History and local connections matter when building in San Francisco — especially as the city emerges from the post-pandemic collapse of its downtown office market and tries to overcome negative coverage in national news.

Firms based in the city dominated TRD's first ranking of San Francisco general contractors. Several of them have belonged to the same family for generations.

“We have relationships that go back 30 years or more,” said Bob Nibbi, CEO of third-place Nibbi Bros., founded in 1950 by his grandfather. “That’s an advantage in times like these when things get tight.”

The pandemic and resulting negative perceptions of San Francisco represent another chapter in the city's ongoing boom-and-bust story, beginning with rapid development during the Gold Rush era, followed by the famously destructive earthquake and fires of 1906.

The top-ranked company on the list, Cahill Contractors, was founded when founder JR Cahill was “inspired to rebuild the city” after the 1906 earthquake, according to the company’s website. Today, Kathryn Cahill Thompson, the company's CEO since 2016, represents the fourth generation of family leadership.

Thompson and others on the list are all operating at a time when financing construction loans and slow-moving projects is difficult.

“The construction sector is always the last to feel a recession. We are out there building it, and in the meantime the developers are not preparing the next project.”
Bob Nibbi, Nibbi Brothers

According to the city's planning department, there were 6,600 housing units under construction in San Francisco in the first quarter of 2023 – a key segment for general contractors. That's down from 9,600 in the first quarter of 2020.

The TRD ranking is based on a three-year review and records both the number of projects that companies are working on and the total cost of the projects. The construction projects did not have to be in progress to count toward the total, and both companies received joint venture credit. Data is based on San Francisco permits issued between November 15, 2020 and November 15, 2023 and only covers projects within city limits.

According to the city, during that time Cahill was the general contractor on 10 approved projects totaling about $600 million. All of these projects involved housing, except for a $16 million Buddhist temple and community center near the Polk Street corridor. Another notable project is in Bayview, where 118 affordable housing units account for $100 million of that.

Swinerton Construction took second place with 10 projects totaling about $485 million. Nearly half of that came from one project, a 16-story, 500-unit apartment building in SoMa.

The company recently announced that it will name President David Callis as CEO this month when current CEO Eric Foster retires. Swinerton is even older than Cahill, with more than 130 years of history in San Francisco.

Nibbi Brothers had approved eight projects with a total value of about $450 million. CEO Bob Nibbi is the third generation to lead the company alongside his brother Michael, vice president, and father Larry, chairman.

Bob Nibbi said affordable housing projects keep his staff busy while the rest of the development pipeline dries up and market-rate multifamily housing is “virtually non-existent.”

With fewer projects to choose from, Nibbi is competing “aggressively” for GC work and as concrete subcontractors for other GC projects, he said. But even if labor costs have fallen slightly, higher material prices, higher interest rates and lower rents still mean most projects outside of affordable housing and public sector work are out of the question for developers, he added.

“The construction sector is always the last to feel a recession,” he said. “They have the work on the books and we are out there working on it and in the meantime the developers are not preparing the next project.”

Fourth-place Webcor Construction had three projects in the works totaling nearly $260 million, according to permitting data.

Two of Webcor's projects – an $84 million residential tower on Treasure Island that broke ground in mid-2022 and a $45 million R&D building near Potrero Hill that was completed last year – According to the city, they are joint ventures with other construction companies. Webcor's only single project, also on Treasure Island, is also its largest: a 22-story mixed-use building with 250 apartments estimated to cost $130 million.

At 50 years old, Webcor is one of the younger companies on the list. It started on the peninsula. Oracle's headquarters in Redwood City, the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and SFO's Terminal One are among the most significant projects in its history, according to the company.

Turner Construction was the only construction company based outside the Bay Area to make the top five. The company is headquartered in New York's Hudson Yards and has a Bay Area office in Oakland.

Its work on a $231.1 million project called Brannan Square, developed by its New York landlord Tishman Speyer, landed the company on the list. Turner built two of the three buildings in the 1 million-square-foot SoMa office and retail project centered around a 1-acre park and recently began leasing.

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In 2021, on-the-market luxury properties were in high demand in San Francisco. In 2022, the trend flip-flopped: buyers were no longer pinning for on-the-market, high-end homes, which rarely fetched over-asking bids. This year has instead seen record-breaking prices for off-market luxury properties in San Francisco.

As best as we can decipher, the top three off-market home sales each represent transactions of approximately $30 million. In contrast, the three on-market giants were $17 million, $19 million and $29 million. Interestingly, most of the aforementioned homes — sold on and off market — are similarly proportioned, with similar architectural pedigree. (The outlier property is the all-cash $29 million sale of two penthouse condos in the Summit Tower.)

Deborah Svoboda of Sotheby’s International represents high-end sellers and buyers in San Francisco. She believes 2022 “proved to be a challenging year in San Francisco real estate due to the consecutive interest rate hikes, stock market volatility and tech layoffs.” But, she added, “the luxury market held steady, as evidenced by the three top annual sales between $29.5 and $34.5 million, all of which occurred off market.”

Why go off market? Alex Clark, broker and founder of the FrontSteps real estate firm, handles pocket listings regularly. There are many reasons sellers and their agents choose off-market sales, he told SFGATE.

