San Francisco Business Times articles from February 2001

San Francisco Business Times archives from February 2001

E-TRADE LAUNCHES IPO SITE IN EUROPE.(E-Trade International Capital to deal in initial public offerings)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... E-Trade Group Inc. of Menlo Park launched E-Trade International Capital, a new online distribution channel for initial public offerings to E-Trade clients in Europe. The service initially will be available only to investors in the United...

HEARTPORT FINDS BUYER.(Johnson & Johnson)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Redwood City-based Heartport Inc. said it will be acquired by Johnson & Johnson. Heartport is a manufacturer of less invasive cardiac surgery products. The stock deal is valued at approximately $81 million.

MYPRIMETIME LAYS OFF 30.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... MyPilmeTime, a San Francisco firm that operates a web site for Baby Boomers, laid off 30 of its 80 employees. The company said the layoffs were needed to streamline and accelerate its path to profitability.

ARIBA TO BUY AGILE SOFTWARE.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Ariba Inc., a Mountain View-based software maker, said it would acquire Agile Software in a stock swap worth $2.55 billion to boost its position in the business-to-business market.

DOCUMENTUM CEO NAMED CHAIRMAN.(Jeffrey Miller)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Jeffrey Miller, CEO of Pleasanton - based Documentum Inc., added chairman to his titles. He succeeds Robert Adams, chairman of the business software maker since 1990. Adams will remain as a chairman emeritus. The company also said that David De...

CLEAR INK LANDS JELLY BELLY.(wins ad account from Jelly Belly Candy)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Walnut Creek marketing firm Clear Ink said it has won an advertising account from Fairfield-based Jelly Belly Candy worth $5 million.

EAST BAY BIOTECHS LINK.(Onyx Pharmaceuticals and XOMA Ltd. deal on CI-1042 cancer drug)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Berkeley-based biopharmaceutical companies Onyx Pharmaceuticals and XOMA Ltd. have struck a five-year deal believed to be worth more than $35 million. Under the agreement, XOMA will scale-up production to commercial-volume and manufacture...

SEGA KILLS DREAMCAST.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Sega, whose U.S. is based in San Francisco, said it would cease production of its Dreamcast video game console and focus on developing games for rivals Nintendo and Sony.

Rise & Fall.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... A barometer of the region's movers, shakers and fakers David O'Reilly It may be obvious to you and me that higher pump prices equal fat times for oil giants. But it's not obvious to the resourceful Chevron CEO. He keeps coming up with...

USI BUYS CAPITAL PLANNING GROUP.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... USI Consulting Group, an arm of San Francisco's USI Insurance Services Corp., bought Capital Planning Group, a Georgia-based executive benefits and compensation planning firm. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

OAKLAND MAYOR PLEDGES POWER CUT.
February 2, 2001... Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown at his "State of the City Address" gave an upbeat forecast of the city's future and pledged to cut the city's energy usage by 10 percent.

HOME SALES LAG.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 2, 2001... Uncertainty about the economy pushed Bay Area home sales in December to their lowest level since 1996, according to San Diego-based DataQuick. In the nine-county Bay Area, 5,490 homes changed hands, a 13 percent drop from a year ago. The median...

ORACLE BOSS RAISES CASH.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison filed to sell 5 million common shares of the Redwood City-based software company valued at an estimated $150 million after he exercised a stock option. Ellison remains among the richest people in the world.

SLATE.COM SPOTLIGHTS DONATIONS.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Online magazine Slate.com released its annual list of 60 largest donations of 2000, compiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Fourth on the list and leading the. Bay Area was the late San Franciscan Dora Donner Ide, with a $111 million gift to...

EX-BOFA EXECS START NEW VENTURE.(Bank of America; FinancialOxygen)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Former Bank of America executives officially launched a Walnut Creek company called FinancialOxygen, which provides online technology for capital markets trading and vertical marketplaces. The company says it has been doing $1 billion a day in...

LUCENT TO CUT BAY AREA JOBS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 2, 2001... Lucent Technologies, the New Jersey-based communications equipment manufacturer, said it would lay off 10,000 workers nationwide -- about 8 percent of its work force -- including up to 350 in the Bay Area.

CHEVRON MAKES HISTORY.(earnings increase 88%)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 2, 2001... Chevron Group, the San Franciscobased oil giant, announced fourth-quarter earning increased 88 percent. The banner quarter "capped the most profitable year in our company's history," Chairman and CEO Dave O'Reilly said.

CLOROX INVESTS $200 MILLION.(joint venture with Bombril S.A.)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Clorox Co. said it invested $200 million as part of a joint venture with Bombril S.A., a Brazil-based consumer products company, as the Oakland-based company expands its Latin America push.

