Meet the movers and shakers of the Hillcrest business district. The HBA’s Board of Directors are Hillcrest business owners who demonstrate leadership and commitment to their neighborhood. Our staff works in conjunction with our Board of Directors and our 1,300 business members to develop leadership, beautification and promotions in the Hillcrest community.
Looking for past and current Board of Directors meeting agendas? Click here for board agendas and minutes.
Nick Moede currently serves as the Hillcrest Business Association’s Board of Directors President. Well known for his leadership in Hillcrest, he also owns two of Hillcrest’s most popular nightclubs, Rich’s and Numbers.
As a well-known business member in the community Nick works hard at the ‘big-picture’ for Hillcrest. He is active on the HBA Executive Committee and the Parking Committee.
If you have walked down University Avenue, between 4th and 5th Avenues, you’ve smelled the wonder of Amy’s store! That scent, emitted by Amy Capano’s Cathedral, is specifically located at 435 University. Cathedral is San Diego’s premier candle boutique and has been “delighting your senses since 1995”. Through the years, owner Amy Capano has been keeping up with the trends and constantly reinventing the décor of her Fabulous Hillcrest Store.
Capano says “running your own business with very minimal staff is hard work but it is a labor of love for me. Being in Hillcrest you are always surrounded by friends, that’s the beauty of Hillcrest. Everyone is friendly and warm which is why I chose Hillcrest for my business and still love it!” Amy is Chair of the HBA Marketing Committee and is energized by Hillcrest’s many marketing projects.
Sean Cute is an active member of the Hillcrest community and the music scene in San Diego. He owns and operates The Ruby Room, a bar with live music, art and culture. He is the Music Chair of the HBA’s Special Events Committee’s and customizes the CityFest line up every year. Sean recently contributed to the “SDPD Hillcrest Bicycle Team” on behalf of The Ruby Room and is committed to safe streets in the business district.
Johnathan Hale, born and raised in Portland, OR, has been a San Diego resident and small business owner for over 10 years. Starting out working on high-end web sites for law firms, Hale wanted to use his web design and marketing talents to give back to the LGBT and greater community. In 2002, he formed SDPIX as a side hobby, with the intention of taking photos of people at San Diego night spots and community events, posting the pictures online for sale, and donating all proceeds to charity.
In October 2009, Hale wanted to change the tone and tenor of the dialogue happening within the local LGBT community. He gathered a group of community leaders and friends and created San Diego Gay & Lesbian News (www.SDGLN.com), which in less than a year; SDGLN has become the most read LGBT news source in San Diego. Both the SDPIX and SDGLN brands are dedicated to supporting the community in which we do business. As a Hillcrest business-owner, Johnathan has a commitment to the neighborhood that houses his company.
Pete Katz has been a property owner in Hillcrest since 1986. With 50 residential and commercial tenants in the Hillcrest area, he is fully invested in making sure the future of Hillcrest is as bright and prosperous as it could possibly be. He is always looking out for the welfare of his business tenants, and working to make Hillcrest vibrant and prosperous for everyone who lives and works here. He is committed to the future of Hillcrest into the neighborhood we all want it to be.
Michael Wright owns City Deli in the heart of Hillcrest. He has been an active member of the Hillcrest business district for many years and is invested in improving Hillcrest parking and beautification.
Dalour was born in Baghdad, Iraq and immigrated to the United States at the age of thirteen, where he grew up in San Diego, CA. He continued his local education at San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1985. He proudly identifies as a San Diegan and cares deeply about the City of San Diego, especially the Uptown area.
He and his wife Nancy own and operate the Hillcrest Shell gas station on Washington Ave. He has been active in the Uptown community since 1978 and is well versed with the area, the people and the local issues. Dalour and Nancy are both active volunteers of the Hillcrest Business Association. They take their volunteer positions very seriously. He says, “I want to give our business people – that work hard every day to make a living – a voice and representation. I care greatly about the wonderful people that live in the neighborhood. My goal is to help revitalize our area and to facilitate harmonious relationship between the local businesses and the community.”
Glenn Younger is president of Grah Security; a group of companies providing access control, locksmith service, hardware installation and distribution in the security field. Grah Safe and Lock is one of those companies and they have been helping San Diegans to be Safe, Secure and Successful; since 1914. The Grah retail outlet and headquarters office is located across from the Uptown Shopping district, at 10th and University Ave.
Glenn has been involved with the Hillcrest Business Association since 2006. His areas of interest within the business association are the Hillcrest Farmers Market, Hillcrest 2.0 and the Uptown Community Plan Update committee. He is enthusiastic about continuing to help the Hillcrest business district grow and prosper.
Benjamin Nicholls, a native of New Zealand, has worked in community and economic development for over ten years. Prior to working for the Hillcrest Business Association be managed the Pacific Beach Business Association for six years. He served as the Program Manager for the Pioneer Square Community Association in Seattle for five years.
While in these roles he has implemented community projects relating to public space renewal, economic development, marketing, special events, and public safety. Benjamin has worked on a variety of political campaigns and for several nonprofit agencies. He began working with communities as an aide for a legislator in the New Zealand Parliament. Benjamin lives in the neighborhood of South Park, San Diego
Lisa joined the HBA at the start of 2010. Prior to the HBA she worked for three years as a communications specialist in the San Diego non-profit community just after completing her Master of Arts in Women’s Studies at San Diego State University where she still works as an adjunct lecturer. Lisa blends her strengths in social change work and strategic marketing strategy to improve the communications and marketing campaigns in the neighborhood of Hillcrest.
You’ll find her at the HBA bi-monthly Marketing Committee meetings working with the best volunteers in San Diego. When she’s not working in committee she’s likely at the dog park with her irresistible pug, Beasley.
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