“To put a pin on one main reason is not easy,” he said. “For some, it’s privacy, getting only approved and verified buyers through the door. For others, it’s a way to test the waters on price and interest, and for many, it’s because they don’t want to go through the pressure and stress of properly preparing a home for sale. Ideally, that means often being just shy of a small remodel… moving out, fixing bathrooms, floors, kitchens, lighting, yard, or at the very least, painting and staging. It can be a lot.”

Below are what appear to be San Francisco’s three biggest off-market residential sales of 2022.

2790 Broadway

In late summer of this year, 2790 Broadway sold off market at $34.5 million. Reportedly, the 12,000-square-foot Pacific Heights mansion was purchased by an LLC with ties to the ultra-wealthy Glazer family. Malcolm Glazer, founder of the First Allied Corporation holdings company, died a billionaire in 2014. His heirs now own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the wildly popular English soccer team Manchester United. And now, it seems, the Glazers own a 1927 Beaux Arts beauty designed by Arthur Brown Jr., the architect who created San Francisco’s City Hall and Opera House, the California School of Fine Arts and even worked on Coit Tower.

Previously, this 14-room mansion was the home of art collectors Norah and Norman Stone, who filled some of its enormous halls with prominent works of modern art.

3450 21st St

In July, Mark Zuckerberg sold this Liberty Hill mansion for $31 million, attempting to do so quietly, off market. The quiet part didn’t actually happen, because Zuckerberg’s sale was, up to that point, the most expensive San Francisco home deal of 2022. It quickly became a news story, and not for the first time.

Zuckerberg originally purchased this 1928 home in November 2012 for $10 million, meaning he made a pretty penny here. The Real Deal reported that “the [new] buyer for the Zuckerberg property is 3450 21st Street LLC,” which, incidentally, is also the address of the property. In other words: We have no idea who bought this place. (It’s blocked on Google Street View too!)

The home previously made news in 2016, when Zuckerberg’s then neighbors complained about the security team he’d hired to oversee a renovation. That renovation appeared to be substantial, expanding the property’s existing 7,400 square feet by adding space on three floors, adding a bathroom, remodeling the remaining bathrooms and kitchen, as well as tacking on a roof deck.

3355 Pacific Ave

A Google Maps image of 3355 Pacific Avenue in San Francisco, California.

Google Maps

3355 Pacific Avenue is a 1926 mansion that bestows breathtaking views of the Presidio. It brought in a whopping $29.5 million in an off-market deal this Novemberaccording to Redfin’s listing as well as property records.

Redfin records also tell us the mansion is 9,081 square feet with four bedrooms, seven bathrooms and an elevator. Inside, large windows in the formal dining room frame the Golden Gate Bridge, while outside is an oversized landscaped lot of 7,661 square feet. So yeah, lots and lots of space to this one.

The post San Francisco’s greatest 2022 house gross sales have been off market appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

How is the plumbing industry faring in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic? With a money market size of $134 billion, the plumbing industry is alive and well. There are an estimated 130,348 businesses registered in the United States, but which is the biggest and most successful? Under industry definitions, these companies provide general plumbing, mechanical, building sprinkler system installation, steam fitting, piping services, and lawn sprinkler installation services. We’ve also included manufacturers of plumbing supplies. Here are the 20 biggest plumbing companies in the US, ranked by revenue for 2022.

20. New York Plumbing Revenue: $66 million

Zoom Info confirms that New York Plumbing is one of the largest plumbing companies in the New York area. Its headquarters is in Richmond Hill, New York. The company is top-rated because of its commitment to quality. It employs licensed technicians serving the public seven days per week, 24 hours per day. They provide plumbing services, heating, and cooling system installations, and repairs. They also install backflow preventers and help with water meters, water lines, waste lines, gas piping, and valves. NY Plumbing also helps individuals and businesses to remove existing conditions in violation of current regulations.

19. Chicago Faucets Revenue: $100 million

Zoom Info reports that Chicago Faucets is among the largest manufacturer of plumbing fixtures and faucets in the United States today. The company opened its doors for business in 1901 and has over a century of experience, with a longstanding reputation for quality products. It also provides fountains, fillers, remote control, and the latest in smart technology systems. The headquarters are in Des Plaines, Illinois.

18. Mr. Rooter Plumbing Corporation Revenue: $112.3 million

Mr. Rooter Plumbing is based in Waco, Texas. The company employs approximately 358 employees, reporting workforce growth of 33% from 2021 to 2022. It’s a competitor in the plumbing industry with each employee generating an estimated $313,750 for the company. They’re known for their courteous and uniformed professionals who go out to businesses and residences to perform an extensive array of plumbing services. The business provides upfront price quotes and does not charge customers for any overtime work required. The website reflects a high interest in the service with more than 610 thousand visits monthly.

17. Hirsch Pipe & Supply Co Revenue: $162.3 million

Hirsch Pipe & Supply Co is a California-based plumbing supply company with its headquarters in Los Angeles. The company achieved success with 2021 revenues climbing to $162.3 million. It’s unique in the plumbing supply and manufacturing industry with a history that goes back to 1933. half of its workforce are students who recently graduated from Rio Hondo College. It employs 265 workers in its supply division. Hirsch contracts with leading plumbing supply manufacturers to provide consumers with quality wholesale parts and equipment, at reasonable prices.

16. Coburn Supply Revenue: $180 million

Coburn Supply had a good year in 2021 with annual revenues of $180 million. The company provides plumbing and heating equipment and supplies to merchant wholesalers, along with consulting services. It’s headquartered in Beaumont, Texas, employing 750 workers with an estimated $240,000 in revenue generated by each worker. Coburn Supply has been in business since 1934 and grew from a small supply company to one of the largest plumbing, heating, and cooling equipment providers in the nation.

