News & Updates

Member Spotlight: Retail Habitats

Retail Habitats Design + Consulting, a local, full-service commercial interior design agency, can help make your business vision a reality in 2019.

If opening or redesigning your store, restaurant or office is part of your 2019 plan, let our passionate group of rebellious creatives make the process simple, stable and successful.

Retail Habitats has a 10-year track record of delivering human-centered environments and experiences that your customers, clients, and patients will love. Further, we know the importance of sticking to budgets and timelines, so our approach keeps your investment predictable and ensures your grand opening stays on track.

We also have access to a deep bench of key service providers that we can manage on your behalf. From brand development to build-out, your search for vendors can end when you partner with us.

Best yet, we are a nationally recognized design agency based in right your bbackyard Brian Weltman, our CEO, Creative Director and founder, has just earned two of the most prestigious awards in the business: design: retail magazine’s “40 Under 40” recognition, and VMSD’s “Designer Dozen” award. We’ve also been named one of VMSD’s Top 50 Design Firms for four of the last five years.

Our team has already helped local favorites including Donut Bar, Ballast Point Brewing Co. and Davanti Enoteca create spaces that resonate with their customers, and companies like MGM Resorts International, American Greetings and Meineke Car Care Centers have also entrusted us with revamping their environmental brands. Check out our case studies from previous clients.

If 2019 is the year you bring your business vision to life, we want to be on your team. For more information visit www.retailhabitatsdesign.com, or contact Adam Jones at 800.764.5133.

Name: Adam Jones
Title: COO & Managing Partner
Company: Retail Habitats – Design + Consulting
URL: https://www.retailhabitatsdesign.com/
Contact information: adam@retailhabitatsdesign.com

Six Leadership Action Team Partner Agencies Named by LEAD San Diego

LEAD San Diego has announced its six nonprofit partner agencies for 2019. Members of LEAD’s Impact San Diego Class of 2019 will form teams to gain hands-on experience by working with these organizations to accomplish vital projects that will benefit the agencies and our community.

The six agencies and their projects are:

A Reason to Survive (ARTS), whose mission is to lift young people to become courageous, compassionate, and confident community builders through the transformative power of creativity. Their Leadership Action Team (LAT) will build a strong infrastructure and figure out how to tell ARTS’ story to all audiences who need to hear it, converting storytelling into action and results so the organization thrives.

Autism Tree Project Foundation, dedicated to improving communities in San Diego County by assisting them with education, advocacy, screening and mentoring for families impacted by autism. Their LAT team will develop a business plan to help guide the organization’s operations and ensure long-term sustainability.

Eastlake Educational Foundation, with the mission to support the highest quality educational opportunities in the public schools of Eastlake by funding technology and STEAM learning that prepares all children for the 21st Century technology-driven world. Their LAT will help create a community action plan to evaluate and engage the community in order to expand stakeholder involvement by parents, schools, businesses, and emerging tech centers.

OG Yoga, delivering trauma-informed mindfulness-based yoga through partnerships with the systems serving marginalized individuals to support healing, resilience, self-development, and positive social change. Their LAT project is to develop a strategic/business/operational plan that expands and organizes their community offerings, creates foundational support for their Yogi instructor coursework, and establishes a footprint in the community to serve others.

Olivewood Gardens, whose mission is to empower students and families from diverse backgrounds to be healthy and active citizens through organic gardening, environmental stewardship, and nutrition education. They have asked their LAT to help develop a marketing strategy with measurable objectives and tactics that will include goals and benchmarks, and will define their target audience.

Somali Bantu Association of America (SBAOA), with the mission to advocate on behalf of the Somali Bantu, and other similarly disadvantaged refugees and immigrants, for access to professional and educational resources so families can make successful cultural, economic, and social transitions to life in the U.S. SBAOA’s LAT will provide fresh perspective and guidance to assess the organization’s strengths, areas for improvement, and opportunities to create strategic partnerships.

Each Impact LAT will make a presentation about their project at their graduation event, which will take place Thursday, June 13, 2019. It will be free and open to the public.

Member Spotlight: Moms Making Six Figures

Angela Gange joined as a partner in Moms Making Six Figures, founded in 2009. She and the company have continued to build supportive connections between women ever since. “We all have really different backgrounds, but we all really wanted to have flexibility around our families,” Angie said of the group, noting that members come from a wide variety of educational and professional backgrounds. “We really didn’t know when we started the company that we would be as successful as we are today. We just had an idea that there would be a lot of other women who were like us.”

