Saturday Stats: San Jose Metro has Nation's Strongest Job Market!

The South Bay has the strongest job market in the US based on a new government report. In the 12 month period that ended in July, total payroll employment increased by 6.2%, giving us the fastest growing job market by a huge margin. Tacoma came in second at 5% job growth, while the San Francisco and Salt Lake City metros were tried for third at 4.4%. The East Bay did not rank in the top 10 and had a gain of 2.2%.

To add more color on this data, over the last year 60,400 jobs were added in the San Jose Metro. Half of them were high-tech jobs (presumably with high salaries). We're not just adding tons of jobs, we're adding tons of great jobs.

Source: Siliconbeat

Centerra Has Two Pending Leases!

That giant high-rise across the street from the San Pedro Square Market already has leases pending for two of its five retail pads on the ground floor. L'epi D'or is a popular Asian Bakery in Cupertino. A bakery has been at the top of people's wishlists for the San Pedro Square Market, so I think this will be a great addition to the area.

Popbar would take the prime corner spot at St. John and Almaden Avenue. It is a dessert shop featuring handcrafted gelato on a stick. It is a small chain with several international destinations but only two locations in the US (New York and Anaheim). The pistachio gelato wrapped in crushed pistachios and dipped in dark chocolate looks amazing. If this opens up, I will definitely be swinging by every time I go to the San Pedro Square Market.

The fact that this retail is already filling up is exciting news and a great sign for the San Pedro area in Downtown San Jose!

Source: Robertee from the San Jose Development Forum

San Jose State University is Beating Out Elite Schools for Tech Jobs

A recent CBS report reveals that getting hired at a high-paying Silicon Valley tech company does not require a degree from an "elite" school. In fact, Silicon Valley companies are hiring more San Jose State University alums than any other college or university. As an example, SJSU topped both Stanford and Cal for the most alums working at Apple.

What is the secret of the university's success? SJSU students have a reputation for getting stuff done. You can sit around and talk about a problem all day, or you can get your hands dirty and fix it. I imagine the prestigious schools spending more time teaching their students about theory and planning versus execution. Plus, many SJSU students are already working while studying, and nothing beats real-world experience.

The word is starting to get around. SJSU enrollment is up to 33,000 students this year, and many of them are coming internationally from countries like India. The University is building a global brand and an outstanding reputation, something that will benefit San Jose and our local economy for generations!

Source: CBS, Big hat tip to Dan De La O for sending this in!

September 2015 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

• New homeless programs are being launched to ease the homeless problem Downtown. The programs start September 30th and include:
• A new service center staffed by PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) will open on Second and Santa Clara to provide law enforcement, business owners, and others help with homeless issues.
• PATH will deploy uniformed outreach teams to work with the homeless, including clinicians to work with mentally ill homeless people.
• A new helpline for residents and stakeholders of the Downtown area: (408) 510-7600
• Potentially doubling county-operated shelters.
• Converting the Plaza Hotel to 49 rooms for transitionally homeless.
• The 2015 San Jose homeless population dropped by 15% from 2013 and 2015, so some of the current initiatives seem to be working.
• Insight Global has moved its office to 50 W. San Fernando, Suite 900
• First to Market has morphed into The Craftsman on 399 S. First St. [Josh: they also have one of the best cocktail bars Downtown]
• Singlebarrel is now Haberdasher in the basement of 43 W. San Salvador St. The outdoor sign is a pair of scissors, a bowler hat, and a tie.
• Insight Realty is proposing an epic mixed-use project at 180 Park Ave. called Museum Place. The plan would include a hotel, residential units, offices, and an expansion of the Tech Museum.

To read the full newsletter, click here!

Sourisseau News: The Home Front

The latest edition of Sourisseau News takes us to San Jose during World War II. There are some great photos in this latest video, including Moffett Field. Enjoy the two minute trip back in time right by clicking play on the video below.


Sourisseau News August 2015 The Home Front from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

Splunk Is Leasing a 234,000 SQFT Santana Row Office Building!

The newest office building at Santana Row is getting a tenant well before construction is even completed, and it's a significant one. Splunk is a leading data mining company that went public in 2012. The company is currently headquartered in a 213,000 SQFT building in San Francisco. While they are not planning to move their headquarters, Splunk has decided to dramatically increase their investment in the South Bay and move their modest Cupertino operations to one of the most impressive office buildings in Silicon Valley.

