North Bay Business Journal

SAN RAFAEL — BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq:BMRN) recently reported a net loss of $39.8 million, or 31 cents per share, for the first quarter ended March 31, compared to a net loss of $24 million in the same period last year.

SAN RAFAEL — BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRN) on Thursday reported its fourth-quarter and 2012 net losses about doubled from a year before.

Rumors have been circulating that BioMarin is an acquisition target, but the company CEO fended off that speculation recently.

SAN RAFAEL — BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: BRMN) today said it has acquired San Diego-based Zacharon Pharmaceuticals, a private biotechnology company focused on developing small molecules targeting pathways of glycan and glycolipid metabolism.

More than a dozen North Bay companies undertook major expansions or moves: TricorBraun WinePak, Raydiance, Enphase Energy, General Dynamics, Langers of Sonoma, Anette’s Chocolates Napa Valley, Marmot Mountain, Wineshipping, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, EO Products, Birkenstock USA, Toys for Bob, Adventist Health, Amorim Cork America, SPG Solar, Biosearch Technologies and Telltale Games.

Nov. 3, 2012: Mountain Play Assn. held its annual fall fundraising gala, The Sound of the Mountain, at the JCC in San Rafael / Oct. 18, 2012: Ribbon-cutting for BioMarin Pharmaceutical’s new San Rafael Corporate Center / Oct. 25, 2012: Star Staffing at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Business Expo

SAN RAFAEL — BioMarin Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:BMRN) shares jumped by more than 30 percent Monday after the company announced a key study on its GALNS therapy ended, the first step in seeking regulatory approval for its treatment of the rare enzyme deficiency condition.

Bank of Marin promoted Mike Kadel to first vice president. …

SWA Group, a landscape architecture, planning and urban design firm, named Chih-Wei Lin as the principle of the firm in Sausalito. …

Sutter Medical Foundation announced the arrival of board-certified family medicine physician Nigel Brandstater, M.D. …

The Burbank Housing board of directors announced it has appointed Charles A. Cornell to succeed John Lowry, when he retires this year in September, as executive director and president. …

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. announced Jeff Ajer, the current vice president of commercial operations, the Americas, will be promoted to senior vice president, chief commercial officer. …

Mandi Nash has joined Grgich Hills Estate as brand associate, a new position for the winery. …

Cuvaison Estate Wines announced the formation of a new in-house sales team responsible for the sales of the Cuvaison and Brandlin Vineyard brands nationwide. …

Jennifer Brown has been appointed director of public relations and communication for Wilson Daniels. …

NOVATO — BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRN) today reported its net loss expanded five fold in the second quarter and first half of this year, outpacing strong revenue growth.

As construction crews prepare 120,000 square feet of offices in San Rafael Corporate Center for the expansion of Novato-based BioMarin Pharmaceutical later this year, Marin Economic Forum has analyzed how much the arrival of more than 300 employees in the city will affect the greater business community. The figures are breathtaking.

Industry West Commerce Center off Todd Road in southwest Santa Rosa has brought in 55,000 square feet of leases in recent months, bringing the 275,000-square-foot industrial developments to 88 percent occupancy.

In another sign of increased economic activity in Petaluma, telecommunications equipment startup Cyan and real estate brokerage Keller Williams expanded by 8,700 square feet all together at Basin Street Properties’ Redwood Business Center office building at 1383 N. McDowell Blvd.

In an effort to gauge how the region’s major employers are dealing with continued economic uncertainty, the North Bay Business Journal reached out to major companies with a series of employment-related questions, in addition to identifying the top human resources professional at each organization.

The results, from tech to health care, to hospitality to manufacturing, show that many of the major players are faring better, some even thriving, but challenges nonetheless remain.

MARIN COUNTY — Central and northern Marin office space markets have strengthened significantly in the past 12 months, with vacancy rates finally dipping below 20 percent for the county.

NOVATO — Mark Wood is vice president of human resources of BioMarin Pharmaceutical, which has approximately 700 employees. He joined the pharmaceutical company in 2004 and oversees all HR functions as well as public relations and corporate communications. Before joining BioMarin, he was a sole proprietor of an HR consulting practice from 2002 to 2004 and previously worked as vice president of human resources and consulting for AG Consulting. He also previously was manager of compensation and quantitative analysis at Genentech and held numerous HR positions with Wells Fargo Bank.

NOVATO — Remy Gross is currently the vice president of business development and technology advancement at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. His duties at the Buck include the increase of deal flow through global corporate collaborations and new company formation.

NOVATO — Remy Gross is director of technology transfer for The Buck Institute on Age Research. He will be a featured speaker at the Business Journal’s Impact Marin Conference on MArch 14. Business Journal: The Life sciences and biotech industries seem to be on an upswing in Marin County, with numerous companies expanding in and [...]

SAN RAFAEL — Novato-based BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRN) today said it plans to relocate several hundred employees from its Bel Marin Keys headquarters plant to downtown San Rafael by the end of this year.

NOVATO — BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRN) has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a manufacturing facility expansion in Novato that the drug makers says will support up to $1 billion in revenue for its growing enzyme replacement therapy portfolio.

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRN) today said it made an upfront payment of $81 million to complete the buy back of certain intellectual property from SA Pathology, a unit of the Central Adelaide Local Health Network in Australia.The transaction will generate between $10 to $15 million a year in cash, with no incremental operating costs, according to Jean-Jaques Bienaime, chief executive officer of BioMarin.

As the health care landscape across the North Bay — indeed, across much of the country — undergoes rapid transformation, many organizations are already growing in anticipation of the changes that lay ahead. … The Marin-Sonoma IPA changed its name as a reflection of its growth further into Sonoma County — when earlier this spring it grew from some 300 physicians to nearly 500 in a matter of months. … Another fast-growing side of health care is the vast world of biotech. And North Bay companies are no exception from this growing trend: Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, BioMarin Pharmaceutical. … The Doctors Company, a Napa-based physician and medical liability insurer, increased its nationwide membership by 27 percent this year when it acquired FPIC Insurance Group, a major publicly-traded medical insurance group based in Florida.

NOVATO — BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRN) today announced its second-quarter net loss expanded to $5.1 million from $500,000 in the second quarter of 2010.

The Northern California Center for Well-Being, along with the Northern California Medical Associates, today celebrated the 20th anniversary of the HeartWorks Fitness Center, a cardiovascular rehabilitation program. The Center for Well-Being, which focuses on wellness and preventative care, and NCMA, a practice of cardiologists, have collaborated on the program made possible by ongoing support from [...]