Moms Making Six Figures represents a U.S.-based manufacturer. The marketing company is based in San Diego, but a number of the nearly 90 moms live in Orange County, the Bay Area, Nevada, Arizona, Chicago, and New York. Wherever they live, they’re able to replace or supplement their income while staying at home on their own schedules. About half of the members work at least 25 hours a week. Rather than a background in marketing, members need to be self-motivated to work hard and write their own success stories.

When Angie joined the business, her sons were 17, 13 and 11. She had worked in the mortgage banking industry, but she knew there had to be a way to support her family without working late and traveling away from her sons. “The corporate environment just isn’t very accommodating to moms,” said Angie. “They say that they are, but when push comes to shove, they’re not.”

She found her new path with Moms Making Six Figures. “There are so many moms like me,” said Angie. “Most of us need a dual income, especially in California. But when you’re a mom, you have kids, and you have all the responsibilities and activities that children have, it’s difficult trying to figure out a way to have a career and balance everything.” Now that Angie’s sons are grown and successful, happy young men, she is committed to helping other moms have the same success she had, owning her own business, and being a “total stay at home mom”!

Community Partner: P.R.I.D.E., Inc.

PRIDE Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving individuals with intellectual disabilities to live in a home of their choosing. PRIDE Inc. believes that all people have the right to live independently, make an impact on their community, and share in the social, cultural and economic benefits and responsibilities of being fully participating members of their community.

PRIDE, Inc. recognizes that all people are unique in their personality, capabilities, and desires. We also believe that regardless of the nature or severity of disability, each individual is entitled to the dignity, respect and self-esteem associated with participating in their community on his or her own terms.

It is the aim of PRIDE, Inc. to provide a program which is consistent with the overall philosophy and policy of the State of California Department of Developmental Services in which each individual should:

  • Have lifestyles and living situations like individuals without intellectual disabilities
  • Have control over their homes in the neighborhood of their choosing.
  • Receive support services consistent with the desires and changing needs of the individual.
  • Make informed choices about where they live and services they receive.
  • Benefit from services, regardless of the nature or severity of their disability.

What we do:

  • Money Management
  • Meal Preparation & Nutrition
  • Home Maintenance
  • Medical Appointments
  • Self-Advocacy
  • Decision-Making Skill Building
  • Mobility Training/Transportation
  • Community Access
  • Communication & Human Relations
  • Emergency Assistance
  • Parenting Training

Contact:

Jeffrey Clark
Director
info@prideils.org
(858) 467-6840
www.prideils.org

Member Spotlight: STACKED

STACKED: Food Well Built is an innovative, full-service restaurant concept where guests can use their imaginations to create the perfect meal for themselves, choosing between dozens of ingredients in any of five menu categories.  Guests combine their favorite ingredients, visually creating their meal on an iPad at their table.

Located in Fashion Valley, STACKED, (next to valet) offers a with an extensive selection of premium beers, wines specialty cocktails.  We also offer take-out, delivery and CATERING (office and home).  Open for lunch and dinner, with afternoon and late night happy hours.

Imagine creating a burger, salad, pizza, sandwich or mac ‘n’ cheese with all of your favorite ingredients, and just your favorite ingredients.  And imagine those ingredients are fresh and flavorful, the proteins grilled to order, the vegetables crisp and fresh, the cheeses rich and creamy, the sauces and dressings freshly made from scratch.  Just imagine how amazing that would taste.  You have just imagined STACKED: Food Well Built!

Offering signature items in each menu category that you can order as-is or modify to your taste.  Or, you can STACK Your Own from scratch.  Burgers are made with 100% fresh Angus Chuck and served on fresh, preservative and GMO free buns.  Award-wining mac ‘n’ cheese has been recognized the past two years as the Best in San Diego at the San Diego Mac ‘n’ Cheese Festival.  Pizza, salads and sandwiches are made with your choice of fresh, flavorful ingredients. 

Just as you can customize your meal at our restaurant, with STACKED Catering you can customize the menu for your office or home event.  Their goal is for your catering experience to be simple, but personally crafted to your preferences, including your guests’ nutritional preferences.  The STACKED ingredient-centric menu includes over 160 clearly-identified, gluten-free ingredients that can be combined to create a virtually unlimited selection of gluten-free meals.  Other nutritional preferences are also easily accommodated.

