San Diego Lifestyle Originals

For years, it has been our goal to honor the brands and founders that have really made a significant impact on the San Diego Lifestyle. We have finally made something happen on this and put together a list of San Diego Lifestyle Originals that will be displayed on our website and we will share a company profile on each newsletter going forward… Our first one may be the quintessential piece of the San Diego Lifestyle – the fish taco!

Man meets fish taco. Man eats fish taco. Man falls in love with fish taco. Such was the case for Ralph Rubio, co-founder of Rubio's. As a college student, Ralph made regular pilgrimages to Mexico's best beaches to surf, sun and socialize, just exactly like many of us locals did. And like us, it was on one of these trips that Ralph sat down at a seaside taqueria and met his true love. He was hooked on the fish taco.

Unlike the rest of us, Ralph took action. With the help of his family, Ralph opened his first Rubio's, a walk-up stand in Mission Bay, San Diego. It was at that walk-up stand that America had its first taste of the fish taco. Soon, they too were hooked. As word of Ralph's fish tacos spread, so did his business. One restaurant quickly expanded to three, and before long, San Diego's best-kept secret was out. Rubio's started a fish taco phenomenon that spread from coast to coast. Each new restaurant brought not just The Original Fish Taco® recipe, but also Ralph's commitment to fresh and high quality ingredients. A commitment that has become as synonymous with Rubio’s as the taco that made it a coastal favorite. And “hats off” to Ralph for his vision and drive: he is one of San Diego’s true pioneers in exporting the culinary side of the San Diego lifestyle!

Bob Rief Interviewed on Sport Lifestyles Podcast
Bob was interviewed by John Peters and Neil Schwartz of Sport Lifestyle Podcast as part of their 17th episode discussing SDSI and a bit of his background. While the whole podcast is certainly worth the listen, Bob’s interview starts at the 14:30 marker.

Take Bill Out to the Ball Game
SDSI Executive Chairman, Bill Walton spent a few days earlier this month at several California Ballparks to celebrate the Grateful Dead, throw out some first pitches, play some music and even announce a game! First stop on this tour was Petco Park where Bill played with his band, Electric Waste Band, at Park in the Park. Bill played the drums and un-mic’ed vocals, before throwing out the first pitch(es)... the first attempt didn’t go so he got a mulligan. Bill then chated with the managers during the lineup card exchange causing a 7:14 PM start time for the previously scheduled 7:10 game. Next stop was on to San Francisco for the Giant’s Grateful Dead night. Wrapping it all up in Anaheim as he broadcast the White Sox @ Angels where Bill was trending #1 on twitter asking questions like “what is the record for most strike out’s in an inning?” which is actually 4, and it happens often. Watch the 4 minute “Best of” that the White Sox put together - it certainly brightened our day at the office

SDSI Receives Support from Qualcomm to Support Female Entrepreneurship
“The exemplary community leadership of Qualcomm and Qualcomm Foundation will bring our SDSI efforts to new and incalculable heights as we seek to create new jobs, business and opportunity for those chasing the dream," said Executive Chairman Bill Walton. “The Foundation’s support, as a foundational pillar of everything that is good in our beloved San Diego, will allow us to rapidly accelerate the future trends we are already witnessing in our sports and active lifestyle industry." Read the full coverage on SDBJ or Xconomy. Curious to know why SD is so great for women entrepreneurs? Take a look at this list!

Complementary Legal Consultation - Ask the Lawyer with Procopio
SDSI’s Ask the Lawyer Office Hours with Procopio law firm is one of the rare places business owners can gain access to trusted, complementary legal consultation. Our next Office Hours are Thursday, Sept 19, beginning at 1:30pm. There is limited availability so make your appointment now for access to these Sport & Active Lifestyle legal experts. Meetings will be held at Procopio offices.

Vuori Receives $45M Investment
Encinitas based athleisure company, Vuori, received a $45M investment from Norwest Venture Partners after an impressive 180% growth in revenue for 2018. The SDUT reported that 2 more Vuori stores will open in 2019 including on in Del Mar Highlands Town Center. The funds will go towards staffing, inventory, and launching additional stores to expand beyond the existing locations in Encinitas, San Francisco, and Manhattan Beach. Read the full article from the Union Tribune and a Q&A with co-founder Joe Kudla about the investment on Shop-Eat-Surf.

DSRT Surf Wall Street Journal Exposure
SDSI Advisory Board Member, John Luff, gave out a few more details on the upcoming wave park expected to open doors in 2020 in the Palm Desert. The WSJ article points out that the wavepool will require 24 million gallons of water annually (vs 307 million gallons of water for a golf course in the area according to this source) initial consumer pricing estimates of $135 per hour, and possible expansions to Washington DC, Los Angeles, and New York City. Read the full WSJ article.

