Air Power
DEFENSE: Support in Congress Should Be a Boost for UAV Programs
The U.S. Congress believes the Defense Department should continue to invest in unmanned aircraft, budget documents show.
Trolley Expansion Creates a Multitude of Business Opportunities
TRANSPORTATION: Sandag Will Present Details Of Work Needed Sept. 11
Disadvantaged and small businesses will have a place in the large construction project to build a new San Diego Trolley route linking Old Town and University Towne Center.
Sycuan Band Triples Acreage of Its Reservation
PROPERTY: Tribe Sees Opportunities for Housing and Preservation
The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation expanded the acreage of its reservation east of El Cajon nearly threefold this month.
Contractors May Be Put On Defense By New Rule
DEFENSE: Counterfeit Parts Concerns Drive Industry Change
The fallout from a Senate committee report about bogus electronic parts in the Defense Department supply chain will soon reach San Diego businesses, and it’s unclear whether they’ll be ready for it or what its impact will be.
The UPS Store Begins to Shape Plan to Profit From 3-D Printing
RETAIL: Local Store Is First to Test Offering Of Manufacturing Service
You can make a lot of things with a three-dimensional printer, but a retail business model wouldn’t seem to be one of them — or would it?
Kratos Spots Opening in Drone Space
AEROSPACE: It Sees Need for Fast, Stealthy Aircraft
Eric DeMarco admits he was holding something back in spring 2012 when he announced that his company, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc., was buying Composite Engineering Inc., a Sacramento aerospace business.
Ships Get Firepower And Staying Power
DEFENSE: BAE Makes Various Upgrades on Navy Ships
San Diego-based U.S. Navy ships are getting the latest version of the Aegis combat system, as well as other upgrades, with the help of BAE Systems.
Qualcomm Puts Some Muscle Behind Fitbit’s Wearable Devices
Technology Column
Qualcomm Ventures is one of several entities that have put money behind a company that makes wearable, wireless devices that track activity, sleep and general fitness.
Indian Gaming Revenue Increases in California-N. Nevada Region
GAMING: 2012 Data for 64 Casinos in Region Puts Total at $7 B
Casino gaming revenue on American Indian reservations in California and northern Nevada grew 1.4 percent to $7.0 billion in 2012, according to recently released federal data.
In Good Company
WORKFORCE: Best Places to Work Earn Employees’ Admiration
John Rooney believes the workplace must be more than a place where people merely show up every morning.
Happy Owl’s Cash Registers Help Merchants Make the Sale
RETAIL: iPad-enabled Transactions Made Easier With Firm’s Tools, Services
A small iPad accessory company wants to carve a niche for itself by piggybacking on the growing mobile credit and debit card processing market.
Robotics Firm Finds a Field Of Opportunity in Agriculture
TECH: Robots Being Designed to Tend, Harvest Crops
The grapevines outside Vision Robotics Corp. are long gone. They’re nothing more than deadwood. Still, their lifeless forms serve a purpose.
Qualcomm Collaboration to Tackle Wireless Capacity Crunch
TECH: It Takes Stake In Alcatel-Lucent to Work On Small Cell Use
Qualcomm Inc. has taken a small stake in the French-based communications gear provider Alcatel-Lucent, and has embarked on a joint research and development project.
Upgraded Network Shows Need for Speed
TECH: 100 Gigabit Capability To Change Way We Do Business
Hollywood has a storage problem. American Internet Services has a solution. Movies involve large amounts of data. San Diego-based AIS serves the entertainment industry by moving very large data sets that Burbank production houses generate, and storing them in places such as San Diego or Arizona.
FatSkunk Inc. Aims to Raise a Stink About Mobile Malware
TECH: Defense Doesn’t Zap Power; ‘Zero-Day’ Threats Can Be Identified
FatSkunk Inc. wants to outfox a type of software that is growing more common and dangerous. The business has Silicon Valley roots, talent from the local wireless industry, and space at a downtown San Diego incubator.
F-35 Program Said to Be Picking Up ‘Momentum’
DEFENSE: Local Firms Have Stake in Development of Fighter
Building the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft has been an odyssey for prime contractor Lockheed Martin. The program, which has had more twists and turns than a road crossing the Alps, might finally be on level ground.
Tesla Takes a Shortcut With Direct Sales Route
AUTO: Some Car Dealers Say Customer Connection Is Lost
Dell does it. So how about automakers? Tesla Motors Inc. takes a factory-direct approach to selling its novel, high-end electric cars.
