Chris Edwards (source: U.S. Attorney’s Office)

A two-month FBI investigation purportedly found that Chris Edwards between May 2010 and October 2012 set up Dufrane Compliance Trust, created fraudulent invoices for tax services never provided to WTN, then used his position as vice president and general manager of WTN’s Napa office to have the company, a subsidiary of 1-800-Flowers, generate 20 checks to Dufrane, according to the grand jury indictment.

Mr. Edwards then is accused of depositing the money into an account he controlled and then using those funds for personal use, including the purchase of a 2008 BMW automobile.

A grand jury approved the indictment May 30, but it was unsealed Monday when Mr. Edwards did not appear in court, according to court records.

Mr. Edwards could face up to 20 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and restitution.

The FBI is asking for anyone who knows where he is to call the San Francisco field office at 415-553-7400.

North Carolina-based Lowe’s agreed to be the initial “stalking horse” bidder for much of the OSH assets, including at least 60 of the 89 California stores and two in Oregon, according to a joint statement and court documents.

A Lowe’s spokesman said it’s not yet decided which locations will be purchased. North Bay OSH stores are located at:

• 2230 Cleveland Ave. in Santa Rosa
• 1390 N. McDowell Blvd. in Petaluma
• 1151 Andersen Dr. in San Rafael
• 3980 Bel Aire Plaza in Napa
• 1500 Oliver Rd. in Fairfield
• 220 Peabody Rd. in Vacaville

“Orchard’s neighborhood stores are a natural complement to Lowe’s strengths in big-box retail, offering smaller-format hardware and garden stores catering to the needs of local customers,” said Robert Niblock, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Lowe’s. “Strategically, the acquisition will provide us with immediate access to Orchard’s high density, prime locations in attractive markets in California, where Lowe’s is currently underpenetrated, and will enable us to participate in a larger way in California’s economic recovery.”

Lowe’s has about 1,750 stores, including North Bay locations in Cotati, Vallejo, Fairfield and Vacaville. The company had planned to open a store in Petaluma but dropped that plan in 2011.

OSH stores will remain open, employees paid, incentive programs honored and “the vast majority” of vendors paid during the transitional period.

An asset auction is tentatively set for Aug. 14 in New York City. Under the stalking horse agreement, Lowe’s would have to be outbid by $12 million and would get a 3 percent “breakup fee” on the purchase price of a sale to another entity.

San Jose-based OSH said in a court filing that it is seeking Chapter 11 reorganization because it was “overleveraged” and “increasingly competitive conditions and a perilous California economy” made sales fall 21 percent from 2007 through 2010.

OSH amassed debt in 2006 while still owned by Sears Holding, and the deal for the funds was coming due in December of this year, according to the documents. The company said it also had costs associated with Sears’ spinoff of OSH as an independent public company.

OSH had revenue of $657 million in fiscal 2012, compared with $50.5 billion for Lowe’s.

Andrew Torrance

Mr. Torrance will assume his new role later this summer, according to the Novato-based insurer. He is the fifth executive at Fireman’s Fund since 2007.

The previous top executive, Lori Fouché, left for Prudential Financial Inc., according to the trade publication Insurance Journal. She was promoted to CEO two years ago, filling a vacancy left by Michael LaRocco.

Most recently, Mr. Torrance, who has over 30 experience in the insurance industry, served as CEO of Allianz UK, a larger general insurer and part of the Allianz SE Group, the parent company of Fireman’s Fund and one of the largest property-casualty carriers in the world. Before that, Mr. Torrance was director and head of the Allianz broker division. He’s also held senior and board positions at consulting firms and insurers, including London & Edinburgh and Boston Consulting Group.

His appointment needs to be approved by the board of directors of Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company.

“I’d like to thank Lori for her contributions and welcome Andrew to Fireman’s Fund,” said Gary Bhojwani, chairman of Fireman’s Fund and an Allianz SE board member, in a statement. “I am confident that Andrew will successfully lead Fireman’s Fund to become an expert provider of specialized insurance solutions. He has a track record of executing on established priorities and delivering consistent profitability in a challenging business environment during his 14-year career at Allianz.”

Mr. Torrance holds a degree in theoretical physics from the University of Cambridge and a master’s degree from the London Business School.

