North Bay Business Journal

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.

NORTH BAY — At a time of reduced state funding for public education in California, some of the North Bay’s largest and most influential employers are launching and supporting initiatives that seek to bolster programs for students from elementary school through the college level.

Charles Schwab, a provider of full-service brokerage services, announced the opening of a new independent branch in Novato. …

Marin Energy Authority, the first community choice aggregation program in California and electricity supplier of choice to Marin County and Richmond residents, will deploy the P-ECOSYS consumer-engagement platform by San Francisco-based PlanetEcosystems. …

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is set to be the speaker for 86th annual commencement for the class of 2013 at College of Marin. …

Marin Energy Authority, the first community choice aggregation program in California and electricity supplier of choice to Marin County and Richmond residents, will deploy the P-ECOSYS consumer-engagement platform by San Francisco-based PlanetEcosystems. …

County of Marin can now fully fund retiree health benefits just like it does employee pensions by ensuring that funds are set aside for unfunded liabilities as well as current costs. …

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) announced that all new Agilent electronic test instruments sold after will be covered by a “bumper-to-bumper” three-year repair warranty. …

Meadowcroft Wines’ Thomas Henry brand received a World-Class Design award from HOW magazine in its 2013 International Design Awards issue. …

Vineyard & Winery Management and The Press Democrat are launching the North Coast Wine Challenge. …

CK Mondavi, a brand owned and operated for 70 years by C. Mondavi & Family, launched a mobile-device-optimized website to enhance the user experience for wine consumers using smartphones and tablets. …

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.

SANTA ROSA — Agilent Technoloies Inc. (NYSE: A) reported today that the Santa Rosa-headquartered Electronic Measurement Group (EMG)’s revenues declined 7 percent in the first fiscal quarter of 2013 compared with the prior year.

As the new director of the University of San Francisco’s Santa Rosa campus, Xavier Nazario said that he hopes to pursue new academic programs and grow enrollment in 2013 and beyond. …

A gift of advanced electronic measurement equipment valued at more than $220,000 will help Sonoma State University to offer new courses and develop one of the most advanced measurement laboratories in the California State University system. …

Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch will deliver the commencement address at Empire College’s semiannual graduation ceremony for the School of Business on the evening of Jan. 21. …

Corey Lee, chef and owner of Benu Restaurant in San Francisco, delivered the keynote address to a graduating class from the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus in St. Helena. …

SANTA ROSA — Hewlett-Packard’s first product was a signal generator that used a light bulb to stabilize acoustical waves. And among its first customers was Walt Disney, whose engineers used it to design and test the sound system for the film Fantasia.

In early 1970, three leaders from Hewlett-Packard’s fast-growing Microwave Division in Palo Alto climbed into a car and started driving north to visit communities where the company might open a new facility. Ninety miles later, they found themselves in Santa Rosa, then a city of 50,000, in the heart of picturesque Sonoma County.

If a Magic 8 ball was consulted about North Bay high tech in 2013, the answer might be, “Outlook cloudy, try again.”

North Bay tech leaders say uncertainty has dimmed the near future of the industry in the U.S and elsewhere as the fiscal cliff and other financial crises loom.

SANTA ROSA — Agilent Technologies (NYSE: A) fourth-quarter revenues edged up 2 percent over the same period last year while the level of orders remained unchanged, but for the Santa Rosa-based Electronic Measurement Group at fiscal year-end sales declined by nearly 5 percent and orders by just more than 8 percent.

NORTH BAY — The Business Journal has selected 17 companies for our second annual Healthiest Companies Recognition Awards to be honored at the North Bay Business Journal’s 2012 Health Care Conference.

SANTA ROSA — The locally based Electronic Measurement group of Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) today reported third-quarter revenues decreased 1 percent from a year before and orders fell 4 percent, attributed to continued sluggishness in the aerospace and defense sectors and weakness in industrial markets.

SANTA ROSA — Agilent Technologies, whose Electronic Measurement group is based in Santa Rosa, and National Instruments, which has a research facility in the same city, were ranked 3 and 7, respectively, out of 25 top companies for work-life balance, according to survey results released today.

SANTA ROSA – Agilent Technologies’ commitment to education has been amply demonstrated in the North Bay, where students from elementary school through college graduation benefit from a series of programs and partnerships.

North Bay facilities managers recognized this year for their achievements are Sal Balderrama of Trivascular, Jennifer Bruneman of Santa Rosa City Schools, Jacques Charton of Dominican University of California, Christopher Dinno of Sonoma State University, Jason Duval of Clos Pegase, Willie Ghilotti of Ghilotti Construction Company, David Gonzales of La Tortilla Factory, Sue Maddigan of Exchange Bank, Tony McCormick of Agilent Technologies, Jim Neely of Sonoma Wine Company, John Nicolette of Don Sebastiani & Sons, Ralph O’Rear of Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Jake Pewitt of Mary’s Pizza Shack, Matt Rudie of Enphase Energy and Dale Withers of Pacific Union College.

A unique summer algebra academy pioneered in Santa Rosa has grown throughout the North Bay, and organizations as far away as Arizona are expressing interest in duplicating the public-private partnership that works to expose English language-learners to real-world applications for math.

SANTA ROSA — The Agilent Technologies Foundation has donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross in response to the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado and pledged to match employee gifts to the effort up to $50,000.

In an effort to gauge how the region’s major employers are dealing with continued economic uncertainty, the North Bay Business Journal reached out to major companies with a series of employment-related questions, in addition to identifying the top human resources professional at each organization.

The results, from tech to health care, to hospitality to manufacturing, show that many of the major players are faring better, some even thriving, but challenges nonetheless remain.

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.”

SANTA ROSA — Agilent Technologies’ (NYSE: A) Santa Rosa-based Electronic Measurement Group again led growth in orders and revenue in the company’s fiscal second quarter results, reported today, but the group’s growth is expected to flatten in the next several months.