PEET'S IPO PERCOLATES.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 2, 2001... Peet's Coffee & Tea completed its initial public offering, pricing shares at $8, the low end of' its range. W.R. Hambrecht, the San Francisco-based investment bank, priced the shares on its modified "Dutch auction" process. Shares traded around...

PIXAR NAMES PRESIDENT.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Pixar Animation Studios of Emeryville named co-founder Ed Catmull president Catmull reports to Chairman and CEO Steve Jobs, who is also CEO of Apple Computer Co. Pixar is best known for its "Toy Story" movies.

BARRA NAMES CFO.(Greg Stockett )(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Investment software provider Barra in Berkeley named Greg Stockett as the company's new chief finanical officer. Stockett was the company's vice president of finance and administration for a year. James Kirsner, the company's former CEO, will...

STRIKE HURTS SAFEWAY EARNINGS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 2, 2001... The 47-day strike at its Tracy distribution center shaved $66.7 million in earnings of the earnings of supermarket giant Safeway Inc. The Pleasanton-based company said the strike, settled in December between Teamsters drivers and the company...

LEGAL FEES HURT GEOWORKS.(earnings)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 2, 2001... A long-running legal dispute with its main rival took a bite out of Geoworks' earnings. The Alameda-based company, which develops software for wireless devices, reported losses of $5.14 million, or 23 cents a share, excluding one-time charges....

BLUE CROSS, TENET INK CONTRACT.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Blue Cross of California and Tenet Healthcare reached a multiyear agreement to continue providing care to Blue Cross members.

COMMERCE ONE LAYS OFF 150.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 2, 2001... Pleasanton-based Commerce One said it laid off approximately 150 workers, or between 3 percent and 4 percent of its work force, to improve its operational efficiencies.

Leadership gap swallows business issues.(San Francisco business community, politics)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... The recent election has shown that the San Francisco business community must reassess its leadership and direction if it wants to regain its credibility in the discussion of the economic future of the city. The San Francisco business...

A bad read: California's novel approach to using energy.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... It has all the elements for a riveting read: greedy power companies, powerful lobbyists, near-sighted cause groups, out-of-state exploiters, incompetent bureaucracies and plenty of small guys getting ground under the collusion of big forces....

Letters To The Editor.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Don't point fingers: All the cooks spoiled the energy deregulation broth In the Jan. 22 San Francisco Chronicle, respected congressman George Miller, essentially attributes the current energy debacle to PG&E, pointing out accurately how...

Building firms rise in East.(construction, East San Francisco Bay Area; Oakland, California)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... The East Bay's more affordable housing and commercial real estate prices and location near the rapidly developing communities along Interstates 580 and 680 is luring construction companies east. "Most construction companies are actually...

VC CHARGED WITH INSIDER TRADING.(venture capitalist Keith J. Kim )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 2, 2001... East Bay venture capitalist Keith J. Kim was charged by federal authorities with insider trading for allegedly making $832,000 in profits by trading on the stock of a company after he heard it was in merger negotiations. According to a...

STRIKES AT THREE SUTTER FACILITIES.(Sutter Hospital chain)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Nearly 700 hospital workers called a strike against three San Francisco hospitals in the Sutter Hospital chain. Members of the Healthcare Worker's Union SEIU Local 250 called the strike, which may last up to three days against the three...

SCHWAB SUGGESTS TIME OFF.(Charles Schwab Corp. asks some employees to take Fridays off as either unpaid time or vacation days)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Charles Schwab Corp. has asked up to half of its employees to take some Fridays off over the next two months, as the nation's largest discount brokerage firm tries to cut costs as trading commission revenues dip. The Fridays will be taken as...

LAWSUIT GRANTED CLASS-ACTION STATUS.(discrimination lawsuit filed by women scientists and researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... An employment discrimination lawsuit filed against the Regents of the University of California on behalf of a group of female scientists, lab technicians and researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has been granted...

H-P TO CUT 1,700 JOBS.(Hewlett-Packard Co.)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Hewlett-Packard Co. said it will cut 2 percent or 1,700 of its work force by the end of April. The restructuring by the Palo Alto-based computer giant comes after CEO Carly Fiorina has overhauled the company's sales and marketing operations,...

DOT-COM LAYOFFS CLIMB.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Dot-com layoffs increased 23 percent over December, claiming 13,000 jobs, according to a report by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.