Marin-Sonoma Produce owner Mike Kleinheinz reached an agreement to have Buckelew Programs’ People’s Harvest business operate this fresh-cut processing room in his new Petaluma facility. (image credit: Jeff Quackenbush)

Mike Kleinheinz acquired Marin Produce in 2002 and Sonoma County Growers Exchange in April 2011. He consolidated warehouses of 5,000 square feet in San Rafael and 7,000 square feet in Santa Rosa as of this month into half a 25,000-square-foot light-industrial building he purchased at 1240 Holm Rd. in Petaluma.

After about six months of negotiations, his new combined produce business, called Marin-Sonoma Produce Co. (707-773-2211, marinsonomaproducecompany.com), entered a joint venture with San Rafael-based behavioral-health nonprofit Buckelew (415-457-6964, buckelew.org) to have People’s Harvest manage fresh-cut produce processing in the new facility.

“Our original business model was, beyond processing, to do sales and distribution and develop relationships with suppliers,” said Dan Waters, a coordinator of the People’s Harvest project for Buckelew. “This arrangement allows us not to have to acquire business but supply existing business. We’ll have a base of business to start with day 1 and will drive sales in areas where Mike has not done sales.”

Sonoma County Growers Exchange had a fresh-cut operation in the Santa Rosa facility to offer diced celery, chopped carrots and other vegetables in bulk to restaurant and retail clients willing to pay a little more to save preparation time.

(from left) Mike Kleinheinz, owner of Marin-Sonoma Produce; People’s Harvest trainers Enthela Hernandez and Rosa Nevarez; David Derryck, Buckelew Programs consultant; and Leticia Wiesner, assistant program director for Buckelew Employment Services. (image credit: Dawn Stranne)

“By bringing the San Rafael and Santa Rosa facilities under one roof, and partnering with People’s Harvest for fresh-cut produce, we hope to create the premier produce distributor in the North Bay area,” Mr. Kleinheinz said.

It wasn’t a big part of the business, but Mr. Kleinheinz said he hoped to grow it. But fresh-cut produce was central to the People’s Harvest plan, and it has inquiries from San Rafael, Mount Tamalpais and other Bay Area school districts about supplying cut vegetables.

“I’m simply offering them a vehicle to do that,” he said.

Buckelew in October 2011 announced it would open People’s Harvest in an 18,000-square-foot leased facility at 1297 Dynamic St., about two miles away from the new site. The organization had entertained various ideas for making use of all the space, including a regional food-processing business incubator.

But by the middle of last year, a Buckelew official told the Business Journal it would scale back the endeavor “due to the unexpectedly high buildout costs” of the larger-than-needed facility, initially estimated to cost $1.1 million to open. Mr. Kleinheinz said he stopped by the Dynamic Street facility while People’s Harvest was in planning, and Buckelew officials approached him when the plan changed.

In the Marin-Sonoma Produce building, the fresh-cut processing room occupies a couple thousand square feet. Buckelew officials wouldn’t disclose how much it is spending to launch People’s Harvest at the new location, but it is expected to be more than $300,000 from a Roberts Enterprise Development Fund grant and Marin Community Foundation matching funds received for the first year.

Though People’s Harvest has been scaled back in size, it is projected to give employment training for about the same as previously planned — 80 to 100 a year. The operation will run 4 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, providing 10 to 20 hours of work experience for 15 people at a time over four months each is in the program.

Marin-Sonoma Produce employs 25.

Buckelew has three other “social enterprise” businesses: cafes in Napa and San Rafael and a janitorial service mainly serving Marin County businesses.

Improvements to the Petaluma facility started in December and were designed by Lori Weseley of 2V Design in San Francisco.

The report covers a total of 18 hospitals, along with related construction projects and health care jobs, across Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties. It does not include Solano County, which was counted in a separate report in late 2012.

While the report takes into account ancillary jobs and economic benefits, it does not include the additional impact of vast network of nonprofit health centers or independent physician and medical specialty groups, meaning the nearly $5 billion in annual spending is likely a conservative estimate.

According to the report, direct spending across North Bay and North Coast hospitals totals $2.8 billion. Of that total, $1.6 billion represents labor income. In addition, indirect and induced economic effects amount to roughly $767 million and $1.2 billion, respectively, according to the report, which notes that hospital spending generates jobs and economic activity outside of the facilities themselves.

