Irvine Co. Plans to Open San Jose Office

Accelerating its expansion into commercial property off the Irvine Ranch, Donald Bren’s Irvine Co. has hired one of its former executives, Bob Williams, to open a San Jose office.

Irvine Co., which moved into that area just two years ago, already owns 37 office and research and development properties in cities such as Sunnyvale and San Jose, and it is building two three-story office buildings in Milpitas.

It also has expanded into West Los Angeles and northern San Diego County, areas within driving distance of its Newport Beach headquarters. But Northern California is an airplane trip away, “so it was always our intent to open an office in the Silicon Valley,” said Richard G. Sim, the boss of Irvine Co.’s investment properties.

Williams, 56, who ran Irvine Co.’s industrial-property business from 1984 to 1995 before starting his own real estate consultant firm, will handle local government relations as well as manage an acquisition binge.

“I would be disappointed if in three to five years we couldn’t triple our [Silicon Valley] holdings,” Sim said.