Category: News

Meet the companies: Advancing San Diego, Manufacturing interns

By Kate Gallagher ,

Through our Advancing San Diego initiative, EDC provides San Diego-based businesses with paid interns in high-demand fields. This program targets companies with 100 employees or less, which comprise 98 percent of all businesses in San Diego, employ nearly two thirds of San Diegans, and account for 70 percent of job growth. A key issue for these companies has been a lack of time and resources to recruit the skilled talent necessary to continue their growth. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, these challenges were especially salient.

With the help of our staffing partner Manpower, between 2020 and 2021, EDC has provided 53 San Diego companies and non-profits with interns in the fields of software, engineering, and business.

Now, we’re excited to announce 14 more companies who have been selected to host Manufacturing interns in engineering technician and machinist roles this Summer. Interns are sourced from programs designated as Preferred Providers of Manufacturing Talent, with internships running from July to November 2021.

Please join us in welcoming our next cohort of Advancing San Diego intern hosts:

  1. American Lithium Energy is a company developing and manufacturing high performance, next generation lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries.
  2. Artience Lighting is an architectural lighting design and manufacturing company that brings beauty to spaces through tunable white technology as well as UVC disinfection technology.
  3. Bitchin’ Sauce is a family-owned and operated company that manufactures an almond-based dip.
  4. Diakont  Advanced Technologies is a leader in providing specialized services and solutions for the energy industry, primarily in the oil and natural gas, and nuclear industries.
  5. Discflo Corporation Inc. is a global pump manufacturer that sells industrial pumps into the “hard to pump market.”
  6. Drewfab is a family-owned machine shop that services several industries including the power generation, marine, automotive, and racing. The company does engineering, machining, fabrication, and 3D printing.
  7. Fuse Integration is a veteran-owned business that has earned recognition as an emerging leader in airborne, maritime, and ground networking. The company was founded with the noble cause of bringing the benefits of commercial human-centered design processes to first responder and military systems engineering.
  8. Left Coast Engineering offers full-service, electronic product design resources and specializes in custom electronic product design and rapid prototyping in the R&D space.
  9. Microtek is a bioengineering company that specializes in design, development, and fabrication of miniaturized devices, which are often medical in nature.
  10. Smartville Inc. is a rapid-growing renewable energy company that specializes in electric vehicle battery repurposing and lifecycle management.
  11. SurfDurt manufactures a natural, reef-safe sunscreen.
  12. Survival Systems International is a company in the safety lifeboat industry and holds 30 years of experience as a supplier of ballistic foam, fuel cell foam, and aerospace assemblies to the aviation community.
  13. The Broken Token designs and manufactures storage and organization solutions, component upgrades and accessories for the tabletop board gaming industry.
  14. Watershed Idea Foundry, Inc. is an additive manufacturing company specializing in the 3D printing of titanium medical devices

Hosting interns is an investment in the next generation of talent in San Diego. Through the Advancing San Diego internship program, local students gain valuable work experience while supporting our local small businesses. Students are paid $22 an hour and receive access to $500 in flexible funds to support their success in the workplace.

Introducing the Advancing San Diego Host Company Map: 

All small companies that have hosted interns through Advancing San Diego can be found on this interactive map!

Adaptive Launch Solutions

Aeromutable Corporation

ALD Technical Solutions LLC

American Lithium Energy

AndAlways

Artience Lighting

BeanStock Ventures

Benchmark Labs

Bitchin’ Sauce, LLC

BLKBOX Music

Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos

Chicano Federation of San Diego County

Clear Blue Sea

Deckard Technologies

Diakont Advanced Technologies

Discflo Corporation Inc.

DREWFAB

Ectron Corporation

Educational Vision Technologies

Eton Bioscience, Inc

EUCO – Electric Unicycle Collective

Family Proud, Inc.

Fenix Space, Inc.

Fuse Integration

GigaIO Networks

Impact Resources, Inc

Intellecy Inc.

KIGT Inc.

Lazy Surfer

Learn Academy

Left Coast Engineering

MedCrypt

MemComputing, Inc.

Memjet US Services, Inc.

Meri Consulting Services

Microtek

Misadventure & Co.

Nanome

ObjectSecurity LLC

Omni2Max, Inc.

Paragrine Systems

Perspectium Corp.

Programination

Qualer

Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine

Reveal Biosciences

reVessel

San Diego Loyal Soccer Club

SeodaPop

Smartville Inc.

SurfDurt

Survival Systems International

Tag-N-Trac

The Broken Token

The Commons XR

Tourmaline Wireless, LLC

Trabus Technologies

Traits AI, Inc.

