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Eli Lilly and Co. of Indianapolis, IN, and Dura Pharmaceuticals of La Jolla, CA, have agreed to jointly develop an inhaler for diabetes. Under the terms of the deal, Dura, which developed an asthma inhaler called Albuterol Spiros, would develop another Spiros product that would deliver insulin instead of asthma medication. Inhaling insultin would mean a painless delivery of the the substance, whose current delivery method is only through injection. Lilly will obtain worldwide commercialization rights for the insulin inhaler, for which Dura will receive royalty and manufacturing payments.

Coffee Ambassador of San Diego, CA, has been supplying over 300 coffee and beverage-related merchandise to over 2,000 firms in San Diego through the one-stop shop strategy, indicated founders and owners Sean Curtis and Barbara Curtis Smalley. Curtis indicated that Coffee Ambassador attempts to shoulder the burden of providing refreshment to hassled employees who want to concentrate on their work. Coffee Ambassador is growing because more consumers are aware of the existence of flavored and specialty coffees, indicated Curtis. Coffee Ambassador is anticipating sales to surpass $3.5 million in 1998 versus just $2.7 million in 1997.

REP Publishing Inc. of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, has unveiled its newest bi-monthly newspaper in Carlsbad, CA, the Carlsbad Coastline Review, on Aug. 26, 1998. The company, also the publisher of the Del Mar Village Voice, Carmel Valley News and the Rancho Santa Fe Review, will initially print 20,000 copies of the new paper. REP Publishing's Carlsbad Coastline Review, which will join San Bernardino, CA-based CCRR Publishing's recently revived Coastal Sun newspaper in serving the needs of Carlsbad residents, is expected to lure readers on the strength of its editorials.

Daniels Cablevision Inc. of Carlsbad, CA, has received permission from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to give free air time to political aspirants. Under the 'Daniels Plan,' named after the firm's president, Bill Daniels, candidates for California's 48th and 51st congressional districts, including those aspiring for the state's vacant Senate seat, will get 54 30-second air time every week on 18 cable networks, for free until the Sunday before the day of voting. Daniels Cablevision had to seek FEC approval for the project as such a move might be seen as an illegal campaign contribution.

The San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau (ConVis) reported hotel room tax earnings of $107.3 million for the city in fiscal 1998, an improvement of 15.7% from the figures the city posted in fiscal 1997. The bureau's president, Reint Reinders, said that the increased collection came not from any tax rate increase but from increases in the amount the hotels charged for rooms and in the numbers of visitors. The hotel occupancy for San Diego, CA, is currently at an average of 73.5%, an improvement of 3.8% from 1997 while average room rates are at $98.05, 15.5% higher than last year.

CCRR Publishing Co. Inc. of San Bernardino, CA, has acquired five coastal North County community newspapers published under The Sun banner. The newspapers have been defunct for a short time after it was acquired by USMedia Group of Crystal City, MO. CCRR's Bill and Gloria Harrison acquired the newspapers for an undisclosed amount. The scaled-down version of The Sun started circulating on Aug. 13, 1998. The Sun will have the rack distribution as its main form of circulation and will cater to all its North County communities under one publication.

DiZinno Thompson of San Diego, CA, has launched a full-scale advertising campaign for the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau. The campaign was created around the slogan 'Get Some Fun Out of Life.' The $4 million campaign, which includes television, print, outdoor and direct-mail, is geared towards attracting new visitors and keeping old ones, according to Steve Pelzer, executive vice president of sales and marketing for ConVis. San Diego is now the 10th most-popular destination in the continental United States for overseas visitors, according to ConVis.

San Diego Travel Group (SDTG), a Sorrento Mesa, CA-based travel agent, attributes its success in the business to a combination of three factors, people, automation and reporting. The company, which is celebrating its 10th year anniversary, is among the top 5% of all travel agencies nationally according to size and revenue. According to the San Diego Business Journal's List of Largest Travel Agencies, SDTG is one of the top five travel agencies in San Diego, CA. SDTG, which has about 85 employees, recorded revenues of $38 million in 1997 and project revenues of $50 million for 1998. The firm maintains regional offices in Carmel Mountain Ranch, CA, Carlsbad, CA, Kearny Mesa, CA, La Jolla, CA, and Downtown.

Rubio's Restaurants Inc. of San Diego, CA, has licensed much of its Baja Grill menu to Hospitality Inc., parent company of Festivities Catering & Special Events. The deal, which allows Hospitality to serve Rubio's food in catering and special events, is probably the first in the US between a fast-food chain and a caterer, said Frank Puleo, president-elect of the National Caterers Association. Hospitality founder and president Lisa Richards said the deal will allow it to serve its clients with healthier, California-style fare.

Hard Rock Cafe International, Inc. is setting up a new branch in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego, CA. This will be the second outlet for the restaurant chain in the city in one area code. Hard Rock Cafe director of operations Jim Uhl indicated that the decision was spurred by the impact of the Hard Rock outlet in La Jolla, CA. Uhl believes that the new San Diego branch complements the historical significance of San Diego. The restaurant chain is renowned for owning the biggest collection of rock and roll mementos in the world.

