North Bay Business Journal

Marin event registration closes next week

MARIN COUNTY – The hotly debated issue of Community Choice Aggregation will be closely studied from two different perspectives at the Business Journal’s 2010 Impact Marin Conference on Thursday, March 11 from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel in San Rafael. This will be a unique opportunity for the public to ask questions of both sides in a neutral forum. In addition, a panel discussion will look at the state of the local budget and its impact on businesses and examine practical strategies that can be effective in the current economic environment.

Registration closes next Friday, March 5. To register, contact Linda Perkins at 707-521-5264 or events@busjrnl.com, or go to www.NorthBayBusinessJournal.com. Tickets are $39 per person or $390 for a table of 10 and include continental breakfast.

Speakers to face off on Marin Clean Energy plan

MARIN COUNTY — Supporters and opponents of the controversial Marin Energy Authority Community Choice Aggregation, or CCA, proposal will face off at the fourth-annual Impact Marin conference sponsored by the Business Journal March 11.

Banking & Finance: North Coast banks report improved earnings

Westamerica Bancorporation’s fourth-quarter earnings were $58.9 million, up from $49.9 million for the same quarter the year before. Net income for the year was $121 million, a jump from $59.8 million in 2008.

Business Journal conference March 11 to focus on Marin issues

Impact Marin 2010 topics: * Navigating your company through 2010. * The ongoing state and local fiscal crisis. * And, the big issue: Marin Clean Energy: Right direction, wrong direction?

Bank of Marin reports higher earnings

NOVATO — Earnings for Bank of Marin Bancorp rose in the fourth quarter and for all of 2009 despite the sour economy.

Net income for the quarter was reported at $2.8 million, up 0.3 percent from the same time last year. Earnings for the entire year were $12.8 million, up 5.1 percent from 2008.

Bank earnings from around North Bay

NORTH BAY – Many North Bay banks are maintaining strength in their income statements even in the down economy that executives said is extremely challenging.

Bank of Marin ups dividend

NOVATO – Bank of Marin Bancorp announced that its board of directors declared an increased quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 per share, up from $0.14 in the second quarter.

Bank of Marin third-quarter earnings up 34 percent

NOVATO – Bank of Marin Bancorp, parent company of Bank of Marin, announced third-quarter earnings of $3.6 million, up $906,000, or 33.6 percent from the same period last year, and up $468,000, or 14.9 percent from the second quarter of 2009. Diluted earnings per share were $0.68 in the third quarter, up $0.16, or 30.8 percent from the same quarter last year, and up $0.08, or 13.3 percent from the second quarter of this year.

Bank of Marin reports earnings of $3.1 million

NOVATO – Bank of Marin (NASDQ: BMRC) today announced second quarter earnings of $3.1 million.

Banking & Finance: Hennessy Advisors adds Japan funds; new branches for Summit, Bank of Marin

Hennessy Advisors, the Novato-based investment advising firm, continues growth with the acquisition of assets of two Sparx Japan funds, which have roughly $65 million in assets.

Women in Business 2009 awards dinner photo gallery

This is a gallery of pictures from the Women in Business 2009 awards dinner, honoring eight women from Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties who have distinguished themselves as leaders, innovators and visionaries in their fields.

Women in Business 2009: Entrepreneurship: Love of books, writers, community defines Elaine Petrocelli

CORTE MADERA – Elaine Petrocelli shines like a beam of light in the shadow of the big retail stores. Her Book Passage, the literary center of Marin County since 1976, is proof that independent book stores need not be snuffed out.

Business Journal Editorial: Leaders, innovators, visionaries

(This editorial was adapted from opening remarks by Business Journal editor and associate publisher Brad Bollinger at Thursday’s ninth annual Women in Business Awards Gala.)

Local institutions, vision keys to challenging times

NORTH BAY – Keeping money and resources in the community was the underlying theme of Impact Marin, the third-annual issues-centered conference sponsored by the Business Journal and focused on Marin County.

Brad Bollinger: Coming to terms with an altered economic reality

It has been a rocky few months and much uncertainty remains, but it’s possible people and business leaders are beginning to come to terms with this economy.