15. Ewing-Doherty Mechanical, Inc Revenue: $455 million

Insider Monkey reports that Ewing-Doherty Mechanical, Inc is one of the biggest plumbing companies in the Chicagoland area. The headquarters for the company is in Bensenville, Illinois, with services provided throughout Chicago and surrounding cities. It was founded in 1929 and is one of the oldest businesses of its kind in the region. EDM generates an estimated $455 million per year in revenue and maintains a workforce of 23,000 employees. The company will celebrate its 100th year in business in 2029.

14. TD Industries, Inc. Revenue: $583 million

TD Industries Inc. is an American plumbing company that offers services in multiple areas of construction. In addition to providing state-of-the-art plumbing systems, it also provides electrical and air conditioning services. It’s a nationwide provider of services, equipment, installation, and emergency services within its scope of expertise. It’s also listed as a technology and construction company, specializing in the latest technological advances for installing and repairing smart systems and features. TD Industries employs a large workforce of more than 2,800 employees throughout the nation. It was founded in 1946 with its headquarters in Dallas, Texas. They’ve not yet filed for an IPO and remain a privately held organization.

13. American Plumbing & Mechanical, Inc Revenue: $595.7 million

American Plumbing & Mechanical, Inc has been in business since 1998. The business provides consumers and contractors with plumbing as its top priority and also offers air conditioning, heating, and ventilation services. Its headquarters is based in Round Rock, Texas. It specializes in mechanical contracting for industrial and residential projects. The sole proprietorship lists 4 employees on its leadership team but does not disclose the total number of employees in its workforce. Some other websites estimate the total number of workers at 16,000.

12. Elkay Manufacturing Co. Revenue: $706 million

Elkay Manufacturing Co is a manufacturer of kitchen and bath products involving plumbing and other components. It also offers a range of sinks and drinking fountains for industrial, residential, and commercial customers. The business opened to the public in 1920 and has over a century of experience with a solid reputation in the plumbing and kitchen/bath products industry. The headquarters are in Downers Grove, Illinois. Elkay Manufacturing recently completed a merger with Zurn Water Solutions Corporation. The new company formed from the merger employ over 2,600 workers.

11. Roto-Rooter Revenue: $844 million

Roto-Rooter is a plumbing company that also provides septic tanks and other types of sewer drainage services. They specialize in the installation of plumbing systems and services and repair. It’s one of the older and more established companies with roots that go back to 1935. Roto-Rooter has since expanded its reach into parts of Canada, providing services for homes and businesses. There are currently more than 600 Roto-Rooter locations active throughout the globe.

10. Residential Services Group, Inc. Revenue: $885.5 million

Residential Services Group, Inc. is a plumbing, air conditioning, ventilation, and heating company that is based in Memphis, Tennessee. GrowJo confirms that the business is one of the largest employers in the area with a workforce of 2,520 workers. It also has an impressive growth rate of 3% in the past 12 months with an estimated revenue per employee of $351,400. The company continues to grow and expand. It’s one of the most popular service providers because of its commitment to providing emergency services to consumers around the clock. RSG serves residential and commercial customers in Memphis, Tennessee, and surrounding areas.

9. Delta Faucet Revenue: $638 million

Delta Faucet Company first opened for business in 1954. It’s one of the leading producers of kitchen and bath faucets, shower heads, and shower systems. It manufactures and supplies plumbing systems for residential and commercial customers. Delta Faucets started as the Masco Corporation before changing its legal name. The headquarters for Delta Faucets are in Indianapolis, Indiana.

8. American Residential Services Revenue: $1 billion

American Residential Services is a nationwide company based in Memphis, Tennessee. According to Biz Journals, it’s one of the largest employers in the city with a workforce of 5,000 employees. ARS is active in 24 states and spreads annually with a wider reach throughout the country. It’s been in business since 1975 when it started as a subsidiary of its parent company ServiceMaster. ARS is a direct-to-consumer service company that specializes in emergency plumbing and HVAC services.

7. Mueller Streamline Co. Revenue: $1.15 billion

Mueller Streamline, Co, also known as Mueller Industries is one of the largest manufacturers in the plumbing industry. The company produces brass, copper, and plastic plumbing products including tubes, fittings, rods, bars, forgings, extrusions, valves, and more. It first opened its doors for business in 1917 and has surpassed the century mark for years in service to the public with plumbing supplies and specialty products. The headquarters are in Collierville, Tennessee. Mueller owns numerous plumbing companies throughout the United States, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

6. F.W. Webb Revenue: $1.2 billion

F.W. Webb is a plumbing supply company that has been in business since 1866. It’s one of the oldest and most successful in the country, starting as a plumbing supply company as a wholesale distributor. The business also provides other construction and engineering products. It began offering a massive catalog of products for its online store in 1995. The headquarters are in Bedford, Massachusetts, but its consumer reach is global. The company employs approximately 1,500 workers. In addition to selling plumbing, heating, and HVAC supplies, it also provides plumbing consultation and advisement services.

