Harbor Club's New Pool Deck

SAN DIEGO — August 26, 2010 — BSD Builders has completed the comprehensive upgrade and renovation of the 13,000-square foot Pool Deck at the Harbor Club at 100 and 200 West Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego, according to Steve Sherrer, principal with BSD Builders, a San Diego-based general contractor and construction management firm specializing in commercial, healthcare, biotech, industrial and corporate improvements.

Sherrer said the nearly three-month, fast-track construction project included the demolition and removal of more than 400,000 pounds of topping slab concrete and dirt from the existing sixth-floor Pool Deck and planters as well as the reconstruction of existing swimming pool and Spa. The $1.753 million renovation project, led by BSD Project Superintendent Randy Poe and Project Manager Mike Fayad, followed to transform the Harbor Club’s Pool Deck into a state-of-the-art recreation facility for the Harbor Club’s residents.

The improvements included the replastering and waterproofing of the 95-foot lap swimming pool and installation of new larger Jacuzzi, new pool pump equipment, handrails and integral coping; installation of new lush mature landscaping in reconfigured planters; installation and integration of new tile and custom finished concrete; new aesthetic elements including a spectacular fire and water feature, black granite water wall, wet wall; and new LED colored lighting in the swimming pool and spa. The project also featured the renovation of the restrooms and showers with new architectural glass tile, granite counters and fixtures; new spacious catering area with all warm site lighting; new plush pool furniture and table and chairs for entertaining. The Pool Deck also features built in barbeque islands with patio dining and a full-service Cabana.

The project team for the Harbor Club Pool Deck project included David Reed Landscape Architects; Milnamow-York Interior Design, interior design; and construction manager KAVANAGH associates. Construction team members included Dreamscape, landscaping; Structural Engineering Solutions, structural engineering; ICR Services, water proofing consultant; MSI, waterproofing; TB Penick & Sons, architectural concrete; Penhall Company, demolition; Tri Co Flooring, tile and concrete; Mission Valley Pools, pool and water features; General Coatings, painting; Ghianni LaRussa Group, plastering; Lyons Masonry, masonry; Davis Framing, wood framing; TCP Plumbing, plumbing; Berg Electric, electrical contractor; Pure Water Pools, pool consultant; and Acme Safety, traffic control.

“We have received an overwhelming amount of positive comments and feedback from Harbor Club homeowners and their guests. We are very pleased with the final product delivered by BSD Builders Inc. as their various contractors were able to work around our daily operations, which allowed homeowners to enjoy their daily lives with minimal disruption during course of construction,” said Raj D’souza, Harbor Club General Manager.

“Throughout the design phase of the project we were able to increase our deck space by relocating existing planter walls and adding several signature items such as a fire-water feature; a black granite wall fountain; a larger spa and a new LED lights system that changes color throughout the evening to set just the mood for any occasion. Homeowners are pleased with the signature areas and design layout of the sixth floor pool deck, as these areas allow them to feel like they are entertaining their guests on their very own private patio. We would also like to express our thanks to our Landscape Architect, David Reed, for the design and KAVANAGH associates which provided construction management of the project,” he said.

The Harbor Club has become one of San Diego’s most sought-after luxury high-rise residences. Remarkably situated where the city meets the bay, The Harbor Club offers residents unparalleled views in every direction. Various floor plans include one-bedroom one-bath residences with 1,036 square feet, a half-floor residence consisting of 2,085 square feet, a two-bedroom, two-bath units starting from 1,474 square feet. The ultimate two-level penthouse with over 3,700 square feet includes soaring 360-degree views. The Harbor Club’s many amenities includes the famed Morton’s of Chicago Steakhouse on the ground floor. All Harbor Club residents enjoy services through a resident service manager, attended lobbies, state-of-the-art fitness center with sauna, a 95-foot heated pool and Jacuzzi. The Harbor Club’s exquisite garden terrace, pool deck, and beautifully finished cabana are ideal for entertaining intimate parties or larger gatherings. Other amenities include 24-hour lobby attendants, bike storage room and secured parking. For more information on the Harbor Club, visit www.harborclubsd.com.

Specializing in commercial, healthcare, biotech, industry, and corporate improvements, BSD Builders Inc. offers an array of building solutions including pre-construction services, design build delivery, energy performance contracting, and construction management. Whether it’s a multi-phased expansion, fast track development, or a challenging tenant improvement, BSD Builders is poised to solve the most demanding needs of any project. For more information on BSD Builders, visit www.bsdbuilders.com.

