Working for a Healthy Profit
Nora La Corte just wanted to open a health resort when she approached several venture capitalists and groups for funding.
“But it seemed like the people who had the capital often didn’t seem to be that health-conscious,” she said.
So she scrapped the resort idea and launched her own venture capital group dedicated to “health conscious” people who want to invest in ventures that “promote healthy life styles (and) environments.”
La Corte’s group, the Quality Venture Club, will hold its organizing meeting Nov. 19 at the Winners Circle Beach & Tennis Resort in Del Mar. Appropriately, the meeting will feature a “gourmet, light dinner buffet,” with plenty of fruits and vegetables (and a chocolate fondue for the weak-willed).
La Corte describes herself and would-be members as “neo-capitalists--people who are interested in making a profit but who care how they make it.”
“This is an extension of socially responsible investment awareness,” she said. “All the other venture capital groups don’t have that focus. We want to encourage those companies to look toward more positive ways (of doing business). We’ll never move away from a war economy unless people have an alternative.”
Costly Decision to Stay Downtown
How badly did Mary Pappas want to keep her Athens Market restaurant in downtown San Diego after she was forced to move from her 4th and E location, across the street from Horton Plaza?
Badly, to the tune of $3,000.
Pappas, whose eatery was a 50-year-old downtown fixture downtown, will reopen next month in the Senator Hotel, on the west side of Horton Plaza.
Before she found the new location, Pappas made a $3,000 deposit on a location on Prospect Street in La Jolla.
The deposit was non-returnable.
Goodkin Becomes ‘Expert’ on the Subject
Real estate industry consultant Sanford R. Goodkin, writing in his monthly newsletter, notes that the definition of “expert” seems to be “anyone quoted in the press.”
He chided these folks for incorrectly predicting a recession this year.
PSA’s Pushing Puckish Promotions
As part of new PSA President Russell Ray’s strategy to “keep it simple, keep it colorful and keep it friendly,” the San Diego-based airline has returned to the “zany in-flight contests and fun” that it used to build revenues a decade ago.
Last month, the zaniness began. Flight attendants served hot dogs on selected flights during the World Series. One passenger per flight was served a “Lucky Dog,” good for a free, round-trip ticket between any two cities served by PSA.
Last week, attendants dressed up in Halloween costumes and handed out candy to passengers.
Later this month, PSA will host a Thanksgiving promotion. “We’ll keep it a surprise until then,” said one official.
Footnotes
- Sun Savings & Loan Assn., which fired Arthur Young as its outside auditor last month, has hired Deloitte Haskins & Sells as its accounting firm for the year ending Dec. 31. That’s not much time for the firm to become familiar with the controversial S&L;’s financial records. But not to worry, says Ron Burgess, the accounting firm’s local partner-in-charge: “It won’t be that difficult and we’ll have to cram a little bit. But we can do it.”
- Ric Trent, who was the local publisher for the Harte Hanks SUN Publishing Group in San Diego (La Jolla Light, the Star-News newspapers), has left town. But he didn’t gallop off into the sunset, he just drove north. Trent is now publisher of California magazine, based in Los Angeles. His replacement is Gary Shorts.
