North Bay Business Journal

ROHNERT PARK — Efforts continue to secure full funding for constructing an outdoor pavilion at Sonoma State University’s Green Music Center, one of a number of construction projects at the school that include a new student center that is nearing completion, according to the university.

MILL VALLEY — Thompson Dorfman Partners, LLC, today said it plans to spend $500 million in the next three years building multifamily and mixed-use developments in Northern California and hired a veteran of such projects to oversee the expansion.

The 14-year-old company hired Gillian Sutton Cho as vice president of development to manage acquisition and entitlement of projects, including almost 1,200 Bay Area units in design, entitlement or construction.

Novato-based 2K, a video-game publishing label of New York-based Take-Two Interactive Software, is expanding its North Bay development studios for the second time in the past several months, building a Petaluma motion-capture studio. …

Santa Rosa-based HybridCore Homes is garnering orders and building industry accolades for its factory-built room modules designed significantly reduce onsite construction time and trades scheduling. …

Spaceship-like Aptera 2e three-wheeled electric roadsters may begin rolling out of a downtown Santa Rosa industrial facility to buyers, now that the city of Santa Rosa has agreed to allow assembly of vehicles there. …

A nationwide group of BIM users, known as the BIMForum, is seeking industry comments by June 7 on a proposed set of standards for completeness and reliability of the models during design and construction. …

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.

Bob Glover oversees local-governmental affairs as part of his duties as executive officer of the Building Industry Association of the Bay Area.

He is set to be the keynote speaker at the Business Journal’s 2013 Construction Conference in Santa Rosa on May 15.

He spoke with the Business Journal about economic indicators that point to continued strengthening of homebuilding in the North Bay and the rest of the Bay Area as well as well as the headwinds builders continue to face seven years after the housing industry started a steep dive locally in shrinking sales, stalled and failed projects, and employment decline.

Greg Geertsen is managing partner of Merlone Geier Partners, the San Francisco-based commercial property investment firm that for the past six years has been developing the 340,000-square-foot Deer Creek Village retail and office center in Petaluma.

Mr. Geertsen is set to speak at Construction Conference 2013, hosted by the Business Journal in Santa Rosa on May 15. He spoke with the Journal about what’s next for the Deer Creek Village project.

Joe Hasson is the newly appointed general manager of the Graton Resort & Casino currently being constructed by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria in northwest Rohnert Park.

He is set to speak on Graton Resort project progress at Construction Conference 2013, hosted by the Business Journal in Santa Rosa on May 15. His team and he responded to Journal questions about the project and employment opportunities.

Amy Bolten is public information officer for the Energy Resources Group of Sonoma County Water Agency.

She is set to speak on projects related to the water agency and the proposed Sonoma Clean Power program at Construction Conference 2013, hosted by the Business Journal in Santa Rosa on May 15.

Ms. Bolten and SCEIP manager Jane Elias, a 14-year veteran of green building and energy, spoke with the Journal about construction activity generated by these agencies and programs.

SANTA ROSA — The outlook for residential construction plus striking examples of a rebound in North Bay construction activity — the Bay Area’s largest casino project, an intercounty commuter rail line, one of Petaluma’s big shopping center projects and infrastructure for a local water and energy supply — will be the focus of the Business Journal’s Construction Conference the morning of May 15.

Site preparation is set to begin in May for large shopping center and distribution warehouse projects in Petaluma and Fairfield: 346,000-square-foot Deer Creek Village and 791,000-square-foot Solano Logistics Center. …

Richard Coney, senior property manager in the Santa Rosa office of Keegan & Coppin, and Justin Barton, a property manager in the brokerage’s Larkspur office, earned the Certified Property Manager designation. …

SANTA ROSA — Santa Rosa Community Health Centers said it will soon close on the building for its forthcoming dental health center, which aims to alleviate one of Sonoma County’s more persistent public health disparities by increasing access.

GREENBRAE — Marin General Hospital received a 10-year extension on its deadline for rebuilding a seismically sound facility from the state yesterday, which will move the completion date to 2030 instead of 2020, officials said.

Site preparation for new academic center at College of Marin in Kentfield has begun. …

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of one of the largest residential real estate services company in the Bay Area, raised $95,570 for Habitat for Humanity in Northern California. …

Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, in collaboration with the county Department of Health Services and the University of California Cooperative Extension, announced the launch of an online program to allow local gardeners to sell or donate their eligible produce. …

Petaluma-based Emma at Home (emmahome.com), retailer of modern home décor by Emma Gardner, has partnered with International Checkout to handle the retailer’s operational aspects of serving online customers outside the U.S. …

Matthew Taylor recently joined Sonoma Bank’s commercial banking office, located at 801 Fourth St. in Santa Rosa, as a commercial banker. …

The U.S. Green Building Council Redwood Empire chapter announced the election of nine new members to its board of directors. …

Armand Gilinsky, professor in the School of Business and Economics at Sonoma State University, was named as one of two recipients of the Bernie and Estelle Goldstein Award for Excellence in Scholarship. …

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Sonoma County added James Conners and Kimberly Baldwin to its resource development team. …

W3 Partners, a San Rafael-based real estate investment operating company, named Peter Mette managing partner. …

PETALUMA — A four-story, 50-room boutique hotel is in the early stages of development, a project that backers said could address a lack of downtown lodging in Sonoma County’s second-biggest city.

HEALDSBURG — Santa Rosa-based land surveying company Cinquini & Passarino has added a wine focus by merging in Howard Brunner’s 16-year-old surveying business in Healdsburg.

The New Energy Efficient Home Credit, also known as the 45L credit, first became available for tax years after Dec. 31, 2005. Though it expired in 2011, the recently passed 2012 Taxpayer Relief Act retroactively restores and extends the credit for 2012 and 2013.

April Hines has been named chief financial officer at First Community Bank. …

The Santa Rosa-based bank also hired Jonathan Graves as its vice president and commercial loan officer. …

Bob Bourdet, vice president and electrical division manager for Novato-based W. Bradley Electric, Inc., received the educators award from the Association of General Contractors. …

Josef Brinckmann, vice president of sustainability for Sebastopol-based Traditional Medicinals, was recently recognized by the American Herbal Products Association with an Herbal Insight Award. …

A new board of directors has been named for the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation. …

The Business Journal will present its 2013 Construction Conference, titled “North Bay Construction is Coming Back,” on Wednesday, May 15, at Sonoma Mountain Village in Rohnert Park.

SANTA ROSA — Wells Fargo Center for the Arts today announced plans for a four-part, $10 million upgrade project to improve patron and artist experience, increase accessibility and provide greater flexibility at the 31-year old center.