Technology

Who wants to be marketing real estate called a "technology center" these days?

I haven't taken a poll, but my educated answer is "not many"-it's got to be a tough sell.

Back in 2000-and even 2001-it was still hip to call office complexes "technology centers." But with tech's pullback, many of these buildings stand empty, leaving some OC streets and boulevards with a dearth of business activity.

One example that springs to mind: Newport Technology Center, at 500-530 Superior Ave. in Newport Beach.

This massive research and development complex-the largest single empty office space in OC, according to CoStar Inc.-still stands empty after its completion in the third quarter last year.

That's 418,380 square feet of vacant space.

When I pass the center every morning on my way to work, I look for signs of life-maybe a desk in a window, a sign going up or a moving van unloading gear.

But there's been no activity since construction crews left last year.

The buildings' blank windows look out onto Superior Avenue, making the area seem like a deserted Old West town. Only the tumbleweeds are missing.

But this is a nice area. Sitting a quarter mile from Pacific Coast Highway on a bluff above Newport Boulevard, the site offers an ocean view.

It would be a short commute for executives who live down on Balboa and want to surf during their lunch break.

Meanwhile, other areas in OC, such as the University Research Park and even part of Ingram Micro's facilities in Santa Ana (which are now up for sublease) are devoid of workers.

But things could be looking up for at least one of the empty centers.

Real estate sources say that the Newport Technology Center may have some takers soon-just not tech renters.

Showings at the complex have been decent and several non-tech companies may soon sign leases, the sources say.

Who cares if it's branded as a "tech" center?

A sign of the times? "Oh yeah," said one broker.

But you gotta do what you gotta do.

It's become the norm for brokers looking to fill tech space to lure non-tech clients.

Take Aliso Viejo's Enfrastructure Inc., a provider of office real estate and technology services for small companies. The company, which offers tenant companies everything from data center use to a gym, was originally set up in 2000 to serve technology startups.

The company wisely ditched its goal to serve only tech and its campus at 65 Enterprise in Aliso Viejo is now full, thanks to all kinds of tenants, including a law firm and mortgage broker.

SARS Battler

Seattle-area CombiMatrix Corp., a unit of Newport Beach's Acacia Research Corp., has joined the battle against SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).

The company gave its SARS microarrays-a tool that drug companies use for identifying and quantifying bits of DNA and seeing how certain drugs affect specific parts of it-to government and academic researchers.

"Due to the public health and economic implications of SARS, we have decided to offer a limited number of SARS microarrays at no cost to key research centers," said Dr. Amit Kumar, chief executive of CombiMatrix.

International researchers published the SARS genome last month. Government researchers then contacted CombiMatrix to get the SARS microarrays they developed.

OpVista Hire

Irvine-based OpVista Inc. continues to add to its team.

The latest is Ron Foster, a veteran of cable industry kingpin Scientific-Atlanta Inc., who joins OpVista as vice president of sales and marketing.

Foster jumps on board a couple months after Gary Trimm, also a veteran of Scientific-Atlanta, took over as chief executive from company founder Winston Way, who stayed on as chief technology officer.

Trimm has been instrumental in getting OpVista to focus on the cable industry instead of telecommunications, which the company originally targeted.

OpVista makes a box that sits on the edge of a metropolitan network and increases the amount of data that can be carried along an existing fibre optic line.

The company originally targeted phone companies for its device, as it could boost the data that could be carried over existing lines. But with telecom carriers cutting back on spending, cable seemed a better avenue for now, Trimm said.

Trimm and Foster will unveil an optical transport device to cable providers at the annual Cable-Tec Expo in Philadelphia next week.