The new building at 500 Santana Row has nearly a quarter million square feet and is situated at the tail end of the row with easy access to a couple dozen restaurants, premier shopping, and many other amenities. The office itself has every luxury feature a tenant could possibly want including 13-foot ceilings, outdoor terraces, and an onsite cafe. You can check out some of the renderings below.

This represents a huge win for San Jose and Santana Row. Splunk will bring as many as 1,300 high-paying tech jobs to San Jose with immediate access to San Jose retail. The city will get increased tax revenue from both the office component and sales taxes from Splunk's employees that are shopping and dining out. This double-dipping is one of the many benefits of mixed-use projects. The fact that this is a San Francisco company investing in building a quality outpost in the South Bay and not the other way around is also notable.

Sources: SVBJ, Hillrise from the San Jose Development Forum

Blast From the Past - Downtown San Jose is Getting Illuminated!

Below is an old post from December 26th, 2012 describing a killer project that would illuminate two highway underpasses that are gateways to the Downtown core. Guess what... almost three years later the project is going to happen! Work begins today according to the San Jose Trails Twitter feed!

Downtown San Jose is Getting Illuminated!

Here is a nice little Christmas present for all those that live, work, or play in Downtown San Jose. Two highway underpasses are about to get painted in LED artwork, which you can see below. The first is the main gateway to the Downtown San Jose core--where 87 passes over Santa Clara Street. This important area connects the HP Pavilion and Diridon Station with the rest of Downtown. Right now, it's pretty gloomy and can feel less than inviting if you are walking by yourself. However, that is about to change. Tons of LED lights donated by San Jose-based Philips Lumileds are going under the overpass along with colorful paint that will pop when hit by the lights.

The second underpass is the where 87 passes over San Fernando Street. This project is a bit more modest but the effect is the same. Artists are taking a gloomy overpass and turning it into an attraction. The photo shows blue and green lights, but with LEDs there is always a possibility of making the lighting dynamic.

All of this is made possible by a program called Illuminating Downtown, which received a $600k grant from ArtPlace America and other contributions from the SJDA. These first two lighting projects should be complete by fall 2013. I believe there will be two other areas that are getting lit as well, but am not 100% certain about that. In addition, they are also talking to high-rise residential apartment owners that are looking to illuminate their buildings (The 88 did a GREAT job with this and Axis isn't too shabby either).

I think this is a big step towards making San Jose look like the capital of Silicon Valley. Personally, I can't wait to see these two projects completed. This is showing that Downtown San Jose is moving in the right direction when it comes to public art and creating a more inviting atmosphere. Growdwerx is also doing a great job when it comes to lighting up parts of Downtown.

2013 is going to be a great year!

Source: SVBJ

Highway 87 & Santa Clara Street


Highway 87 & San Fernando Street

Deluxe Eatery & Drinkery

A new restaurant and bar called Deluxe is going to open very soon at 71 East San Fernando Street, the address last used by Azucar. They have been posting some delicious-looking dishes on their Facebook Page as a teaser. Chad Ferry is Deluxe's chef and has worked in a long line of notable restaurants such as The Plumed Horse, Paolo's, Spagos, and Lark Creek Blue. I have never had short rib tater tots before, but the concept sounds amazing to me. It also looks like they are going to have some slick artwork in there by local San Jose artist Francisco Franco (see the last image below).

That is pretty much all the info I have right now, but will update this post as soon as I know the exact opening date.

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the 3rd Best City to Raise a Family!

A recent study done by Healthline looked at a variety of factors such as job prospects, public schools, health care, and lifestyle amenities to come up with a list of the 10 best cities to raise a family in. San Jose came in at a very respectable 3rd place. Dallas took the top spot while Boston was second. San Francisco barely made the list at 9th place.

Source: Healthline, hat tip to Alex Shoor for sending this in!

SoFA Street Fair

The SoFA Street Fair is a celebration of music, art and culture Downtown. The event debuted in 1992, became a raging success, then took a hiatus, and was restarted last year. When it was in its prime, it would draw crowds of 20,000 people. Now the organizers are trying to repeat that success with three outdoor stages, 12 indoor stages, and 100 performances throughout the day. To compliment the music there will be food trucks, beer gardens, and a variety of vendors. It all goes down this Sunday from 2pm to 10pm.

