SFMade’s first decade of building a more equitable economy and shared prosperity through local manufacturing

Kate Sofis | CEO

Letter from the CEO

SFMade was founded in 2010 by 12 San Francisco manufacturers and a small group of both private and public sector leaders, all driven by the belief that our cities are economically, socially, and culturally more vibrant for the diversity of the manufacturers who are part of them.

We also had the fundamental understanding that making things with your hands—core to being human—can create a pathway to careers that pay well enough to support a family in the expensive Bay Area. In an era when we are witnessing a more inequitable distribution of income and wealth than ever before, manufacturing is one of few sectors capable of moving the needle in a positive direction.

The Future is Regional

Gone are the days when production focused on chasing the lowest cost. With the emergence of Industry 4.0 (advancements in customization and connectivity), the future of manufacturing is centered around regionalization — right-shoring within close proximity to the consumer.

That’s why SFMade has expanded services beyond its founding city, working across the Bay Area to create a stronger, more diverse, and more equitable regional economy.

LEGEND

Cities served by the Bay Area Urban Manufacturing Initiative
Cities where SFMade provides direct services

SFMade's Regional Programs

Bay Area Urban Manufacturing Initiative

The Bay Area Urban Manufacturing Initiative is a growing collaboration to support local manufacturers; accelerate the growth of quality, middle-income jobs; and create a stronger, more diverse, and more equitable regional economy.

Manufacture : San Jose

Manufacture : San Jose (MFG:SJ) is a public-private initiative, with the goal to drive resources, knowledge, and visibility to San Jose’s more than 1200 manufacturers.

Did You Know?

SFMADE MAINTAINS TWO JOB BOARDS one in San Francisco and one in San Jose, where local manufacturers can post open positions for free and where residents from around the Bay Area can connect to jobs in the sector.

Play Video

This video, made possible by support from The James Irvine Foundation, illustrates how local manufacturers across the Bay Area benefit from SFMade’s services.

