North Bay Business Journal

Six months after turning on what’s arguably the largest rooftop solar electricity and hot-water cogeneration system in the U.S., Jackson Family Wines is finalizing plans to go even bigger in the next few months with installations in Sonoma and Monterey counties.

In this challenging time for investors, let’s take a look at a few considerations when it comes to fixed income investments.

The volume of small business lending backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration in the Bay Area reached an all-time high during the last fiscal year, and volume for such loans in three North Bay counties grew by more than one-third.

As the health care sector moves toward wide-scale adoption of electronic medical records, the potential for personal-data breaches has significantly increased, creating a precarious legal environment for health plans and providers while class-action firms are carving out a lucrative niche in California.

SANTA ROSA — Smith Dollar PC opened the firm’s third office, located in Lewisville, Texas, giving the financial services law firm now a presence in three states — California, Florida and now Texas.

Is your winery or tasting room registered under the Bioterrorism Act? If so, did you know that this year you are required to renew your registration?

Vacancy rates for the majority of office and industrial space in Napa County was unchanged in the third quarter from a year before, despite several large leases and sales.

The biggest Marin leases of 2012 have been in high-technology, specifically biotechnology and software, but leasing activity has been significantly slower than in San Francisco.

The North Bay’s largest county had a number of large commercial property sales and leases in the past 12 months.

Despite some significant company expansions amid those deals, Sonoma County’s office and industrial vacancy rates barely changed from high levels of a year before.

While the market for office space in Solano County continues to be soft, deals for industrial and retail space — including a large sale of Benicia warehouses — are whittling away at high vacancy rates.

Many people struggle with managing personal finances because as net worth increases, financial decision-makings becomes more complex. Although professional advice can help, most investors think that their financial counselors’ only job is to manage their investments. A good adviser, however, will look beyond a client’s assets and provide guidance on taxes, retirement, estate planning, insurance, and more. But how do investors measure the value they receive from broader financial counsel and not just on investments?

Events in the north San Francisco Bay Area of interest to the business community.

Commercial real estate leases and sales in the north San Francisco Bay Area

Allen Wine Group LLP, a wine industry business advisory service and CPA firm, appointed Bill Atwood as general partner. …

Sunergy, Inc. appointed of Gary Houck of Napa to its board of directors and to the Sunergy management team. …

Carlton Jacobson has been appointed vice president of finance for the St. Helena Region for Adventist Health’s Northern California Network. …

Paul Selivanoff has been appointed vice president of finance, revenue management and physician services for the Northern California Network for Adventist Health. …

Tricia Williams has accepted a new position with the St. Helena Hospital Region for Adventist Healh, becoming the regional vice president of behavioral medicine and population health. …

Gastroenterologists Sumit Kohli, M.D., Paul W. Hornberger, M.D., R. Logan Faust, M.D., and Richard M. Auld, Jr., M.D., have joined Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation, part of the Sutter Health network. …

Art Peck, the current president of Gap North America, has been appointed president of the new Innovation, Digital Strategy and New Brands Division. …

Christopher Huber has been named director of private client sales and marketing for Hanzell Vineyards. …

Corte Madera-based Message Bus, a developer of a cloud-based software behind messaging and email, closed an $11 million round of growth funding.

The average cost of apartment rent in the third quarter rose year-over-year in Sonoma and Napa counties, according to Novato-based real estate data firm RealFacts. …

San Diego-based Sunrise Management has expanded its Northern California office with the addition of two new Sacramento-area properties to their portfolio, including one in Santa Rosa. …

Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection Authority announced the approval of Sonoma Flex Package, a new incentive program that enhances the current Energy Upgrade California program. …

Petaluma Educational Foundation is calling for support in its effort to raise an additional $50,000 to fund its grant programs for Petaluma educators. …

NAPA — Queen of the Valley Medical Center Foundation today announced it received an $11 million gift from the Herman family, the largest gift in the hospital’s history.

With the most recent gift, the foundation has raised $21.8 million of the $30 million capital campaign goal.

With a steady increase in import-export activities by a growing number of companies and manufacturers in North Bay, the Port of San Francisco has approved eligibility for the expansion of the boundaries of its existing Foreign Trade Zone No. 3 to encompass much of Sonoma County, part of Napa County and all of Marin, Solano and Contra Costa counties.