Corwin Hardham, wind power pioneer, dies - San Francisco Chronicle

ENERGY

Wind power pioneer, 38, dies

Corwin Hardham was part of a small clutch of engineers chasing a very large dream - high-altitude wind power.

He co-founded Makani Power and helped develop the company's flying wind turbine, which rises into the atmosphere to tap the strong, steady winds found aloft.

Hardham, Makani's CEO, died unexpectedly Tuesday evening, at work in the company's Alameda offices. Colleagues found him. There was no obvious cause of death, although according to the company, he appeared to have died peacefully.

His death came as a shock to co-workers. Hardham was just 38, surfed almost every day, and was "a very active, very healthy guy," said Alden Woodrow, Makani's vice president of corporate development. The county coroner's office is trying to determine how Hardham died, Woodrow said.

Woodrow and other colleagues described Hardham as brilliant and driven, willing to tackle complex and daunting issues. The Stanford graduate was also a serial entrepreneur, helping found other companies, including Squid Labs.

"Corwin applied his great passion to finding solutions to the challenge of climate change and providing clean, renewable energy for all," said Saul Griffith, another of Makani's founders. "He chose to spend his precious life pioneering a new form of renewable energy - high-altitude wind power. He had found an engineer's Everest to climb, and he was pursuing it purposefully and intelligently."

Woodrow said he couldn't discuss who would replace Hardham as the company's CEO.

"He got us very, very far," Woodrow said. "He leaves quite a big hole for all of us, emotionally and for the company. But he was able to put together an incredible and very capable team."

ANTIVIRUS TOOLS

Symantec sales boost shares

Symantec Corp. shares rose the most in three months after forecasting sales that topped analysts' estimates as large businesses bought more antivirus and encryption tools.

Revenue will rise to $1.72 billion to $1.75 billion in the quarter ending December, the company said Wednesday. That compares with analysts' prediction of $1.72 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Profit excluding some items will be 36 to 38 cents per share, compared with analysts' predictions of 42 cents.

Steve Bennett, the former chief executive officer of Intuit Inc. who began running Symantec three months ago, is tasked with turning around the company, best known for its antivirus programs. While sales growth has slowed and profit has shrunk, Symantec is doing a better job now at signing up customers at a time of sluggish spending by corporations and weak PC sales, said Daniel Ives, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets & Co. in New York.

The stock has risen 32 percent since Bennett's appointment. It rose 6.67 percent Thursday to close at $18.54.

ACQUISITIONS

McKesson to buy distributor

Drug distributor McKesson Corp. agreed to acquire PSS World Medical Inc. for about $1.62 billion to expand in medical supplies and services.

The $29-a-share cash agreement for PSS World includes the assumption of debt, McKesson said Thursday. The offer by the San Francisco company is 34 percent more than PSS World's closing share price Wednesday. The deal includes the assumption of about $480 million of debt, bringing its total value to $2.1 billion.

McKesson will acquire PSS World's distribution of medical products to physician offices and long-term-care homes and gain the company's $2.1 billion in annual sales. Cost savings will be about $100 million a year within four years, McKesson said.

PSS World has also been selling private-label brands and has a strong presence in diagnostic tests. That could help McKesson grow in those areas.

McKesson stock gained 4.1 percent to close at $93.16. PSS World shares rose 32 percent to $28.57.