North Bay Business Journal

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.

Allen Wine Group, LLP, a Calistoga-based wine industry business advisory service and CPA firm, now offers bookkeeping services. …

Nine Marin County communities recently qualified for national “Green Power Community” recognition by the Environmental Protection Agency due to the countywide switch to renewable electric service from Marin Clean Energy. …

Rohnert Park-based sheet metal engineering and fabricator ASM Precision, Inc., purchased and installed a new AMADA EMLK 3610NT punch and laser combination machine. …

Zap Jonway Automobile (ZAAP), manufacturer of electric vehicles and other new energy vehicles with operations in Santa Rosa and China, is exhibiting at the 15th International Shanghai Automobile & Manufacturing Technology Exhibition. …

The city of Santa Rosa earned the highest achievement for its economic development programming — the Award of Excellence — from the California Association of Local Economic Development. …

Healdsburg’s SHED, a multifaceted market, café, coffee bar, fermentation bar and “modern Grange” event center is now open to the public. …

HEALDSBURG — Santa Rosa-based land surveying company Cinquini & Passarino has added a wine focus by merging in Howard Brunner’s 16-year-old surveying business in Healdsburg.

WINDSOR — Kaiser Permanente on Thursday said it would give Alliance Medical Center a $60,000 grant to help the nonprofit health center’s expansion at its Windsor site.

HEALDSBURG — A maker of private-label and “custom-label” wines has filed for an initial public offering of stock to raise up to $43.5 million.

HEALDSBURG — Nancy Schmid has been named the new chief executive officer of the North Sonoma County Healthcare District, which owns and operates 43-bed Healdsburg District Hospital, the board of directors announced today.

Commercial real estate broker Burt Polson, who has operated ACRES Real Estate Services in Napa for two decades, is joining Strong & Hayden Commercial Real Estate. …

Stellar Energy, based in Rohnert Park, hired Chris Larsen as director of southeast project development. …

Kurt Hahn was honored for 15 years of service to Healdsburg District Hospital after he announced his retirement and resignation from the board. …

Chris Call recently joined the board of the Santa Rosa-based Climate Protection Campaign as treasurer. …

The California Parenting Institute board of directors welcomed five new board members. …

Sausalito-based Equilibrium named Pal Storehaug as its vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. …

Rack & Riddle, a Hopland winery and custom-crush facility, hired Raphael Brisbois as director of winemaking to lead the production of client and branded wines. …

Signorello Estate appointed Britny Sundin estate chef. …

Soutirage hired Master Sommelier Desmond Echavarrie as senior wine advisor. …

The Hess Collection, which has a winery in American Canyon, appointed Illinois-based Jeanne Jesse as north central regional sales manager. …

Cline Cellars and Jacuzzi Family Vineyards in Sonoma Valley named Robert Hawk as Great Lakes regional manager. …

The board of directors of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission announced that Karissa Kruse will be its next president, replacing Nick Frey as he retires. …

Agavé Garden (agavegarden.com) is not grape wine, but it is fermented in local wine country and shipped in wine bottles. It’s not distilled like tequila, but it is made from organic syrup of Agavé tequilana weber, or blue agave. This “fine agavé wine” is the work of custom vintner Owl Ridge Wine Services of Sebastopol. …

Large-scale custom winemaking company The Vintners Group, which operates Carneros Vintners, purchased a 600,000-gallon winery it had been renting from the VinREIT division of Entertainment Properties Trust since the middle of last year. …

Karissa Kruse, who has been marketing director for Sonoma County Winegrape Commission since August and instrumental in the rollout of the Sonoma County branding campaign, is set be the 1,800-plus-member organization’s next president on May 1. She replaces Nick Frey. …

The anticipated Kendall-Jackson bistro and tasting lounge is coming to the Healdsburg plaza area around the end of this month. The 55-seat restaurant, called Partake by K-J (partakebykj.com), is set to open March 25 at 241 Healdsburg Ave. …

La Follette Wines (lafollettewines.com), launched in 2010 by Tandem creator Greg La Follette, is set to open a tasting room with private and public tasting events March 15–17 at The Barlow industrial-retail redevelopment in Sebastopol. …

The 17th annual Premiere Napa Valley charity auction by Napa Valley Vintners in late February took in $3.04 million, nearly matching last year’s record. …

A total of $483,500 in proceeds from the 2012 Sonoma Wine Country Weekend charity food and wine events. …

A 9-liter bottle of 2010 Williams Selyem Westside Road Neighbors pinot noir was auctioned for a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo record $205,000. …

Several North Bay restaurants and restaurateurs have been nominated as semifinalists in the James Beard Awards, a prestigious national recognition in the food and beverage industries.

