North Bay Business Journal

PETALUMA — A key outcome from the recent Manufacturing Trade Fair Feb. 20 was that a majority of exhibitors had jobs ready to be filled, with more on the way.

PETALUMA — The first North Bay Manufacturing Trade Fair and Jobs Expo, held on Feb. 20 at the Sequoia Business Center, attracted more than 340 attendees, including 100 high school students and dozens of candidates looking for jobs.

PETALUMA — More than 40 North Bay manufacturers plan to exhibit at the North Bay’s first industry trade fair to be held Wednesday, Feb. 20, from noon to 6 p.m. at the Sequoia Building located at 5341 Old Redwood Highway in Petaluma.

PETALUMA — The Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation has named Dan Sunia’s Petaluma High School manufacturing technology program as one of only 15 model workforce training programs in the nation to receive a $45,000 Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education (PRIME) grant over a three-year period.

Nearly 50 percent of employers across the country are facing difficulty filling “mission-critical” positions, pointing to a labor shortage that experts say is having an impact in the North Bay and beyond, according to a recent survey.

While many of the North Bay’s manufacturing companies have seen success in recent years, Dick Herman, president of the manufacturer advocate 101MFG, said that there is a crisis looming for companies of all scales as the years march on.

The North Bay Business Journal is proud to present the 2012 Top Manufacturers Awards to 13 North Bay companies.

“We want to recognize the contribution all North Bay manufacturers add to our local economy, through high-wage jobs, training and exports that bring critical dollars back into our economy and communities,” said Business Journal Editor and Associate Publisher Brad Bollinger. “They are terrific employers and members of the community. And they bring innovation to our region in a big way.”

More than 50 percent of North Bay manufacturers predicted growth above 15 percent during the next five years. By one estimate, they’ll need to hire and train at least 3,000 new skilled and college-trained workers. But skilled technicians are hard to come by — especially after several years of recession, and it won’t get any easier as time goes by and seasoned workers retire.

SANTA ROSA – Datum Technologies has completed the ISO certification process and is ready to expand its market into aerospace and defense, said co-owner and President Richard Hunt.

NORTH BAY – This week will see the kickoff for enrollment in “100-in-100,” an innovative program to put high school students up close with local manufacturers.

Suppose I told you that within the next five years the four North Bay Counties–Sonoma, Solano, Napa and Marin–were poised and capable of adding 3,000 to 5,000 new manufacturing jobs?

A little bit of history was made at this week’s Top Manufacturers awards. Yes, over the years there have been plenty of technology industry events and hundreds of people packed Telecom Valley conferences in the boom years in the late 1990s. But in 25 years I can’t recall an afternoon like the Top Manufacturers awards when such a range of companies from big to small were gathered in one room.

SANTA ROSA — Vantreo Insurance Brokerage was endorsed by a 900-member trade association for offering specialty coverage, bringing the total number of such endorsements to eight professional groups from various industries. The California Healthcare Interpreters Association is the latest to recommend the Santa Rosa-based insurer as a brokerage with enough specialty experience to cater to [...]

SANTA ROSA — Recognizing the importance of the manufacturing industry in the region, North Bay Business Journal is initiating an awards ceremony to highlight some of the outstanding manufacturers.

Santa Rosa 101MFG.com’s Dick Herman is featured in a Department of Commerce video about U.S. manufacturing.

SANTA ROSA — The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) has a new chapter, the first formed in nine years and the only one ever opened in the North Bay.

HEALDSBURG – Small makers of custom electronics components who struggled through the downturn are benefitting from an uptick in the electronics manufacturing industry.

NORTH BAY – A consortium of manufacturing companies was set today to launch an unusual drive to make the North Bay what it says would be the world’s first “100 percent ISO-certified” manufacturing region.

NORTH BAY – 101MFG.com, a regional expansion of SantaRosaMFG.com, launches today.