Mobile marketing spend ‘set to boom’ over the next 12 months

Mobile marketing is set to boom over the next with 79% of businesses currently incorporating it into their marketing strategies, claims new research commissioned by 2ergo.

Of those businesses currently delivering mobile marketing strategies, 70% intend to increase their mobile marketing budgets next year.

Mobile marketing budgets are growing faster than traditional marketing budgets. With 56% of respondents saying their marketing budget would increase next year, over 50% of respondents believe that mobile marketing will be more important than other traditional marketing techniques within the next two years.

The most popular objective of mobile marketing for marketers are customer retention and brand building. Some 52% of respondents measure success of their mobile marketing campaigns by these two factors.

Business decision makers see iPhone and Smartphone apps (53%) and mobile tickets and coupons (38%) as the key uses for mobile marketing. Just over half (53%) also recognise interactive messaging as a strategy for mobile marketing.

The response indicates that many businesses need to develop an understanding of the full breadth of what a business can do through mobile and its corresponding potential.

“Businesses have woken up to the potential value of mobile marketing and doing business on mobile and realize that whilst reaching customers through traditional channels has become increasingly difficult, consumers are now spending an average of 6.5 hours a week on the mobile web,” said Colin McCaffery, Director of Products at 2ergo.

“Those who don’t leverage this opportunity now are likely to get crowded out by brands with first mover advantage.”

Those who have engaged a mobile marketing campaign are experiencing significant returns on their investment, claims the report, with a quarter of people using mobile marketing experiencing significantly reduced costs of sale and half believing they are delivering significantly improved customer service.

The survey also highlights that the most popular types of mobile marketing are presently mobile publishing/websites and outbound SMS. However the development of smartphone apps is the channel that most companies are looking to activate over the next 12 months.
When asked what factors prevent their organizations from using mobile marketing, survey respondents cited a lack of their own research into its benefits (52%) as the main factor.

It’s a common conundrum for business owners when sales aren’t pouring in.

To get more customers, you need to market and advertise. But when cash is sparse, it’s tough to allocate dollars toward promotional efforts, especially when there’s no guarantee of a return.

Amid the economic downturn, nearly half of business owners say they’re straining to find efficient or innovative ways to market their products or services, according to a March survey of 734 entrepreneurs by American Express OPEN, the company’s small-business division.

Active Healthcare
Lisa Feierstein has targeted specific customers to use her firm’s respiratory products by offering free screening and education sessions. Here, she runs a sleep apnea support group conducted last fall.

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Start-Ups on a Shoestring

For many, the outlay of cash is simply too risky. “It’s a Catch-22. When business is slow, entrepreneurs don’t have as much money [but] one of the things you need is more advertising,” says Greg Gould, director of the Maine Small Business Development Center in Portland. “You should be spending more in a slow economy, not less.”

To minimize the potential drain on the budget, some business owners are trying creative or highly targeted means of reaching potential clients, Mr. Gould says. (Please read how numerous entrepreneurs are trying to land clients in the gallery at bottom.)

For example, Mr. Gould is seeing more owners aggressively aiming to reach a specific demographic. A small company selling baby toys, for instance, might comb wedding announcements and send catalogues or brochures to recently married couples, rather than placing a generic ad in a newspaper or a magazine. Otherwise, “you might be paying to reach people you may not want to reach,” he says.

Other business owners are focusing more on niches or specialties within their industry.

Lisa Feierstein, president of Active Healthcare Inc. in Raleigh, N.C., which provides medical equipment to treat a variety of respiratory conditions, directs her marketing efforts toward sleep apnea sufferers. “We were determined to not be a victim of the economy,” says Ms. Feierstein, who used to wait for physicians to refer clients to her.

One day a week last March, which is Sleep Awareness Month, she held free sleep apnea screenings and provided free repairs on sleep apnea equipment, even if purchased from a competitor.

The efforts proved successful. About 150 people came in for screenings, and between 10% and 15% returned as patients, Ms. Feierstein estimates. And of the 50 people who came to get their equipment serviced, about 75% are now repeat customers who get services and supplies through her company.

Mr. Gould says that offering free services can work to entice new customers, but that owners should go a step further, handing out coupons or promotions to encourage customers to come back. Otherwise, the strategy could end up being quite costly.

Other small-business owners less keen on offering freebies are dedicating more time to strengthening their online presence, says Marc Karasu, a marketing consultant in New York who specializes in digital-marketing tools. “You don’t need to be an expert,” he says. “There are resources that didn’t exist even a few years ago that level the playing field.”