CHIRON DRUG TRIAL COMES UP SHORT.(trials of its recombinant fibroblast growth factor-2 protein for peripheral artery disease does not do as well as hoped)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Emeryville-based Chiron said it will further analyze the results of phase II clinical trials of its recombinant fibroblast growth factor-2 protein, designed for use by peripheral artery disease patients. The trial showed "positive trends" but...

OFOTO RAISES $41 MILLION.(second round of financing)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Online photo developer Ofoto Inc. raised $41 million, in its second round of financing from venture capital groups and other investors. The privately held company, which recently moved from Berkeley to a new headquarters in Emeryville, plans to...

AGILENT ACQUIRES ITALIAN FIRM.(Agilent Technologies, Gefran Silicon Microsystem)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Agilent Technologies of Palo Alto said it reached an agreement to acquire Italy-based Gefran Silicon Microsystem S.r., a fiber-optic-technology laboratory, for about $55 million in cash.

WELLS DRIVES ONTO NET.(Wells Fargo & Co., JP Morgan Chase & Co., & AmeriCredit form DealerTrack for online automobile financing)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co. and AmeriCredit Corp. said they formed an Internet company called DealerTrack, to offer automobile financing.

Asyst keeps raking in more companies' chips.
February 2, 2001... Mihir Parikh knows the art of the deal -- his Asyst Technologies Inc. has closed five acquisitions over the past 20 months. Yet Dec. 7, 2000, was a day that risked living in deal infamy. Arriving at the company's Fremont headquarters after...

Macromedia completes its holiday shopping.
February 2, 2001... Two back-to-back deals over the holidays have strengthened Macromedia Inc.'s ability to supply the tools needed to jazz up web pages and supply entertainment for both the Internet and hand-held devices. Macromedia Chairman and CEO Rob...

Largest Mergers & Acquisitions.
February 2, 2001... The merger mania balloon burst and sank back to earth in 2000. In last year's List, the top 25 mergers were almost 10 times more valuable than the total for this year's deals. Inertia among companies thinking twice about yoking up in the...

Advocacy group web site relaunched as small biz portal.(National Federation of Independent Business)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... The National Federation of Independent Business will launch its new and improved NFIB.com site Feb. 5. In addition to public policy information from Washington, D.C., the site will include updates from state capitals, as well as expanded...

New Markets VC rules delayed.
February 2, 2001... Acting SBA Administrator Fred Hochberg says the Bush administration's moratorium on new regulations should not have "any material effect" on the New Markets Venture Capital program, even though the program's rules now will not go into effect...

Interior inspiration.
February 2, 2001... Designer furnishes clients with personal attention and a creative approach It was 6 a.m., and everything was going according to plan. The City of San Francisco had closed off Union Square. The enormous plate glass windows had been removed...

MICHAEL WILLIS.(president of Michael Willis Architects)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... RESUME Name: Michael Willis. Title: President. Company: Michael Willis Architects, San Francisco. 2000 revenue: $3.7 million. Year founded: 1988. Number of employees: 35. Source of startup capital: Personal...

BayAreaPeople.(multiple industry appointments in the San Francisco area)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... BANKING/FINANCE Margaret Rozin was hired as senior vice president of relationship management at Palo Alto-based Mid-Peninsula Bank She worked previously at University National Bank and Comerica Bank-California Mid-Peninsula Bank is a...

Port at S.F.'s new director to balance new development.(Port of San Francisco's Director of Planning and Development Byron Rhett)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... The Port of San Francisco is still bustling, though future activity will owe more to construction cranes than cargo ships, and more to leisure time than maritime. Chelsea Pier San Francisco, for instance, will make its home on Piers 27,29...

Employers pull with Sutter in healthcare tug-of-war.(Sutter Health's disputes with Blue Cross)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Some Bay Area employers are using an old first-aid technique to treat their own health-care ills: They are applying pressure. Feeling the squeeze is insurer Blue Cross. As we report on Page 1, several big area employers (with more...

Chamber pumps up for active future.(San Francisco Chamber of Commerce)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... San Franciscans want a strong economy. The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce wants one, too. To A Lee Blitch's thinking, that's a match. Blitch, the new chamber chief, took the helm in January as executive director. Now in the chamber's...

Print firm duplicates company philosophy.(American Reprographics Co. expands via acquisitions)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... It may not be sexy by Bay Area tech-hungry standards, but American Reprographics Company has built itself as a solid catch and won a fast track into the heart of the industry by buying 40 operating divisions and generating $420 million in...

AT&T still butting heads with CLECs over competition issues.(Brief Article)(Interview)
February 2, 2001... Five years after the Telecommunications Act of 1996 promised to open local phone markets to competition, AT&T finds itself in an unusual position. Once the granddaddy of monopolies, the telecommunications giant now finds itself crying foul over...