Voltera

Watershed Idea Foundry, Inc.

Welfie

WithHealth, Inc.

ZUM Radio, Inc

  • Adaptive Launch Solutions
  • Aeromutable Corporation
  • ALD Technical Solutions LLC
  • American Lithium Energy
  • AndAlways
  • Artience Lighting
  • BeanStock Ventures
  • Benchmark Labs
  • Bitchin’ Sauce, LLC
  • BLKBOX Music
  • Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos
  • Chicano Federation of San Diego County
  • Clear Blue Sea
  • Deckard Technologies
  • Diakont Advanced Technologies
  • Discflo Corporation Inc.
  • DREWFAB
  • Ectron Corporation
  • Educational Vision Technologies
  • Eton Bioscience, Inc
  • EUCO – Electric Unicycle Collective
  • Family Proud, Inc.
  • Fenix Space, Inc.
  • Fuse Integration
  • GigaIO Networks
  • Impact Resources, Inc
  • Intellecy Inc.
  • KIGT Inc.
  • Lazy Surfer
  • Learn Academy
  • Left Coast Engineering
  • MedCrypt
  • MemComputing, Inc.
  • Memjet US Services, Inc.
  • Meri Consulting Services
  • Microtek
  • Misadventure & Co.
  • Nanome
  • ObjectSecurity LLC
  • Omni2Max, Inc.
  • Paragrine Systems
  • Perspectium Corp.
  • Programination
  • Qualer
  • Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine
  • Reveal Biosciences
  • reVessel
  • San Diego Loyal Soccer Club
  • SeodaPop
  • Smartville Inc.
  • SurfDurt
  • Survival Systems International
  • Tag-N-Trac
  • The Broken Token
  • The Commons XR
  • Tourmaline Wireless, LLC
  • Trabus Technologies
  • Traits AI, Inc.
  • Voltera
  • Watershed Idea Foundry, Inc.
  • Welfie
  • WithHealth, Inc.
  • ZUM Radio, Inc

For our next round of internships, we will be recruiting small healthcare companies interested in hosting students from medical assistant programs. Applications to host interns in these fields will open in Fall 2021.

If your company is interested in hosting students in the next round, sign up here receive program announcements.

 

A note from Mark…

By Mark Cafferty,

As I write this, it is hard for me to believe that we are over halfway through June and summer is just around the corner.

Despite the State of California “reopening” last week, I think I have accepted the fact that things will not truly be back to normal for a very long time; yet at the same time, we see signs all around us that the way of life we all knew before the pandemic is starting to resume. In the months ahead, Team EDC will begin returning to the office much more regularly. We are starting to attend more and more in-person meetings, although the outdoor variety remains the standard. We have even put a date on the calendar for our 2022 Annual Dinner—hopeful that the year ahead continues to bring us all closer to where we once were.

While numerous things have changed about our work at EDC, the goals that we set for 2030 remain unwavering. The need to develop more quality jobs within our small businesses, more skilled workers, and more thriving households across San Diego has only become more prominent. Now more than ever, these goals must be our guideposts in re-establishing San Diego’s economic resiliency, growth, and well-being.

Committed to getting this recovery right, we have recently teamed up with local tech startup GoSite to offer up to 100 small businesses with the digital tools needed to weather future economic shocks—at no cost to them.

We know the pandemic spurred the closure of nearly 40 percent of San Diego’s small businesses—which can largely be attributed to businesses’ inability to quickly pivot online, depriving them of access to customers and key markets. We also know those hardest hit by the pandemic have been communities of color who are being left further behind. The San Diego Business Hub is one step toward ensuring San Diego businesses most impacted* by COVID-19 have the tools necessary to recover, grow, and thrive.

We feel certain that if we can support 100 more small businesses in developing the online presence they need for resiliency and growth, it will support our broader effort of increasing the number of quality jobs and thriving households within the region. And everything we do in the months ahead must ensure we are continuously taking steps in this direction. Learn more about the program at SDbizhub.com, made possible by grants from The San Diego Foundation and Union Bank.

With respect and gratitude,
Mark Cafferty

Mark Cafferty
Mark Cafferty

President & CEO

*Priority applicants include women, minorities, veterans, and other economically under-resourced groups.

San Diego’s Good News of the Week – June 18, 2021

By Candela Delucchi,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

Get Good News of the Week in your inbox every Friday. → Sign up

For the week of June 18, 2021, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re attending:

San Diego’s Data Bites: June 2021

Presented by Meyers Nave, this edition of San Diego’s Data Bites covers May 2021, with data on employment, housing, and more insights about the region’s economy. Key takeaways include a falling unemployment rate and mellowing housing prices.

