homesmillbrae.com » Steve Fox

EO Products still ‘made in Marin’

Tue, 29 May 2012 05:10:31 +0000

EO Products founders Susan Griffin-Black and Brad Black

CORTE MADERA — After 17 years of making environmentally and health- conscious personal care products in Marin County, EO Products seriously considered the better economics of taking the 40-person company to the East Bay, but the manufacturer is choosing to stay in Marin after an opportunity arose to convert a former Industrial Light Magic sound stage to a much larger production plant plus local and regional economic boosters and a state legislator jumped in to help navigate permit processes.

EO Products (415-945-1900, eoproducts.com) in mid-May signed a 10-year lease for a 40,000-square-foot industrial building at 90 Windward Way in San Rafael. It’s double the size of the existing plant in Corte Madera. Pending the go-ahead from the San Rafael Sanitation District and Marin Municipal Water District, EO Products plans to move this fall.

About a year ago, EO Products started scouting the Bay Area for a new location after it learned the lease for its headquarters and manufacturing plant at 15A Koch Rd. in Corte Madera would not be renewed when it expires in November. The company was leaning toward a move across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to tax incentive — backed enterprise zones in Richmond or Berkeley.

“It was compelling to drive over the bridge, because the cost of doing business there is cheaper,” said Steve Fox, chief financial officer. “Doing business in Marin is very expensive.”

EO products advertisement

Yet the company has deep ties to Marin and wanted to stay. Many of the workers live in the county. More than 5.5 million bottles of soap, lotion, shampoo and conditioner shipped around the world in the past three years with “made in Marin” on the label. Founders Brad Black and Susan Griffin-Black secured certification for manufacturing with organic ingredients, became one of the county’s first benefit corporations, incorporated expensive essential oils in amounts deemed of health-enhancing value, pushed for advances in recycled packaging — a patent is pending on a blister-pack replacement — and reductions in company net waste to zero, and fought financial pressures to outsource production as much as possible.

“It’s very much a Marin ethos type of company,” Mr. Fox said.

Company sales have been growing rapidly and are projected to continued on that path. From around $10 million in annual sales now, EO Products is forecasting 20 percent growth in the next five years. Sales got a boost in 2009 when its hand-sanitizing gel brought widespread attention to the EO brand amid concern over the H1N1 flu variant. Among several products launched in recent years, the larger-sized, lower-priced Everyone by EO brand extension — $10 for 32-ounce containers — started hitting the shelves of Whole Foods Market, Safeway and other chains in January.

But the founders’ goals of taking their products to the masses met challenges in reducing cost per unit by producing in larger batches. Because facility lease terms didn’t allow for significant capital investment, high-volume production of sanitizing wipes had to be outsourced to Southern California and of antiseptic gels and sprays to the East Bay, according to Mr. Fox. The expansion project would allow those processes to come back to Marin, he said.

As EO Products considered East Bay options, the company’s real estate agents — Steven Leonard, Trevor Buck and Brian Foster in Cassidy Turley’s San Rafael office — approached San Rafael-based Universal Portolio Ltd., owner of 90 Windward Way, a number of other east San Rafael industrial buildings and Keller Estate Winery southeast of Petaluma. The building wasn’t on the market, but agents tried reaching out to the owner after the shuttering of startup movie model maker Kerner Optical there last year, according to Mr. Foster.

Universal Portfolio agreed to a long-term lease at lower rental rates, but EO Products would have to fund the improvement themselves. Owners eager to attract tenants often offer to cover some of those costs. In the first quarter, just 5.9 percent of San Rafael’s 3 million square feet of industrial space was available for lease, according to brokerage Keegan Coppin.

With potential for local expansion space, EO Products sought help in getting necessary local-agency approvals. Mr. Fox contacted the Marin office of Assemblymember Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, San Rafael interim Economic Development Director Stephanie Lovette and Robert Eyler, a Sonoma State University economist and head of the Marin Economic Forum. They pulled together staff from city planning, building and fire departments and the sanitation and water districts to consider the least time-consuming and costly options for the new plant.

“We’re always delighted to get manufacturing and industrial into our industrial areas,” Ms. Lovette said. Because of zoning there, EO Products would need just building permits from the city, after the sewer and water approvals are in hand. She had talked with the company a while ago but didn’t have available space.

