North Bay Business Journal

The North Bay Business Journal presents the 2013 Women in Business (Leaders, Innovators & Visionaries) Awards Dinner Gala on Wednesday, July 10, 2013 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Doubletree in Rohnert Park. Keynote speaker: Jamie Moldafsky, Executive V.P., Chief Marketing Officer, Wells Fargo & Co.

SANTA ROSA — Some 640 union nurses at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital said they would go on strike for a fourth time in less than a year, as the St. Joseph Health-owned hospital and the local union continue tense negotiations over unresolved labor issues.

The Staff Nurses’ Association, an independent union based in Santa Rosa, issued a statement saying the strike, planned for Thursday, May 23 at 5 a.m. and ending May 25 at 5a.m., is in response to “onerous, sub-market proposals” from Memorial. The union has been in negotiations with the 278-bed hospital since last August.

NAPA COUNTY — The groundbreaking for a 154-acre mixed use development near the city of Napa, Napa Pipe, moved a few steps closer Tuesday, after the Napa County Board of Supervisors voted to close public comment and have county staff spend the next two weeks ironing out a few final details for special zoning measures that would help facilitate the project’s construction.

SANTA ROSA — Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today said it would cut 2,000 jobs across the company as a result of “manufacturing consolidation efforts,” while reporting that its Cardiac and Vascular Group, which includes operations in Santa Rosa, had worldwide sales of more than $2.3 billion for an increase of 5 percent over the year.

A Medtronic spokeswoman told the Business Journal that approximately half the job cuts will take place overseas.

Visitors to Sonoma County spent $1.47 billion in 2011, a more than 9 percent increase over 2010, according to the latest figures released by Visit California.

SANTA ROSA — GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (GTAT), a U.S. supplier of manufacturing equipment for solar and energy-efficient lighting products, has announced the acquisition of Thermal Technology LLC of Santa Rosa in a deal that values the supplier of high-temperature furnaces at more than $14.7 million.

SANTA ROSA — Commercial airline passenger volume at Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport rose 1.9 percent in April from a year before, according to the airport’s monthly report of passenger volume for its commercial carrier, Horizon Air.

PETALUMA — The American arm of Danish ambulance giant Falck, one of the largest ambulance companies in the world, has acquired Petaluma-based Verihealth Inc., an ambulance and medical transport company founded in 2000.

NORTH BAY — As median home prices climb sharply in the North Bay, a recent report by real estate data tracker RealtyTrac shows that the Santa Rosa-Petaluma market is one of the most profitable nationwide for “flipping” homes.

Unemployment rates across the North Coast continued to fall, with every county improving its jobless rate over both the last month and over the year, according to figures released by the Economic Development Department.

YOUNTVILLE, SANTA ROSA – Goosecross Cellars, the boutique luxury winery located in Yountville, has been sold to Golden Equity Investments, a private equity firm located in Golden, Colo., that was formed in 2011 to provide equity capital to privately held, middle market companies. The transaction included the 11-acre estate winery and vineyard property, tasting room and contemporary Tudor-style estate home. Zepponi & Company, the wine industry mergers and acquisitions advisory firm for ultra-premium, luxury and estate wine brands and vineyards, served as the exclusive financial adviser to the owners of Goosecross Cellars. Financial terms were not disclosed.

PETALUMA — The nonprofit organization Committee on the Shelterless, better known as COTS, today announced a shift in leadership, with Mike Johnson, the agency’s chief operating officer, assuming the role of chief executive officer.

A Sonoma County-based nonprofit and several others with ties in the North Bay are among 48 organizations across the state to share in $37 million in outreach and education grants from Covered California, the state’s online health exchange developed under health care reform.

Petaluma-based Redwood Community Health Coalition received $830,000. Catholic Charities of California, which has a presence in Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties, received $859,000. California Rural Indian Health Board, which has a presence in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, was given $300,000. The California NAACP, which has locations in Sonoma and Solono counties, received $600,000 and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center in Solano County received $100,00.

SANTA ROSA — Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) reported today that its Electronic Measurement Group (EMG) saw second quarter revenues drop 13 percent since the same period last year. The loss was attributed to continued weakness in wireless manufacturing.

SAN RAFAEL — Korean food has been topping trendy cuisine charts for the past few years, and now the Marin County natural foods entrepreneur who helped make it a household staple is getting national retailer attention for her new venture in seaweed snacks for the uber-health-conscious.

NORTH BAY — More capital is flowing to North Bay small businesses through loan programs backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration, with a 10.4 percent increase in dollar volume funded in Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties comparing the first half of the administration’s fiscal year to the same period one year ago, according to data from the SBA.

PETALUMA — Petaluma-based Cyan, Inc. (NYSE: CYNI) completed its initial public offering on Thursday, raising $88 million in the sale of 8 million shares priced at $11 per share.

HEALDSBURG — The California Lottery, one of the fastest growing lotteries in the United States, announced today their partnership with project portfolio management (PPM) firm, Métier based in Healdsburg. California Lottery selected Métier’s PPM-as-a-Service and PMO-as-a-Service offerings to enhance visibility and drive PPM maturity within the organization.

NOVATO — Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp. (Nasdaq: RPTP) today reported its first-quarter net loss expanded by 13.6 percent from a year before.

The deadline for nominations for the North Bay Business Journal’s 2013 Best Places to Work is Friday.

To nominate your company, use the online form at www.NorthBayBusinessJournal.com.