USMedia Group has shut down four of the eight newspapers in California it bought from West Coast Community Newspapers. The closure of the Vista Sun, the San Marcos Sun, the Oceanside Sun, and the Coastal Sun also meant loss of employment. USMedia Group senior executive Wolf Rosenberg indicated that the properties were supposed to be bought from USMedia Group. Rosenberg noted that there are no new changes in the works. Independent Newspapers Ltd. of New Zealand used to own the properties of West Coast Community Newspapers.

Matthews/Mark/MacCracken/McGaugh President and Chief Creative Officer Michael Mark is lending his expertise to campaigns for the likes of Sony Wireless, Lamkin Grip, Orange County and National University. Mark graduated from New York State University at Binghamton as a bachelor of arts and master of fine arts. Mark, who originally planned to be a lawyer, is acknowledged by over 40 brands worldwide such as Ford Motor Co., Revlon and IBM, for his influence to their growth. The leader of the San Diego, CA-based full-service communication firm has been awarded the 1997 Best Copywriter by the International Film Festival and was named Adweek's National Creative All-Star.

US businesses spent $165 billion on travel and entertainment in 1997, up from $156 billion in 1996, according to the National Business Travel Association (NBTA). NBTA's director of communications, Marianne McInerney, said that corporate travel planner resulted from the need of corporations to have more control of their travel expenses. Corporate travel planners are responsible for creating travel policy and making complete travel plans for the business executive who is always travelling. According to Linda Knight, president of the San Diego Business Travel Association, the number of such position has increased as companies realize its value.

The Spanish radio industry is wary of the sale of KJQY-FM and KKLQ-FM by Jacor Communications Inc. to Dallas, TX-based Heftel Broadcasting Corp. for $65.15 million in cash. The transaction means the San Diego, CA, area will soon have 12 major players in the Spanish-language radio market. Heftel already said it would change the programming of the two San Diego radio stations to Spanish language formats in July 1998. Randy Phillips, general sales manager for Califormula Broadcasting, which runs two local Spanish-language radio stations, said the regulator market will be the big benefactors as it will lose two stations in ratings competition.

LaSalle Hotel Properties, the Chicago, IL-based public real estate investment trust, acquired the 44-acre San Diego Princess Resort on Mission Bay from VVH Resorts Ltd., a subsidiary of London, UK-based Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co., for $73 million. LaSalle changed the name of the hotel into the San Diego Paradise Point Resort and intends to pour in $8 million in the next two years to renovate the property. The renovation program will include upgrades of some amenities, landscaping and improvements to the guest rooms.

Lego Group, a Danish toy manufacturer, will open Legoland California, a 128-acre family theme park, in Carlsbad, CA, in spring 1999. Construction of the park started when 30 million of Lego bricks worth $130 million arrived in the US. The park, which aims to stimulate creativity and imagination for children 2 to 12, was designed for kids and their families to enjoy the unique activities together, according to Lego Group President and CEO Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen. Legoland California will feature 30 hands-on, interactive attractions, family rides and shows within six distinctive play areas.

San Diego's gays and lesbians are an advertiser's dream come true. The sheer number of the area's gays and lesbians - estimated at 9.3 percent of the nation's population in [...]

Last week's unofficial end to summer means fewer dollars in the registers of many local merchants - and a lot more of the green in plenty of others. Dan Hamel, [...]

Bookings are plentiful and expansions abundant for the meeting and convention industry of San Diego. In 1996, according to Joanne DiBona, communications manager for the San Diego Convention and Visitors [...]

With ideal weather, a booming tourism industry and a diverse business base, San Diego is shaping up to be one California's penetrable 'hot' markets for new hotel development. Unlike San [...]

Presidents have stayed there. So have royalty from around the world. No wonder the Hotel del Coronado is the second-most-expensive hotel in California, falling just behind the Ritz Carlton Laguna [...]

With the addition of 68 stores, a complete second-level and five new parking structures, Fashion Valley Center has undergone a facelift that has changed its position in San Diego. For [...]

Local building contractors agree, it's a good time to build, and a great time to build in San Diego. According to the san Diego Business Journal's List of Largest Area [...]

Since the inception of the San Diego Business Journal's List of Largest Newspapers in 1990, The List has shrunk from 25 to 10. Some press pundits attribute the shrinkage to [...]

Executives on the San Diego Business Journal's List of Highest-Paid Executives collectively made $25.0 million in 1996, a 42 percent increase over 1995 combined cash compensations of $18.2 million. The [...]

The Mexican maquiladora industry is experiencing growth like never before. Marco Valenzuela Herrera, president of the National Maquiladora Association in Mexico, said Baja California maquiladoras are just months away from [...]

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who has the best software of them all? Is it VisiCom? Is it Acucobol? Or is it a new company we should call? With seven [...]

Focuses on the tourism industry in San Diego, California. Changes in style and amenities of San Diego's bed and breakfast industry; Comment from William J. Hoffman, president of Trigild Corporation.