By Tom York
Labor Day is right around the corner, and we’re fast approaching the end of the lazy, hazy—and crazy—days of summer 2020.
This little announcement gives new meaning to the phrase snow birds. Alaska Airlines said it’s adding nonstop seasonal service to Jackson Hole beginning Dec. 17 through April 11 of next year. Flights are daily excluding Tuesdays and Wednesdays. San Diego airport officials said the new route marks the first time travelers can jet to one of the winter sports capitals of the West nonstop from San Diego. With this new service, Alaska will now serve 30 destinations from Lindbergh Field.
* * *
Big box hardware and lumber giant Lowe’s has donated $900,000 to LISC San Diego to offset the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The nonprofit agency said it will use the funds to offer grants of up to $20,000 to businesses under financial strain because of the ongoing shutdown. This includes entrepreneurs of color, women-owned enterprises and others without access to capital in underserved neighborhoods. Executive Director Ricardo Flores says his agency has invested $232 million in grants, loans and equity investments in the city’s low-income areas, which has resulted in the construction of 6,000 affordable rental housing units and development of 1 million square feet of new retail and commercial space.
* * *
San Diego’s port commissioners have OK’d a lease for Louisiana Charlie’s, a new restaurant heading to Seaport Village. It plans to open in mid-2021. This will be the second location for the Long Beach-based eatery, which first launched in 2014. Meanwhile, the 14-acre complex is buzzing with positive energy, despite the challenges associated with Covid-19. A Seaport Market convenience store is expected to open this month, while creative toy purveyor Geppetto’s and specialty coffee and bagel shop Spill the Beans, are expected to open this fall. The attraction on San Diego Bay features 157 stores and shops arrayed in a Spanish architectural motif.
* * *
Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar is named to Inc. magazine’s list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. The restaurant group, which has seven locations statewide, including three in San Diego, came in at No. 2212 on the list. Puesto is operated by first generation owners Eric, Alan and Alex Adler, with participation from cousins Isidoro and Moy Lombrozo and founding partner Luisteen Gonzalez. A news release says that the establishment employs more than 350 in California.
* * *
Carlsbad’s Bitchin Sauce wins a gold and bronze in the salsa dip category at the Top Specialty Food Association’s recent annual awards competition. The company’s Roasted Green Chile & Pepita and Spinach Artichoke sauces were among 148 winners selected from 2,000 entries by the judges. The products were scored on taste, including flavor, appearance, texture and aroma, ingredient quality and innovation. The competition is open to association members, who are part of the $148 billion prepared foods sector. The awards have been given each year since 1972.
* * *
Worth a mention. Little Italy’s Nonna + Zucchero adds weekend brunch to its menu. The new breakfast menu is available on Saturday and Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
* * *
Commercial real estate agency Cushman & Wakefield has brokered two leases for more than100,000 square feet of new space at NorthPointe and Carlsbad Crossroads complexes in Carlsbad. The tenants are GenMark Diagnostics, a leading provider of automated, multiplex molecular diagnostic testing systems, and COPAN Diagnostics Inc., the leading supplier of bacteriology swabs, viral transport media, VTM, and molecular transport systems in the world. Both companies are expanding business operations.
San Diego Fishermen’s Working Group, along with chef Phillip Esteban and self-sustaining food recovery nonprofit organization Open Gym, have established a pilot project Fish to Families. The program has served up 2,400 meals in the first five weeks of the 13-week effort, which seeks to provide sustainable seafood to the hungry while supporting the local hospitality and fishing industries. In addition to meals served to date, Open Gym has served 60K meals since the Covid-19 crisis began in March in a partnership with the World Central Kitchen.
* * *
Finally. Just in case you missed the announcement: The region has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic unemployment numbers still hover in deep recession range. But good news abounds despite the struggles of the local economy. For example, mega-online retailer Amazon said is generating 200 new jobs in San Diego, part of a nationwide decision to add 3,500 new tech and corporate jobs to the payroll nationwide. Seattle-based Amazon said that in addition to San Diego, it will beef up tech hubs in Dallas, Detroit, Denver, New York and Phoenix. Amazon said it is pouring $1.4 billion in its new offices—adding 40,000 square feet of space in San Diego to accommodate the new workers. The company now employs 90,000 workers in California. It estimates that it has invested more than $50 billion-plus into the tech economy statewide since 2016.
Tom York is a Carlsbad-based independent journalist who specializes in writing about business and the economy. If you have news tips you’d like to share, send them to tom.york@gmail.com.