NativeMinds signs Cola king as customer.(Coca-Cola to use online customer service agent service)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... San Francisco-based NativeMinds Inc., which creates online customer service agents or "vReps," has signed a deal worth around $300,000 with Atlanta-based soft drink giant The Coca-Cola Co. The company will create a customized vRep --...

Firms suffer pre-wedding jitters.
February 2, 2001... Market woes make corporate suitors slow to commit There's a lot of talk but relatively little action in the merger-and-acquisition arena as companies continue courting each other but few are willing to walk down the aisle, investment...

Urban Media lays off 90 percent of staff after getting funds.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... The sleek sports cars that were the new breed of telecommunications carriers are all heading for the pits. Add Urban Media to the list. The Palo Alto-based company that collaborates with building owners to deliver a comprehensive range of...

AN OCEAN OF DATA.(OceanStore system under design to withstand computer outages caused by disasters or tampering)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Among the long list of people who have grown nervous over California's energy woes and the prospect of getting run over by a rolling blackout are computer users fearful of losing critical data. But John Kubiatowicz, a computer science...

ASCRIBE HATCHES.(new newswire service for nonprofit organizations)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... AScribe -- The Public Interest Newswire is coming out of its shell. The Oakland-based startup is leaving city's technology incubator to set up shop in Rockridge. The move coincides with the relocation of the incubator to the Rotunda...

Regional Bells still ring loudest.
February 2, 2001... Five years of the Telecommunications Act have ushered in a new era of dominant telcos The Telecommunication Act of 1996 was supposed to herald in a new era of unprecedented competition within the industry, but years after its passage,...

Peninsula companies eye San Francisco.(Broadvision Inc. expands to San Francisco)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Redwood City's BroadVision is setting up shop in San Francisco. Granted, at 10,177 square feet, it's a small shop, but it's part of a big trend: Peninsula companies expanding or relocating to San Francisco. Big-time names such as...

FLYIN' HIGH.(Interwoven Inc.'s new software accounts)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Sunnyvale's Interwoven Inc. scored some big accounts this week. The content management software company added United Airlines, American Airlines, Qantas and others to its already heady customer list of Global 1000 companies. The company's next...

GOV'S PLAN GIVES RETAILERS A REPRIEVE.(California Governor Gray Davi plans sales tax holiday)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Hayward-based Mervyn's was an early and vocal supporter of Gov. Gray Davis' proposal to grant the state's first-ever sales tax "holiday." Scheduled for the end of summer, the tax break would give parents a break on back-to-school shopping and...

LOCAL AD BIZ FACES CRUNCH.(FCB ends three year contract with Amazon.com Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... As of the end of March, FCB San Francisco will end its three-year relationship with the web's largest online retailer, Amazon.com. Some industry watchers claim the move signals Amazon's troubles over finances. Publicis & Hal Riney has laid...

EBAY, ACTZERO TACKLE AUCTION.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Nothing breeds partnerships like success, and Burlingame startup actzero took a big step with its first event -- eBay's live, interactive online auction during the East-West Shrine Game. The auction raised $100,000 for the nonprofit...

Polo Ralph Lauren may nip plans for Club Monaco on Union Square.(Ralph Lauren Corp. reconsiders San Francisco store)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Cash-conscious Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. may be reconsidering its move to open a splashy Union Square store for its Club Monaco chain. In the past two months, Lauren adjusted course with the trendy new brand, installing former Gap Inc....

All's Fair in credit scoring and e-marketing practices.(Fair, Isaac and Company Inc.'s new e-business analytics consulting practice called digital marketing science)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 2, 2001... What do you do when revenues are flat and the public is raking you over the coals for the work your software does for financial institutions? San Rafael's Fair, Isaac and Co. Inc. has become chummier with the world of e-marketing. Fair,...

BOFA PONDERS SPACE AT VAN NEES/MARKET.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Bank of America Corp. may lease out one floor of its Market and Van Ness building or fill the space by moving more of its own operations there. A final decision on what to do with the space -- in a building that houses a multitude of BofA...

WELLS PMA PRODUCT PROVES GOLDEN IN CALIFORNIA MARKET.(Portfolio Management Account )(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Since Wells Fargo & Co. introduced its Portfolio Management Account (PMA) to California last quarter -- a product of the old Norwest, which merged with Wells in late 1998 -- the bank has captured $1 billion in customer business, according to...

Exec to cure CHW's complexity.(Catholic Healthcare West appoints Elizabeth Shih as chief administrative officer)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Another new face has joined the top ranks of troubled hospital chain Catholic Healthcare West. Elizabeth Shih will join the $6 billion, 47-hospital, 8,000-physician organization as chief administrative officer. Shih completes the...

