North Bay Business Journal

From Marin to Mendocino, current hospital projects represent at least $550 million worth of combined construction spending.

And it’s a number that will double if and when one of the largest projects — the $500 million rebuild of Marin General Hospital — gets off the ground.

Randy DeCaminada is the executive manager for PG&E across the North Coast. He has been involved in Sonoma County business and community affairs for more than 30 years, including top positions with businesses, professional and charitable organizations. He has served in a variety of managerial positions with the PG&E and is currently responsible for all gas and electric distribution operations, customer service, community and governmental relations for Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt, Napa and Marin counties

Calpine is the largest operator of geothermal power plants at The Geysers, a 45-square-mile area in northern Sonoma County where ambient underground heat is close enough to the surface to generate steam from groundwater.

Calpine produces enough power there to satisfy the needs of San Francisco, or 60 percent of the needs of the North Coast. Mike Rogers is senior vice president of Calpine Geothermal Operations.

The Sonoma County Energy Independence Program provides financing for permanent energy efficiency upgrades to a property through a voluntary assessment on the property itself. A number of significant projects have found financing through the program, including a $1.6 million solar array at Sonoma Mountain Village in Rohnert Park.  The program is the subject of a [...]

Greg Steele has a degree in industrial engineering from Oregon State University. He spent the early portion of his career with Texas Instruments and DSC Communications Corporation in various manufacturing and operations positions. He served as the vice president of operations and later the chief operating officer for the telecommunications company Advanced Fibre Communications. Mr. [...]

Plans to develop a “community choice aggregation” power agency in Sonoma County have advanced over the past few months, with outreach to the region’s residents and municipal governments laying the groundwork for a joint powers authority to govern the so-called “Sonoma Clean Power.”

Tasked by its board of directors to develop the proposal, the Sonoma County Water Agency began work in 2011 to hone the finer details of a renewable energy-focused power agency in the county. Cordel Stillman, deputy chief engineer at the Sonoma County Water Agency, heads the effort.

As home to the largest complex of geothermal plants in the world and a continuing effort to establish a renewable energy-focused power agency, Sonoma County and its energy future will take center stage at North Bay Business Journal’s annual Impact Sonoma Conference on, Oct. 18.

SAN RAFAEL — Mike Shapiro is a veteran of over 25 years in the sports and entertainment industries, having served a variety of positions in sports team management, television production and administration, new media production and rights acquisitions, marketing, athlete representation, consulting and golf course management. Mr. Shapiro has worked in a wide range of professional sports including baseball, golf, basketball and hockey. He has also served as a senior executive, legal counsel, managing principal of his own consulting firm and media producer.

CALIFORNIA — John Chiang was first elected as California’s State Controller in November 2006 and was reelected to a second term in 2010.  He previously served on the state Board of Equalization, first elected in 1998, and served two terms, including three years as chair. Mr. Chiang began his career as a tax law specialist [...]

In the following interview, Amy’s Kitchen Chief Executive Officer Andy Berliner touches on the company’s growth in and beyond Sonoma County, the status of the planned South Carolina plan, potential for sales of prepared natural foods in foreign markets and the proposed ballot measure California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, which was submitted to the state Attorney General’s Office last month. Mr. Berliner will be a panelist at the 2012 Sonoma State University Economic Outlook Conference on Feb. 23 in Rohnert Park.

In the following interview, Mayor Techel talks about drivers and challenges for Napa’s economy, ways city government is trying to help local businesses while balancing community needs, and next steps in urban land-use planning, specifically the Napa Downtown Specific Plan, whose draft environmental-impact report is under public comment through March 15, and next phases for the Napa River flood-control project.

The Business Journal’s “Who will take over your business?” event explored the two possibilities through case studies and expert discussion.

It may seem a bit cliché, but I am a classic American Dream story. Very humble upbringing with a strong family emphasis on education. I was encouraged to pursue my dreams (as long as I became a doctor or lawyer first). I have been lucky enough to have been born during a period of history where technology has advanced more in a couple of decades than in the five prior millennia. Through the entrepreneurial formula of vision + hard work + blood sweat and tears, I have achieved more than I ever thought possible, and now get the reward of living in the North Bay, and being a farmer.

The Business Journal today devotes a significant part of this edition to the 13 winners of our inaugural Top Manfacturers Awards.

MARIN COUNTY – Marin County’s economic recovery is under way slowly with some sectors improving but employment lagging, according to the Spring Economic Bulletin published by the Marin Economic Forum.

In this interview and his presentation at Construction Conference 2011 on Tuesday, Paul Campos, senior vice president of governmental affairs and general counsel of the Building Industry Association of the Bay Area, will explore emerging area-wide actions by “superregulators” and how contractors can have a say in the outcome of those decisions.

Major areas of opportunity for construction in the North Bay are commercial tenant improvements, multifamily housing, health care facilities and energy-efficiency retrofits, according to a panel of experts set to speak at the Business Journal’s Construction Conference 2011 on Tuesday.

The Green Construction Panel at North Bay Business Journal’s Construction Conference 2011 on Tuesday will explore the new environmental-quality requirements at various government levels and how the construction industry is meeting the challenge.

Listen to audio recordings from and read presentations at Wine Industry Conference 2011, which was held in Santa Rosa on April 28.

Pete Scott of The Vincraft Group, which acquired Gary Farrell Winery from Ascentia Wine Estates recently, was part of a power player–packed mergers and acquisitions panel.

Other M&A panel members were Peter Byck of Winery Exchange, Bill Foley of Foley Family Wines, Dan Leese of V2 Wine Group and Stewart Resnick, owner and chairman of Roll Global that includes and Justin Winery and Vineyards.

The conference also includes a direct sales and social media panel, consisting of Ron Denner of Denner Vineyards, Larry Dutra of Adams Wine Group, Bill Leigon of Hahn Family Wines and Lisa Mattson of Jordan Vineyard & Winery.

The winners of the Business Journal’s fifth-annual Forty under 40 awards were selected from more than 100 nominees and represent new honorees not previously chosen in 2007, 2008 or 2009 and 2010.