Come sit by me…

The Social Club was popping last week with visits from the Mesa and beyond. First up was the Chamber of Commerce from Richmond, Virginia. This group of 160+ businessmen and women chose San Diego for their 2016 ICV trip. Downtown, they heard from civic leaders. There was a welcome from Steve Cushman, chair of SD Convention center, and talks from Mary Walshok, Kris Michell, Mark Cafferty, Gary Gallegos, and Jerry Sanders. The other main destination was the Mesa. Freshly appointed Associate VC of Innovation and Commercialization Paul Roben spoke on the economic impact of education and research institutions in San Diego. Oh, you know, just a $4.6 billion impact and growing. No wonder the Mesa was a “must visit” on their agenda. Groups broke off to hit up SBP Medical Discovery Institute, Rady Children’s Hospital, and Qualcomm’s Thinkabit Lab while a bus escaped north to Stone Brewing to hear about our epic beer scene. Chris Cochran, Stone’s Community Relations manager and UCSD alumnus, helped welcome the delegation to the Sanford Consortium. Cochran has been charming Richmond’s civic and business leaders this past year on the East Coast as Stone opens in Richmond, VA.

Queen Bee herself, Mary Walshok, was seen lunching at the Social Club. Rumor has it UC San Diego is taking the lead in pulling together key players in our design and innovation economy with a huge event, Design Forward, at the downtown Broadway Pier on June 16. We collided again Wednesday on the 15th floor of the Diamond View Towers. Walshok moderated an impressive panel on Downtown San Diego: The Innovation Economy’s Next Frontier. Looks like downtown prefers the term “urban core.” I’m diggin’ it. And several up there in the Skybox were eager to learn if UC San Diego would be adding their footprint to East Village and the IDEA disctrict.

Back at the Social Club, a huge smile as I spotted Biocom’s CEO Joe Panetta at a table. Panetta introduced me to the woman who will be running his LA office. Come again, Biocom? LA office? Biocom has been crushing it in the Southern California life sciences community for 10+ years, but has always steered clear of LA. OC was the cutoff. But it seems LA wants what SD’s Biocom’s got. Panetta explains, “We have been invited to LA by their County Board of Supervisors and the LA Economic Development Corporation to work in partnership with them to develop a more collaborative and focused LA County Life Science Community.” No doubt. San Diego is the leader when it comes to collaboration and at the forefront is our life sciences pioneer, Signor Panetta. Biocom’s record of success in advocacy, capital formation, workforce development, and networking is fierce. LA will prosper under Biocom’s fine tutelage. On a bigger scale, Panetta adds, “the perception globally of a life science community that spans Southern California will send a powerful message. We will compete more effectively as a life science cluster that includes LA, OC and SD.” Next stop Baja? Well Panetta did confess he was headed to Ensenada next week for some talks. Una cerveza por favor.

Can’t forget to give a shout-out to all the ladies who turned out for Felena Hanson’s book launch. Felena, founder of Hera Hub, is a legend among us ambitious women. Hera Hub, a co-working space for female entrepreneurs, has grown to three locations here in San Diego. With a hub in DC, she now plans to grow the brand nationally. Check out her new book Flight Club and roll out to her hub in Sorrento Valley Thursday night to learn more about her story first hand.

Upcoming events (I’ll be at the fun table…)

• Elevator Pitch Competition
  Ooh! I’ve always wanted to go to one of these. They sound so intense. Minutes, sometimes only seconds, to share your vision with a room full of investors. Short, clever, and on point. Sell it. Boom. Where’s the money at?
  April 28, 6-8 p.m., The Basement, UC San Diego
• Women in Bio Presents The Power of Networking: Creating your Own Opportunities in the Life Sciences Industry
  Who better to talk about her journey to success in the life sciences industry than San Diego superstar Ashley Van Zeeland? Zeeland, I have to say, is one of the best speakers I have ever seen (and I go to a ton of events, my friends). She now reigns as head of Pediatrics at Venter’s Human Longevity Inc. Joining her on stage is Lauren Mages, recruiter and business developer at Real Life Sciences. Both have valuable lessons to share about the power of networking and face-to-face interactions. Reminds me of a funny encounter when I first opened the Social Club. At a high profile lunch, a very famous scientist once jokingly called me an “opportunist.” Ladies, I looked right at the man, smiled, and replied “Abso-fucking-lutely.” Go get ‘em ladies.
  April 28, 5:30-8 p.m., Hera Hub Sorrento Valley
• Biocom Charity Golf Tournament
  You’ll play, I’ll drink. And it all goes to a great cause. May 2, Biocom hosts their Charity Golf Tournament. Charity, you ask? Yes. Biocom has a non-profit branch, Biocom Institute, that raises funds for awesome programs in workforce development and STEM. That rad citywide San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering? Biocom Institute, baby. So get out there and golf for a good cause. Be sure to register by Friday.
  May 2, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Santaluz Club

Tags: Blogs, Life on the Mesa