For more info on the event, check out their Facebook page over here.

Help us make more LīVE Music this September at the SoFA Street Fair, a celebration of LīVE music, art, and culture in downtown San Jose’s SoFA District.

Beginning with its debut in 1992, The SoFA Street Fair drew music-lovers of all ages to experience world-class music by legendary local acts, while taking in the unique (counter)culture of the neighborhood. In no time, the festival became one of the most highly anticipated events in downtown San Jose, drawing crowds of 20,000 in its prime. Some would say it helped define what the community is today—a thriving arts and live music destination.

Now, the event is back and better than ever with three outdoor stages, 12 indoor stages, and up to 100 performances throughout the day. Food trucks, beer gardens, all-ages activities and artisan vendors will fill the streets, with LīVE events all day and night in adjacent arts and music venues. It’s all happening Sunday, September 13, for all ages, and always FREE to all, just as it was in 1992.

How to Spend 50 Perfect Hours in San Jose

San Jose is going to be a primary beneficiary of Super Bowl 50 in early 2016. Several auxiliary events will taking place in Downtown San Jose and the Super Bowl committee even created a whole two day itinerary for those visiting our city. You can see their recommendations right over here.

What do you think of their recommendations? Did they get it right?

San Pedro Square Market 4th Anniversary Party Tomorrow!

Tomorrow marks a very special occasion for the San Jose community. The San Pedro Square Market is turning four!

I'm not sure if you remember the overall sentiment in 2011, but most people expected this project to be a complete failure. Even those commenting on this blog did not believe it could work. Fast forward to today and the SPSM is the crown jewel of Downtown San Jose. It attracts more people than any other food/retail option Downtown and is driving further development and expansion in the immediate area. Without the SPSM, Centerra and Silvery Towers would never happen. I don't think any other project in a decade has had such a strong impact on Downtown San Jose's brand. Heck, it is so successful that it already has two clones coming online in Downtown San Jose alone.

Given everything the San Pedro Square Market has contributed to the area, we should pay it a little respect during its 4th anniversary tomorrow. They are hosting a special event (free admissions) that starts at 6pm and features $4 dishes from all restaurants and live music. It would also be a good time to try out SPSM's two newest restaurants, Oni Mexicatessen and Lou's Beachshack. Both are excellent!

Santana Row September 2015 News and Events

San Jose, CA)  - Hello fall! The seasonal change signals the start of autumn traditions and holiday-inspired events at The Row. In September, Yoga on the Row returns with its annual takeover of Santana Row’s main street as hundreds of yoga enthusiasts unroll their mats for the morning session.

Help Good Samaritan Hospital mark its 50th anniversary at Santana Row, a day of celebration for the entire family that includes music and games.

October brings Halloween fun with a special Mommy & Me trick-or-treating party and a glass pumpkin festival. Then it’s on to Santana Row’s annual holiday events, including the South Bay’s best tree-lighting festivities!

Mommy & Me and Daddies, Too, “Superhero Day!”
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 10 a.m. to noon, Park Valencia
Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman joins the party during this popular kids’ club that features free entertainment, interactive games, hands-on activities and educational fun designed for parents and their pre-school aged children. Dress as your favorite superhero and meet the other superheroes at The Row! Live musical performances by Andy Z, Silicon Valley Ballet School and Action Day Primary Plus. Also enjoy arts and crafts, face painting, music, balloon art, story time and more. Meet us in Park Valencia in front of Maggiano’s to pick up your activity sheet.
Details: 10 a.m. to noon at Park Valencia. Mommy & Me is a free kids’ club held on the second Tuesday of every month from May through December. For more information, call 408.551.4611 or visit www.SantanaRow.com.

Go Niners!
Take the Round Trip Shuttle to Levi’s Stadium from Santana Row
Avoid the headache of game day traffic! Take the shuttle from The Row to Levi’s Stadium for a hassle-free day that starts with easy parking, shopping and dining perks.

• Monday, Sept. 14, Niners vs. Vikings (departs at 5:20 p.m.)
• Sunday, Oct. 4, Niners vs. Packers (departs at 11.25 a.m.)
• Sunday, Oct. 18, Niners vs. Ravens (departs at 11:25 a.m.)
• Thursday, Oct. 22, Niners vs. Seahawks (departs at 3:25 p.m.)