“Without this spending, other economic sectors of the North Bay would shrink,” the report states.

The report also said employment in the hospital industry is “more stable and less cyclical” than other sectors, and that during recessions, fewer jobs are eliminated. Such jobs also support a variety of education levels, “not just those intended for white-collar professionals,” the report said.

Mean hourly wages and annual salaries at hospital jobs are higher than average compared to other employment sectors, particularly in the outer reaches of the North Bay, according to the report. For example, health care salaries are 14 percent higher in the Santa Rosa–Petaluma market than other jobs, 17 percent higher in Napa County and 20 percent higher in Marin County and the interior Bay Area.

But in rural Mendocino and Lake counties, such salaries are 49 percent higher than the average wage, according to the report, which attributes the differences to more high-wage professions in San Francisco and its immediate proximity.

Hospital and health care jobs will also grow at a faster clip in the North Bay than other industries, according to the report, citing figures from the state Employment Development Department.  In the Santa Rosa-Petaluma region, all occupations will grow employment by 9 percent, while health care practitioners will grow by 17 percent and health care support occupations will grow by 23 percent.

In addition to employment and spending figures, the report also noted that hospitals from Marin to the Mendocino coast provided $374.6 million in unreimbursed and charity care in 2010, the most recent year for available statics from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.

Leading the way among all hospitals, Marin General provided nearly $85 million in charity and uncompensated care. Not far behind is St. Joseph Health-owned Santa Rosa Memorial, which provided a total of nearly $74.6 million. Adventist Health-owned St. Helena Hospital came in at third, with a total of $57.5 million, followed by Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa at more than $35.5 million.

Those numbers will likely be “much higher” in 2013, according to the report.

Hospital construction projects also account for a significant economic boost, to the tune of $500 million over the next five years, according to the report.

The following hospitals were included in the report: Vibra-owned Kentfield Rehabilitation Hospital; Marin General Hospital;  Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers in San Rafael and Santa Rosa; St. Joseph Health-operated Petaluma Valley Hospital; St. Joseph Health-owned Santa Rosa Memorial and Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa; Sutter Health-affiliated Novato Community Hospital, Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa and Sutter Lakeside Hospital; Adventist Health-operated St. Helena Hospital Napa Valley, St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake, Ukiah Valley Medical Center and Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital in Willits; Sonoma Valley Hospital; Palm Drive Hospital; Healdsburg District Hospital; , Mendocino Coast District Hospital.

The fund, launched last year and operated under the nonprofit Community Foundation Sonoma County, is part of a broader movement among regional educators and employers to support the kind of science, technology, engineering and math skills that are currently in demand by some of the county’s largest companies.

“When you talk to local businesses, a lot of them say they have openings. But they can’t find qualified people,” said Tony Crabb, a leader in the effort to establish the fund and owner of Healdsburg’s Puma Springs Vineyards. “There’s a lot of support right now from business. We’re looking to enhance that.”

The Career Technology Fund will provide between $17,000 and $20,000 to six Sonoma County school districts this year.

New programs include an engineering course at Petaluma Joint Union High School District, with funding to cover supplies and instructor compensation. The course is designed for students interested in the school’s Industry Technology programs that are “capable of high-level theoretical academic work,” according to an announcement.

Other programs include engineering courses with significant work-based learning elements at Sonoma Valley Unified School District, a hands-on course in two districts described as a “modern-day shop class” and a “farm-to-table” course integrating culinary arts and agriculture.

There are already more than 350 career technical education courses currently offered through 15 Sonoma County high schools, focusing on areas like agriculture, arts, building trades and health care, according to the Sonoma County Office of Education. Many of those courses attract the participation of private sector employers in various capacities.

“Yet it hasn’t been very systematic, or aligned directly with the employment needs of our economy,” said Stephen Jackson, director of career development and workforce preparation at the Office of Education, of the smattering of programs that exist throughout the county.

Leaders in establishing the CTE Fund describe it as an opportunity for fostering a new connection between regional employers and the county’s public schools. Awards are allocated for programs that are carefully tailored to regional skill needs, creating an incentive for dialogue between schools and the private sector.