Events.com and Wonderfront Music Festival: A Match Made in SDSI Heaven
We always love celebrating when two SDSI companies work together and what could be a better partnership than local company events.com providing the registration with the local Wonderfront Festival featuring nearly 100 bands on 7 stages across 3 days! Get your tickets for this massive SD-centric festival at events.com or read the full press release publicizing the partnership.

Platypus Institute Validates Brain Training App
The Platypus Institute team independently tested a brain training app, BrainHQ, and concluded that it boosted measures of efficiency among tech workers. “We perform research to identify the best in applied neuroscience and curate those solutions for globally-recognized clients,” said Dr. Amy Kruse, Chief Science Officer of PlatypusNeuro and a study co-author. “The training-based gains we observed — and the underlying neurophysiological changes we recorded — provide unique insights into benefits of BrainHQ training.” Read the full article on Yahoo Finance.

Wonderfront Adds Acts to the Festival and Releases Daily Festival Lineup
Wonderfront Festival adds the following acts: Guitar Legends 3, Migos, J.I.D, Jhay Cortez, Khea, Wild Belle, Gioli & Assia, Grandma, Jesse Baez, Banda Tierra Brava, Los Crecidos, Seis en Linea, Cydeways, Glades, Brewfish, and more! Visit the Wonderfront Festival website for the full lineup  or stay up to date with all updates subscribing to the WonderLIST​​​​​.

Procopio Extends Lease at Downtown Location
Procopio has extended their lease for an additional 5 years at their downtown headquarters, 525 B street. They will continue to occupy the top 5 floors of the 22 story building representing 126,000 square feet. The firm has added 5 years to its lease which was set to expire in November of 2020. SDSI Board of Directors member Andy Ewald was  part of the CBRE team representing Procopio on the transaction. Read the full press release from SDBJ.

San Diego Running Co Sells Out Balboa Park 8 Miler
For the first time in its 65 year history, the Balbo Park 8 Miler has 2,000 runners entered for “San Diego’s Longest Running Tradition.” San Diego Running Co. took this event over in 2013 and participation was a mere 200 in 2012! “We always knew the Balboa Park 8 Miler was a special race,” said Eric Marenburg of San Diego Running Co and San Diego Track Club board member. “We simply needed to tell the story of the event’s unique history and character. Now, not only are runners joining from around the city and country but from around the world.” Read the full article on Times of San Diego.

Cirque-It Fitness on Panel for Sales and Marketing Leadership Alliance
Elizabeth Skwiot, SDSI Accelerator graduate and CEO of Cirque-It Fitness, will be speaking on September 11th at the Sales & Marketing Leadership Alliance. Elizabeth will serve as a panelist with Moderator and SDSI Board Member Ken Schmitt, as they discuss the ups and downs, challenges and opportunities of being a Founder/CEO. Please register here for the event!

Slyde Handboards Looking for Grom Team Rider
“Slyde Handboards is looking for and taking applications for their next Grom Team Rider. All youth 16 and younger are encouraged to apply before the deadline on September 27. The Grom Team Rider winner will receive a complete SlydeH package, as well as ongoing promotional opportunities with the surf company.” To enter, submit a 1-2 minute video explaining why you should be the next team rider, post to Instagram with #slydegromsearch and email it to Slyde. Fans will vote on Sept 30th and a winner will be chosen shortly after. Read the full press release in the San Clemente Times.

Events.com Touted as a Local Company that Offers a Great Workplace Environment
Events.com has been recognized as one of nine local companies that offer employees great workplace environments! One employee was quoted saying, "fun and friendly company to work at. Also find myself doing activities outside of work with a lot of them.” And 100% of events.com employees said they have a close friend at work. Read the full profile on comparably.com.

Five New Approaches to Team Building Activities that are Healthy and Actually Fun
SDSI Advisory Board Member and SMACK! Media Founder, Elisette Carlson, contributed a piece to entrepreneur this week that can help kick-start a healthy culture at your company leading to engaged and productive employees. “Be it a company 5K, an obstacle race event or a sprint triathlon, below are five important factors for putting on a successful event for your company that boosts energy and brings people together.” Read the five factors on entrepreneur.com. Also, read Eli’s article on embracing JOMO over FOMO on Thrive Global.

Hookit Releases Social Media’s Most Valuable Athletes
Forbes released an article with data provided by Hookit breaking down the most popular athletes in the following sports: Football, Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, Hockey, Golf, Combat, Tennis, eSports/Streamers, and Motorsports. See the top performers on the Forbes article. 

Douglas Smith Interviewed on Thrive Global About His Career
Doug Smith, co-founder of True Nutrition, was recently interviewed by Thrive Global talking about his career path and shares some wisdom including “5 things I wish someone told me before I started leading my company.” Doug talks about borrowing $29.00 from his cousin to buy their first domain because they literally had no money… Read more about this thriving business and Doug's story on the full interview.