10-Year Timeline

SFMADE LAUNCHES
Propelled by the passion of a small group of 12 companies and a partnership with the City of San Francisco, Kate Sofis, Janet Lees, and Mark Dwight launch SFMade to revitalize and fuel local manufacturers in San Francisco.
2011
Year One
250 manufacturers join SFMade, representing 80% of the City’s total manufacturing sector.
2012
Urban Manufacturing Alliance
SFMade and the City of San Francisco initiate the national Urban Manufacturing Alliance, along with Made in NYC and the City of New York, to energize urban manufacturing across the US.
2013
Youth Programs
To educate high school students about potential careers in manufacturing and prepare the workforce of the future, SFMade launches the Inside Manufacturing and YouthMade programs.
2015
Regional Expansion
SFMade expands beyond San Francisco with the Bay Area Urban Manufacturing Initiative, a coalition of four cities—San Francisco, San Jose, Fremont, and Oakland—to work across the region to support the growth of the sector.
Summit in Oakland
Bay Area Urban Manufacturing Initiative expands from four to 26 members; hosts the second Bay Area Summit on Urban Manufacturing, in West Oakland.
2018
The Manufacturing Foundry at 150 Hooper
SFMade opens the Bay Area’s first, permanently affordable, multi-tenant building dedicated to manufacturing and creating quality jobs and career pathways for low-income San Franciscans.
Next Generation Manufacturing Training Program
SFMade, in partnership with Humanmade, get to work training local residents for the manufacturing jobs of the future as part of Mayor London Breed’s Next Generation Manufacturing Workforce Development Program.
SFMade Wins Prestigious JVS Business Leadership Award
The award recognizes the work that SFMade and JVS have done together to create shared prosperity and cultivate living wage careers for adults and youth with barriers to employment.
SEE VIDEO
2020
BAY AREA URBAN MANUFACTURING INITIATIVE GROWTH CONTINUES
The initiative now encompasses 29 cities from all 9 Bay Area counties.
2020
2010
First SFMade Week Celebration
SFMade hosts its first SFMade Week, shining a light on the manufacturing sector with factory tours, workshops, product demonstrations, pop-up shops, and the first Ramp It Up! event at Ritual Coffee Roasters.
Hiring Made Better
SFMade launches Hiring Made Better, a suite of services to help companies hire from the local workforce in a more efficient and targeted way.
placemade
PlaceMade, the Bay Area’s first non-profit industrial real estate development corporation and sister organization to SFMade, springs into action to create more industrial space for local manufacturers.
625 Manufacturers
San Francisco manufacturers--625 now part of SFMade--post a 10% job growth rate, representing a sixth straight year of double-digit job growth.
2016
Leadership Award
SFMade is recognized for its innovative work by the James Irvine Foundation when CEO Kate Sofis received its Leadership Award along with Todd Rufo, the Director of SF’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
2017
Manufacture : San Jose
In partnership with the City of San Jose, SFMade launches Manufacture : San Jose to drive resources, knowledge, and visibility to the city’s more than 1200 manufacturers.
Humanmade
SFMade helped launch Humanmade – a state-of-the-art makerspace designed to empower the next generation of inventors, designers, and fabricators – which opened at the Manufacturing Foundry at 150 Hooper.
2019
East Bay Partnership
SFMade expands to the East Bay with support from California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CTMC) and the State of California to provide customized, one-on-one advising services to a select number of growth stage manufacturers in the region.
2020
COVID-19 Pandemic Response
SFMade responds to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing critical business advising, education, and access to capital support to help manufacturers survive and rebuild, as well as convening Bay Area officials to develop consistent safety protocols and policies for manufacturers across the region.
2020
BAY AREA MANUFACTURING WEEK 2020
A virtual Bay Area Manufacturing Week was held on October 2-9 with sessions on topics like equity and diversity in manufacturing, access to capital, and the evolution of industrial real estate.
2010
2011
2012
2013
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2020
2020
2020
SFMADE LAUNCHES
Propelled by the passion of a small group of 12 companies and a partnership with the City of San Francisco, Kate Sofis, Janet Lees, and Mark Dwight launch SFMade to revitalize and fuel local manufacturers in San Francisco.
First SFMade Week Celebration
SFMade hosts its first SFMade Week, shining a light on the manufacturing sector with factory tours, workshops, product demonstrations, pop-up shops, and the first Ramp It Up! event at Ritual Coffee Roasters.
Year One
250 manufacturers join SFMade, representing 80% of the City’s total manufacturing sector.
Hiring Made Better
SFMade launches Hiring Made Better, a set of services to help companies hire from the local workforce in a more efficient and targeted way.
Urban Manufacturing Alliance
SFMade and the City of San Francisco initiate the national Urban Manufacturing Alliance, along with Made in NYC and the City of New York, to energize urban manufacturing across the US.
placemade
PlaceMade, the Bay Area’s first non-profit industrial real estate development corporation and sister organization to SFMade, springs into action to create more industrial space for local manufacturers.
Youth Programs
To educate high school students about potential careers in manufacturing and prepare the workforce of the future, SFMade launches the Inside Manufacturing and YouthMade programs.
625 Manufacturers
San Francisco manufacturers--625 now part of SFMade--post a 10% job growth rate, representing a sixth straight year of double-digit job growth.
Regional Expansion
SFMade expands beyond San Francisco with the Bay Area Urban Manufacturing Initiative, a coalition of four cities—San Francisco, San Jose, Fremont, and Oakland—to work across the region to support the growth of the sector.
Leadership Award
SFMade is recognized for its innovative work by the James Irvine Foundation when CEO Kate Sofis received its Leadership Award along with Todd Rufo, the Director of SF’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
Summit in Oakland
Bay Area Urban Manufacturing Initiative expands from four to 26 members; hosts the second Bay Area Summit on Urban Manufacturing, in West Oakland.
Manufacture: San Jose
In partnership with the City of San Jose, SFMade launches Manufacture: San Jose to drive resources, knowledge, and visibility to the city’s more than 1200 manufacturers.
The Manufacturing Foundry at 150 Hooper
SFMade opens the Bay Area’s first, permanently affordable, multi-tenant building dedicated to manufacturing and creating quality jobs and career pathways for low-income San Franciscans.
Humanmade
Humanmade, a state-of-the-art makerspace designed to empower the next generation of inventors, designers, and fabricators, opens at the Manufacturing Foundry at 150 Hooper.
Next Generation Manufacturing Training Program
SFMade and Humanmade get to work training local residents for the manufacturing jobs of the future as part of Mayor London Breed’s Next Generation Manufacturing Workforce Development Program.
East Bay Partnership
SFMade expands to the East Bay with support from California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CTMC) and the State of California to provide customized, one-on-one advising services to a select number of growth stage manufacturers in the region.
SFMade Wins Prestigious JVS Business Leadership Award
The award recognizes the work that SFMade and JVS have done together to create shared prosperity and cultivate living wage careers for adults and youth with barriers to employment.
SEE VIDEO
COVID-19 Pandemic Response
SFMade responds to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing critical business advising, education, and access to capital support to help manufacturers survive and rebuild, as well as convening Bay Area officials to develop consistent safety protocols and policies for manufacturers across the region.
BAY AREA URBAN MANUFACTURING INITIATIVE GROWTH CONTINUES
The initiative now encompasses 29 cities from all 9 Bay Area counties.
BAY AREA MANUFACTURING WEEK 2020
A virtual Bay Area Manufacturing Week was held on October 2-9 with sessions on topics like equity and diversity in manufacturing, access to capital, and the evolution of industrial real estate.