5. Comfort Systems USA, Inc Revenue: $3.1 billion

Comfort Systems USA, inc. is an American plumbing company based in Houston, Texas. The business also provides heating, ventilation, and air conditioning services throughout 72 cities in the United States. In addition, they specialize in mechanical, piping, controls, and off-site construction, fire protection, and monitoring for clients. The business first opened its doors to customers in 1997 and has grown and expanded its reach exponentially since that time. It employs an estimated 13,200 workers with an annual workforce growth rate of 19%.

4. PPL Energy Services Holdings LLC Revenue: $7 billion

PPL Energy Services Holdings LLC is a company that owns large and successful plumbing companies. Its holdings include businesses that specialize in providing plumbing and HVAC services. Most of its holdings are in the state of Pennsylvania. It recently acquired Rhode Island Energy as a part of its family of subsidiaries. It’s listed as a plumbing and utility company with a reach that extends into Kentucky, employing over 6,700 employees in its workforce. It’s also a Fortune 500 company.

3. Emcor Group, Inc Revenue: $7.5 billion

Emcor Grooup, Inc. is a plumbing company that provides services for commercial, industrial, institutional, and utility customers throughout the United States. It first opened its doors for business in 1994 and has since grown to become one of the largest plumbing companies in America. Emcor Group was named to Fortune 500’s 2015 list of the largest and fastest growing businesses. Its reach has spread to over 170 locations in the nation with Its headquarters in Norwalk, Connecticut. The company is one of the largest employers in the country with over 33,000 workers in various locations. It’s a publicly-traded Fortune 500 company.

2. FirstEnergy Facilities Services Group, Inc. Revenue: $14 billion

FirstEnergy Faciltities Services Group, Inc is a massive corporation that owns and operates companies working in ten countries throughout the planet. The giant specializes in plumbing, air conditioning, ventilation, heating, and electrical. It also offers control systems for buildings and smart technology for the latest innovations in energy management. The corporation owns multiple contracting, construction, and energy management companies in addition to businesses that provide plumbing services. It employs 16,000 workers and is one of the wealthiest plumbing companies in the US as ranked by annual revenue.

1. Ferguson Enterprises Revenue: $16 billion

Ferguson Enterprises is a plumbing supply manufacturing company with headquarters in Newport News, Virginia. The company employs 7,500 workers who generate an estimated $2.13 million for the company each. The business specializes in the distribution of plumbing supplies, fire and fabrication products, PVF, and waterworks. It’s a manufacturer and distributor. Statistics show high employee retention at the company with an average stay of 4.5 years. Although Ferguson Enterprises does not provide plumbing services, it does connect plumbing professionals and DIY workers with products for plumbing projects and expert advice. The wholesale plumbing company has been in business since 1953, establishing a solid reputation and winning awards for its outstanding business model.

The post The 20 Greatest Plumbing Corporations within the US 2022 appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

San Francisco saw by far the biggest percentage drop in population among major US cities during the first part of the pandemic, underscoring how the city emptied out during a shift to remote work, according to new census data.

The city lost 54,813 people, or 6.3% of its population, from July 2020 to July 2021. One pandemic year erased a decade of tech-fueled population boom: San Francisco’s 815,201 residents as of July 2021 was the lowest since 2010, according to census data.

New York had the second-highest percentage drop, losing 3.5% of residents or over 305,000 people. The country’s most densely populated county, Manhattan, was the hardest-hit New York borough, losing 6.6% of its population.

Other Bay Area cities saw some of the highest percentage of population losses in the country: Daly City dropped 3.2%, and Redwood City was down 3%, while San Mateo, Cupertino and South San Francisco each fell almost 3%.

Boston and Washington, DC, also had population drops of almost 3%, and nine of the 15 most populous US cities saw losses in people.

That included San Jose, the Bay Area’s largest city, which saw its population fall 2.7%, dropping below 1 million people for the first time since 2013. It remained the country’s 10th most populated city with 983,489 people. Austin, Texas, a popular pandemic destination for both California residents and companies, gained only 1,056 people for a total of 964,177 to remain the 11th largest city, though its suburbs boomed.

Experts have said the Bay Area’s high housing costs and remote work policies, particularly for the tech industry, fueled outmigration during the pandemic, as residents sought cheaper homes and more space. Almost all California coastal cities lost population, while the more affordable Central Valley and Inland Empire saw gains.

Census data released in March showed domestic out-migration was the primary factor in San Francisco’s population drop, with 56,000 people moving out.

There are signs that fewer San Franciscans are leaving and some are coming back. Postal service change of address requests fell last summer, and apartment rents are rebounding as companies bring people back to the office. State population estimates, which differ in methodology from the Census Bureau, put San Francisco’s population at 842,754 people at the beginning of 2022, down 0.8% from the previous year.

The 15 fastest growing US cities were concentrated in the west and south regions, including in Arizona, Texas, Florida and Idaho. Two suburbs north of Austin, Georgetown and Leander, Texas, added a combined 13,352 people, each growing more than 10% during the 12-month period. That was the nation’s highest two rates for cities with 50,000 or more people.

Central Texas’ housing construction is outpacing California’s biggest region. Travis County, which includes Austin, added 25,693 housing units, more than the 22,925 in Los Angeles County, which has almost eight times as many people, according to census data.

Overall, the nation’s population grew only 0.1% from July 2020 to July 2021, the slowest pace on record, as births fell, deaths rose and international immigration plunged.

California’s population fell slightly for the second year in a row in 2021, according to state figures.

Roland Li and Susie Neilson are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com, susan.neilson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf, @susieneilson

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There’s no escaping the tech industry when you live in San Francisco, but ever since the beginning of the pandemic, it can feel as if the tech industry itself is trying to escape the city by the bay.