“We thought that we needed a specific infrastructure to fund career technical education. It’s not like adding another section of English or math. You need specialized equipment and instructors — it’s expensive,” said Mr. Jackson, whose work has included coordinating the larger focus for the private and public sectors in fostering those skills. “We haven’t had a specific funding source outside of what we get from the state, but we have some specific needs.”

Efforts are under way to pursue additional investment into the fund from employers, who will in turn receive a greater say in what programs are funded as part of an initial “founders circle,” Mr. Jackson said.

Talk of forming a public/private coalition focused on career technical education began as early as 2007, riding a growing interest that has since inspired the launch of programs like the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce’s Mike Hauser Algebra Academy, Mr. Jackson said. Other groups focused on those efforts include regional colleges, the Sonoma County Workforce Investment Board, the county Economic Development Board, chambers of commerce and the North Coast Builders Exchange.

The fund was launched by an initial $10,000 contribution by Mr. Crabb and wife Barbara Grasseschi, who together own Puma Springs Vineyards. The fund grew significantly when the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved a five-year annual contribution of $50,000 earlier this year, with a match by the John Jordan Foundation bringing the fund to a total of more than half a million dollars.

The fund is seeking an additional $140,000 in private donations this year to further support its activities, with leaders seeking to raise an additional $500,000 over the next five years.

“The fact is — 72 percent of public high school students who graduate from high schools in Sonoma County will not go on to pursue a four-year degree,” said Sonoma County Supervisor Mike McGuire, an early proponent of the fund. “We’re linking private dollars to workforce development happening in the schools here in Sonoma County.”

Existing as part of the Community Foundation allowed the fund to realize benefits of operating under a nonprofit and avoid the expense of becoming its own entity, Mr. Crabb said. Yet leaders are considering pursuing independent status in the coming years.

While currently slated to end its funding of new programs after five years, Mr. Jackson said that the fund is designed to have a lasting impact.

“The plan is — this is the seed money to get things going,” he said.

The committee overseeing the fund is expected to ask for its next round of grant applications in January 2014, with awards announced in July.

Opened in early June, the branch is the third Napa County location for the $3.3-billion institution. Mechanics Bank entered the Napa market with a first branch in the city of Napa more than 16 years ago, and now also operates a branch in St. Helena, said spokeswoman Hatti Hamlin.

Today, Mechanics Bank counts more than 50 wineries among its clients in Napa, said Michael Downer, vice chairman of the bank.

“We have slowly but surely grown our presence in this market,” said Mr. Downer, a Napa resident. “Napa County has watered the economic recession well.”

The branch, at 3350 California Blvd., will be headed by lifelong Napa resident and city councilman Alfredo Pedroza. Joining Mr. Pedroza is Tina Laviolette, who has 10 years of experience as a banker in Napa. 

Mechanics Bank opened a new Napa branch in June. (photo courtesy Mechanics Bank)

The physical expansion for Mechanics Bank comes at a time when many lenders are reconsidering the role of their brick-and-mortar branch networks. Some have scaled back those networks as consumers increasingly turn to the Web and ATMs, but Mr. Downer said that the physical branch still holds sway as a hub for discussing more complex issues with clients.

“As we view it — consumer behavior is changing because of technology,” he said. “The interactions we are having in our offices are becoming more sophisticated.”

The 2,500-square-foot branch’s layout is intended to address those changing habits, providing a comfortable space suitable for one-on-one interactions with bankers.

“It’s really morphing into a more holistic experience,” Mr. Pedroza said.

***

Sterling Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: STSA), the Washington-based parent company of Sonoma Bank, has recast its management structure in Northern California with the promotion of long-time North Bay banker Jamie Williams to the role of Northern California market president, the company announced.

Mr. Williams was most recently the head of commercial lending for Sonoma Bank, a role he has held since joining the bank in 2010. Previously, Mr. Williams served as a market president for Tamalpais Bank, and was part of the team that founded Greater Bay Bank Marin. The commercial lending position will not be immediately filled, said Sterling spokeswoman Cara Coon.

Joining Mr. Williams in the newly created market president role is Gilbert Dalmau, who will oversee activities in Southern California. Mr. Dalmau was most recently the executive vice president and chief banking officer for First California Bank.

Together, Mr. Williams and Mr. Dalmau will focus on building the presence of Sterling’s subsidiaries in California. Those operating companies now also include Borrego Springs Bank, a Southern California-based specialist in lending backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

…

Submit items for this column to Business Journal Staff Writer Eric Gneckow, eric.gneckow@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4259.

