by The Editors on January 22, 2008
It appears that golfers will buy almost anything to trick themselves into thinking they’re improving their game. Carlsbad golf company TaylorMade’s new r7 CGB MAX Limited is a prime example.
. . . an advanced new driver engineered to flawlessly deliver the next level of driver adjustability by incorporating, into one club, TaylorMade® Movable Weight Technology™ (MWT™) and TaylorMade SelectFit Technology. With nine changeable weights and three changeable shafts included, the r7 CGB MAX Limited offers an astounding range of launch conditions.
TaylorMade is getting right in there with Callaway in confusing golfers into having way, way too many options when it comes to whacking a ball through a park. But then, as we’ve said many times before: we don’t golf.
[Link: World Golf]
by The Editors on January 22, 2008
Apparently, business is booming at Carlsbad’s Chopra Center for Wellbeing, thanks to a growing number of Americans who “suffer from diagnosed anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders.”
But Deepak Chopra, M.D. and his partner David Simon, M.D. couldn’t be happier because they have the solution: The Perfect Health Program offered only at their Carlsbad location.
Perfect Health participants experience a week of personalized treatments that integrates the advances of modern Western medicine with the therapeutic practices of Ayurveda – the 5,000-year-old healing system of India. Each day, guests experience Ayurvedic massage treatments, cleansing therapies, and expert instruction in yoga and meditation. In addition, the Perfect Health program includes one-on-one consultations with the Centers medical staff – MDs who are also experts in the field of holistic healing.
The five-day sessions only costs $3,475 per person (not including food or lodging). If money causes depression, this is a sure way to get rid of it.
[Link: Chopra.com via PRWeb]
by The Editors on January 18, 2008
According to the Job opportunities website at Apple, it looks like the company is preparing to open a new retail store at The Forum in Carlsbad.
Currently, the company is looking for people to fill the following positions: Store Manager, Assistant Store Manager, Business Consultant, Cashier, Concierge, Creative, Inventory Control Specialist, Mac Genius, Mac Specialist, Operator, and Personal Shopping Specialists.
We spend so much time in the Fashion Valley Apple store that we might as well cut the commute and get paid at the same time.
[Link: Apple Computers]
by The Editors on January 18, 2008
Stock of the Carlsbad-based golf manufacturer Callaway Golf “jumped 11.8” on Thursday January 17, 2008 when it was announced that announced a 10 percent gain in net sales to “$1.25 billion” for 2007, according to a story in BusinessWeek.
But that gain isn’t as impressive as it first appears when you consider that the stock’s value had dropped 20% over the past two weeks after a couple of golf retailers said that the momentum of sales in the category had slowed substantially, said James Hardiman, an analyst at FTN Midwest Research in Cleveland, Ohio.
Sadly, some of the gains the company has made have come from “shifting its manufacturing operations” away from Carlsbad to Massachusetts and other locations overseas.
[Link: BusinessWeek]
by The Editors on January 17, 2008
Blaming rising oil prices, US Airways announced Wednesday January 16, that they will no longer be offering up daily roundtrip flights to Phoenix from McClellan-Palomar Airport, according to a story in the North County Times. Company spokesman Morgan Durrant said they have no plans to reinstate service “In the near future.”
“It just didn’t make sense, looking at the proximity of the San Diego International Airport,” Durrant said. “We’ve got a lot of folks here who scrutinize markets and our service and aircraft allocation. … It seems to be the way it’s going to be for a while.”
We wish we could say we were going to miss US Air, but honestly, in our experience they have been the worst airline in terms of equipment failures and delays. In fact, according to a July report on twenty airlines only five were worse that US Air when it comes to being on time. Their on-time percentage was only 66.3. In their defense, Mesa Airlines, the company that ran the Carlsbad to Phoenix route ranked number five on the list.
[Link: North County Times]
by The Editors on January 16, 2008
When the golf clothing market is tanking what does Carlsbad-based golf clothing company Ashworth, Inc do? They acquire another golf clothing company (Sunice) and set it up a wholly-owned subsidary.
Sunice Holdings, Inc., which will own the Sun Ice and Sunice trademarks and be entirely focused on the new technical outerwear line. The product line will be concurrently marketed by the Company’s existing sales and marketing team dedicated to Ashworth®-branded apparel. FLG will provide design services for Sunice Holdings, Inc. and facilitate sourcing relationships for the new outerwear line.
To Ashworth’s credit they got Sunice for pretty much nothing. Rolling forward they’ll just have to share the EBITDA with the former owners and it also gets them into the booming ski outerwear market (please note sarcasm on the world “booming”).
[Link: Businesswire]
by The Editors on January 16, 2008
This sounds like the silliest thing ever, but we don’t have to remind anyone that we don’t golf. Thanks to some adjustment to the US Golf Association’s rules Carlsbadistan’s Callaway Golf has created the I-Mix Technology which allows golfers to change up their shaft and/or head for every occasion.
“Our new I-MIX Technology gives golfers the same access and ability to experiment and optimize their equipment that tour professionals have,” said Jeff Colton, Senior Vice President of Research and Development for Callaway Golf. “No one’s swing is the same from day-to-day – neither are the weather or course conditions. Our I-MIX Technology gives everyone the ability to quickly and easily customize their equipment, every time they play.”
Now, instead of buying one club, golfers can buy one club head and four or five different shafts for that head. This allows hacks to honestly blame their clubs every single time out.
[Link: Businesswire]
by The Editors on January 10, 2008
Our favorite Carlsbad life sciences firm, Invitrogen, has done some shopping. They recently bought CellzDirect, a company that “focuses on hepatocytes that are widely used to predict a compound’s effect on liver metabolism” for $57 million in cash.
“CellzDirect’s high-value products and services will greatly complement Invitrogen’s market-leading portfolio of complete cell systems, including primary cells, media, matrices and growth factors,” said Greg Lucier, Invitrogen’s chairman and chief executive officer, in a statement. “The purchase of CellzDirect follows our strategy of investing in high growth areas of the market, specifically specialty cell systems.”
We’re don’t even know enough to comment on it, but Lucier makes it sound great.
[Link: Local Tech Wire]
by The Editors on January 8, 2008
Carlsbad-based Luminous Medical has developed a new glucose measurement system for hospital patients that the medical equipment world is raving about.
Luminous has now developed what it claims to be the first-of-its-kind automated glucose measurement system that continually takes blood samples from a patient’s IV system, analyses the blood using near-infrared spectroscopy, then sends the blood back to the patient. . . . The net result is a system that accurately and precisely reports patient glucose readings without the need for frequent calibration and allows for automated, frequent measurements.
While we’re guessing few people understand any of this, it is just one more reminder of how Carlsbad-based high-tech businesses are making the world a better place.
[Link: The Engineer]
by The Editors on January 3, 2008
Carlsbad’s Phoenix Footwear has announced the sale of their Altama military footwear division to Tactical Holdings, Inc. for approximately “$15 million in total consideration,” according to a press release on Fox Business. Phoenix purchased this company on July 19, 2004 for approximately $35.3 million.
Commenting on the transaction, James Riedman, Phoenix Footwear’s Chairman, said, “The sale of Altama is an important part of continued improvements to our capital base. In addition to the direct cash it raises, it is expected to offset all of the capital taxes which arose from our gain earlier in the year with our Royal Robbins divestiture.”
So you’re saying a $20 million loss in value over three years is a good thing?
[Link: Fox Business]
It appears that golfers will buy almost anything to trick themselves into thinking they’re improving their game. Carlsbad golf company TaylorMade’s new r7 CGB MAX Limited is a prime example.
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