The company’s new five-year goal is to become a net zero waste producer, and key to that is cutting its heavy water use. Three-quarters of the content of its products is water, but 80 percent of company water use is chilled water circulated around industrial kettles to emulsify the batches and washing out the kettles afterward. Part of the U.S. Small Business Administration financing EO Products is seeking for the expansion is for technology that will allow reuse of 80 percent of water taken into the plant and prepare the remainder for greywater recycling for irrigation, potentially in a planned community garden near the new facility.

Ms. Lovette connected the company with Redwood Empire Small Business Development Center’s industrial consultant Robert Toering on the water- and cost-saving process design, which is being planned by The Fifth Resource Group of Cotati.

Key to Ms. Lovette’s and Dr. Eyler’s involvement in EO’s meetings with the districts was explaining how the company uses water and how it plans to drastically cut water use.

“We are looking at how the water district plays a roll in economic development,” Dr. Eyler said.

Assemblymember Huffman said he is grateful public officials and company executives have been able to cooperate on the plant expansion plan. He plans to present the company with a district Small Business of the Year award in June.

“One of California’s competitive advantages is the growth of green companies like EO Products that are dedicated to environmentally responsible business practices,” Mr. Huffman said. “These companies are vital to California’s recovery, providing quality jobs for skilled workers, and stimulating growth in other sectors of the economy.”

In addition to the new plant, EO Products plans to open a small retail store in central Corte Madera this fall. Designed by Cass Smith of San Francisco, the store will have a Soap Bar to promote bulk purchases of soap in reusable containers and education. Also planned is a bulk sales program for lower-income consumers.

The manufacturing plant project team currently includes Wright Architecture Studio, a San Rafael firm recently formed by Robert Wright, a former principal of TWM Architects and Planners; The Fifth Resource Group; and likely general contractor McDevitt McDevitt Construction, a Petaluma company that built 90 Windward.

Topics: City of San Rafael, Corte Madera, EO Products, expansion, Jared Huffman, Marin Economic Forum, Marin Municipal Water District, North Bay Business Journal 5-28-2012, Redwood Empire Small Business Development Center, relocation, San Rafael, San Rafael Sanitation District | Categories: Commercial Real Estate, Construction, Industry News, Manufacturing, Marin Report, North Bay News, Position, Top News Stories

Article source: http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/54856/manufacturer-reconsiders-expansion-out-of-marin/

Food & Wine Events: East Bay and Beyond

Fri, 13 May 2011 07:33:00 +0000

Teacher Appreciation Month — Throughout May in 10 Bay Area Lark Creek group restaurants. For every teacher or school employee who presents a teacher or school employment identification at a participating restaurant, the first $10 spent is paid for by the restaurant, even if the bill is only $10 (excluding alcohol, tax and gratuity). www.larkcreek.com.

Danville’s Wine and Chocolate Stroll — 6-9 p.m. May 12. Enjoy a fun-filled evening of wine tasting, decadent chocolates and shopping. Select businesses will stay open late to host some of our area’s finest wines, which will be accompanied by gourmet chocolate samples, compliments of Danville Chocolates. Enjoy live music and entertainment throughout the evening. Jazz band, the Lost Cats, will be performing at the corner of Hartz and Prospect avenues, and Steve Fox of Bay Area Broadcast DJ’s will play hits at Danville Chocolates. $25. 925-339-8330, www.discoverdanvilleca.com/eventsprwinechoc.php.

Moe’s Tasty Treats — 10 a.m.-10 p.m. May 12. Moe’s famous book store is saluting cookbook lovers by giving away goody bags — containing gift cards and special deals from 15 popular East Bay restaurants and specialty food purveyors — to the first 100 customers who purchase new, used or collectible cookbooks (totaling $35 or more). 2476 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. 510-849-9938.

Taste

of Potrero — 7-10 p.m. May 12. A gala event showcasing tastes, nibbles and bites from restaurants in Potrero Hill and adjacent neighborhoods, including Dogpatch, SOMA, Noe and Mission/Media Gulch to benefit Daniel Webster Elementary School. A silent auction will feature unique and exotic products and services throughout the Bay Area. 991 Tennessee St., San Francisco. $50. 415-309-0538, http://tasteofpotrero.eventbrite.com/.

