North Bay Business Journal

MILL VALLEY — Thompson Dorfman Partners, LLC, today said it plans to spend $500 million in the next three years building multifamily and mixed-use developments in Northern California and hired a veteran of such projects to oversee the expansion.

The 14-year-old company hired Gillian Sutton Cho as vice president of development to manage acquisition and entitlement of projects, including almost 1,200 Bay Area units in design, entitlement or construction.

The balance of power in the office market in southern and central Marin County continues to move in favor of landlords.

Looking forward into 2013, we are tracking an increase in demand over historical levels.

Marin County apartment sales in 2012 turned from a buyer’s market at the beginning of the year to a strong seller’s market as inventory dropped and prices shot up.

Look for this year to be a turning point in Marin apartment property pricing.

MILL VALLEY — Redwood Trust, Inc. (NYSE: RWT) today reported net income of $132 million in 2012, with earnings from the company’s mortgage banking arm and lower loss provisions contributing to the marked increase over $26 million in net income for 2011.

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. …

MILL VALLEY — Redwood Trust, Inc. (NYSE: RWT), the Mill Valley-based real estate investment trust, announced the departure of its co-founder and chairman, George Bull.

Sutter Solano Cancer Center in Vallejo announced it is installing a dynamic targeting image-guided radiotherapy with real-time position management from Varian Medical Systems. …

WomenCertified, a collective voice for the female consumer and a trusted referral source for top businesses and brands identified among women, is recognizing Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital as a region’s best hospital for patient experience based on female patient satisfaction. …

Hawk’s Tavern in Mill Valley has completed what they describe as a substantial realignment of their menu, moving from a small plate focus to a traditional starter/entrée format. …

SunLink Corporation’s complete line of roof and ground mount solar racking systems has been certified by ETL as conforming to the integrated grounding and bonding requirements of UL Subject 2703. …

Blue Star Gas has partnered with Wine Country Balloons to launch the largest hot air balloon in Sonoma County. …

TSYS announced the formation of a 60-40 joint venture with San Rafael-based Central Payment Co., LLC, which will continue to do business under its current name. …

MILL VALLEY — Therapydia, Inc., announced recently that it raised $5 million in venture funding to launch a website that will be “an online community” for physical therapists, which the Mill Valley-based startup said is one of the fastest growing areas of health care professionals.

The sales of 20 mostly office buildings in Marin and Sonoma counties, totaling 951,000 square feet, by Chicago-based Equity Office and Berg Holdings of Sausalito are moving closer to completion. …

The Dowling-Bracco Team of Cushman & Wakefield in San Rafael just won the marketing contract for Copia in Napa and is positioning the two-story, steel-framed building at 500 First St. as a potential corporate headquarters site. …

Two Grubb & Ellis agents join Colliers International in Fairfield.

MILL VALLEY — Redwood Trust (NYSE: RWT), the 18-year-old real estate investment trust headquartered in Mill Valley, today reported a net loss of $3 million in the final quarter of 2011. Yet for the year ending Dec. 31, Redwood Trust earned $25 million.

MILL VALLEY — Brett Nicholas, a nearly 16-year employee of Redwood Trust Inc. (NYSE: RWT), has been appointed president of the real estate investment trust.

MILL VALLEY — Fashion apparel conglomerate Kellwood of St. Louis acquired Mill Valley-based yoga and fitness wear maker Zobha.

Petaluma-based Labcon North America, which makes laboratory supplies designed to be more environmentally friendly, was among 27 companies nationwide to receive the prestigious President’s “E” Award for U.S. Exporters on May 16. … Mill Valley-based Green Toys Inc., maker of toys made from recycled plastic milk containers, on May 9 received the Commerce Department’s Export Achievement Certificate, granted to companies that use the U.S. Commercial Service to make their first international sales or expansions. … Boeing picked MicroSource, the Santa Rosa-based division of Giga-tronics Inc., as one of 16 suppliers out of pool of 17,500 contenders in 50-plus countries to receive Boeing’s 2010 Supplier of the Year award. … Petaluma-based Raydiance, developer of ultrafast laser systems, named Dick Pierce chief executive officer. Founder Barry Schuler now is chairman. … Saputo Inc., parent company of DCI Cheese Company, formerly G & G Specialty Foods, announced the closure of the facility in Santa Rosa resulting in the loss of 68 jobs, both production and office employees.

MILL VALLEY – Marin County is new home to another interesting Internet company, joining Glassdoor, ImageSpan and many others in Sausalito.

NORTH BAY — Whole Foods Market takes a location-specific approach to design and product selection, reflected in the farmer’s market, train depot and craft-brew pub features of three new North Bay locations this year.

NORTH BAY — The Business Journal will honor 12 North Bay real estate projects and the key industry players who made them possible at its fifth-annual 2010 Top Projects Awards reception on Dec. 8. Continue reading to see the list of winning projects.

People items submitted by North Bay businesses for publication in the Business Journal

The newly completed renovation of the 29,000-square-foot vacant Albertsons store as a second Whole Foods Market grocery store in Mill Valley represents a testing ground for new concepts for the Texas-based chain, according to regional spokesman Danny Olivas. The company now has four Marin County stores and 25 in the Bay Area.

MILL VALLEY — The Larkspur Hotels and Restaurants group last week celebrated the opening of its most recent acquisition, converting an old Holiday Inn Express at Richardson Bay into an upscale boutique now dubbed the Larkspur Hotel Mill Valley.

LRG Capital Group’s lease-option acquisition last week of the 66,100-square-foot Fair-Anselm Plaza shopping center and offices in Fairfax is an example of the type of creative deal-making called for when both tenants and financing can be scarce, according to Roger Smith, an agent with Cornish & Carey Commercial who has been marketing the Fairfax property for the Friedman family for years.