Some entrepreneurs are learning more about search engine optimization. Others are providing customers with online newsletters or blog feeds. Owners are also responding and engaging customers on review sites such as Yelp and Angie’s List, Mr. Karasu says.

Owners can also build communities using social-networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Still, 74% of business owners say they do not use social-networking tools, according to the American Express survey.

Michael Sinkin, a dentist in New York, says he used to be “intimidated” at the thought of developing an online presence. Last year, he was skeptical of the effort required to create a website, “but once the site was launched and I saw it, I realized it was nifty,” he says.

Now, Dr. Sinkin is a regular social-media guru. He regularly writes on his blog, which he then touts on Twitter and Facebook.

This summer, the number of new patients seeking his service has doubled. Part of the success, he says, came from a situation where a British businesswoman, traveling in New York for a short stint, sent out a Twitter message asking for dental help because her tooth had cracked. One of Dr. Sinkin’s Twitter followers replied to her, providing his office details. Dr. Sinkin fixed the dental problem the next day. After the businesswoman left, she turned to Twitter again to rave about the level of care the dentist had provided.

“Virtual word of mouth becomes viral,” says Dr. Sinkin, who has 1,500 Twitter followers and estimates picking up six new patients from the traveler’s tweets. “I used to just give toothbrushes and toothpaste but now I have cards printed up that say ‘Follow me on Twitter.’ “

Established by three friends — two airline baggage handlers and an accountant, all of whom still have their day jobs today, partnered to open this fabulous grill and sports bar, which was a welcome addition to Old California Restaurant Row.

55 Yardline Partner Jimmy (Dude) Chrysler said, “55 Yardline is North County’s top sports bar location — a place where you can chill, with 24 beers on tap, full liquor service, pool tables, 22 Flat Screen TV’s, including the largest screen in San Marcos, fun folks and the best burgers around.”

The 55 Yardline features weekly lunch specials starting at $5.55, including such crowd favorites such as the Signature 55 Yardline Burger and the ABC Burger(Avocado, Bacon & Cheese one of our favorites). Other lunch and dinner favorites include Mexican Pizza, the cadre of Grilled Chicken sandwiches, including the Chicken Jerk, Teriyaki Chicken, Hickory BBQ Chicken, Italian Chicken Marina and the ABC Chicken Sandwich. There’s also Fish & Chips, Grilled Salmon, Chili Fries and Carne Asada Cheese Fries.

The 55 Yardline’s Breakfast menu, served weekends 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. is led by the renowned 55’s Breakfast Pizza, including scrambled eggs, bacon, avocado, onions, cilantro and cheese, salsa on the side. There are also traditional new favorites like the Breakfast Burrito, The Chargers ABC Omelet and Huevos Rancheros served with home fries & corn tortillas. The 55 Yardline also features a Build Your Own Pizza for lunch or dinner, a comprehensive spread of appetizers led by the Seared Ahi Tuna Bites, Grilled Buffalo Shrimp and Jalapeno Poppers, and a Salad menu that includes Yardline favorites like the Spicy Mahi Mahi Salad, Grilled Shrimp Caesar and the Chinese Chicken Salad.

55 Yardline’s Weekly Drink Specials include — Sundays $2.50 Mimosas & Bloody Marys, plus $3.25 Blue Moon & New Castle Drafts from 9:00 p.m. to close (1:00 a.m.); Monday – Domestic Drafts, Coors Light $2.50/pint; Tuesday – $2.00 Coronas, Pacificos & Tecates, and Karaoke Night; Wednesday, $2.75 Well Drinks; Thursday is College Night with $2.75 Domestic Drafts and $2.75 Well drinks, with Happy Hour from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m, Saturday there’s $2.75 Domestic Drafts and $2.75 Well drinks from 5 pm to 9 pm.
“There’s a lot going on at the 55 Yardline all the sports all the time no matter what sports season we are in. On Thursdays, we’re packed for our fantastic College Night, and we are the top gathering spot in North County for Chargers fans during the NFL season,” said Chrysler. Patio seating and smoking areas are also available, as well as catering and take out.

For more information on the 55 Yardline Bar & Grill, visit www.the55yardline.com or call 760-744-1960. The 55 Yardline is open Monday through Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. and Weekends 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Located at 1020 San Marcos Boulevard, Old California Restaurant Row is North County’s largest dining and entertainment experience with 16 restaurants serving food from around the world and charming Village boutiques located directly adjacent to the Edwards Stadium 18 Cinema complex. For more information on each individual restaurant and Village Shops, and to join the center’s e-mail list for a chance to win a $50 dining certificate, visit www.oldcalrestaurantrow.com. Follow Old California Restaurant Row on Twitter @Old California, and on Facebook @Old California Restaurant Row.

