Rob AriasIn this edition of our Semi-Monthly newsletter, we share five stories relevant to Emeryville that you may have missed, including:
- Rescued Seal Pup Update
- SF Gate Columnist tours EBMUD wastewater treatment plant
- Premier Nutrition leasing former Clif Bar Space
- Emeryville Biotech Firm raises $54M
- Latest Public Art Mural
Seal Pup Rescued from Emeryville Marina Recovering in Marin
The infant seal rescued by the EPD back on September 21 is gradually recovering at the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County.
“Doodle,” as she has been named, is an infant northern fur seal. She arrived in emaciated condition and is receiving rehydration, nutritional support, and medical care.
Northern fur seals are typically born in mid-summer and spend 4 to 5 months with their mother before weaning in October to November. Doodle was prematurely separated from her mom and would have been unable to survive without this intervention.
“At this time, Doodle is stabilizing well and starting to gain weight but is still fragile and underweight,” a center spokesperson provided. “Our veterinary and animal care teams are monitoring Doodle’s condition closely.”
Once Doodle has been brought back to a healthy weight, she will need to learn to feed independently before being placed back in the wild.
Updates on Doodle’s condition are posted on marinemammalcenter.org.
Premier Nutrition Officially Taking Over Clif Bar Space
As previously reported, Premier Nutrition is taking over most of the former Clif Bar space at the EmeryTech office space.
The SF Business Times have identified it as one of the largest lease signings in Emeryville since the pandemic at 118,767-square-foot.
Currently located nearby at the Foundry31 building, Premier Nutrition manufactures PowerBar among other nutritional products.
Most of Clif’s remaining employees will reportedly be moved to the “Tanium” building at 2100 Powell on the Emeryville Peninsula (incidentally, recently acquired). Most of their R&D team will be moved to the Foundry31 building where Clif already leases space.
Clif Bar founders Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, who sold the business to Mondelez Intl. in 2022, have turned their efforts to their winery located in St. Helena.
SF Gate Columnist Tours EBMUD Wastewater Treatment Plant
If you’ve lived in Emeryville long enough, you’ve likely passed, or even smelled the EBMUD Wastewater Treatment plant located just beyond the city’s southern border.
SF Gate Columnist and history podcaster Liam O’Donoghue gets a rare behind the scenes tour of the facility known as “the poop factory” that processes roughly 50 million gallons of raw sewage each day. The plant treats both residential, commercial and industrial wastewater, serving about 740,000 customers.
O’Donoghue goes “deep inside the bowels” of the 69-acre complex and braves the stench to report on the inner workings of the 74 year old facility.
Ansa Bio Raises $54M in Funding
In what might be an encouraging sign of Emeryville Biotech recovery, Ansa Biotechnologies has secured approximately $54 million in Series B financing.
Ansa Bio synthesizes DNA “on demand” using a new, proprietary enzyme-based method.
CEO Jason Gammack has fronted a bold strategy of guaranteeing delivery to its customers. “DNA is the currency of the bio economy,” Gammack told SF Business Times reporter Ron Leuty in a recent interview. “And we are manufacturers of the currency of the bio economy.”
The eight-year-old startup located at 65th & Vallejo has about 54 employees.
Latest Public Mural Debuts at Harvest Festival
Another mural was recently added to Emeryville’s growing bounty of public art. This one on the wall of a warehouse facing the Sherwin Ave Community Garden at Sherwin and Halleck streets.
The piece was funded through the Rotten City Cultural District, and “live painted” by artist Patric O’Neill during the recent Harvest Festival. O’Neill collaborated on the design with Emery High School Art students.
O’Neill also designed the primary graphic for the City’s inaugural Harvest Festival that will wrap up a month of programming on Sunday, October 26.
All Art in Public Places works are mapped on the City’s GIS Platform.