The theme of the past couple of years in Silicon Valley has largely been one of exodus, which continued this year with companies like Slack and Robinhood pivoting to remote work policies. The familiar perks that come with those offices are also slowly being put into question, with Meta doing away with laundry service and the architect behind Google’s campus speaking out about the dangers of its all-inclusive nature.

Crypto has also dominated news cycles, from startups utilizing the technology for novel uses like air monitoring to local companies running confounding Super Bowl ads. Streaming services have become obsessed with startup horror stories. CEOs have not exactly been on their best behavior, major computing companies have been defeated by hackers and perhaps most notably, Elon Musk has leveled up from Twitter troll to Twitter king.

Here are all of SFGATE’s best tech stories of 2022 so far, which we’ll be updating throughout the year.

Elon Musk talks Twitter takeover in extended interview at TED2022 Vancouver

“In a 45-minute interview at the TED2022 conference in Vancouver, Elon Musk had a lot to say.

“Whereas the mercurial tech entrepreneur most often speaks in short tweets, today he spoke with TED host Chris Anderson about everything from sleeping on the floor of the Fremont Tesla factory to how he hopes to save democracy with a hostile takeover of Twitter.” — Dan Gentile, read more

San Francisco VC firm required job applicants to take online IQ test

“The owner of a San Francisco-based venture capital firm apologized after his company faced a social media backlash for requiring job applicants to take an online IQ test.

“Aneel Ranadive, the founder of Soma Capital and the son of Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, posted the mea culpa on Twitter after screenshots of a Soma job application with the IQ test requirement circulated online.” — Joshua Bote, read more

Major Silicon Valley chip manufacturer Nvidia hit by ‘malicious’ cyber attack

“A major Silicon Valley microchip manufacturer has been hit by a cyber attack which one insider told the Telegraph, which first broke the news, ‘completely compromised’ the tech firm’s internal systems.

“Nvidia, headquartered in Santa Clara, was first affected Wednesday, when its email system and developer resources went down following what the Telegraph reported to be a malicious network intrusion.

“Since then, it appears that parts of Nvidia’s email system has returned, the Telegraph reported, but the company has yet to reveal any specifics about the cyber attack. It is unclear if any customers are affected.” — Joshua Bote, read more

No bar in San Francisco has a Mark Zuckerberg anecdote as good as Phone Booth’s

“The list of famous people who have [been to Phone Booth] is long and eclectic. I mean sure, we all expect John Waters to have drank at the Phone Booth (he’s done so twice), but so have Chloe Sevigny, Michael Fassbender, Spike Jonze, Michael Stipe, Andy Samberg, Hope Sandoval and many more.

“’So, Mark Zuckerberg has been here,’ [the owner] Steve tells me during my third drink, ‘which was a fiasco.’” — Stuart Schuffman, read more

Better.com CEO Vishal Garg to be reinstated after mass Zoom layoff controversy

“Vishal Garg, the contentious founder of the digital mortgage lending service Better.com, has been reinstated as CEO following his brutal mass layoff of about 900 employees right before the holidays last year via Zoom.

“In a letter sent to employees Tuesday evening obtained by SFGATE, Garg confirmed his return ‘to work full-time at Better’ and apologized to staff for his indiscretion.” — Joshua Bote, read more

Googleplex, the corporate headquarters complex of Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc.

SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Major Bay Area-based tech company calls employees back to office

“Google told employees Wednesday that its voluntary-work-from-home period, which has been in place for two years ago, will end April 4, a company spokesperson told SFGATE.

“Employees in the San Francisco Bay Area and some of its other offices in the US, UK and Asia Pacific will be required to come to work in person three times a week. Employees can have two days of remote work.

“’We plan to use the month of March to help employees transition to their new routines and then aim to be fully functional in our hybrid working approach by April 4,’ Google said.” — Amy Graff, read more

Meta employee upset as Facebook parent company ends laundry perk

“An engineer for Meta, Facebook’s parent company, with a self-reported total compensation — or TC, which includes salary, stock options and other benefits — of $850,000 took to the anonymous job forum blindly to complain about the perks, or lack thereof, that awaited their return to the office.

“Aside from complaints about restrictions on free dinners, downturns in the market leading to a $200,000 reduction in his TC and cut ‘childcare reimbursements,’ the poster lamented the loss of laundry services provided by Meta.” — Joshua Bote, read more

The man behind Google’s Silicon Valley headquarters says fancy tech offices are ‘dangerous’

“Celebrated architect Clive Wilkinson, in an interview with NPR, decried the pervasiveness of the all-inclusive tech office — despite having helped build Googleplex, arguably the definitive tech campus.

“He argues that workers offering everything they need in a singular site blurs the line between work and non-work, a line that has been obliterated during the course of the pandemic. It also encourages creativity.

“’Work-life balance cannot be achieved by spending all your life on a work campus,’ Wilkinson told NPR. ‘It’s not real. It’s not really engaging with the world in the way most people do.’” — Joshua Bote, read more

A view inside Bandcamp’s Oakland headquarters.

bandcamp

Epic Games acquires Oakland-based Bandcamp and music fans are quite worried

“The Oakland-based company [Bandcamp], which also operated a physical record shop and performance space on Broadway pre-pandemic, has one of the few artist-friendly distribution models in the industry. Although you can stream tracks for free, the site tries to steer the listener toward purchasing music, either digitally or as physical media, with an average of 82% of the net revenue going directly to artists.