More than a dozen North Bay companies undertook major expansions or moves: TricorBraun WinePak, Raydiance, Enphase Energy, General Dynamics, Langers of Sonoma, Anette’s Chocolates Napa Valley, Marmot Mountain, Wineshipping, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, EO Products, Birkenstock USA, Toys for Bob, Adventist Health, Amorim Cork America, SPG Solar, Biosearch Technologies and Telltale Games.

HEALDSBURG — In an era of slow growth and continuing high unemployment, Healdsburg has become the latest city to begin exploring ways to increase jobs, stimulate commercial occupancy and grow its tax base by utilizing the strength of its existing technology hub to attract and retain firms and support a business incubator.

HEALDSBURG — The board of directors of the North Sonoma County Healthcare District today announced the appointment of George Protos as interim chief executive officer. He will begin the role on Jan. 1.

HEALDSBURG — E&J Gallo, one of the world’s largest wine companies, wanted to tear down the historic yet inhabitable and graffiti-harried Olivet Winery to construct 15,000 square feet of offices for support employees connected to Gallo’s winery in Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley, yet the Madera-based company ultimately opted for a substantial reconstruction to preserve the bricks and beams of the 109-year-old building.

HEALDSBURG — A nearly 10,000-square-foot modern glass-and-steel farm produce store, café and meeting center two blocks northwest of the Healdsburg Plaza is set for completion early next year.

Healthgrades, the leading provider of information to help consumers make informed decisions when selecting physicians or hospitals, recognized Healdsburg District Hospital and Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa in its American Hospital Quality Outcomes 2013: Healthgrades Report to the Nation. …

Sonoma County residents and others who use local hospitals honored Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital as a 2012-2013 Consumer Choice Award winner for the Santa Rosa-area market, according to results of consumer surveys announced by National Research Corporation in the journal Modern Healthcare. …

Nearly 60 employees of the General Dynamics development and production center in Healdsburg were recognized for their excellence and leadership in technology-related fields as part of the 17th annual Women of Color in Technology awards program. …

Eleven North Bay restaurants received the industry’s highest rating– the Michelin star — with two Napa Valley restaurants maintaining a three-star rating and nine others earning the one-star rating.

Assemblymember Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, honored students from Sun Valley Elementary School for their successful effort to urge the makers of felt-tip markers to develop a recycling program for their products.

The Chiligods, a chili sauce company based in Healdsburg, received one of the highest honors — “double gold” — at this year’s Sonoma County Harvest Fair.

ET Water Systems, Inc., a Novato-based “smart” irrigation management systems developer, significantly upgraded its award-winning ETwater Manager web-based system to accommodate rain forecasts.

NonProfitEasy, a technology startup and winner of the North Bay Business Plan Competition, announced a Series A equity funding commitment.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Envolve Winery in Sonoma will be promoting their campaign “Real Men Drink Pink” to help raise awareness and funds.

Nearly two dozen North Bay restaurants were named to the “Bib Gourmand” list, a highly sought-after designation among lower-priced gourmet restaurateurs, according to The Michelin Guide, which also awards the more famous Michelin stars.

California Small Business Association announced Leland Fishman, owner of the Petaluma-based Fishman Supply Company, joined its board of directors. …

Mark Friedman, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon specializing in shoulder and knee arthroscopy and shoulder, hip and knee replacement, has joined the practice of Sebastopol Orthopedics and the medical staff of Palm Drive Hospital. …

The Tug McGraw Foundation appointed Tom Higgins to its board of directors. …

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage announced that Kacie Ricker, senior marketing manager for the company, has been named the new regional vice president of marketing. …

Calix of Petaluma announced the addition of telecommunications industry veteran Kevin DeNuccio to the company’s board of directors. …

Jordan Vineyard & Winery has appointed Greg Miller to the position of director of wine. …

HEALDSBURG — Silver Oak Cellars of Oakville has purchased Sausal Vineyard & Winery started nearly four decades ago in Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley winegrape region north of Healdsburg.