Dig In

Survey: San Diego’s Changing Business Landscape

To identify evolving trends in local business needs and operations, ensuring their ability to grow and thrive in the region, EDC is surveying more than 200 companies in the region’s key industries on a rolling basis throughout 2021 to monitor and report shifts in their priorities and strategies. Insights will be shared bi-monthly in our Changing Business Landscape Series here.

Take the Survey

Additional resources:

Be in the know – sign up below to receive future editions of GNOTW.

Want to submit your event or news update to our weekly newsletter? Contact us for more information.

Contact SDREDC
To learn more, please contact us.

Good News of the Week – June 11, 2021

By Candela Delucchi,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

Get Good News of the Week in your inbox every Friday. → Sign up

For the week of June 11, 2021, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re (virtually) attending:

EDC’s Monthly Report: June 2021

With and through nearly 200 investors, EDC works to maximize San Diego’s prosperity. From connecting companies to tax credits to taking small businesses online, here’s what EDC did in May 2021.

Read More

 

Additional resources:

Be in the know – sign up below to receive future editions of GNOTW.

Want to submit your event or news update to our weekly newsletter? Contact us for more information.

Contact SDREDC
To learn more, please contact us.

Good News of the Week – June 4, 2021

By Candela Delucchi,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

Get Good News of the Week in your inbox every Friday. → Sign up

For the week of June 4, 2021, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re (virtually) attending:

San Diego’s Quarterly Economic Snapshot: Q1 2021

Every quarter, EDC analyzes key economic indicators that are important to understanding the regional economy through trends in employment, housing, and investment. This month: Home prices and VC are up, and office space is here to stay.

Read the Full Report

 

Additional resources:

Be in the know – sign up below to receive future editions of GNOTW.

Want to submit your event or news update to our weekly newsletter? Contact us for more information.

Contact SDREDC
To learn more, please contact us.

Good News of the Week – May 28, 2021

By Heather Dewis,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

For the week of May 28, 2021, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re (virtually) attending:

We’re hiring: Economic Development Manager (Life Sciences)

EDC is hiring an Economic Development Manager (Life Sciences) with five years of experience, knowledge of regional and state economies and industries, and preferred experience in the life sciences field.

This role will lead a strategic economic development framework to enable business attraction, retention, and expansion in San Diego’s life sciences industry.

Apply Now, or Help Us Spread the Word!

 

Additional resources:

Be in the know – sign up below to receive future editions of GNOTW.

Want to submit your event or news update to our weekly newsletter? Contact us for more information.

Heather Dewis
Heather Dewis

Sr. Manager, Marketing Communications

Young Professional Spotlight: Alyssa Snow

By Javier De Leon,

Alyssa Snow, a CSU San Marcos and Link to San Diego alumna, is a cybersecurity professional currently working for Teradata. She has participated in two of EDC’s Advancing San Diego industry engagement events in 2021—most recently for a Women in STEM career panel. For Alyssa, participating in these events is meaningful because she remembers how it felt to sit on the opposite end of the room only a few years back, and finding her career path through EDC’s Link to San Diego event.

Read more about Alyssa’s experience below.

How did Link to San Diego launch your career?

In my third year of college at CSU San Marcos in 2018, I attended EDC’s “Link to San Diego: Cybersecurity” career panel and industry engagement event. This event propelled my career in cybersecurity. During the event, one panelist shared what it was like to work as a security engineer, which inspired me to learn more.

I approached the panelist, a representative from Teradata, and asked him how relevant specific projects of mine may be to practical security experience. After the event, I continued to keep in touch with the professional via LinkedIn and email. He sent me various links to resources that introduced security topics that I was interested in learning more about. Eventually, this individual introduced me to a few other employees from Teradata.

I will never forget this day. It meant so much to me that six security professionals took the time to have lunch with me a few weeks after the event and answer some questions regarding what it is like to work in the industry. By the end of the lunch, the Application Security team director asked me for my resume. He informed me that there were no internship opportunities for the security organization at that time, however, he would like to reach out if one were to become available.

Just a month after this lunch, a recruiter reached out to me and asked me if I would like to interview for an open internship position on that very team. I became one of the first-ever interns in the security organization at Teradata. I interned with the Application Security team for a year and a quarter, and was responsible for delivering automated solutions to scale product security across the organization. It was a remarkable experience that gave me direction in my career path.

Where are you now?

