San Diego County wineries to experience a 19.6% drop in wine sales in 2020

San Diego County wineries achieved roughly $ 37.1 million in gross sales in 2020, down 19.6% from the record sales reached in 2019 ($ 46.2 million), according to the 2021 San Diego County Wineries Economic Impact Report. Simultaneously, the number of wineries increased to 150 in the region during the same period.

The report, produced by the San Diego County Vintners Association, also states that jobs in the wine industry saw a slight increase with 720 jobs in the wine industry in 2020, an increase of 2.6% from to 2019 and 17.7% more than the total for 2018.

Wineries in San Diego County harvested 3,596 tonnes of wine grapes in 2019, generating a production value of $ 5.58 million, with a sale price of $ 1,552 per tonne, a record amount reached in the region. The top five grape varieties grown, cultivated and / or sold in the region were Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Even with the challenges of the pandemic, we have seen innovative sales strategies among local wineries such as curbside pickup and outside service bookings – demonstrating the innovation and resilience of our wineries in the face of unprecedented times, ”said Ed Embly, president of the San Diego County Winegrowers Association. , Owner of Hungry Hawk Vineyards in Escondido. “We continue to see the number of wineries grow in the county and a bright future for the industry in our region. “

Photo courtesy of Debbie Gioquindo

Student-Led BrightSide Produce Receives National Award

BrightSide Products, a student-run company at Fowler College of Business, has been recognized with a 2021 Innovations That Inspire Award from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International.

BrightSide Produce delivers fresh fruits and vegetables to stores located in underserved communities where residents suffer from a lack of access, availability and the means to purchase healthy food.

“On behalf of myself, the students and partners who have contributed to BrightSide Produce’s activities and supported its efforts, we are honored to be recognized for the work done by the organization and the good it has done for community, ”said Iana Castro, professor of marketing at SDSU, a renowned expert in the field of food retailing.

AACSB International, which sets the standards of excellence for more than 840 accredited business schools around the world, recognized BrightSide Produce for its work of “cultivating a position at the intersection of academia and practice.” Now in its sixth year, the Innovations That Inspire initiative has highlighted more than 160 business school efforts that exemplify forward-looking approaches to education, research, community engagement or outreach, entrepreneurship and leadership.

Bank of Southern California Provides $ 229 Million in Paycheck Protection Loans

Bank of Southern California NA, a commercial bank headquartered in San Diego, said that as of March 31, 2021, it had funded a total of $ 229 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from first and second draw. These results, which mirror the latest round of government-allocated PPP funding, provided 1,578 small local businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with vital funding.

The Bank of Southern California continues to receive and process PPP applications for qualifying Southern California businesses in accordance with the extended program deadline of May 31, 2021, made possible by the PPP Extension Act of 2021.

Study Says 2 COVID-19 Deaths Per Day Could Have Been Prevented In San Diego

Scripps Health data experts have teamed up with infectious disease modeling scientists at Columbia University to estimate how different the number of coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations at Scripps could have been had a 25 reopening. business days hadn’t taken place in San Diego County last summer.

The researchers concluded that 45 deaths, or nearly two deaths per day, could have been prevented at Scripps’ five hospital campuses only if the pandemic restrictions had remained in place. These findings reflect recent findings by some experts nationwide that more lives could have been saved had restrictions been put in place earlier and for a longer period during the pandemic. The findings also validate efforts that help minimize the spread of the virus, such as wearing masks, practicing social distancing and avoiding large gatherings.

County Library opens digital and audio shelves for local students

Thousands of local students in 19 schools and districts have a whole new world of digital and audio books to read and listen to, thanks to the County Library – and they won’t even need a library card.

The County Library is committed to making its thousands of digital and audio books available to “Sora,” an app used by many school districts for its students and libraries. For this reason, school and district students – using only their student ID card – can view the county library’s larger collection of age-appropriate digital materials.

County Library Director Migell Acosta said the collaboration will give students a lot more to read, whether it’s borrowing teaching materials or books for their own reading enjoyment.

“This collaboration aims to promote literacy and education,” Acosta said, “by providing a wide range of resources for students who do not yet have a library card but could greatly benefit from the library’s extensive collection. of San Diego County. We are delighted to open our digital collection to young residents who could not enjoy it before. “

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Meridian Communities launches presales at Poway Commons

Presale is underway and the first townhouses will go on sale in April at Poway Commons of Meridian Communities, a mixed-use community in the downtown district of Poway. The model homes will open in June and the homes will be available for occupancy at the end of the summer.

The community will include 97 market-priced townhouses and apartments by Meridian Communities, 44 affordable seniors apartments by Chelsea Investment Corporation and 2.2 acres for future mixed use. The company is building a civic pocket park in front of the adjacent Poway Library, which is expected to be completed by next spring. Poway Commons extends on the north and south sides of Poway Road, west of Tarascan Drive / Civic Center Drive.

Daniel Rossen joins ICW Group Insurance Companies

ICW Group Insurance Companies, a group of transporters of goods and accidents, enlisted industry veteran Daniel Rossen as vice president of commercial property and casualty insurance to lead the development and execution of these new lines of business.

Rossen brings over 30 years of insurance industry experience to the ICW Group and is responsible for setting direction, appetite and underwriting strategy for the new P&C business unit. Rossen will leverage the company’s cutting-edge expertise across multiple lines of business, AM Best ‘A’ status and its very successful workers’ compensation business to create and promote the line, including the launch is scheduled for 2021.

Prior to joining the ICW Group, Rossen was Vice President of The Hartford in Chicago, leading the Maxum Special Property and E&S binding activities. Rossen has extensive experience in strategic direction and the deployment of new product lines in the various positions he has held in the insurance industry.

Rossen holds a Juris Doctorate from Indiana University School of Law and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Cincinnati.

Cushman & Wakefield’s Matt Davis Honored as Broker of the Year for sales of commercial land

Matt Davis, principal at Cushman and Wakefield in San Diego, was named the REALTORS Land Institute’s 2020 APEX National Broker of the Year for Commercial Land Sales. The award recognizes the candidate with the highest volume of eligible transactions in the area of ​​commercial land sales.
Davis was also recognized as one of APEX 2020 Top 20 Producers. He received awards from RLI CEO Aubrie Kobernus, MBA, RCE, as well as The Land Report co-founder Eric O’Keefe on Wednesday March 17 at the RLI 2021 Virtual National Land Conference.
Davis is a founding member of Cushman & Wakefield Land Advisory Group, a national team of land specialists who work across disciplines to provide creative solutions to clients with land assets.