Rock Wall Wine Company Tasting Room Opening Weekend — Noon-6 p.m. May 14-15. Take a peek at the new tasting room at Rock Wall Wine Company during grand opening weekend celebrations. Drop in to the tasting room from noon to 6 p.m., or make reservations for the sunset celebration, which runs from 5-8 p.m., and enjoy light bites, musical entertainment, wine and fantastic bay views. 2301 Monarch St., Suite 300, Alameda. 510-522-5700, http://rockwallsunsetcelebrations.eventbrite.com.

Trumer Pils Pit Stop — 8 a.m.-noon May 15. Trumer Pils, the world’s best pilsner made locally in the Bay Area, is teaming up with nine local San Francisco bars to celebrate the 100th annual Zazzle Bay to Breakers 12K Foot Race. Enjoy drink specials and prizes at Trumer Pils Pit Stops. For a list of participating bars, visit www.trumerpitstop.com.

Wine Tasting and Fundraiser — 11 a.m.-4 p.m. May 15. Enjoy an afternoon at a hidden gem boutique winery in Green Valley. Sample fabulous Sangiovese, delicious Dolcetto, luscious Syrah and more. No fee for tasting. The winery will donate a significant portion of sales to a “Team in Training” fundraiser. 707-864-2089, www.greenvalleyvintners.com.

Wine Auction on the Lawn — 2-5 p.m. May 15. A casual afternoon of wine, noshing and music for FAME — the Foundation for African Medicine and Education. Mingle with some of Napa Valley’s best-known wine families and winemakers, and the founders of FAME. Silent auction includes goods, services and fine wines such as von Strasser, Madrigal, Krug-Peter Mondavi, Sequoia Grove and Domaine Chandon; noshes by valley restaurants and caterers. 3718 North St., Helena Highway (Highway 29), Calistoga. $50. 707-942-0437, www.famenapavalley.com.

The Lazy Gourmet — May 15-June 25. Meet Robin Donovan and Julianan Gallin, Bay Area food bloggers and authors of “The Lazy Gourmet: Magnificent Meals Made Easy” during their appearances at 3 p.m. May 15 at Omnivore, 3885a Cesar Chavez St., San Francisco; Towne Center Books, 6:30 p.m. May 18. Towne Center Books, 555 Main St., Pleasanton; 7 p.m. June 2. 5433 College Ave., Oakland; 6-9 p.m. June 6. Bizarre Cafe, 5927 California St., San Francisco; 7 p.m. June 9. Books Inc., 1760 Fourth St., Berkeley; 2 p.m. June 25. Reader’s Books, 130 East Napa St., Sonoma. 510-845-8000.

Geocaching at Benessere Vineyards — 10 a.m.-3 p.m. May 21. The winery and vineyards will be the setting for essentially an adult treasure hunt, using GPS devices (supplied by the winery), including refreshment stations throughout the estate and a lunch from Michael Chiarello’s NapaStyle Paninoteca. 1010 Big Tree Road, St. Helena. $55-$65. 707-963-5853, www.benesserevineyards.com.

15th annual A La Carte and Art — 10 a.m.-6 p.m. May 21-22. The Bay Area’s outdoor festival season officially kicks off in Mountain View at this vibrant springtime celebration of the arts featuring artisan specialty food purveyors, festive food and drink with premium wine, microbrews, margaritas and mojitos, a farmers market with fresh seasonal produce, health and wellness displays, an organic and green products showcase, home and garden exhibits, live music and more. Castro Street between Church Street and Evelyn Avenue, Mountain View. 650-964-3395, www.miramarevents.com.

Sixth annual Uncorked! Wine Festival — 1-6 p.m. May 21. Food and wine lovers will gather at Ghirardelli Square to enjoy wines from more than 40 top-tier wineries, live entertainment, cooking demonstration by top San Francisco chefs and wine education seminars. Tickets can be purchased to participate in wine tasting with top regional wineries, with proceeds benefiting local nonprofit Save the Bay. 900 North Point St., San Francisco. $50 tasting tickets, includes unlimited tasting and a souvenir wine glass. All other activities and demonstrations featured at the festival are free. 415-775-5500, www.ghirardellisq.com; www.ghirardelliuncorked.eventbrite.com.