“So the music industry internet let out a collective gasp when it was announced Wednesday morning that Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, Gears of War and Unreal, has acquired Bandcamp. The deal was announced by Bandcamp CEO and co-founder Ethan Diamond in a blog post that was short on details but stressed a shared vision with Epic of building ‘the most open, artist-friendly ecosystem in the world.’” — Dan Gentile, read more

Slack to sublease 200,000 square feet of office space in move to ‘digital-first’ work

“The corporate messaging platform service Slack is no longer the holder of one of the largest office space leases in San Francisco, reported the San Francisco Business Times on Wednesday.

“The tech company is subleasing its space on 45 Fremont St., which spans more than 200,000 square feet, just three years after it moved into the space around the time of its IPO. The San Francisco Business Times ranked the lease the fifth largest of 2019.

“Its main headquarters are still open.” — Joshua Bote, read more

Controversial Silicon Valley company Robinhood to allow nearly all employees to work remotely

“Another Silicon Valley tech company is joining the ranks of Dropbox and Adobe in pivoting almost entirely into remote work.

“Robinhood, the Menlo Park-based stock management app most notorious for its place in the GameStop short selling frenzy of last year, announced Wednesday in a blog post that it would ‘be staying primarily remote’ going forward.

“‘Our teams have done amazing work and built a strong workplace community during these uncertain and challenging times, and we’re excited to continue to offer them the flexibility they’ve asked for by staying primarily remote,’ the company said.” — Joshua Bote, read more

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Travis Kalanick in “Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber.”

Photo Illustration: SFGATE / Elizabeth Morris / Showtime

Showtime’s Uber series ‘Super Pumped’ shows the horrors of Silicon Valley

“Unless you’ve been living under a yellow-checkered rock lined with cracked black vinyl and a credit card machine that mysteriously doesn’t work, you’ve likely heard of Uber.

“The ride-hailing company that disrupted the taxi industry has become a household name. Its rise and many falls was recounted in a 594 page best-seller by New York Times journalist (and San Francisco resident) Mike Isaac, which lends its title to Showtime’s new startup drama ‘Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber.’” — Dan Gentile, read more

Theranos swag floods eBay following Holmes’ guilty verdict

“At long last, the verdict in Elizabeth Holmes’ Theranos trial is in. The infamous Silicon Valley huckster was found guilty of two counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud (she was acquitted on a handful of other charges) and now faces up to 20 years in prison for each count.

“As you can imagine, Twitter was ablaze with its typical deluge of hot takes and observations, but it wasn’t the only over-active corner of the internet following the trial verdict.

“Over on eBay, a microeconomy of Theranos-branded swag exploded in the wake of the jury’s announcement (special shout out to Washington Post tech culture reporter Nitasha Tiku for tipping the trend on Twitter).” — Brian Boyle, read more

Salesforce opens ranch in the California redwoods for employees to connect in person

“As the COVID-19 pandemic finally wanes, Salesforce is luring its employees away from Zoom and back to in-person meetings with an alluring ‘workspace’: a tranquil resort-like ranch with an infinity-edge hot tub and guided nature walks in the California redwoods.

“The San Francisco-based cloud computing pioneer announced Thursday that employees will begin to visit the new Trailblazer Ranch in Scotts Valley in March for onboarding, training, skills building, talent development and generally to connect with colleagues in person.” — Amy Graff, read more

Apple joins other Bay Area tech giants in responding to Russian invasion of Ukraine

“Across the globe, national governments and corporations have made sharp rebukes of Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. In the Bay Area, tech companies have also taken measures to sanction Russia and ensure their platforms aren’t being used as strategic tools of war. Here’s how each of these major companies has responded.” — Dan Gentile, read more

Here’s what happened if you scanned the QR code in Coinbase’s strange Super Bowl commercial

“Every Super Bowl is defined by its commercials, and this year, one of the clips that had everyone talking was predictably related to cryptocurrency exchange.

“Coinbase’s 60-second spot was simple. A colour-changing QR code bounced around the black screen like a DVD screensaver (you know, the ones you’d watch for 15 minutes while you waited for the logo to hit one of the corners of the screen because it was so oddly satisfying? )” — Amanda Bartlett, read more

This startup pays Bay Area residents to monitor their air quality — in crypto

“Every summer as wildfire season approaches, everyone in the Bay Area becomes very aware of the air we breathe. We obsessively refresh websites like PurpleAir to tell whether it’s safe to open windows and compete to buy air filtering systems before they sell out.

“Running an air filter may give peace of mind, but it’s hard to tell whether they’re just scratching a hypochondriac itch. One company, called Planetwatch, aims to help people find out — and earn cryptocurrency in the process.” — Dan Gentile, read more

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Owner Michael Shvo and his partners have hired world-renowned architect Norman Foster to redesign the iconic tower’s interiors and plan to invest $250 million to renovate the 1972 building and expand its Redwood Park. The owners also plan to roughly double the size of neighboring 545 Sansome St. and add a new facade to create a modern office building at the cost of around $150 million.

The plans amount to not only the largest investment in downtown San Francisco since the pandemic began, but one of the largest building redesigns in the city’s history — and to one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.

“We want to make this place a focal center of downtown, and make sure people come here not only to work,” said Shvo. “It will not only transform the interior of the building but the landscape and the exterior and bring life to the entire site.”

