Joby Aviation: New HQ & 1,500 Employees

By Jondi Gumz

From an idea to a startup to 1,500 employees with the headquarters in Santa Cruz – that’s the story of JoeBen Bevirt, co-founder of Joby Aviation, the company that promises to deliver electric air taxis that could eliminate highway congestion.

On June 5, the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce hosted a grand opening for Joby Aviation at 345 Encinal St., Santa Cruz, formerly home to Plantronics, famous for creating headsets for astronauts and then cornering the headset market.

Juliane Farrand, Joby Aviation’s head of people, called it “our dream location.”

Joby Aviation bought the property, where the buildings date to 1959, last November for $25.5 million.

More than 100 guests showed up including Bruce Delgado, mayor of Marina, where Joby Aviation is developing a worldclass manufacturing facility with the help of Latina seamstresses who fabricate parts of the vehicle.

Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley pointed out Bevirt’s parents, Ron and Paula, owned the Hip Pocket Books, the predecessor to Bookshop Santa Cruz.

Keeley is grateful that Bevirt, who grew up off the grid north of Davenport and went to Stanford, “opted to stay home with this brilliant idea.”

The mayor predicted, “It’s going to be game-changing.”

He declared June 5 as Joby Aviation Day.

Hiring is ongoing for this audacious undertaking.

“We’re more than 1,500 people around the world,” Bevirt said. “It’s really special for us to inherit this facility … We hope to be able to do our part.”

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