Industry News

Airport passenger traffic rises 2.3 percent in January

February 3rd, 2012

SANTA ROSA — Passenger volume at Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport in January was up 2.3 percent from a year before, according to figures released this afternoon.
Shareholders approve AltaPacific merger with Stellar

February 3rd, 2012

Shareholders have approved the merger of AltaPacific Bancorp and Covina California-based Stellar Business Bank, a deal first announced in September and one that nearly doubles the value of assets held by AltaPacific Bank, according to a release today.
SSU conference includes timely forecast, state controller, food industry visionary

February 3rd, 2012

The annual Sonoma State University Economic Outlook Conference Feb. 23, which for nearly two decades has been one of the benchmark events in the North Bay, will include a unique combination of high-level presentations from one of the region’s leading economists, the founder of the area’s private natural foods producer and a top state budget official.
River Road Vineyards names Seiden as GM

February 2nd, 2012

RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY — River Road Vineyards & Winery, recently acquired by The Republic of Tea owner Ron Rubin, hired Marcus Seiden of Santa Rosa as general manager.
Sutter, nurses’ union agree on contract

February 2nd, 2012

SANTA ROSA — Registered nurses and Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa have reached a tentative agreement for a new collective bargaining contract for some 350 RNs represented by the California Nurses Association, the union announced today.
Wine Business Management Certificate online course applications due Feb. 6

February 2nd, 2012

Sonoma State University’s Online Wine Business Management Certificate launches its second round of foundation classes next week. Monday, Feb. 6, is the last day to apply. This new certificate program kicked off in the fall and concluded with great feedback on the four-week foundation level course taught by Tim Hanni.
PlumpJack acquires Stags Leap property

February 1st, 2012

NAPA VALLEY — PlumpJack Group today said it acquired the 40-acre Steltzner Vineyards property in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley to produce estate-grown wines from that region.
Strong 2011 puts Exchange Bank closer to ‘primary objective’ of dividend

January 31st, 2012

SANTA ROSA – Exchange Bank earned $12.2 million in net income over the course of 2011, a 19 percent increase from the prior year that the bank attributed to developments such as strong core earnings and a reduction in problem assets.
Nurses, NUHW hold daylong Kaiser strike

January 31st, 2012

NORTH BAY — The National Union of Healthcare Workers is holding a day-long strike at Kaiser Permanente facilities throughout Northern California, including hospitals in Santa Rosa, San Rafael, Vallejo and Vacaville, as the union negotiates a new contract with the health system.
SMART tax repeal effort fails

January 30th, 2012

NORTH BAY — An effort to allow voters to repeal the 2008 sales tax measure that funds a proposed commuter rail system in the North Bay has failed after election officials in Sonoma and Marin counties collected fewer than the minimum signatures required to advance the matter to the ballot.
After Hours: Hotel Healdsburg and Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen 10th anniversary

January 30th, 2012

Nov. 11, 2011: Hotel Healdsburg and Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen celebrated their 10th anniversary on November 10th at Hotel Healdsburg
Food production incubator considered for Petaluma

January 30th, 2012

PETALUMA — Creators of artisan food products who are challenged to find a place to take their businesses to a new level may be able to find such help in a food manufacturing incubator being considered in southern Sonoma County.
Medical-device maker Sanovas picks Sausalito for production

January 30th, 2012

SAUSALITO — Sanovas Inc. plans to expand its corporate headquarters in Marin County’s southernmost city to include a manufacturing operation for early production of key components used in its microsurgical devices, used in diagnosing and treating cancer and other chronic diseases.
Printers GPM, Northwestern merge to create third largest

January 30th, 2012

ROHNERT PARK — GPM of Rohnert Park and Impress Northwestern of Santa Rosa have merged, creating the third-largest commercial printer in the North Bay.
Leaders in commercial banking

January 30th, 2012

A look at the North Bay’s leading commercial bankers in 2012.
Investing in human services has huge benefits for costs, people

January 30th, 2012

And while we apply our expertise to these areas, the public and private sectors are frequently putting Band-Aids on social ills and a never-ending set of “solutions” that are often ineffective in prevention and early intervention. As we so carefully construct our business environments to produce healthy outcomes based on efficient and effective practices, we hemorrhage out the other side from the impact of ineffective social policy.
Repealing SMART will have expensive consequences

January 30th, 2012

Four years into the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression, everyone’s looking to boost the economy and invest wisely. In the North Bay, voters have provided the opportunity to do both: the SMART Train & Pathway.
What if a bank CEO and Occupy Wall Street sat down over coffee?

January 30th, 2012

Imagine for a moment if a bank CEO and an Occupy Wall Street leader sat down over a cup of coffee to talk.
People: Week of Jan. 30, 2012

January 30th, 2012

Click here for photo gallery Health Care The Northern California Center for Well-Being has hired Annette Zucconi as its new operations manager as part of its leadership team. Ms. Zucconi has dedicated over 20 years to non-profit community education work and brings a breadth of curriculum development, contract and program management experience to the Center [...]
Assets reach all-time high at Community First

January 29th, 2012

Community First Credit Union’s net assets reached $130 million at the end of 2011, the highest-ever value for the 51-year-old institution.