by The Editors on November 4, 2008
Our favorite Carlsbad-based life sciences company Invitrogen is getting a new name. After the company’s $6.7 billion purchase of Applied Biosystems goes throught the new company will be called Life Technologies, according to a story on GenomeWeb News.
CEO Greg Lucier said in a memo sent to employees last night that the leadership teams of the two firms said that as they were “working together to define the identity and vision of our combined organization … one word became prominent in our discussions. That word was ‘life’ — a word that we believe truly symbolizes the promise of our combined company,” he wrote.
Sounds like a name straight out of a Philip K. Dick novel, but we like it.
[Link: GenomWeb Daily]
by The Editors on November 4, 2008
The Village of Carlsbadistan is getting a great new market and wine shop in early 2009 when Vigilucci’s Gourmet Market & Catering opens at 2943 State Street. H. Gladstone For Men And Women has apparently downsized their clothing store to make room for the new market.
We’re getting hungry already.
by The Editors on November 4, 2008
Wedbush Morgan Securities recently lowered their opinion of Callaway Golf from “hold” to “sell” with a target of $8.
We believe 2009 results could fall meaningfully below current Street consensus forecasts.
And that’s why Barron’s said, “Callaway Swinging The Blues.”
[Link: Barron’s]
by The Editors on October 30, 2008
Carlsbadistan’s big bertha of golf may want to spin their numbers all kinds of ways, but in the end Callaway Golf lost $7.4 million in the third quarter on $213.5 million in net sales. The loss, however, was a penny ahead of the street so it’s not all bad news. Plus. . .
The initial feedback on our new 2009 products has been very positive, and we feel the whole product line is stronger than our record 2007 line,” George Fellows, Callaway’s president and chief executive, said in a statement.
Well, at least they’ve got that going for them.
[Link: Reuters]
by The Editors on October 30, 2008
It’s a celebrity driven world and Carlsbadistan’s leading golf company is buying in: JT style.
Callaway Golf Company today announced it has reached an agreement with Justin Timberlake to endorse and play Callaway equipment. The terms of the contract are not being disclosed. . . . “We’re thrilled to have Justin as part of the Callaway staff,” said George Fellows, president and CEO, Callaway Golf. “He has everything we look for when signing new talent – natural ability, a solid work ethic and passion for the game.”
In these trying business times it probably can’t hurt, right? Especially if you’re going after the pop music crowd.
[Link: BusinessWire image via Popsugar]
by The Editors on October 24, 2008
Westfield, the Australian retail property owner that operates the Westfield Plaza Camino Real Mall in Carlsbad has submitted an appeal to the City of Oceanside City Council attempting to reverse their approval of Thomas Enterprises‘ proposed 950,000 square foot mall “on a 92-acre site near Highway 76 between Foussat Road and Mission Avenue,” according to a story in the San Diego Business Journal.
The appeal states that Westfield has substantial concerns about the legal sufficiency of the final environmental impact report certified by the city’s planning commission. . . . It contends that the document does not provide adequate information and understates the impacts of traffic, air quality, noise, water quality and biological resources.
Right. A mall developer is concerned about the “environmental impact” of a competitor’s property. How thoughtful of them. Seems that with an increasingly empty mall in Carlsbad that Westfield would focus a little more attention on building value on their own property rather than trying to stop competition in Oceanside.
[Link: San Diego Business Journal]
by The Editors on October 24, 2008
MacCase, the Carlsbadistan-based manufacturer of fine coverings for Apple products has just released a case that we’ve been waiting for. It’s leather, vertically oriented, and it can be slung over the shoulder, carried by handle or made into a backpack for easy on-the-go computer action.
The compact case has several storage pockets for accessories and a removable, customized pouch for the MacBook Air Super Drive or AC adapter for the larger MacBook Pro models. . . . The design of the Flight Jacket embodies the minimalism of the MacBook Air and the romanticism of our Premium Leather,” expresses Michael Santoro, Chief Creative Officer at MacCase. “Apple owners looking for a timeless case design with outstanding protection and minimal bulk will find this, and more, in the new Flight Jacket.”
Let’s just say this is exactly what we’ve been looking for.
[Link: MacCase]
by The Editors on October 20, 2008
Carlsbadistan’s Rubio’s Restaurants could be the target of a buyout as San Diego’s Kelly Capital investment firm makes an “unsolicited offer” for the company, according to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Dan Pittard, president and chief executive officer of Rubio’s, said the company’s board will meet next week to consider the offer, which is subject to Kelly Capital obtaining financing. He declined to comment further. . . . The $5-per-share offer by Kelly Capital, made in a letter dated Wednesday, represented a 26 percent premium on Rubio’s closing price that day of $3.97. Rubio’s shares closed yesterday at $4.28.
The way Rubio’s business has been headed lately, we’d take the money.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on October 20, 2008
Photos that the City of Carlsbad has posted on their website to show what NRG Energy’s proposed new power plants would look like have apparently upset the company, according to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
We don’t think it’s an accurate characterization of the project,” said Tim Hemig, NRG’s project manager for the Carlsbad Energy Center.
Too bad. We don’t like our icon smoke stack getting competition from smaller, inferior stacks. And we really don’t like turning the lagoon into an industrial wasteland.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on October 16, 2008
In these tough business times who better to turn to than the president of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce Ted Owen. In his interview with North County Times Business Editor Jeff Rowe, Owen had this to say:
And a bad economy requires business people to talk to each other more than in a good economy. Much of what we are going through now is fear, which to me is an acronym for “False Evidence Appearing Real.” . . . Greed got us into this trouble; fear is keeping us in it. Small businesses have money and jobs, but they are waiting for a signal that things are OK.
And our favorite bit of advice (if only we sold advertising): “Keep advertising and promoting as normal —- if customers don’t see ads, they think the company is out of business.”
Whatever happens, keep advertising. . .
[Link: North County Times]
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