Impact Profiles

Learn how SFMade has helped these companies start, grow and expand in the Bay Area

Heath Ceramics: A New Model for Urban Manufacturing in San Francisco

SFMade helped Heath’s owners create a new, experiential model of what a manufacturing factory could be in the City.

Nana Joes Granola: 10 Years of Learning, Adapting and Growing With SFMade

Michelle Pusateri credits SFMade for her successful transition from pastry chef to business owner and community leader.

Topology Eyewear: From Custom Glasses to Hiring, It’s All About the Perfect Fit

At Topology, a custom fit is the name of the game. When it comes to hiring, SFMade has helped them make great matches, while supporting their efforts to tear down traditional barriers to employment.

Green Circuits: Helping Electronics Manufacturers Thrive in San Jose, Now and in the Future

SFMade launched Manufacture : San Jose to drive resources, knowledge, and visibility to the city’s more than 1200 manufacturers, like Green Circuits.

Third Culture Bakery Launches a Mochi Empire From Berkeley

The innovators of the Mochi Muffin® were ready to expand. Today, with help from SFMade’s expert advisers, they are building a mochi empire.

Sewing by Day and Learning English by Night at Cut Loose

A good job is about more than pay, it’s also about opportunities to learn and grow. That’s why Rosemarie Ovian partnered with SFMade and City College to offer ESL classes to her employees.

The Manufacturing Foundry Keeps Companies Like Yorkland in San Francisco

Permanent, affordable space at SFMade’s multi-tenant building enables Yorkland to continue providing crucial support to local fashion designers.

SFMade Connects Manufacturers Like Frolick Jewelry to Peers and Partners

Small business owner Adrienne Wiley has learned a lot from peers at larger manufacturing companies, and has taught them a thing or two as well.

Did You Know?

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING describes manufacturing that uses automation, sensing and other digital technologies to increase efficiency and precision across all subsectors of manufacturing. SFMade’s Next Generation Manufacturing Training Program prepares local residents for the manufacturing jobs that use these technologies.

SFMade helps manufacturers to start, grow, and stay in the San Francisco Bay Area and provides pathways to prosperity for local residents through careers in manufacturing. In addition, we facilitate regional connections to preserve and strengthen the Bay Area’s manufacturing ecosystem.

Services for manufacturers

SFMade provides industry-specific services for manufacturers at every stage of their development.
  • Business Advice & Education

  • Workforce Support

  • Real Estate Services

  • Sourcing Support

  • California Manufacturers
    Accelerator Plus

Services for
jobseekers

  • Job Seeker Support

  • Career Exposure for Youth

  • Advanced Manufacturing Training

MANUFACTURING
POLICY

  • Bay Area Urban Manufacturing Initiative

Did You Know?

SFMADE’S MANUFACTURER’S ACCELERATOR PROGRAM offers a select group of manufacturing leaders in San Francisco and San Jose the opportunity to develop and grow their companies.

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Manufacturers participate in the SFMade Accelerator program

SFMade 10-Year Impact

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Manufacturers served
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Manufacturing jobs sustained

*In 2019, SFMade began working with companies in San Jose and the East Bay that collectively sustain over 8,300 jobs.

