North Bay Business Journal

Joe Hasson is the newly appointed general manager of the Graton Resort & Casino currently being constructed by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria in northwest Rohnert Park.

He is set to speak on Graton Resort project progress at Construction Conference 2013, hosted by the Business Journal in Santa Rosa on May 15. His team and he responded to Journal questions about the project and employment opportunities.

PETALUMA — A four-story, 50-room boutique hotel is in the early stages of development, a project that backers said could address a lack of downtown lodging in Sonoma County’s second-biggest city.

ROHNERT PARK — Station Casinos recently unveiled early drawings of the forthcoming Graton Resort & Casino, offering a glimpse of what the $800 million project will look like upon completion of construction.

ROHNERT PARK — As construction of the $800 million Graton Resort and Casino project in northwest Rohnert Park speeds toward a planned opening late this year, the developer on Monday ramped up the marketing campaign with the release of architectural renderings of the forthcoming facility and a website for the forthcoming facility.

ROHNERT PARK — In roughly a year’s time, Sonoma County will be home to the Bay Area’s largest casino, a prospect that has some people and businesses anticipating a significant economic boon to the region while others still vow to block a project in the making since 2003.

ROHNERT PARK — The massive $800 million Graton Resort and Casino today reached a key phase in construction, as hundreds of workers and officials involved in the project celebrated a “topping out” ceremony.

NAPA — The owner of The Meritage Resort & Spa has purchased land across the street as part of a plan to enhance the experience for the tens of thousands of visitors the recently expanded 323-room facility brings to Napa Valley each year.

NAPA — Throughout a still-teetering economy that saw tourism business plummet across the country, The Meritage Resort and Spa’s planned expansion was the first major construction project in the hospitality sector to take hold following much angst in the industry.

San Rafael-based Mighty Leaf Tea Co. leased 15,600 square feet of industrial space at 1460 Technology Way for “additional space.” …

Tom LeDuc, co-founder of Santa Rosa-based LeDuc & Dexter Plumbing, retired from that company earlier this year and joined forces with Warren Brown of solar energy contractor One Sun, Inc., based in west Sonoma County. …

Hudson Street Design of Napa Valley (707-299-5110, hlc-inc.com) will be hosting an open house Dec. 19 from 3–5 p.m. The 2,500-square-foot store at 1551 Soscol Ave. in central Napa opened in early November after five months in progress. …

Silverado Resort and Spa northeast of Napa selected two architecture and design companies for renovations in the first half of 2013. …

Tam Woods Hotel, a 100-room property formerly known as the Larkspur Mill Valley Hotel, was re-branded as a Holiday Inn Express hotel Dec. 4 following a recently completed $4 million renovation. …

NAPA — The Napa River Inn recently received approval from the City Council to add 26 new rooms and a third story to the property, which will enable the hotel to begin preliminary site work while it awaits state approval.

NAPA — The Napa Winery Inn, a 59-room boutique hotel that was purchased by hotelier Rick Swig back in May, has officially opened its doors after a $1 million renovation and re-branding.

ST. HELENA — Two years after completing a major long-term capital project in vineyards and winery, C. Mondavi & Family plans to start construction in August on a $6 million new hospitality and retail center at the Charles Krug property.

ROHNERT PARK — The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria today announced construction has started on the tribe’s resort and casino project just west of Rohnert Park, although the tribe and casino backers are still waiting for formal federal approval on the controversial project.

NAPA — A South Carolina-based hotel developer has secured land for a 115-room hotel next to the 12-screen movie theaters already under construction at the south end of Napa.

NAPA — After 18 months of construction — and after weathering one of the toughest economic recessions in memory — The Meritage Resort and Spa officially opened a newly built, $40 million expansion that essentially doubles this size of the existing hotel, which it hopes will help boost tourism spending not just at the hotel but throughout the surrounding area.

ROHNERT PARK — Governor Jerry Brown today signed a tribal-state gaming compact between the State of California and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, potentially clearing the way for a large-scale, Las Vegas-style casino and hotel project in Rohnert Park. The plan calls for a casino on 254 acres on the outskirts of Rohnert Par. [...]

NAPA — If ever there were a window for opportunity in downtown Napa, it’s now. More retailers and restaurants have set up businesses and more are coming.

NAPA — Vino Bello Resort in Napa has completed a $10.1 million, 66-room expansion, bringing the total amount of rooms to 182 across three buildings.

NAPA — A $40 million expansion is fully under way at the Meritage Resort and Spa in south Napa.

PETALUMA — Sheraton Sonoma County–Petaluma today said it leased 5,000 more square feet at Basin Street Properties’ Petaluma Marina Business Center and renovated the additional space for meetings and banquets.