Workshop Tries to Build a Following By Offering Tools and Technology
INDUSTRY: Companies, Do-It-Yourselfers Find a Well-Equipped Workspace
The businessmen behind San Diego-based MakerPlace have already established that they can open a community workshop with a variety of industrial tools, sell monthly memberships to the do-it-yourself crowd, and keep the lights on.
Shipyards Want to Stay The Course on Zoning
PROPERTY: Proposed Changes Seen as Threat to Industrial Work
The ship repair business, including the big yards run by BAE Systems, Continental Maritime and General Dynamics Nassco, looms large in Barrio Logan.
Nassco Has Designs On Big Navy Contract
DEFENSE: Firm Is Submitting Proposals; 17 Ships Could Be Built
San Diego-based General Dynamics Nassco has jumped into the competition to build a series of refueling ships — as many as 17 — for the U.S. Navy.
PRESENT AT THE EVOLUTION
MARKETING: Digitaria’s Talent, Technology Meet the Challenges of a New Market
Digitaria employs more than 130 people in San Diego, and it wades deep into the world of advertising and digital media.
GA Adapts Predator B To Changing Mission
AIRCRAFT: Firm Eyes Sales Abroad, Civilian Uses
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. said recently that it plans to develop a new version of its Predator B remotely piloted aircraft.
Snapdragon Is on Board for LTE Advanced Roll Out in Asia
TECH: Data Speeds Said to Be Double the Usual 4G LTE Speeds
San Diego-based Qualcomm Inc. said recently that its Snapdragon processors will power smartphones on some of the fastest commercial wireless networks in the world.
GA Researching More Efficient Nuclear Reactor
ENERGY: Firm Expects to Get $1M in Federal Funds For Fuel Rod Work
The U.S. Department of Energy said recently that General Atomics will receive federal funds to develop advanced nuclear reactor technology.
A Light Heavyweight
TECH: ASML, Cymer Now on Same Team in Precision Work on Chips
ASML Holding NV’s $3.7 billion purchase of Cymer Inc. will focus more corporate resources on technology to produce ever-smaller, more capable microchips, Cymer executives said during a post-acquisition interview.
Qualcomm Inc.’s Vuforia Takes an Image and Runs With It
TECH: Platform Brings ‘Augmented Reality’ To Life on Devices
Software from Qualcomm Inc. is adding a new dimension to smartphones and tablet computers. Not to mention imaginative twists such as banjo-playing frogs. Large corporations, catalog publishers and even museums in San Diego’s Balboa Park are adapting Qualcomm’s Vuforia software to meet their needs.
Supper Bowl Contender
PETS: Pet Food Maker’s Premium Product and Its VC Funding Are Good Mix
The Honest Kitchen Inc. is taking the road less traveled, and seems to be getting someplace.
Entropic Keeps Making The Right Connections
TECH: Mobius Acquisition Brings Needed Technology
Semiconductor firm Entropic Communications Inc. made its third acquisition in 15 months, this time bolting-on a firm from Irvine.
Slacker Readies for More Radio Competition
RADIO: Apple’s iTunes Radio Brings A Big Player to Field
How does the top executive at San Diego-based Slacker Inc. view Apple Inc.’s newly announced iTunes Radio service?
New Intel Chip Is a Game Changer for Razer
TECH: Battery Life Greatly Increased; Graphics Improved
Carlsbad-based Razer Inc. is riding a trend in computer manufacturing. It’s basing new products on a just-introduced chip from Intel Corp.
Car Buyers Increasingly Want to Go in Style
AUTO: Dealers Say Luxury Brands Are Moving Off Lots
2013 seems to be starting well for Witt Lincoln. And for luxury auto sales in general. “We’re seeing a lot of new customers — not Lincoln drivers,” reported Ed Witt, head of the family run auto dealer in Mission Valley, who reports that business is up. Hybrids, he added, are selling very well.
The Military Is Active in Implementing Its Green Strategy
DEFENSE: Prescribed Goals of Conservation Are Part of Process
Increasingly, contractors such as RJC Architects are being asked to think green when they go to work for the Pentagon.
A Qualcomm Star Makes Movie Debut
TECH: Snapdragon Ads Aim to Increase Chip’s Fame
Qualcomm Inc. wants to be top of mind among the people buying smartphones this summer. It’s making another advertising push for its Snapdragon chip, though for San Diegans, it won’t be as eye-catching as the one in late 2011, when the corporation rebranded Qualcomm Stadium as Snapdragon Stadium.