HR professionals listed in alphabetical order by their organization’s name, drawn from the top five largest employers in Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties, as well as trade organizations and the region’s staffing companies who responded to the Business Journal.

Shireen Donaldson

Agilent Technologies

1400 Fountaingrove Pkwy., Santa Rosa 95403, agilent.com, 877-424-4536

Shireen Donaldson

Shireen Donaldson is the vice president of human resources for Agilent’s Electronic Measurement Group, a position she was promoted into in 2009. Ms. Donaldson joined Hewlett-Packard in 1997 as a human resources consultant and in 1999 was named HR manager for Agilent’s Advanced Networks Division, based in Australia, after HP and Agilent became separate companies.

She moved to Sonoma County in 2003 to be the HR manager for the Signal Analysis Division in Santa Rosa, and in 2005 was named the company’s Wireless Business Unit HR manager, where she worked until assuming her current responsibilities.

Before working for HP, she worked as a senior HR consultant for Victoria Legal Aid and served as a senior consultant in the organizational development unit of the Victorian WorkCover Authority, both in Australia. Ms. Donaldson received her bachelor of science in applied science from the Phillip Institute of Technology and an MBA from Monash University.

Cindy Gillespie

Amy’s Kitchen

P.O. Box 449, Petaluma 94953, amyskitchen.com, 707-578-7278

Cindy Gillespie

Cindy Gillespie is the director of human resources for Amy’s Kitchen, Inc., where she is responsible for overseeing the HR functions at three plant locations including Santa Rosa, Medford, Ore., and Corby, England. Her responsibilities also include leading the Corporate Giving Team at Amy’s and managing the office facilities.

Prior to Amy’s, Ms. Gillespie spent 14 years as the vice president of human resources for New Zealand Milk Products, Inc. an international marketing company located in Santa Rosa. She holds a bachelor of science degree in industrial relations form California State University, Hayward (now East Bay.)

Jan Becker

Autodesk

111 McInnis Pkwy., San Rafael 94903, autodesk.com, 415-507-5000

Jan Becker is the senior vice president of human resources for Autodesk, which is the third largest employer in Marin County with roughly 1,000 employees. In her current role, Ms. Becker is responsible for worldwide human resources, corporate real estate facilities and community relations at the software development company.

Previously, she was the senior director of human resources for the company’s design solutions division and manager of the “HR Future” team. She joined Autodesk in 1992. She’s held management positions with Sun Microsystems, Activision, Digital Equipment Corp. and Hewlett-Packard. She holds a BS in business administration from San Jose State University.

Joanne Sanders

Bolt Staffing Services

955 Broadway, Sonoma 95476, boltstaffing.com, 707-939-2800

Joanne Sanders

Joanne Sanders started her staffing industry career as an account representative covering the Bay Area for Olsten in 1992. After relocating to Idaho two years later, she started her own employment agency, working with government agencies. She and her husband, who became CFO, sold the company and returned to the Bay Area and started Bolt Staffing Services, which has two offices specializing in the staffing needs of local businesses, nonprofits and local government agencies.

She is a former mayor and current Sonoma councilwoman and also a director of the Golden Gate Bridge District board. She has a Bachelors Degree in Management from Sonoma State University.

Sandi Weimer

Express Employment Professionals

2201 Jefferson St., Napa 94559, expresspros.com, 707-224-9252

Sandi Weimer

Sandi Weimer handles the business development for Express Employment Professionals in Napa County and the city of Sonoma.  Express is locally owned by Rosa Phillips and is affiliated with a network of more than 600 staffing services throughout the United States. Ms. Weimer has been with Express for over 17 years and has nearly 30 years of experience in customer service and management positions.  

She’s a certified professional in human resources with California designation, a certified personal consultant, a certified staffing professional and has an Express University Certification Professional in business management. She is also a member of the Northern California Human Resources Association. Express Employment Professionals places candidates in administrative, commercial and hospitality positions from entry to executive.