So, whether it’s at your place or theirs, with STACKED you get exactly what you want – Food Well Built!

Visit us at 7007 Friars Rd., San Diego, CA 92108
Phone: (619)225-7900
Website: www.stacked.com
Instagram: @stackedrestaurants
Address catering inquiries to: Candy Agatep, (949)619-5772, candy@stacked.com

2018 International Tribute Dinner Award Winners

The evening included a conversation with special guest and featured speaker Julián Castro, former
U.S. Secretary of Housing & Urban Development and Mayor of San Antonio, Texas. Castro shared
stories from his experience as mayor of the seventh largest city in the country – a city largely
dependent on trade with Mexico. He also addressed the future of the U.S.-Mexico relationship,
from binational cooperation to trade and immigration.

During the Tribute Dinner, awards were presented in recognition of those whose extraordinary
efforts have helped define the region’s collaborative spirit. This year’s awardees are:

• Cross-Border Leader of the Year – former Congressmember from Mexico, Maria Luisa
Sanchez, for being a leader in supporting trade and immigration policies

• Cali-Baja Business of the Year – Calimax, for its corporate social responsibility and
philanthropy, such as donating trucks to the Mexico City earthquake relief efforts

• Cross-Border Collaborator of the Year – awarded jointly to U.S. Customs and Border
Protection and SAT (Mexican Tax Administration), for their work in unifying and expanding
the Unified Cargo Processing on the San Diego – Tijuana border to facilitate the movement
of goods

2018 Legislative Lounge Award Winners

Our 6th annual Legislative Lounge, an informal, lighthearted and humorous reception and awards ceremony to honor San Diego’s elected officials and their staff.

This year’s winners:

“Rainmaker”: Congressmember Juan Vargas, 51st Congressional District of California

“Bridge Builder”: Mayor of Mexicali Gustavo Sanchez

“Staffer Who Gets $#!t Done”: MaryAnne Pintar, Office of Congressmember Scott Peters

“Up & Comer”: Poway City Councilmember Caylin Frank

“Jack of Many Trades”: Marshall Anderson, Office of County Supervisor Greg Cox

“Twofer”: Dominika Bukalova, Office of San Diego City Councilmember Georgette Gomez

Ribbon Cutting: Pilar & Chuck Bahde Center for Shelter Medicine

Congrats to Chamber member San Diego Humane Society on the ribbon cutting for the Pilar & Chuck Bahde Center for Shelter Medicine! Read all about the shelter here.

Migrants in Tijuana Receive Federal Support from Mexican Government

The federal government in Mexico has issued a statement reiterating its commitment to human rights, as well as to the safe and orderly flow of migrants especially the most vulnerable such as children, pregnant women, and the elderly.

The Mexican Secretary of the Interior, through the National Immigration Institute and National Coordination of Civil Protection, is providing support to migrants in Tijuana with food, cold weather clothes, and blankets. In addition, CONAGUA the National Water Commission has provided water treatment equipment.

San Diego Diplomacy Council Invites you to Cuba

The San Diego Diplomacy Council is partnering with Cuba Cultural Travel to offer a citizen diplomacy trip to Cuba from March 1-8, 2019! The itinerary includes visits with professors, journalists, artists, historians and alumni of our exchange programs across the country in Havana, Artemisa, Cienfuegos and Trinidad. This tour is designed to promote and encourage people-to-people interaction and shared experiences between American and Cuban citizens. Cuba Cultural Travel is authorized by the United States Treasury Department to operate people-to-people tours in Cuba

There are only 3 spots left and the deadline for deposits is coming up fast on December 1. $1000 deposit (check only) and completed registration form (attached) secure your spot.

The program includes:

  • Itinerary coordination and compliance with U.S. Treasury Department
  • Accommodation (as selected) and all ground transportation
  • Full time private tour escort and entrance fees to museums, etc.
  • Daily breakfast, and meals as listed on itinerary
  • Gratuities for restaurants, porters.
  • Cuban Tourist Card/Visa.

For more information, or to review the full itinerary, please visit their website or contact Natalie Maroun, Program Director, at (619)291-8105 ext. 3 and at natalie@sandiegodiplomacy.org.