cherney, has been working on the tequila, called Rayador Tequila Blanco and made of 100% blue Mexican agave, for the last decade.

Entrepreneurs Must Know the Twists, Turns Of E-Commerce Course

From Marketing To Manufacturing, Startups Need Plan

According to a report released in July by Business Insider, San Diego — specifically the Carlsbad area — is the 11th top city in the nation for startups.

Coworking Model Finds Success in Salon Business

SERVICE: Company Sees $100 Million Revenue; Spaces Leased Month to Month

Phenix Inc., also known as Phenix Salon Suites, has 11 locations in San Diego, 69 throughout the state of California and more than 250 nationwide.

Mariel Concepcion

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