]]> http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/74675/spotlight-leaders-in-human-resources-2013/feed/ 0 http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/74679/solsolutions-sees-market-opportunity-in-diesel-regulations/ http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/74679/solsolutions-sees-market-opportunity-in-diesel-regulations/#comments Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:55:20 +0000 Loralee Stevens, Business Journal Staff Reporter http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/?p=74679 ... Read more »]]> SANTA ROSA — A local maker of solar-powered generators is feeling the winds of change in California and hoping they blow him a lot more business.

A SolMan Lithium Deluxe system powers the sound stage at Earth Day San Francisco 2012.

SolSolutions (707-515-6783, sol-solutions.com), a four-year-old green company that provides solar generators to outdoor concerts and other entertainment venues, construction site workers and off-the-grid fans, is looking forward to more stringent regulation of diesel generators.

“I picture a cap-and-trade arrangement for users of diesel generators,” said Chaz Peling, chief executive officer.

Right now the highly polluting generators — they can release more air pollution than even the highest-emitting power plants — enjoy protections from federal and state clean air regulation. Even the Environmental Protection Agency concedes they provide an important service as emergency backup systems.

But the EPA deplores the amount of carcingenic material they release and recently put a cap on the number of hours they can run in a year, going into effect next year.

The EPA will also require the users of diesel generators to file a detailed annual report, providing the location of the generator, dates it was used and all times of operation.

SolMan Classic portable solar generator powers a number of devices.

“There’s talk of even stronger regulations in California,” said Mr. Peling. “People are really on the lookout for alternative energy generators.”

Initially those people were mostly environmentally conscious types, putting on green fairs and benefit concerts with solar generators. But

SolSolutions has been building up its client base and developing new products and services.

“We have super efficient LED light towers now, a SolMan Lithium Deluxe generator, and specially-built trailers to carry the equipment. We can come in and set it up and run it, or we can lease it out.”

So popular has the leasing model been that one client wants to lease as many generators as SolSolutions can build, but even with a new facility on Piner Road in Santa Rosa, the company doesn’t have the capacity to ramp up production.

Mr. Peling and his team are on the prowl for investment dollars. He figures a seed round of angel funding would allow the company to build 100 units.

Meanwhile SolSolutions is focussing on the entertainment industry, where night time concerts often rely on diesel generators to light vendor areas and parking lots.

The Sonoma County Fair has agreed to use some SolSolutions light towers for the gate at its night concerts, but the bulk of its night time area lights will still come from diesel, he said.

The SolMan “Tower of Power” at BottleRock Music Festival in Napa in May.

The BottleRock Music Festival in Napa used SolSolutions to power its VIP, security and area lighting.

Other users of temporary area lighting are police investigative teams, night time construction crews and the military.

The company’s flagship portable generator, the SolMan Classic, delivers up to 1500 watts of AC power or 12 volts DC power, with 2400 watt hours of storage capacity.

That’s not enough to charge up your electric car, but plenty to run your computer or charge up your cell phone during a blackout. Or light up your event for two days running just off battery power.

“And emissions? Zero,” said Mr. Peling.

The awards were intended to recognize the people who work behind the scenes to make their organizations run smoothly.  “The work they do — and the occasional miracle they perform — are critical to a successful organization,” said Business Journal Editor and Associate Publisher Brad Bollinger. “And their work very often goes unrecognized publicly — until now.”

The 12 recipients from wine, high-tech, commercial real estate, heavy manufacturing, finance, food processing and higher education were selected by the Journal editorial staff from nominations solicited in spring.

The awards are underwritten by Trope Group, TLCD Architecture and Scott Technology Group.

Winners this year are:

• Michael Adams, Mendocino College, Ukiah
• Tammy Atwood, Oculus Innovative Sciences, Petaluma
• Brian Baker, Codding Investments, Rohnert Park
• Guy Byrne, Leslie Rudd Investment Co., Napa
• Leonard Diggs, Santa Rosa Junior College Shone Farm, Forestville
• Atanas Draganski, Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery, Sebastopol
• Mike Enochs, Nova Group, Napa
• Jolene Graniss, Bank of Marin, Novato
• Steve Howard, Redwood Credit Union, Santa Rosa
• Lloyd Martin, Schramsberg Vineyards, Calistoga
• Carolyn Pistone, Green Key Commercial, Petaluma
• Randy Storrs, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory, Santa Rosa

Profiles of the recipients are set to appear in a report in the July 8 edition and the winners will be honored at an awards luncheon.