As the readers of this column will certainly agree, mobile marketing is no fad.

Rather, I believe that mobile marketing will – and must – become a central part of every successful marketing and visibility strategy, and I think it is well on its way to becoming just that.

However, the integration of mobile marketing into existing marketing strategies on a large scale will not happen spontaneously.

Instead, it will come about through a concerted effort to educate companies and other organizations about the benefits and unique qualities of mobile outreach.

This is not to say that the mobile marketing industry will somehow foist preferred tactics on unsuspecting businesses. The integration of mobile marketing will occur – and is occurring – naturally, organically.

Teach reach
Enterprises across the nation and the world are already realizing the tremendous reach and penetrating power of leveraging the mobile device for marketing purposes, and they are coming to this realization by discerning the trends and facts on the ground.

Hundreds of millions of Americans – nearly 90 percent of the country – use their mobile devices every day, and a solid majority of them express a desire to receive marketing messages of some sort through their mobile.

Redemption rates for mobile initiatives dwarf those of traditional marketing programs. Indeed, the cost per impression of a mobile campaign is often far lower than that of a mainstream media advertising campaign.

But you know this already.

The role we must play as marketers and mobile industry professionals is that of educators for the rest of the business community that has not yet fully embraced mobile marketing, or that portion which subscribes to the notion that mobile is somehow just a flash in the pan.

It is our job, in other words, to convince organizations that sitting on the sidelines of mobile is not an option, and that doing so carries an opportunity cost too high to sustain.

More constructively, it is also our job to continue touting the best practice and most effective strategies to get the most out of mobile communications.

Since standing on the street corner wearing a sandwich board is out, this proselytizing starts at the level of existing and potential clients.

In that vein, here are five effective arguments to present to clients on why mobile marketing ought to be an indispensible aspect of their marketing plans.

It is where your customers are
As I mentioned, mobile phone saturation is nearly complete in the developed world, and the use of mobile devices is on the rise just about everywhere.

This makes the mobile landscape the place of residence for most – not many, most – of the world’s consumers. Engaging in a mobile strategy opens up this vast market to any business that wants to participate in it.

By nature, it is targeted, relevant and actionable
Much as email and Internet marketing redefined direct marketing, the mobile space is further expanding businesses ability to engage customers in ways that they find appropriate and attractive.

Importantly, the mobile medium reaches purchase-ready consumers directly at the point of sale.

When we said this in the past, it used to mean that customers could have a marketing message on their device when they physically approached a retail outlet.

Now, with the maturity of mobile commerce and the flourishing of the mobile Internet, it means that customers can conduct the entire transaction cycle on their mobile device, from marketing to purchasing to consumption.

It is cost-effective
Mobile marketing features some of the lowest cost per touch and cost per impression of any marketing medium.

Without naming names, one retailer executed a mobile campaign with triple-digit ROI for less than 2 cents per impression.

Marketers that provide tactics with these kinds of returns for clients are also reaping financial rewards.

Agency holding company giant WPP, which owns JWT, Ogilvy and Y&R, posted 2 percent revenue gains in one of the softest marketing spend environments in years arguably on the strength of its mobile marketing performance.

It is brand-friendly
Since mobile marketing is still relatively new in the eyes of most consumers, it transmits a sense of innovation and forward-thinking for the brand that uses it.

Combine that with the ability of mobile marketing messages to be well-branded – a goal for every mobile marketing initiative – along with the high levels of brand interaction associated with mobile applications, and mobile marketing becomes a panacea for companies trying to define or strengthen their brand.

It is versatile
Speaking of applications, it is easy to forget that these ingenious, useful and ubiquitous marketing tools are barely four years old.

The Apple App Store, which has almost 250,000 applications for the iPhone and iPad, was not even open for business until 2008, a good year after the first iPhone was introduced.

Now, applications are the darlings of the marketing and advertising world, and an indispensible aspect of the smartphone experience.

This demonstrates that marketing opportunities on the mobile medium grow and change almost daily, and mobile continues to provide new and better ways to get a message out.

It is, in other words, one of the most versatile marketing mediums currently available.

MOBILE MARKETING IS not the next big thing, waiting for the next next big thing to come along and unseat it. It is the big thing, the game-changer.