Tourists and residents often take pictures of the 853-foot Pyramid from afar, but the site itself is sleepy, particularly since the pandemic began. “When you come to the site, there’s not much to do there,” Shvo said. “We want to change that.”

A rendering of the new Mark Twain Street with cherry blossom trees and new shops.

Foster + Partners

Mark Twain Street, now a barren alley connected to Redwood Park, would get rows of cherry blossom trees and new shops under the plan. Open space would be expanded around the block. On the ground floor of the Pyramid, Shvo hopes to bring into multiple restaurants, a bookstore and flower shop — all open to the public.

The renovations are expected to take a year to complete. The city has approved a temporary construction barricade, and work is scheduled to begin this week. The expansion of 545 Sansome St. — which is being rebranded 3 Transamerica — to 100,000 square feet of office space would follow and require additional city approvals.

Shvo sees the pandemic as a temporary era, and that people’s reluctance to leave the house can be overcome by making compelling destinations. And he’s bullish on the future of downtown.

“I believe, long-term, San Francisco is one of the most important cities for business in the United States,” Shvo said. “I don’t believe everyone is moving out and I don’t believe everyone is working from home.”

Shvo has partnered with luxury hotel and condo companies like Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons on other projects, and he’s taking a similar hospitality approach to the workplace.

“I strongly believe the office experience should be at the same level as luxury residential and hospitality,” Shvo said. “In the last two years, we’ve made our homes into our offices, now it’s time to make our offices feel like our homes.”

A rendering of the 48th floor tenants bar and lounge at the Transamerica Pyramid.

Foster + Partners

A vacant 48th floor penthouse space would be turned into a bar and lounge exclusively for office tenants at the cost of $201,836, according to a building permit filed this month that is awaiting city approval. Upper floors would include conference rooms, a spa and gym. Office tenants would be able to order food and beverages to their desks.

Separately, New York’s high-end Core club has leased three bottom floors in the Pyramid to build a luxury, members-only facility with three restaurants and three bars.

Shvo said he ran a design competition with world-renowned architects before selecting Foster, who designed Apple Park, the Bay Area’s most valuable property, and London’s Gherkin Building.

Foster has a history of reimagining prominent historic buildings, including designing a new glass dome atop the Reichstag, Germany’s lower house of parliament. He also designed the Manhattan headquarters of Hearst, owner of The Chronicle, a glassy diagonal grid constructed in 2003 atop a six-story structure built in 1927.

The architect has been expanding his work in San Francisco, designing a 1,066-foot tower proposed on the site of the former PG&E garage that would exceed the height of the Pyramid. Another super-tall tower, Oceanwide Center, is stalled after its Chinese owner’s financial turmoil.

The Pyramid design approach seeks to enhance and reveal the tower’s historic elements. For instance, the current lobby ceiling blocks the building’s lattice-like structure, which Shvo wants to restore.

A rendering of the renovated lobby.

Foster + Partners

Shvo and his partners are only the second owners of the tower, after buying it in 2020 for $650 million from Transamerica Corp.’s parent, Aegon. The group, which includes Germany’s biggest pension fund, Bayerische Versorgungskammer, beat out over 40 other bidders.

“They thought we would be the best steward of their brand,” he said of Aegon.

Aegon had previously proposed redevelopment of 545 Sansome St. but hadn’t received approval. Shvo’s plans will result in the relocation of 37-year-old Vietnamese restaurant Sai’s from the site. The developer is currently assisting the restaurant in finding a space nearby.

Shvo said the prospect of renovations has already paid off, with multiple leases over $100 per square foot annually, some of the highest in the country. Shvo declined to identify the tenants.

“We’re really seeing tenants are willing to pay an almost unlimited premium for quality product,” Shvo said. “Tenants today want top-of-the-line product. They want to be in the best buildings.”

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf

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Two of the city’s largest high school buildings will close on Friday and students will be given online tasks to do themselves due to staff shortages, Portland Public School sources said late Thursday evening.

After that, students at McDaniel High School (Leodis V. McDaniel) in NE Portland and Cleveland High School (Grover Cleveland) in SE Portland will attend classes exclusively online starting next week.

In total, about 3,000 students will be affected by the Portland closings.

According to the county’s COVID-19 dashboard, four adults are currently in isolation at McDaniel’s due to the virus, and another is in quarantine due to an off-school exposure of a total of 109 teachers.

Cleveland currently has 10 adults in isolation from a total of 84 teachers and three more are in quarantine due to off-site exposure. Elsewhere in the district there are a handful of schools with similar numbers of staff that are being quarantined and isolated – particularly at Mount Tabor Middle School and Vernon K-8 – but these schools have so far not announced any closings.

The news comes against the background of industrial disputes between the Portland Association of Teachers and the school district. In the autumn, representatives of the teachers’ union advocated incorporating significantly more planning time into everyday school life and adding up to six non-teaching planning days to the calendar. The district countered by offering more limited early discharge days and flexible time frames, but fewer non-class planning days, citing the documented toll of distance learning demanding on student academic, mental, physical, and socio-emotional health.

Negotiations stalled during the winter break and the teachers’ union announced its withdrawal from the negotiating table.

As the Omicron variant has spread across the country, some school districts have switched back to a distance learning model; elsewhere the debate has become more controversial, such as in Chicago, where teachers have refused to work in school buildings and the district responded by withdrawing their salaries. Meanwhile, in San Francisco on Thursday, 20 percent of teachers and aides were absent from public school classrooms after a group of educators publicly called for a sick note to protest a lack of COVID safety protocols.