NCAA guidelines play catch-up to online world.(D-1 Athletes)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Roger Theder, former Cal-Berkeley head football coach turned dot-com CEO, is fired up: D-1 Athletes, the online recruiting site launched in December, already has inked contracts with Cal, Nebraska, Purdue, Illinois, Brigham Young and Hawaii....

NEW OWNER FOR 1330 BROADWAY?(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 2, 2001... David Wientjes, director of Whitney Cressman, which represents Myron Zimmerman's Oakland properties, may have a new owner to announce for 1330 Broadway in the next few weeks. The 300,000-square-foot building went on the market months ago at...

MAKING ALAMEDA'S A-LIST.(Alameda to short list potential master developers for Alameda Point)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... A short list is coming to usher in developers who want to put a new footprint on Alameda's old naval stomping grounds. The city is in the middle of a search to find a master developer for Alameda Point, a massive project including 770 acres...

HMO FINDS SQUARE FEET IN OAKLAND.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... Kaiser Permanente has finally committed to create more offices in Oakland by leasing a full floor at 2101 Webster St. for an annual market rate worth $920,000, according to Ellis Partners LLC Principal Gordon Hess. Kaiser, the country's...

Dain Rauscher shores up West Coast.(consolidation under new owner)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 2, 2001... Newly acquired investment bank strengthens California presence Dain Rauscher Wessels consolidated its recently expanded San Francisco operations at Embarcadero Center even as the Royal Bank of Canada was completing its $1.5 billion purchase...

Shansby to reshine Spic & Span.(Shansby Group acquires brand)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2001... The Shansby Group plans to clean up in household soap and cleaners with its acquisition of Procter & Gamble Co.'s Spic and Span and Cinch brands. The San Francisco buyout firm and prolific acquirer of name brands is taking advantage of a...

Inside Traders.
February 2, 2001... Inside Traders A look at selling of shares by Bay Area executives Alfred Teo, Director Cirrus Logic Inc. Cirrus Logic Inc. Shares sold: ...

Ellis to pitch master plan for Jack London Square.
February 2, 2001... In less than a month, Ellis Partners LLC is expected to go before the Port of Oakland commissioners to plead its case as a master developer candidate for a $200 million, eight-acre mixed-use site at Jack London Square. The port and Ellis...

First 'business service' building goes on block.
February 2, 2001... Developers have put 250 Brannan St. on the market, the first attempt to sell a building holding one of the city's controversial "business service" designations. A partnership of Mariposa Management Co. and Lennar Corp. have put a price tag...

New S.F. tenants mine a rich vein of snazzy sublease space.
February 2, 2001... NBC Internet has surpassed iXL Enterprises and E-Groups as the company offering the most sublease space in San Francisco. The content provider, which just fired 150 workers as a cost-cutting measure, is offering seven floors at 225 Bush...

SHORENSTEIN OFFERS BONUS COMMISSION.
February 2, 2001... Shorenstein Co., not known for throwing around money, is offering a generous bonus commission of $9 per square foot to brokers who sign a 10-year deal at Hills Plaza in San Francisco by year's end. The standard rate for a 10-year deal is $7 per...

ELLIS SWAPS TENANTS.
February 2, 2001... Ellis Partners continues to turn straw into gold. The building owner recaptured space from dot-dud Shopnow.com, which occupied floors 10 and 11 of 111 Sutter in San Francisco, and turned around and leased it to creditworthy WPP Group USA. ...

Pet Food Express shows animal magnetism.
February 2, 2001... In the world of pet supply retailers, there are Chihuahuas and there are Saint Bernards, but not much in between. While San Leandro-based Pet Food Express fits more into the affable lapdog category, this steadily growing regional pet supply...

Investment banks to crowd around tech conferences' crystal ball.
February 2, 2001... Banc of America Securities and Robertson Stephens are holding technology conferences this month in San Francisco that are expected to draw record crowds as investors try to gauge the prospects for the battered sector. The week-long...

XFL claims to know the middle-class score.
February 2, 2001... There's already been enough hype surrounding the XFL's Saturday kickoff to fill the league's blimp. But Chairman Vince McMahon is going a step further: guaranteeing the league will succeed. "The reason I'm certain is that we understand...

EXPO Design Center plans East Bay expansion Into Dublin, Oakland.
February 2, 2001... EXPO Design Center, fresh from opening its first Bay Area store in Concord last year, plans to open two more of its upscale home showrooms in Dublin and Oakland. The interior design store -- a division of The Home Depot, the Atlanta-based...