In technological terms, mobile is the next evolution in communications, one that is redefining how, where and why people connect with one another.

It stands to reason, then, that it should have a similar effect on marketing and advertising.

Trends everywhere are pointing to this evolution, and businesses are on the path to widespread adoption. There will never be a year of mobile, or even a half-decade of mobile.

Mobile marketing will be a consistent reality for all businesses, everywhere. So it is time to let them know.

TOTALLY EPIC

Due to the overused and misused term “Epic” to describe mountain bike rides, Ask Chopper has come up with some proposed criteria for labeling an event as Epic:

1) Your survival has to have been seriously up in the air at least twice and looked extremely grim at least once.

2) Squirting blood, hematomas, hernias, aneurysms, grade-three concussions or broken bones must have been experienced during the event in question.

3) In the Greek Tradition, a woman or women must be a factor (being late getting home doesn’t count!)

4) Someone must have been stricken by poisonous reptiles, insets for plants.

5) A emergency bivouac, eating something disgusting merely to survive, or having no choice other than abandon your bike may be used in place of one of the above.

“Currently, the existing MOUT and planned HST area facilities and surrounding Range areas are void of cultural realism,” said Kit Lavell, Executive Vice President of Strategic Operations, Inc. “Even though these facilities are equipped with streets and buildings, the atmosphere lacks detailed cultural realism such as ‘prop’ like items (furniture, billboards, faux foodstuffs, ersatz crops, colors and realistic facades) utilized during training scenarios.” Lavell said the ‘Atmospherics’ project is designed to simulate a future or current deployable urban environment and support the war fighting skills and improve training opportunities for Marines, tenants, and joint service units aboard Marine Corps ranges at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Quantico, Virginia, Camp Pendleton, Twenty Nine Palms, Bridgeport, and China Lake in California, as well as at bases in Hawaii and Okinawa.

Strategic Operations, on the lot of Stu Segall Productions, San Diego’s only full-service TV / movie studio, provides “Hyper-RealisticTM” training services and products for military, law enforcement and other organizations responsible for homeland security. Strategic Operations employs state-of-the-art Hollywood battlefield special effects, combat wound effects, role player actors, subject matter experts, construction, transformation and enhancement of military ranges, mobile MOUT facilities and specialized equipment, including live fire targets to create training environments that are the most unique in the industry. Since 2002, Strategic Operations has provided training support to more than 370,000 Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, and Coast Guard personnel prior to deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. For more information, visit www.strategic-operations.com.

“We’re blessed to have some awesome and unique natural features here on property including boulders, trees, canyons, significant and challenging exposure — who wouldn’t want to ride bikes on, over, around and near them!?!,” said Tony Ellsworth, president and founder of Ellsworth Handcrafted Bikes. “We have a chance to literally, out the door, make consistent test loops and compare subtle changes, and very quickly iterate suspension and frame tuning options. The fact is the better your bike rides the more fun it is to ride it … our trails give us the opportunity to develop and fine tune the best riding, most fun bikes in the industry.”

“Having a variety of terrain, maintained and instantly accessible, enhances the speed at which we can perfect new technology and materials, as well as evaluate new components as they become available. We have the opportunity to A/B Compare on known and consistent terrain. We can quickly wade through real performance enhancements in our products and the factory qualified complete bike builds configurable from the Ellsworth Online Bike Builder, delivered through our fine dealers,” Ellsworth said. Ellsworth web store — http://store.ellsworthbikes.com/index.asp

Ellsworth also stressed that the company’s headquarters is also centrally located to San Diego North County’s premier cycling roads — providing unparalleled access to the back country of San Diego where cycling teams from around the world do winter training. Check out the brand new Rare Earth Carbon Road Products — http://www.ellsworthbikes.com/bikes/road/

“Literally, access to varied and unique features let’s us iterate and prove out theory and improvements faster and better … and above all, it’s fun!,” he said.

About Ellsworth Handcrafted Bicycles
Ellsworth Handcrafted Bicycles, Inc., USA, designs and hand crafts its bikes in house providing the highest manufacturing integrity to its state of the art bicycles. Ellsworth, which holds multiple international patents for innovation in design and technology, is also committed to Social Responsibility and Environmental Stewardship, supporting programs to cure cancer and prevent global deforestation. With Solar and Wind powered facilities, Ellsworth freely offers assistance to corporations interested in a sustainable corporate footprint. To learn more about Ellsworth Bikes visit www.ellsworthbikes.com, on Twitter “@ellsworthbikes”, and Facebook.