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Youth Served by SFMade's YouthMade and Inside Manufacturing Youth Programs

San Francisco & Bay Area 2019 Impact

0 %

Of Jobs Sustained That Pay More Than $18/hr

0 %

Net New Job Growth for Accelerator Companies

0 %

Of New Jobs by Accelerator Companies Filled by Low-Moderate Income Individuals

0 %

Manufacturing Companies Owned By Women

SFMade’s COVID-19 Pandemic Response

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+
Advising Hours
0
Companies Served
$
0
M
Capital Secured by Manufacturers

The Manufacturing Foundry at 150 Hooper

The story of how SFMade spearheaded the creation of San Francisco’s first, permanently affordable, multi-tenant building dedicated to manufacturing and creating quality jobs for low-income residents.

SF-skyline-stock-photo
If there’s no space, there’s no manufacturing
As San Francisco emerged from the Great Recession of 2008, there was more and more competition for available space in a city with the lowest percentage (6.9%) of industrial space of any major city. Rents were rising, and the lack of affordable, transit accessible, industrial space became the greatest threat to sustaining the growth of the manufacturing sector.
slide_2_placemade
PlaceMade
In 2013, to stimulate the development of industrial real estate projects, SFMade launched a non-profit industrial development organization called PlaceMade. It would enable both public and private sector projects to tap into subsidies and other benefits to ensure that the Bay Area has adequate, quality industrial space to support a vibrant and growing manufacturing sector.
slide_3_sparks
Incentivizing construction of new industrial space
PlaceMade went to work with the San Francisco Mayor's Office, Planning Commission, and Board of Supervisor’s then- President and Board of Supervisors to create an innovative zoning solution that allowed for the development of new industrial space by co-locating it with new office space on previously underutilized, industrially zoned land. The new zoning legislation would incentivize new construction of significantly below-market manufacturing space.
slide_4_ground_breaking
Planning for the Foundry begins
Place Made, SFMade, and development partner Kilroy broke ground on the Manufacturing Foundry at 150 Hooper – the first project to take advantage of the new zoning legislation. The building would provide permanently affordable space for local manufacturers who ensure that the majority of their jobs are held by local residents who qualify as low- income prior to the time they were hired.
slide_5_150_hooper
Design District location
Located at 150 Hooper Street, at the intersection of West SOMA and Mission Bay, the Manufacturing Foundry is in the heart of an emerging, transit-oriented, mixed-use district that includes the California College of the Arts, the One De Haro project, and Adobe Systems’ newest San Francisco outpost. Land for the Manufacturing Foundry was donated by Kilroy. Pfau Long Architecture and Forge designed the facility.
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Manufacturing Foundry: A beacon that manufacturing is here to stay
On October 4, 2018, SFMade celebrated the grand opening of the Manufacturing Foundry at 150 Hooper, the four-story, 56,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, multi-tenant manufacturing building, and the first building of its kind on the West Coast. “This project not only provides much needed manufacturing space, it also offers permanently affordable housing for manufacturers, so they can continue living and working in San Francisco,” said Mayor London Breed.
slide_7_next_gen
THE Foundry’s flywheel effect
By providing permanently affordable space for tenants, the Manufacturing Foundry is having a flywheel effect, gaining momentum, stimulating innovation, and creating new opportunities and pathways for careers in manufacturing for the City’s residents far into the future.
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90 jobs sustained in building
Current tenants: APROE | Dawson Custom Workroom | Humanmade | Joshuvela | Linamar | Roam Robotics | Seven Stills Brewery & Distillery | SFMade | Swope Design Solutions | ViaeX | Yorkland Productions
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For more information
For more information about the Manufacturing Foundry at 150 Hooper, contact [email protected]

Did You Know?

PDR ZONING: San Francisco’s Production, Distribution, and Repair (PDR) zoning has become a national model for how to protect and encourage manufacturing in our cities.

Acknowledgements

We could not have done it without our wonderful supporters!

Board of Directors, Past and Present

Thank you to all of our current and former Board Members.

2010-2020 SUPPORTERS

We are grateful for the generosity of these supporters over the past 10 years.

2020-2021 Funder Spotlights

Learn about our current program funders.