Deep End Fitness and UTL Story on ABC7 Eyewitness News in LA
Lori Corban reported a segment solely focused on on Deep End Fitness and Underwater Torpedo League. This 2 minute segment features interviews from both Prime Hall and Don Tran. They talk about the benefits to training underwater including: CO2 tolerance, increasing your VO2 Max, and increasing overall endurance. Take a look at the whole video to get an idea what its all about! Also, read some of their recent press on swimswam​​​​ and an ESPN article talking about the program helping UFC athletes.

HYLETE File IPO Documents
HYLETE filed with the SEC earlier this month to raise up to $18M in an initial public offering and plans to list class A common stock on the NYSE under the symbol HYLT. The price range is expected to be between $8.00 and $10.00 per share. HYLETE has previously had great success in crowdfunding campaigns as an early adopter of that type of fundraising. Read the full press release and an article on Nasdaq.com

Support Cirque-It Fitness Crowdfunding Campaign on iFundWomen
SDSI Accelerator Grad, CirqueIt Fitness has launched a crowdfuding campaign on iFundWomen to support the growth/expansion of the company. “By backing our campaign, YOU are a member of #TeamCIF -- please share the campaign with friends, family, and workout buddies. Follow us on social media and tag us (@cirqueitfitness) on your workout photos so we can support you and potentially repost your achievements with the world. #comeonecomeall to the future of fitness!” Support Cirque-It Fitness on iFundWomen – contribute $100 or more and participate in a webinar with choreographer and fitness expert, Dreya Weber on Sept 11th.

Arcade Belts Expands Team
Arcade Belts has announced the addition of Gretchen Kielas (Creative Director) and Joe Lampke (Director of Product Development and Global Sourcing) to their team.  “I’m excited to be a part of this amazing team,” says Kielas. “To mix my retail experience with my artistic instincts and build on Arcade’s already inspired product line, and ultimately to add fresh ideas steeped in Arcade DNA.” Read the full release on ASN.

Efficiency or Accuracy – Are they mutually exclusive when it comes to hiring? This is the dilemma hiring managers and recruiters are facing in the age of automation. With the number of applicants continuing to rise, (Yes, even in market like this one) the push to streamline the hiring process continues to escalate. Everyone benefits from a more efficient hiring process, right? Automated responses and digital application processes pushes candidates through the hiring process much more quickly and on their own time. Automation frees hiring managers and recruiters from pouring over thousands of resumes and conducting hundreds of pre-screening conversations.
But is everyone really benefiting from these changes? Is the push for efficiency negatively impacting the accuracy of hiring? To combat the potential pitfalls of an automated hiring process, companies are implementing innovative ways to screen and interview potential candidates to get a real time, reliable picture of their assets and problem-solving skills. Don’t fall into the trap of “one size hires all” - consider video interviews, casual setting interviews, virtual job shadows, etc. For more information, contact Ken Schmitt at TurningPoint Executive Search

Open Jobs
Director of Customer Journey/CRM, Orange County (relo available) - Automotive
SVP Sales, San Diego (relo available) - Software/Security
VP Marketing, SoCal – Confidential client

Assault Fitness – Accounts Receivable Specialist click for info

Digital Operative – Multiple positions available click for info

Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa - Multiple Positions Available click for info

Events.com – Multiple Positions Available click for info

Hookit – Multiple Positions Available click for info

ISLE Surf & SUP - Director of Marketing click for info

J!NX – Freelance Artist click for info

Procopio – Technology Innovation Trainer click for info

Platypus Nuero – Head of Applied Research and Development click for info

San Diego Seals – Accounting and Finance Manager click for info

soccerloco – Customer Service Agent click for info

TaylorMade Golf – Multiple Positions Available click for info

Sept. 12 – SDSI Accelerator Class 14 Company Orientation

Sept. 17 – SDSI Accelerator Class 14 Intake Panel

Sept. 19 – Ask the Lawyer with Procopio click for info

Oct. 2 – Innovate78 Quarterly Meetup Collaboration with SDSI: The Sports and Active Lifestyle Industry click for info

July 23-29, 2020 – SDSI/FunLy Group Trip to 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo. Details and deposits here

Sept. 7 – Access Youth Academy Gala, San Diego, CA click for info

Sept. 11 – SMLA Successful CEO Entrepreneurs Share Their Secrets, San Diego, CA click for info

Oct. 5 – Pacific Beach Beachfest 5k, San Diego, CA click for info

Oct. 7 – Lucky Duck Swing and Soiree, San Diego, CA click for info

Oct. 20 - CAF San Diego Triathlon Challenge, La Jolla, CA click for info

Nov. 22-24 – Wonderfront Music Festival, San Diego, CA click for info

Nov. 28 – Thanksgiving Day Thank You Run, San Diego, CA click for info