[caption id="attachment_40506" align="alignright" width="400" caption="Tektronix is building out a 10,000-square-foot radio-frequency test center in the Harvest Business Park on Airport Boulevard."][/caption]
SANTA ROSA -- Tektronix has leased a 10,042-square-foot space near the Sonoma County Airport for its Sonoma County design center, the company and Basin Street Properties announced today.
The Beaverton, Ore., test and measurement company hopes to tap the local talent pool, rich with radio frequency engineers, that feeds Agilent Technologies and a number of smaller companies in the same space, all located in and around Santa Rosa.
In February, Tektronix announced it would expand its operations to California, locating RF design centers in Sunnyvale and Santa Rosa.
Amir Aghdaei, president, called it “critical” to develop next-generation RF and microwave test capabilities and accelerate the 76 year-old company’s presence in the most dynamic and fast moving segments of the electronics industry.
“The Bay Area offers an excellent talent pool to draw from as we look for new domain experts to join our company and support our growth,” he said.
Tektronix is hiring 15 local RF engineers and researchers for its initial Santa Rosa staff.
Scott Stranzl, vice president of leasing for Basin Street Properties, called the choice of Santa Rosa “absolutely huge for the North Bay job market and we are thrilled they chose Harvest Business Center to house their center.
“The company’s decision to occupy one of our premier properties underscores our commitment to providing building solutions that can accommodate the technological demands of innovative companies, and to helping businesses grow.”
Basin Street is fitting out the shell building with labs, conference rooms and offices to suit the needs of Tektronix, putting in about $500,000 worth of improvements, said Mr. Stranzl.
“In seeking spaces to establish our RF Design Center, the location was key,” said Mike Flaherty, general manager of the RF business for Tektronix.
“We are currently working on our lab configuration and IT infrastructure for the space, with a hope of moving in over the next month,” he said.
The company appreciated the proximity to the airport with its daily flights to Portland, according to Mr. Stranzl.
“They also liked the fact that we can accommodate future expansion in the same location,” he said. The initial lease is for five years.
Sean Johnson of Keegan & Coppin Company, Inc. represented Basin Street Properties in leasing the space at Harvest Business Center, and Sean Heaton of Cushman & Wakefield represented Tektronix.
