Three business groups –the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, the National Veterans Chamber of Commerce and SCORE, the SBA’s small business consulting arm — are launching a new business incubator for women, especially those serving in the military and spouses of those serving in the military.
The Women Entrepreneur Incubator program, launched recently using the Zoom meeting platform, is designed to help entrepreneurs create part-time or full-time businesses in three areas: social media management, virtual assistant companies and business/personal coaching.
The idea is that the women can run their new businesses from wherever their portable devices as they face reassignments to new locations.
The trio of organizations are providing training, technical assistance, mentorship, and financial information, according to a news release issued by the chamber.
Women interested in participating should contact Victoria Carlborg at Victoria@oceansidechamber.com.
“Our aim is that the first cohort will learn how to be pandemic and recession-proof, and portable by investing in themselves,” said Carlborg.
This year, the chamber is celebrating 125 years of service to the Oceanside business community and the active-duty military serving at the Marine Corps’ Camp Pendleton.
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And speaking of incubators…The Silicon Valley-based Founder Institute, which bills itself as the world’s largest pre-seed accelerator, is accepting applications for its San Diego virtual 2021 program, which launches Sept. 28. Entrepreneurs or team interested in building a technology business are invited to apply here.
Since launching its first class in 2009, a spokeswoman says it has helped create more than 85 technology startups in the region. The local Chapter is led by Mike Sherbakov, CEO of the Greatness Collective and Ben Cote. The chapter features many of the region’s top startup investors, founders, and executives as mentors.
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With the holidays fast approaching, Westfield UTC says it will host a Job Fair from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 6 and Oct. 7 for those looking for seasonal work.
Interested job seekers can register here.
According to a release, 125 positions will be available at 35 of UTC’s retailers.
Meanwhile, another hiring event take places at Westfield Mission Valley from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 23.
More information can be found here.
Organizers said those hired will be able to take advantage of an MTS subsidy program, which gives retail employees a 50% discount on the cost of monthly public transit passes.
Westfield UTC will subsidize $36 of the $72 monthly expense on the San Diego MTS (either bus or trolley transportation).
As a bonus book of extra, the transit agency’s Blue Line extension opens this fall.
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And while we’re on the topic of jobs fairs…The Oceanside Chamber, along with the City of Oceanside and tourism agency Visit Oceanside, are holding a job fair Sept. 25. For more information or to register for the fair, go to www.osidebiz.com.
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San Diego’s port has approved two leases for popular tourist destination Seaport Village. The new contracts will bring the two eateries, Gladstone’s and Shorebird Restaurant, to the bayside recreation destination.
Gladstone’s will open in a 10,000-square-foot space with an outdoor wrap-around patio located along the promenade. The first restaurant opened in Malibu in 1972.
Shorebird, which has units in Arizona and Orange County, will open in a 2,300-square-foot, two-story structure over San Diego Bay.
Both restaurants are expected to open next fall. The new restaurant leases are the port’s 18th and 19th.
According to a news release, since the port assumed ownership and operation of the village, the port board has approved investment spending of approximately $7.8 million to date.
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Deckard Technologies, a San Diego data mining startup that gives local agencies data on properties used for short-term rentals, has introduced a new module for its program that helps cities and counties better plan to collect tourism dollars.
The modules can help governments forecast occupancy levels with a high degree of accuracy, including the number of people who will visit in the next three to six months.
“With the sharing economy and as a result of the pandemic, short-term rentals have grown in popularity — astronomically — and are proving to be much more dynamic in numbers, as the population can ebb and flow more readily than with a static number of hotel rooms,” said Deckard CEO Nick Del Pego.
According to Crunchbase, the company has raised around $7 million in funding since its launch in 2018, and is rapidly selling its products to local government agencies in such states as California, Utah, Florida, Colorado and North Carolina, that depend more and more on tourism, according to a spokeswoman.
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British Airways has resumed service between London and San Diego International Airport. The nonstop flights operate three times weekly on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
The flights depart San Diego at 7 p.m. and arrive in London the next day at 1:25 p.m. The return flight departs London at 1:45 p.m. and arrives in San Diego at 4:55 p.m.
The resumption comes after British Airways was forced to suspend service in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline is the first carrier to resume nonstop service to Europe from San Diego.
Japan Airlines, one of San Diego’s other high-profile international carriers, restarted service between Tokyo and San Diego back in March after a long pause due to the pandemic.
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Standing Oak Advisors, with a focus on wealth management for those in or facing retirement, is opening an office in Orange County, which will serve San Diego residents as well as the rest of Southern California.
Founded by Scott Eichler, author of Don’t Play Chicken with Your Nest Egg, the firm will specialize in working with small business owners who have often complicated financial situations.
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San Diego healthcare staffing agency Aya Healthcare says it was named to Fortune magazine’s Best Workplaces for Women list for the second year in a row.
According to a release from Aya, the 2021 award is based on analysis of survey responses from employees at companies nationwide. In that survey, 90% of the San Diego company’s workers said Aya is a great place to work — 34% above the average response.
More than 70% of Aya’s executive team is made up of women, compared to the national average of 29%, according to a 2020 analysis by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey.
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In honor of Self-Care September, Chuze Fitness and Stone Brewing are holding a free yoga class at Stone Brewing in Liberty Station on Sept. 22. A free seltzer will be served after the class.
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Finally, German-based grocer ALDI opened astore in Ramona on Sept. 16. The new unit is part of the retailer’s expansion plan to open 100 additional stores nationwide this year.
With the US unit headquartered in Batavia, Illinois, ALDI has more than 2,000 stores across 36 states, employs over 25,000 people and has been growing since opening its first US store in 1976.
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.