Mukilteo-based CombiMatrix Corp. has received $1.25 million from Toppan Printing Corp. of Japan this week after reaching a development milestone in a multiyear collaboration agreement between the two companies. The two are jointly developing a product based on CombiMatrix’s microarrays, which are designed for customized tests of genes and proteins. The first application of the joint product may be for the detection of biological or chemical warfare agents, the companies said.
A survey of technology companies in Washington state has found that 14 percent of responding firms are outsourcing tech-related jobs. According to the annual survey, conducted by the Milliman USA for Seattle-based WSA, tech firms with business troubles are using hiring freezes, salary freezes or increasing employees’ contributions to their medical coverage instead of resorting to layoffs. On a positive note, raises for tech workers in 2004 are predicted to average 3.3 percent, up more than a full percentage point from this year.
The sale of the Fisher Business Center in Lynnwood brought in more than $33 million for Fisher Properties, according to county records. Fisher Properties announced the sale of the office complex at 3400 188th St. SW in August, but the price wasn’t released until recently. RREEF America LLC, an investment group based in San Francisco, bought the two six-story buildings, which were built in the mid-1980s. The same firm also bought a downtown Seattle building from Fisher this summer.
FedEx Corp. is raising its rates for air and ground shipments effective Jan 5. The new charges include a delivery surcharge of $1 per package for ground shipments sent to commercial locations, an increase in the FedEx Express and FedEx Ground residential delivery surcharge to $1.75 from $1.40 and an increase in the surcharge for residential delivery of FedEx Home Delivery shipments to $1.40 a package from $1.15.
The Internal Revenue Service is auditing two dozen companies to make sure they followed the rules for compensating executives and scrutinizing corporate perks such as stock options and the use of private jets and luxury apartments. The IRS started its inquiries this summer to find out whether companies were following the rules for fringe benefits and other forms of paying top officers.
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