Doof-a-Palooza — 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 22. A family festival that makes good food fun in the form of food-making, games, and hands-on activities with the Bay Area’s best-known growers, chefs and food purveyors. Catapult fake meatballs into a vat of tomato sauce; meet a real farmer and milk a fake cow; learn to throw dough like a pro. A green and sustainable event with Chef Joey Altman and Chef Gino. Jack London Square, 70 Washington St., Oakland. 510-548-5335, www.foodbackwards.com/doof-a-palooza.

Moe’s Bookstore Debuts Cookbook Discussion Series — 7:30 p.m. May 25. Chef Suzanne Drexhage will discuss her favorite selections in this genre. Drexhage is a Bay Area chef and caterer who cooks at occasional pop-up restaurant evenings in Berkeley and San Francisco. The new discussion series, moderated by Stanislaw Sobolewski, a Moe’s cookbook buyer for the last decade, will be ongoing and include guest speakers, featured books and food samplings. 2476 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. 510-849-2087.

Rocks and Rhones Festival — 11 a.m.-4 p.m. May 28-29. Plan a fabulous weekend of gourmet food and wine pairing with the winemakers and owners of four family-owned and operated wineries in the heart of the El Dorado appellation wine country as they celebrate their estate vineyards and showcase the amazing Rhone varietal wines and blends produced in this rich agricultural district known as Pleasant Valley. Local farms, artists, as well as winemaking and vineyard practices will be highlighted. Choose one day to visit all four wineries. Holly’s Hill, Miraflores, Narrow Gate and Sierra Vista. $30-$35. 530-344-0227, www.rocksandrhones.com.

Rock Wall Wine Company Presents the second annual Wine Rodeo — 4-8 p.m. June 11. Guests are invited to pair Rock Wall’s exquisite handcrafted wines with some of the best BBQ from Texas’ own award-winning chef, Ray Green. This event will also provide great country music entertainment in and around the facility’s 40,000 square-foot hangar, located along the shores of Alameda with some of the best views of the San Francisco Bay. 2301 Monarch St., Suite 300, Alameda. $30-$45. 510-522-5700.

Truckee RibFest — 1-6 p.m. June 19. This fun and casual foodie event will offer folks the chance to sample delicious ribs prepared by the best chefs in the Tahoe area — a perfect afternoon outing for hungry dads and their families. 12047 Donner Pass Road, Truckee. $10-$15. 530-550-2252, www.truckeeribfest.com.

Chocolate Extravaganza — 6:30-9 p.m. June 25. Delicious chocolate items to taste with a people’s choice award and a huge chocolate fountain. Entertainment by the musicians of the Pinole Valley High School West County Conservatory of the arts. 592 Tennent Ave., Pinole. $20-$25. 510-724-9141.

SF Chefs 2011 — Aug. 1-7. The weeklong celebration is set to highlight Northern California’s bounty of ingredients, chefs and restaurants, winemakers and wineries, bartenders and bars, spirits professionals, breweries, farmers, artisans and producers. Attendees can enjoy the Grand Tasting Tent and savor tastes from acclaimed Bay Area chefs, restaurants and premium wines from Sonoma County Vintners, Russian River Valley wineries and many more at each of the signature tent experiences. Over 100 Bay Area chefs and restaurants have already committed to the event. San Francisco Union Square. $25-$150. www.sfchefsfoodwine.com.

Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival — Sept. 9-11. This event is considered Lake Tahoe’s premier gourmet event. Culinary aficionados and hungry travelers will return to the cobbled streets at the Village at Northstar for friendly chef battles, free outdoor grilling demonstrations, celebrity chef luncheon, gourmet marketplace vendor fair, grape stomp, wine walk, art and sculpture exhibit, winemaker dinners, live entertainment, along with food and wine pairing seminars. Most events are outside with North Lake Tahoe’s spectacular scenery as a backdrop. www.GoTahoeNorth.com.

