North Bay Business Journal

NORTH BAY — The Business Journal has selected 55 businesses and organizations as honorees in its fifth-annual Best Places to Work in the North Bay.

Profiles of the winners will appear in a special publication supplementing the Sept. 27 issue, and winners will be honored at a gala reception Sept. 23 at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park. For more information, call 707-521-5264.

The winners were selected from nearly 100 nominees by the Business Journal editorial department based on several criteria, including the results of an anonymous employee survey and a company application that provided information on issues such as diversity, benefits and community involvement.

The companies range in size from 20 employees – the minimum required – to 4,500. The contest has grown from 24 winners in 2006. Nearly 4,900 employees participated this year in the anonymous online survey that is part of the competition. The participating companies represented more than 13,000 employees.

Eight outstanding companies will be honored for being selected as five-time winners.

“Of all the years we have been conducting this program, this year the competition was the toughest. All of the nominees were very good, excellent, really. So these winners are the best of the best,” said Business Journal Associate Publisher and Editor in Chief Brad Bollinger. “What this competition clearly demonstrated for all that participated is that being a great place to work is part of the culture of this special place we call the North Bay.”

The winners, starting with first-time honorees and ending with five-time winners, are (listed alphabetically):

First-time winners

• Bank of Napa
• Codding Enterprises
• Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
• Frank Howard Allen Realtors
• Ghilotti Bros. Inc
• Golden Living Center of Petaluma
• Innovative Business Solutions Inc.
• Napa Community Bank, A Division of Rabobank N.A.
• Optio Solutions LLC
• Panamax LLC
• Scott Technology Group
• Smith Dollar PC
• Summit State Bank
• Umpqua Bank
• Vintage Sonoma

Two-time winners

• Audubon Canyon Ranch (ACR)
• Becoming Independent
• Bradley Real Estate
• Coast Landscape Management
• Coldwell Banker Brokers of the Valley
• Embassy Suites Hotel
• Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors
• Nova Group Inc.
• O’Brien Watters & Davis LLP
• Woodruff-Sawyer & Co.

Three-time winners

• Accuchex Payroll Management Services
• Environmental Resolutions Inc.
• Filtration Group Inc.
• Inn Marin
• Marizco Landscape Management Inc.
• Moss Adams LLP
• Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Sonoma County
• Petaluma People Services Center
• Quattrocchi Kwok Architects
• REACH Air Medical Services
• Vantreo Insurance Brokerage

Four-time winners

• Bank of Marin
• Carlile Macy
• Circle Bank
• Dal Poggetto & Company LLP
• Edward Jones
• IDEX Health & Science
• La Tortilla Factory
• Schurter Inc.
• Sonoma Technology Inc.
• Summit Engineering Inc.
• Winzler & Kelly

Five-time winners

• Burr Pilger Mayer Inc.
• Charter Oak Bank
• Exchange Bank
• First Community Bank
• Ghirardo CPA
• Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa & San Rafael Medical Centers
• Redwood Credit Union
• Valley Tire & Brake