Trina Solar sets up U.S. headquarters in San Jose

Unlike in horseshoes and hand grenades, “close” doesn’t count in economic development.

That’s the lesson for San Francisco and Mayor Gavin Newsom, which have been figuratively scanning the horizon for more than a year, awaiting the arrival of the North American headquarters of Trina Solar in the city. The company’s plan to plant itself in San Francisco was splashed by the mayor at a November 2008 event in China to highlight the opening — and first success — of the ChinaSF office. Trina even had business cards printed up with “San Francisco” on them.

Sure enough, Trina COO Sean Tzou told analysts last month during an earnings call, in January Trina established its European headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, and crossed the Pacific Ocean to open its North American HQ.

In San Jose.

Ouch.

Read the full story in the San Francisco Business Times.