It’s true that there’s not a lot of farming equipment in downtown San Francisco, but that doesn’t mean that San Francisco is an equipment-free area! Look around next time you’re in the Bay Area & notice the plethora of construction equipment, for example. More than a few of the companies involved in building & rebuilding San Francisco are actually based in the city, not only general contractors, but evacuators, equipment rental companies, water work specialists, and transportation services as well as concrete and paving experts. Maybe I’m nuts, but spending a day or 2 in San Francisco inspecting construction equipment or rolling stock sounds like a good time to me.
Yes, I admit that there was a time long ago when if I ‘d been asked about equipment and machinery appraisals in the San Francisco area, I might have responded with information about restaurant equipment because, frankly, there are a lot of restaurants in San Francisco! But the more time I spend in the city doing appraisals for folks who need a USPAP equipment appraisals, the more I realize how much varied industry actually exists within the San Francisco area.
A recent post on Evolving Excellence pointed out that San Francisco hosts quite a few consumer-product manufacturing companies, such as Timbuk2 Designs. Founded in 1989 by a bicycle messenger with a sewing machine, that company now has a local sewing factory with equipment that includes cutting tables and a variety of industrial sewing machines, all tucked into a building at 16th & Alabama in San Francisco.
SF Made – a non-profit established in 2010 that focuses on building San Francisco’s economic base by developing the local manufacturing sector – lists 13 different categories of manufacturing on its member companies page. And it’s not just clothes & food. Two of my favorites so far (I haven’t had time to investigate all the companies listed) are the 2 CNC machine shops: Standard Metal Products and SOMA Precision. Maybe some day they’ll give me a call! Appraising CNC machines and metal working equipment in San Francisco would be a treat. And then there are those guys who manufacture locks for bicycle helmets …
In addition, San Francisco has a host of furniture manufacturers, including Oyster Bed, which boasts a “state-of-the-art on-site furniture manufacturing facility.” A lot of folks would be surprised at the idea of appraising furniture manufacturing equipment in San Francisco: edgebanding machinery, drilling & boring machinery, more CNC equipment and of course all the sanding, sawing, drying and turning equipment.
As I do more machinery and equipment appraisals in San Francisco, I’ll be sure to report on the varieties of San Francisco manufacturing and industry. And surely some day I’ll find an agricultural industry tucked into an unexpected corner of the SF Bay area.
Jack Young
San Francisco Equipment & Machinery Appraiser
NorCal Valuation