‘Green Teams’ Reshape URS’ Work Environment, Practices
GREEN: UTC Office Transformation Earns LEED Silver Rating
When global engineering firm URS Corp. relocated its San Diego office two years ago, its staff saw an opportunity. Here was a chance to make something green.
Cubic Plans for NextBus To Take Global Route
TECH: Overseas Market to Be Key Part of Sales Strategy
Cubic Corp. sees a future in tracking buses, trollies and trains by GPS. The publicly traded San Diego company acquired a business called NextBus early this year for about $20 million. Now it’s taking steps to fold the company, including 28 employees, into the rest of its transportation segment, and sell its services to a wider client base.
Dell Deal Is a High Point For ScaleMatrix’s Cloud
TECH: Firm Expects Significant Revenue, Exposure as a Result
Dell will begin selling cloud computing services from San Diego-based ScaleMatrix Inc. The big computer manufacturer recently chose ScaleMatrix as one of three strategic partners to provide public cloud computing services in North America.
OtterBox, LifeProof See Case for Consolidation
TECH: Local Firm Sold for $325M, Ending Legal Dispute
Colorado-based OtterBox, which makes protective cases for smartphones and tablets, has acquired LifeProof, a similar business from San Diego, for $325 million.
ViaSat’s Capacity Will Soar With Next Satellite
TECH: Effort With Boeing Will Greatly Boost Internet Coverage
ViaSat Inc. recently took the wraps off its plans to launch a second satellite to provide broadband service to North America and surrounding regions.
Defense Sector to See Mergers, Acquisitions
DEFENSE: Budget Cuts May Change Playing Field, Players
With the U.S. government tightening its grip on its purse strings and defense spending in decline, there are likely to be mergers and acquisitions ahead for military contractors.
The Line Between Business and Personal Devices Is Blurring
TECH: Firms Find Ways to Give Workers Secure Access to Data
When Cadence Pharmaceuticals Inc. saw that it was time to retire the laptop computers that its sales force carried, it set foot in the growing world of BYOD.
Northrop’s Drone Conducts 1st Carrier Launch
DEFENSE: Follow-On Project to Be Huge For Winning Bidder
Northrop Grumman recently helped the U.S. Navy launch an unmanned, strike-fighter sized aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier, for the first time.
In-Flight Broadband Proposed By Qualcomm
TECH: FCC Examining Idea of Using Cell Towers for Service
The federal government is taking up a 2-year-old proposal from Qualcomm Inc. to extend broadband Internet service to air travelers, using cell towers.
Unmanned Magic
Defense: Newest U.S. Navy Squadron Has Local Business Tie
Northrop Grumman is giving the Magicians a new trick. Officials at Naval Air Station North Island recently held ceremonies to inaugurate the Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 35, nicknamed the Magicians.
Cubic Reports Increase in 2nd Quarter Sales and Net Income
Cubic Corp. reported a 7 percent increase in second quarter sales and a 16 percent increase in net income compared with the same period one year ago.
Vacation Rental Market Heats Up for Summer
PROPERTY: Busy Season Begins Late June Through August
The coming of summer means it’s high season for businesses such as Penny Realty Inc. The Pacific Beach firm rents out 90 vacation homes, largely but not exclusively in Pacific Beach and neighboring Mission Beach.
The Women Behind the Win
DEFENSE: Three Execs Team Up to Get Big Defense Deal
Georgia Griffiths, CEO of G2 Software Systems Inc., was on vacation when she realized an opportunity to grab the largest deal in her company’s history.
Leaders Pave Way for Defense Sector Diversity
DEFENSE: Women in Top Jobs, Programs Open Industry
Those wondering about opportunities for women in the defense sector may be heartened by developments at General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin Corp.
Layoff Threat for 665 Is Lifted at Nassco
DEFENSE: Signed Bill Clears Way for Some Planned Work
A changed federal budget picture means that the General Dynamics Nassco shipyard will not have to go through with 665 layoffs announced earlier this year.
Having Competent IT Help Can Be a Lifesaver for Small Businesses
TECH: Needs for Assistance, Backup and Security Require Pros
Clive Harrison of San Diego-based CentrexIT says he sees the phenomenon much too often: business leaders making their information technology choices based on price alone.
Air Force Steers Away From Global Hawk
DEFENSE: Northrop Grumman’s Drone Is Big Part of Navy’s Plans
The recently released White House budget request for 2014 allocates fewer dollars to Global Hawk, Northrop Grumman’s high-flying unmanned spy plane.