The shuttle registration begins about 30 minutes before departure time. Registration and shuttles are located near the CineArts Theatre.
Your $30 ticket includes:

• Round trip transportation to Levi’s Stadium
• Free parking at Santana Row
• Santana Row shopping and dining incentives

Details:
When you arrive at Santana Row, park your vehicle in the designated, secured parking lot on Winchester Boulevard in the former Century 21 Theatre area. Walk across Winchester Boulevard to Olsen Drive where the registration table and bus will be waiting to load in front of the theater. The bus departs at the scheduled time (two hours prior to game time), and will not wait for passengers.

Levi’s Stadium drop-off site:
The bus will park at the official shuttle drop-off location at the stadium. One hour after the conclusion of the game, the bus will depart from the same location. All passengers not on bus at the specified departure time, will not receive transportation back to Santana Row.

Summer Yoga Series
Saturday, Sept. 12, last workout of this seasonal event
Registration at 8:30, yoga at 9 a.m., Park Valencia
Yoga enthusiasts have gathered all summer for free yoga every Saturday, presented by lululemon athletica and the weekly event comes to a close on Sept. 12.
Practice your end-of-summer sun salutations under the sunshine at Park Valencia, near Maggiano’s restaurant. The complimentary class, as always, is held outdoors with registration opening at 8:30 a.m. For more information, contact lululemon, 408.557.8721.

Good Samaritan Hospital’s 50th anniversary at Santana Row!
Saturday, Sept. 19, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
More than 100,000 babies took their first breath at Good Sam over the last half-Century and the hospital is inviting the community to join them in celebrating its landmark 50th anniversary.
Enjoy family-friendly activities throughout the day, including live performances on the main stage in Santana Row Park. Featured music includes Motown, classic rock and modern hits. Stop by the children’s pavilion with entertainment, activities for kids and safety checks. A “learning lounge” will be the site of cooking demos by Santana Row’s top chefs, CPR classes and health chats with Good Sam physicians and staff. You can also visit with first responders, use the Shopping Passport for special offers to Santana Row stores and participate in interactive contests and photo opportunities.
This event is free and open to the public. For a schedule of events and more information, please visit goodsamsanjose.com/birthday.

Cars & Croissants
Sept. 26 and every fourth Saturday of the month
9 a.m. to noon
Santana Row partners with 100 OCT to present Cars & Croissants on The Row, a monthly gathering for exotic car owners and car enthusiasts. On the fourth Saturday of the month through December, exotic car owners are invited to park on Santana Row Boulevard from Alyssum Lane to Tatum Boulevard, display their cars and mingle with other enthusiasts. The morning meet-up for coffee, croissants and cars drew 400 people and 60 cars during the first event and continues to grow in popularity. This event is free and open to the public.

Yoga on The Row for the Third Year in a Row!
A benefit for the Art of Yoga Project
Sunday, Sept. 27, 9 a.m. registration, 10 a.m. start, free to participants
Bring your mat and your best yoga form for Yoga on The Row! Athletic lululemon athletica presents the popular event, a fundraiser for the Art of Yoga Project, an organization that works to rehabilitate teenage girls in the juvenile justice system by teaching them art, yoga, and journaling. lululemon athletica will donate $1 to the organization for each participant who attends this complimentary yoga event. The goal this year is to get 1,000 yogis and their mats to line the main street of Santana Row and the park.
Registration will begin promptly at 9 a.m. and class begins at 10 a.m.
Please arrive with a mat, towel, and a smile! All levels welcome.

Sugarfina, gourmet candy shop
Now open!
It’s a candy store for grown-ups who have a sweet tooth, both in selection and ambiance but attracts candy lovers of all ages. Sugarfina is a retail concept that offers select sweets from around the world in an elegant, boutique setting. Customer favorites include Champagne gummy bears from Germany and Rainbow Kyoto Blossoms from Japan.
Founded by Rosie O’Neill and Josh Resnick in Southern California, Sugarfina’s
883-square-foot shop is open next to Donald J. Pliner.



