OCEANSIDE — Over 300 business and community leaders gathered at The Seabird Resort on Dec. 19 for “The Devvies,” an awards luncheon to honor North County companies, developments and projects that made significant impacts on the region.
Each year, the San Diego North Economic Development Council (SDNEDC) solicits nominations for entities that help create a more economically competitive region by:
- Opening or relocating a business to North County,
- Launching new policies, activities or programs in North County, and
- Making significant expansions, new developments or new investments as an existing North County business.
The award winners from this year’s event presented by San Diego Gas & Electric are as follows:
Frontwave Arena
Oceanside’s new $85 million, 7,500-seat arena opened its doors in September.
Now home to the San Diego Sockers and San Diego Clippers, the arena will also host scores of concerts and special events throughout the year. According to SDNEDC, the arena promises to bring thousands of people to North County, fueling the continued expansion of the region’s tourism and hospitality sector.
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa recently completed its $70 million renovation in Carlsbad. The resort has welcomed guests to North County since 1965 and its golf course regularly hosts top PGA and LPGA golfers.
Renovations included upgraded rooms, villas, spas, restaurants and its championship golf courses. That investment is already paying off for North County, as the resort has been selected to host the NCAA men’s and women’s golf championship for three years during the region’s traditional shoulder season.
According to SDNEDC, the resort is a key pillar in North County’s $5.7 billion tourism industry.
City of Encinitas
In 2024, Encinitas opened the first municipally run Pacific View Arts Center in North County on the site of a former elementary school that occupies a full city block of Third Street near the ocean. By year’s end, the arts center is expected to have hosted at least 160 cultural arts classes.
The center is expected to be a hub of the arts industry, which, according to the SDNEDC, contributed $28 million to the city’s economy in 2022.
“This has been a 10-year effort,” said Encinitas Mayor Bruce Ehlers. “It’s not just me, our current staff or council. It’s our past mayors, councils, staff and a lot of volunteers to make this happen.”
City of Escondido
Over the past year, Escondido adopted a Public Arts Strategic Plan that provides a comprehensive roadmap for public art, emphasizing community-driven projects and inclusive participation.
The plan creates partnerships between local artists, nonprofits and schools to ensure that future art installations reflect the city’s diverse community while creating new jobs for local artists and businesses.
California State University, San Marcos
Cal State San Marcos won two awards, one of which is the SWIFT Scholars in Wellness and Innovation Fast Track, and the other for providing free summer opportunity workshops for high school students.
The SWIFT program, supported by CSUSM’s largest philanthropic gift to date, is an expedited three-year program to train the next generation of North County’s mental health workers.
According to SDNEDC, with a need for more than 18,000 professionals in the field by 2027, the SWIFT program responds to the need to attract, retain and graduate students in a high-demand, well-paying industry.
Additionally, more than 100 high school students used the free summer workshop program on-campus. Because more than 80% of CSUSM students stay local after graduation, the participants in this and other programs can greatly impact the local workforce and economy.
“This program is vital to building the San Diego workforce, as 8 out of 10 students stay in the region,” said Ronald Ramirez, Dean of the CSUSM College of Business Administration.
Vista Chamber of Commerce
Two years ago, the Vista Chamber of Commerce launched its Velocity Summer Internship program. Since then, the program has grown larger each year, and in 2024 hosted 74 students with paid internships at 30-area businesses with support from the Vista Unified School District.
The program also provided more than half of the participants with their first work experience.
According to SDNEDC, the program strengthens the workforce pipeline.
AMAI, Inc
AMAI is a Vista-based startup creating edible, all-temperature cups made from recycled beer grains. An environmentally-friendly alternative to single-use cups, these vegan, protein-rich options can hold hot liquids for up to 48 hours without leaking – all while being free of soy, nuts, dairy and eggs.
AMAI has been named as finalist for the “Coolest Thing Made in California,” has started to develop sales channels throughout San Diego County, and is soon ramping up industrial scale production at a new facility in North County.
“When my husband and I started this business, we were going to import an edible cup we found in India, but we decided to start a manufacturing facility in Vista,” said CEO Jeannine Davison. “We wanted to make a dent in the 125 million pounds of spent grain in our county annually. When I look around the room, I see too many people who have opened doors for us and connected us to their network. I like to think of this award not only as recognizing the things that we have accomplished up until this point, but your belief in what we are going to do with this company in the future.”
MiraCosta College
MiraCosta College was recognized for launching its new Associate of Science Degree in Artificial Intelligence this past fall. launched this fall
Developed with input from industry partners, the foundational course sequence benefits students in multiple ways, including supporting those who aim to transfer to a four-year institution or who are entering the workforce directly.
“I really appreciate the growth and connection here, especially from those giving our students opportunities,” said Rick White, faculty in MiraCosta’s department of computer science and information technology. “Thank you very much. They will be very, very worth it.”
Kevin Hamm Impact Awardees
One of two Kevin Hamm Impact Awards, which go to individuals who connect others with resources and elevate the visibility of others, recognized Linda Kurokawa for career achievement and leadership in development MiraCosta College’s Technology Career Institute.
Kurokawa retired earlier this year as the director of community education and workforce development at MiraCosta College. She launched TCI in response to the increasing need from local companies for employees with specific technical skills, working with employers to design and deliver impactful training programs in some of the most in-demand occupations in North County.
Today, TCI incorporates work skills and technical training programs to help meet industry’s demand for labor.
Cassandra Schaeg received the other Kevin Hamm Impact Award for her dedication to fostering inclusive success for North County entrepreneurs and beyond.
Schaeg is an Emmy Award-winning TV producer, acclaimed series host, and visionary entrepreneur.
In 2015, she opened SIP Wine & Beer in Escondido, and she co-founded Fresh Glass Productions, LLC in 2021, which has since produced two seasons of “Fresh Glass,” a lifestyle docuseries that explores the journeys of diverse innovators in food, beverage and entrepreneurship. The first season received an Emmy for its magazine style format.
According to SDNEDC, Schaeg has been a powerful advocate for women and diverse communities within the food and beverage industry, while also offering mentorship and guidance to emerging entrepreneurs in North County and beyond.
“Everything in North County is why I am standing here right now,” Schaeg said. “National (syndication) is great, but it all started right here.”
2024 North County Steward Award
MiraCosta College Superintendent and President Sunita Cooke received the 2024 North County Steward Award for her leadership in workforce aligned education in the region. The award is given to someone who seeks to improve the community for its current residents and for future generations to come.
According to SDNEDC, Cooke has championed initiatives including California’s first biomanufacturing bachelor’s degree program, and most recently its associate degree in AI.
“When you lead an organization, you get to stand up here and talk about what the organization has done, and you get to accept awards like this, but it is clear that it’s the 1,600 workers who make these things happen,” Cooke said at the ceremony. “For 90 years, that’s what MiraCosta has been doing.”
