Industry News

LCOR Alexandria LLC, developer of the new U.S. Patent and Trademark headquarters, has chosen Turner Construction Company as the general contractor for the project. Scheduled for completion in June 2005, this massive project will consist of five office buildings totalling 2.6 million sf, two parking garages totalling 1.3 million sf, two townhouse/office buildings, and extensive sitework. The architect is Skidmore, Owings & Merrill through its Washington, D.C. office.

VaxGen, developer of an AIDS vaccine soon to exit phase 3 trials, will be acquiring a manufacturing plant in South Korea through a partnership with Celltrion, a South Korean venture partnership. Based in Brisbane, Calif., VaxGen will trade knowledge of human protein manufacturing for use of a manufacturing facility in Inchon, Celltrion's hometown. VaxGen will hold a 44% stake in the partnership. Celltrion aims to produce other biotech products at the facility in addition to VaxGen's vaccine.

The Alameda Center for Environmental Technologies (ACET) is seeking U.S. Department of Commerce approval and funding for a $6-million expansion of its facilities at the former Alameda Naval Air Station. The independent incubator was founded in the early 1990's by CSU-Hayward and the U.S. Department of Commerce and currently provides below-market rents for 15,000 sf of chemistry labs and meeting facilities. ACET plans to expand its lab space from 8,800 sf to over 30,000 sf, quadrupling its lab facilities over the next two years. 

Kennesaw State University's Coles College of Business opened the Center for Professional Selling last fall after over two years of planning. Funded by $250,000 in corporate commitments, the Center is nearing completion and will include a conference room, state-of-the-art sales labs, and offices for student role-playing. Technologies will include training tools such as digital video cameras to capture practice sales pitches, which could be viewed by prospective employers on the Internet.

Genesys Telecommunication Laboratories Inc. is relocating its 400-employee San Francisco headquarters to the Pacific Plaza in nearby Daly City. The nine-floor, 360,000-sf Pacific Plaza is nearing completion, developed by Summit Mack/Cali Associates. As an anchor tenant, Genesys will occupy 13,000 sf on four floors including the seventh, eighth, and ninth floors. Genesys is a maker of software connecting computers, databases, telephones, and the Internet.