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Specialty’s Café & Bakery
Vanir Construction Management, Inc.
Esteban Interiors
Direct Systems Support (DSS)
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
San Diego Wine Co.
Network Services Corp. (NSC)
Rachael Paddock: The Rossiter Technique
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August 5, 2010 | Volume 4, Issue 8 | www.sdchamber.org | contact us
Q: When you assumed the chairmanship last January, you said the theme for the year 2010 is partnerships. Explain.
A: The Port of San Diego is unique. It is a "unified" port, consisting of five member cities - San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and Coronado - and there has to be a relationship and a partnership among all of them in order to make this an effective organization. Beyond that, we have about 600 tenants who operate hotels, restaurants, ship-building and ship repair facilities and many other businesses that provide vital jobs on the waterfront. They are also our partners. When you look at the big picture, the port is a regional force that is only as good as its partners.
Q: How different is the Port of San Diego from traditional ports that rely almost exclusively on shipping commerce?
A: Some people believe that the Port of San Diego is only the Tenth Avenue and 24th Street marine terminals (in San Diego and National City, respectively). And they are important for the importing of autos, lumber, windmill parts, assistance to the military and other imports. But the Port of San Diego is about diversity. The maritime shipping portion of our portfolio is only about 30 percent of our revenues. Most of our revenues - about 60 percent - comes from real estate. Much of that comes from the beautiful, first-class hotels that we have on our waterfront. We also have a cruise ship business and we maintain 17 waterfront parks spread among our five member cities. And we want to be known for that. We want to be known for being visitor-friendly.
Q: What is the Port of San Diego's greatest challenge?
A: Obviously, the economy is the biggest factor right now. We have a $12 million budget deficit and we've got to balance our budget. In many ways, it's what most businesses are going through. To help close our budget gap, we began a Work Furlough Program in July. Most of our employees will be on furlough the third Friday of every month through next June. Simply put, the revenues are coming in below budget. We believe that this is a byproduct of the sluggish economy, and that things will eventually turn around.
Q: Are you optimistic as you look ahead?
A: I am optimistic. We've gone through two tough years. But we're in San Diego, and there's no better place that people want to visit. Because we have so many visitor-serving businesses, I believe that we'll have a quicker turnaround than most other cities and communities.
Q: How can the Chamber of Commerce help the port be more successful?
A: I go back to my theme of partnerships. Working together with partners only makes us better. The San Diego Chamber of Commerce is a vital organization to San Diego and to the region. We have to coordinate our agenda with the chamber's agenda. It's crucial that we work together and make sure that our business plan is consistent with theirs.
As Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners, Robert "Dukie" Valderrama sets the agenda and guides the seven-member board, the governing body for the Port of San Diego. The National City native is President of two construction companies: A-D & D Drywall, Inc. and WestCoast Scaffold, Inc. Valderrama has long been a volunteer in service to his city, having served as chairman of the National City Planning Commission, the National City Environmental and Planning Professional Committees, and the National City Parks and Recreation Commission. He also served two years as a Director of the San Diego County Water Authority Board. Valderrama has also been active in civic affairs, serving as Chairman of the Board of the San Diego Construction Council, Inc.
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