About Santana Row
Santana Row, a 647,000 square foot mixed-use development in San Jose, CA, is Silicon Valley’s premier destination for shopping, dining, living and working. Santana Row features over 70 shops, 20 restaurants, a boutique hotel and movie theatre. In addition to the dynamic retail & restaurant collection, Santana Row offers 615 luxury rental homes, 219 privately owned condos and 65,000 square feet of Class A office space. Santana Row is a property of www.federalrealty.com (NYSE:FRT), headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. For more information, please visit www.santanarow.com.
 
About Federal Realty
Federal Realty is a recognized leader in the ownership, operation and redevelopment of high-quality retail based properties located primarily in major coastal markets from Washington, D.C. to Boston as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles.  Founded in 1962, our mission is to deliver long term, sustainable growth through investing in densely populated, affluent communities where retail demand exceeds supply.  Our expertise includes creating urban, mixed-use neighborhoods like Santana Row in San Jose, California, Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland and Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts. These unique and vibrant environments that combine shopping, dining, living and working provide a destination experience valued by their respective communities.  Federal Realty’s 90 properties include over 2,600 tenants, in approximately 21 million square feet, and 1500 residential units.

Federal Realty has paid quarterly dividends to its shareholders continuously since its founding in 1962, and has increased its dividend rate for 48 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT. For additional information about Federal Realty and its properties, visit www.FederalRealty.com.

New Mural called "Little Moment" in Japantown

Japantown is building quite a collection of impressive murals. The latest one is called "Little Moment" and is located at 140 Jackson Street (on the side of Nichi Bei Bussan). The giant mural was done by Nosego, a Philadelphia based artist known for colorful and emotive public art. What do you guys think?

Source: Hi-Fructose

The Guadalupe River Trail Has a New Work of Public Art

Check out this amazing metal mammoth that is roaming the Guadalupe River Trail in Downtown San Jose! The project commemorates the mammoth fossils that were discovered in the Guadalupe River bed several years ago. These are exactly the types of projects that we need to interest more people in exploring and discovering San Jose's parks.

Source: Cardinal2007 from the San Jose Development Forum

Saturday Stats: It is 17% Cheaper to Buy than Rent in San Jose

While the costs of buying a house and renting are both astronomical in San Jose, a Trulia report claims that it is still 17% less expensive to purchase a house than to rent in our area. The study covered the largest 100 metros in the US and uses quality-adjust measures so that the comparison is apples-to-apples (it did not compare average rents to average home values, which would have been very biased towards buying).

While 17% seems significant, it was the second lowest figure in the entire study. Honolulu came in at the lowest with 16% and San Francisco was 5th at 24%. This means that it is a tougher call than most metros in the US on whether you should try to buy a home here (assuming you can afford the down payment) or rent. One other tidbit of information is that San Jose has the 8th highest average HOA fees in the country.

To see the full Renting vs. Buying report, click here.

Ready for the Bacon Festival of America?

The Bacon Festival runs today and tomorrow from noon to 7pm at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. In order to get everyone ready for the event, a few weeks ago the organizers decided to launch bacon from San Jose into SPACE. Check out the delicious journey in the two minute video below, then head over to the Bacon Festival of America!

New Boutique Hotel Coming to Santa Clara Street

It looks like the former San Jose Entrepreneur Center on Santa Clara and 3rd is going to be transformed into boutique hotel called the Hotel Clariana. The five-story building was originally built for dorms but has been used for Class B/C office space over the last several years. After the conversion, there will be a new lobby and 44 hotel rooms on the upper four floors. Unlike the original dorms, each room will have its own bathroom (in case you were wondering).

There is no official ETA for opening, but one of the sleuths from the San Jose Development Forum learned that they are hoping open by the Super Bowl. A hotel on this corner could really help improve the block, which is neither Downtown's cleanest nor safest today. While it is always tough to lose office space, something that is open seven days a week is likely the best use for this corner.

Source: SJSharks DowntownGuy and Robertee from the San Jose Development Forum

South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk + STREET MRKT Tonight

The latest South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk is going down tonight from 7-11pm in Downtown San Jose's SoFA District. 20 different venues will be open late and featuring a wide variety of local art to enjoy. Also part of the event tonight is an outdoor street market comprised of local vendors. To learn more about the participants before the walk tonight, head over to the South FIRST FRIDAYS website over here!

