East Bay office tower lands lease with cutting-edge stethoscope maker
EMERYVILLE — A maker of cutting-edge stethoscopes has leased a big chunk of space in an East Bay office tower, offering some signs of hope in a dreary landscape for the Bay Area office market.
Eko Health, which makes digital stethoscopes, leased office space at 2100 Powell Street in Emeryville, according to JLL, a commercial real estate firm that arranged the rental agreement.
The medical devices firm has signed a deal for a full-floor lease in the building, JLL said. The offices will serve as the company’s headquarters.
“Our new Emeryville-based headquarters embodies our company’s evolution as a leader in digital stethoscopes into a health technology innovator,” said Renee Gaeta, Eko Health’s chief financial officer.
The deal is a welcome counterpoint to the dreary trends for office space in the East Bay and nearly all of the Bay Area.
During the April-through-June second quarter, the office vacancy rate in Emeryville was 26.5%, according to a report by Colliers, a commercial real estate firm. The office vacancy rate in the western East Bay market that consists of Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Richmond and Alameda was 16.5%, Colliers reported.
JLL scouted far and wide leading up to the deal that culminated in Eko Health leasing 17,000 square feet in the office tower, said Francisco Torres, a JLL senior vice president.
“We conducted a thorough search to match Eko’s needs for a collaborative, employee-centric space that supports their innovation and growth plans,” Torres said.
The deal also keeps Eko Health, which has its roots in Berkeley, in the East Bay, according to Torres.
Eko Health’s primary products include a digital stethoscope that offers sound quality that is greater and more precise than conventional stethoscopes. The high-tech devices can connect to cell phones or wireless earbuds.
“We’ve designed this workspace to inspire our team in-person and remotely,” Gaeta said.