How SD’s Homegrown Cos. View Real Estate

Marino: “In San Diego, these young companies tend to be more rent sensitive than in other markets. For a savings of 20 cents per square foot, they will move or pick an inferior building, which I feel is a mistake from a retention and attraction standpoint.”

SAN DIEGO—From start-ups to success stories, many companies that began in San Diego aren’t venture-backed and are quite rent sensitive, even though real estate isn’t their biggest expense, Hughes Marino’s EVP David Marino tells GlobeSt.com. Hughes Marino Construction Management will be managing the design, permitting, bidding and construction of improvements as well as coordinating with governmental agencies throughout the entitlements process for BioLegend’s future headquarters in Miramar at Terman Court, just north of the Miramar Air Station. The global manufacturer of antibodies and reagents, which has grown steadily since 2002 when it started as a local San Diego company, has purchased an 8-acre campus for this development. BioLegend now has operations in Europe, Taiwan and Japan.

BioLegend’s new headquarters represents the growth trajectory a homegrown San Diego company can take if successful.