70 N 2nd Street Office Building Remodel

The era of bland, mediocre office buildings in Downtown San Jose is slowly coming to an end. As Downtown's profile and brand rise, so do aesthetic expectations. Have a look below at the renovation currently underway at 70 N 2nd Street (near Ike's). The transformation is going to be dramatic even though the current shell is still being utilized. It looks like they will have a cafe on the ground floor topped with contemporary office space featuring tall ceilings and an open feel.

The twin office towers next door are also expected to get a multi-million dollar makeover in 2016.

Source: Robertee from the San Jose Development Forum

Before

Current

After

Edward Nowak's Downtown San Jose Photos

Edward Nowak is a talented photographer that lives in Downtown San Jose. I stumbled upon his work thanks to a post by Cardinal2007 in the San Jose Development Forum. I absolutely love his photos! He captured some perspectives of our city that I have not seen before. Below are a few of my favorites, but he has many over here.

Stormy San Jose Sunset - Oct. 31, 2014 

Evening Arrival at San Jose International Airport

Downtown San Jose from City Heights

Blue Sunset over San Jose - Mar. 14, 2015 

Downtown San Jose from the Taylor Street Bridge

San Jose Targets Manufacturing Growth With New Incentives

While manufacturing may not be as sexy as many of the tech jobs that dominate Silicon Valley right now, the sector is a critical source of middle-class jobs and tax revenue for our city. Last month Sam Liccardo unveiled a collection of incentives to boost manufacturing under a new program called "We Are Built in San Jose."

The incentives include waiving permit fees for renovating existing manufacturing building, guaranteeing permit approvals within 60 days for expanding and relocating manufacturing companies, cutting construction taxes by 75% (from a 4% tax to a 1% tax), and special PG&E rates.

There are tons of available manufacturing buildings throughout San Jose, particularly in North San Jose, that are just collecting dust. While several existing companies are expanding their manufacturing capabilities in San Jose, there are still millions of square feet of space to fill. The advent of 3D printing and advanced robotics will one day make it much more cost effective to build locally in the US than oversees. Now is the time to start preparing for that future and expanding our manufacturing capabilities.

Source: SVBJ

British Airways is Coming to San Jose!!!

In what can only be described as a monumental win for SJC and the city of San Jose, British Airways announced that in 2016 they will begin a nonstop flight between San Jose and London. This will be San Jose's 5th international route (Guadalajara, Cabo San Lucas, Tokyo, and Beijing are the others). It may very well be the most important route that SJC has ever landed as London is the #1 requested international destination in Silicon Valley.

“We are thrilled to see British Airways provide direct service out of Mineta SJC Airport to London,” San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Matthew Mahood said. "This is a great opportunity for both business and personal travelers to experience the benefits of flying directly out of Silicon Valley’s airport – Mineta SJC International."  

The flight will feature a state-of-the-art Boeing 787-900, which is 20 feet longer than the 787-800 pictured below. The plane will be the first in San Jose International's history to have four classes of service: 8 First Class "cabins," 42 Business Class seats, 39 Premium Economy, and 127 Economy seats. Those who have flown on British Airways can attest that even the cheapest seats are pretty nice compared to typical American planes, and this will be the very best plane in the British Airways fleet.

This new route will give San Joseans easy access to far more than just London. The flight will land in Terminal 5, allowing in-terminal connections to 130 destinations in Europe, Africa, and Asia. I can only imagine the amount of momentum this will give our airport going forward.

The first flight will land in San Jose on May 4th, 2016 at 6:05pm and depart to London at 8pm. It is expecting to be highly utilized by both business and leisure travelers. I know I'll be on one of those flights next year!

Source: SVBJ

Boston Properties Adding 536,949 SQFT of Office Space

Boston Properties is planning to add two new large buildings to their Innovation Place business park in North San Jose. Each would be a quarter million square feet. The best part is that they already seem to have a tenant to occupy the space, rumored to be Broadcom. This would double the size of the current campus from 543,900 SQFT to over a million SQFT. The two buildings would replace an existing parking lot, while parking would be moved to two new structures.

Unfortunately, Boston Properties will have to go through the city planning process all over again for entitlements to build the project since their previous entitlements to expand the campus expired. While this project is not as sexy as some of the mixed use projects we have seen lately, it would provide critical Class A office space to North San Jose that is needed to maintain momentum in this economy.