The Portland Association of Teachers did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday night.

The post Two of Portland’s Largest Excessive Faculties Are Transferring to Distant Studying appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Welcome to Year in Eater 2021, Eater’s annual tradition of celebrating the last 12 months with the help of some of the Bay Area’s best food writers. From now until the end of the year, Eater SF will be asking questions daily about the Bay Area dining scene with answers from those who know it best.

The closure of the flagship Le Marais bakery in the marina because of their lousy landlord really pissed me off – they put so much into this space. At least Michelle Polzine closed the 20th Century Cafe on her terms, but her suicide note was a heartbreaking comment on what it means to be in the restaurant industry and how it eats you up. – Marcia Gagliardi, founder / editor of tablehopper.com

It was bittersweet getting the news when star pastry chef Michelle Polzine announced that she would be closing the 20th Century Cafe this spring. This Russian honey cake was truly one of the San Francisco cake icons, now often imitated but never made so well, and the rare vintage-style cafe is very much missed. – Becky Duffett, assistant editor, Eater SF

They’re all equally sad, aren’t they? But I miss having a drink and a view of Cliff House. I know technically it closed at the end of 2020, and something new is coming next year, but that was the real emptiness for me in 2021. – Omar Mamoon, Writer, Esquire

As a former resident of Ireland (a semester abroad in Cork, but still), de Veres Irish Pub was the best American imitation I had seen since returning to the States, with its dark wooden bar flown in from the Emerald Isle, Great Shepherd’s Pie and bartenders who knew how to properly pour a Guinness. The Davis location was the hub for trivia, pre-Thanksgiving meetings, and adults wanting an adult drink in a college town. Every football fan in town knew they should go to the pub in downtown Sacramento for 6 a.m. Premier League or La Liga games when the US men’s team scored a last-minute winning goal at the 2010 World Cup the collective roar could be heard a block away. But pubs weren’t built for pandemics, and brothers Henry and Simon de Vere White pulled the plug on both concepts in early October. – Benjy Egel, Food and Beverage Reporter, The Sacramento Bee

Oliveto in Rockridge. Although the Kleins were ready to retire and continue their thriving Community Grains business, it felt like the end of an era for this storied corner of College Avenue. – Jessica Yadegaran, food and dining writer, The Mercury News and East Bay Times

Best O./Yelp

Halu, a tiny, adorable yakitori restaurant covered in Beatles paraphernalia, never reopened after it first closed from COVID. I went on hoping to see it revived, but this fall it was closed for good. Looks like his replacement will serve yakitori too, so I’m hopeful! – Esther Mobley, senior wine critic, San Francisco Chronicle

The Jiangnan cuisine at Outer Richmond is the one I will really miss. – Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED

I always find it heartbreaking to hear when a restaurant closes. As a food reporter, it is never easy to hear the stories of all the hard work that goes into starting and running a business only to face the difficult decision of permanently closing it. You really feel for them. – Susana Guerrero, reporter, SFGATE

The buffet place in Oakland Chinatown called Buffet Fortuna was closed at some point during the pandemic. It was a regular meeting point for my family. Buffets are fun, and I remember going to birthday parties and loading crab legs. Buffet Fortuna had a bit of everything: sushi, dim sum, stew. I miss going there. – Momo Chang, freelance food writer and co-director of Oakland Voice

The closure of Homestead in Oakland hit me in the pit of my stomach; It’s a restaurant that I ate at many years ago with a family friend who is friends with the owners. The details are fuzzy, but I know the food was wonderful because it was when I imagined moving to California. Lots of life would stand in my way, but Homestead helped me fall in love with the Bay Area again through the food and so looked forward to partying in this cozy dining room again. – Lauren Saria, Editor, Eater SF

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The European Commission has approved a Romanian plan to spend EUR 254 million of its Structural Funds on repairing Bucharest’s city-wide district heating system

Bucharest has a total of 950 km of main lines and almost 3,000 km of secondary lines, which supply 1.2 million people in 562,000 apartments in 8,200 apartment blocks. It is the second largest district heating system in the world after Moscow.

In 2019, it was found that Radet, the state-owned company that operates the facility, was losing up to 2,000 tons of hot water per hour (see further reading).

Ciprian Ciucu, a member of the Bucharest City Council, commented at the time: “The Radet network is in a very poor condition and therefore the pressure has to be increased so that the heat can reach the houses. And when the pressure increases, other damage occurs. It is a doom-loop.”

The problems have persisted ever since. According to the Romania Insider website, thousands of households in Bucharest were without heating or hot water for several days in a row due to burst pipes and power failures.

The repair job aims to restore the integrity of the pipes that distribute the hot water. In particular, the main heat transfer pipes will be renewed, with around 10% of the total length of the network being renewed.

Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, commented: “This 254 million.”

Image: Radet workers on duty in Bucharest (Radets)

Continue reading:

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Market Research Inc recently has detailed analytics data entitled HVAC Equipment Market. Demanding trends are explored in depth in the report by type, size, and application. The global scope for the HVAC equipment sector will be discussed in more detail, studied and projected for the forecast period 2021-2029. This research report also provides aggregated data on various dynamic aspects of businesses. Well-explained SWOT analyzes are also applied to understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of businesses.

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