I now work at Teradata’s San Diego office as a full-time offensive security engineer. My team and I use adversary perspectives to help Teradata evaluate risks and identify process gaps to help improve the organization’s security posture. I love working in this industry because I am constantly facing new challenges that require creative solutions. I would not have had this experience if I had not attended “Link to San Diego: Cybersecurity” in 2018.

You might also like:

For COVID-19 recovery resources and information: Visit this page, or see how we can help your company free of charge.

AAPI owned and operated businesses in San Diego

By San Diego Regional EDC,

In recognition of Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, EDC’s brands pulled together the below blogs on AAPI innovators across the San Diego region. Check them out here:

Innovation at work: 5 AAPI-owned companies to know in San Diego 

Featuring:

  • Menon Renewable Products/Menon Biosensors
  • Mesa Biotech
  • MicroQ
  • Microtek
  • Seatrec

AAPI-owned and led businesses in North County

 

Featuring:

  • Seatrec
  • Carlsbad Strawberry Company
  • Applied Membranes
  • Girl & Dug Farm
  • Yasukochi Family Farms
  • Menon Renewable Products

Good News of the Week – May 21, 2021

By Heather Dewis,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

For the week of May 21, 2021, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re (virtually) attending:

San Diego’s Data Bites: May 2021

Each month, EDC’s Research Bureau analyzes the California Employment Development Department’s employment data for the prior month. Presented by Meyers Nave, this month’s Data Bites cover April 2021, including unemployment fluctuations and continued gender inequity in the labor force.

Dig In

 

Additional resources:

Be in the know – sign up below to receive future editions of GNOTW.

Want to submit your event or news update to our weekly newsletter? Contact us for more information.

Heather Dewis
Heather Dewis

Sr. Manager, Marketing Communications

NEW: San Diego Business Hub takes small businesses online, boosts resilience

By Bree Burris,

Public-private partnership offering subsidized digital tools for small, diverse businesses

Today, in partnership with local tech company GoSite, EDC launched the San Diego Business Hub, which in its first phase will offer up to 100 small, service-based businesses a full suite of digital tools at no cost. Made possible by grants from The San Diego Foundation and Union Bank, SDbizhub.com is accepting applications from businesses most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic—women, minorities, veterans and other economically under-resourced groups.

The pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of companies of all sizes and industries by as much as five years in a 12-month period, with many struggling to keep up. Since the start of 2020, the region has seen nearly 40 percent of its small businesses close. Many of these closures can be attributed to businesses’ inability to quickly pivot online, depriving them of access to customers and key markets.

We also know those hardest hit by the pandemic have been communities of color who are being left further behind in San Diego’s economic recovery.

The proof is in the numbers:

  • Despite making up just 30 percent of the local population, Hispanic and Latinx communities accounted for well over half of all regional COVID-19 cases and two in five related deaths.
  • Additionally, people of color are overrepresented in local industries that were hardest hit during the pandemic (e.g. Hispanics make up 39.8 percent of Hospitality staff and 41.8 percent of Retail staff). As a result, unemployment and loss of income have been concentrated within Black and Brown communities.

The cohort of 100 service-based businesses (e.g. personal care services, transportation, food service, home repair, small contractors, etc.) will receive GoSite’s web-based tools—which payment and invoicing, bookings, review management, customer communications, template websites and more—free of charge for one year.

Thoughts from local leaders:

“Small businesses employ the majority of San Diegans, and it’s essential we invest in their growth, recovery and resiliency if we are going to get this recovery right. This partnership with GoSite allows us to do just that: Provide the digital tools small businesses need to weather future economic downturns,” said Nikia Clarke, Vice President of Economic Development, EDC.

“This partnership is a prime example of how San Diego public, private and civic sectors rally together to solve hard problems. Access to these digital tools will help our region achieve a more equitable recovery and help small businesses struggling today be more resilient as San Diego gets back on track and back to work,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.

“Small businesses face great challenges, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. GoSite’s mission is to help small businesses adapt and succeed, with technology in hand for them to easily communicate with customers, manage online bookings, accept online payments, generate invoices and drive reviews—all in one place,” said Alex Goode, CEO of GoSite. “GoSite is proud to partner with EDC to create the SD Biz Hub and deliver innovative technology resources to San Diego, the place we call headquarters and home.”

“To build long-term economic resilience, San Diego’s small businesses must have resources to sustain their connections to customers and markets,”  shared Mark Stuart, President & CEO of The San Diego Foundation. “This is an inspiring example of government, philanthropy and nonprofit sectors coming together to help the small businesses in our neighborhoods survive, recover and grow.”

FAQ and applications are now live, and will remain open until the cohort is full.

SDbizhub.com