Source: SVBJ

Intelicare Direct Bringing 350 Jobs to San Jose

A high-end call center is opening this week in North San Jose (2350 Zanker Road, Suite 10). Intelicare Direct--the company opening the center--is establishing 350 new jobs in our city, as opposed to outsourcing them outside the country. The new center also means more tax dollars for the city's coffers. 

To learn about the company and the new office, please have a look at the press release below. FYI, they are aggressively hiring. These positions are a great way to get your foot in the door if you are interested in moving into tech, Customer Service, or Customer Success. 

San Diego — Intelicare Direct (ICD), a leading customer service solutions company with offices in Las Vegas and San Diego, is opening its third state-of-the-art building in San Jose, Calif. The expansion to the Bay Area continues a commitment by ICD to provide high quality customer service for its clients that remains based in the United States.

On Wednesday, September 2 at 12:15 p.m., a ribbon cutting ceremony will take place with San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo. Intelicare Direct will also host an open house job fair following the ceremony.

“We are excited to be creating over 350 jobs in the Bay Area as we pursue our goal of providing the world’s best customer service experience for our clients,” said Gabriel Bristol, President and CEO of Intelicare Direct. “It’s important to us that as we grow, this work continues to be performed in the U.S. and San Jose, the heart of Silicon Valley and a bustling hub of technology, is just the place to do it.”

An ambitious project, the goal of this new San Jose office is to not only create a customer service contact center unlike any other, but also to make sure that the space reflects the value of those performing the work. The new office mirrors the company’s unique values and culture, which are in part responsible for the success the company has enjoyed. ICD pays a livable hourly wage, weekly bonuses and provides health and disability insurance for all its employees. The company is famously dog friendly and allows employees to bring their children into the office as well.

“Customer service workers have long been denied the kind of respect they deserve. Without these hard working agents, most companies simply couldn’t function, and yet too often they’re relegated to the basements with sub-par equipment and even poorer working conditions,” said Bristol. “All too often these jobs are shipped off to parts of the world where the work can be done for pennies on the dollar. This fails to recognize the importance of their contribution and this new location has been built to serve as a paradigm shift in that thinking.”

The goal was to create the world’s most technologically advanced and aesthetically pleasing call center to provide first class customer service in an open and nurturing environment. Bristol has equipped the new location with state-of-the-art Apple technology, ergonomic workstations and, unheard of in the customer service industry, flexible workstations. Employees will be able to work remotely anywhere in the building they find comfortable because their wireless laptops will be able to be used anywhere in the center.

Below are a few highlights of what makes the San Jose office unique:

• All employees will have Apple MacBooks, which will allow them to work from anywhere in the office.
• In addition to traditional workspaces, there will be several creative workspaces, which will allow employees the flexibility to answer customer calls from almost anywhere in the building.
• ICD believes workplaces should encourage being healthy so there will be a gym with exercise equipment.
• ICD is a child friendly workplace, as parents should not have to worry if there is ever a breakdown in childcare. The new offices will ultimately have day care with tutors.

Intelicare Direct is a fast-growing, full-service customer support company, which acts as an external customer service department. The company provides customer care that’s friendly, reliable and professional. By providing industry-leading customer satisfaction, businesses can focus on building profits instead of costly infrastructure.

In just under two-and-a-half years during his tenure as CEO, Bristol has grown the company from just 60 employees working out of a warehouse to an estimated 800 employees by the end of the year.

“Intelicare Direct has built and maintains a strong and supportive company culture where employees’ happiness comes first and success is measured by more than the number of calls handled. Commerce and compassion can reside in the same space,” said Bristol. “We attribute our success to our people and look forward to continuing to reform the call center corporate culture.”

Employee satisfaction is the foundation that has enabled Bristol and Intelicare Direct to successfully develop turnkey solutions, effective customer care, and sales programs for small and medium-sized businesses.

About Intelicare Direct: Intelicare Direct is a leading customer service solutions company based in America, offering businesses effective ways to improve customer satisfaction, sales and quality assurance. Intelicare Direct increases companies’ bottom lines by catering to their number one asset--the customers. Intelicare Direct’s services include Inbound Customer Service, Technical Support, Outbound Sales, Lead Generation, and Reporting. For more information please visit www.intelicaredirect.com.