Lake Tahoe Restaurant Week — Oct. 2-9. Food aficionados have an opportunity to enjoy three-course, prix fixe menus at more than 60 participating restaurants, both new and established favorites, throughout the Lake Tahoe region for $20, $30 or $40 per person. No tickets or coupons are required. For more details, menus offered during the week, lodging deals and how to participate, click to www.TahoeRestaurantWeek.com.

Brunch, lunch, dinners

Occasion Winery Winemaker Dinner at Campo di Bocce — 6-9 p.m. May 13. Annual winemaker dinner, an hour of bocce followed by a four-course, seasonal dinner paired with current releases, including the inaugural cabernet sauvignon and a very special treat. 175 E. Vineyard Ave., Livermore. $90-$110. 925-371-1987.

Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto Wine-Paired Dinner — 7-9 p.m. May 19. The prix fixe menu, prepared by Spenger’s Chef Patrick Kehler, will consist of five courses, each paired with a the perfect California wine. 1919 Fourth St., Berkeley. $50. 510-845-7771.

Left Bank Brasserie Menlo Park Hosts Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. Beer Lunch — 1-3 p.m. May 21. The four-course lunch, with beer pairings, will be prepared by Chef Brendy Monsada. Gordon Biersch Brewing Company co-founder Dan Gordon will make a presentation. 635 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. $45. 650-473-6543.

Dine About Town San Francisco — Lunch and dinner June 1-15. Diners may select from more than 100 San Francisco restaurants offering a two-course lunch menu for $17.95 and/or a three-course dinner menu for $34.95, excluding tax and gratuity. www.sanfrancisco.travel/dineabouttown.

Classes

Love Apple Farms classes — Backyard Chicken Keeping 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. May 14. $110. Container Vegetable Gardening 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. May 15. $49. Kids Workshop: Farm-to-Fork (ages 5-8) Noon-4 p.m. May 21. $145. Tomato Masters Workshop 10 a.m.-2 p.m. May 22. $45. Summer Vegetable Gardening 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. May 24. $95. Simple Drip Irrigation 10 a.m. -1 p.m. May 28. $49. Reservations: 831-588-3801, www.growbetterveggies.com. In Santa Cruz Mountains.

Contests

American’s Best Firehouse BBQ Cook-Off — May 22 deadline. Tree Top invites firehouse workers to enter their most delicious, mouthwatering BBQ recipe using apple juice or apple sauce. Log onto AmericasBestFirehouseBBQ.com and submit your recipe and following requested information: Tell them about your firehouse and crew. Brag about your BBQ recipe, why do you think it’s the best. Explain what your firehouse would do with the $10,000 prize.

Foster Farms Second annual Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest — Deadline to enter is May 31. The winner will receive a grand prize of $10,000 plus a one-year supply of Foster Farms fresh chicken. Submit your favorite, original chicken recipes for consideration. Recipes must feature Foster Farms fresh chicken and should be inspired by ingredients grown on the West Coast as a testament to Foster Farms’ commitment to foods that are fresh, locally grown and always natural. Contest will culminate with finals Sept. 30 at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena during National Chicken Month. www.fosterfarms.com/cookingcontest, cookingcontest@fosterfarms.com, Foster Farms, Cooking Contest, P.O. Box 306, Livingston, CA 95334.

Bake On and Give Back with the Duncan Hines 1 Million Cupcake Challenge — July 24 deadline. Duncan Hines® invites bakers across the country to join its 1 Million Cupcake Challenge to help end childhood hunger. Working with Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale®, Duncan Hines hopes to inspire passionate bakers with a national baking and fundraising movement. www.duncanhines.com/cupcakechallenge.

So You Think You Can Cook With Garlic — An all-comers cooking competition on Facebook and culminating before a live audience July 29 in the Cook-Off Theater. The contest is open to amateur chefs age 18 and older who post a video of themselves preparing their recipe, on the Festival Facebook page at Facebook.com/garlicfestival. Contest rules are available on the Festival Facebook page and at gilroygarlicfestival.com. The winning chef will receive $810 in cash from KGO Radio and the runner-up a $250 gift card from Raley’s/Bel Air Markets/Nob Hill Foods.

To have your event listed, e-mail lherendeen@bayareanewsgroup.com for a news release form and return it to her at least two weeks in advance.

Article source: http://www.mercurynews.com/food-wine/ci_18026332