North Bay Business Journal

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”                         ~ Winston Churchill   In our infancy, mom and dad made sure that our clothes were clean, that we were fed, that we got our vaccinations and regular checkups. They made sure our clothes were mended, our [...]

SANTA ROSA — Two of the North Bay’s largest financial institutions have unveiled new mobile banking applications, seeking to address a wave of consumer demand for technology that was once only within reach of the nation’s largest banks.

NORTH BAY — Each of the 6,170 full-time-equivalent jobs in food and non-wine beverage manufacturing in the North Bay helps to sustain an average of more than one-and-a-half additional jobs in other industries, making it one of the most economically stimulating sectors in the region.

The finding — along with other detailed analysis of the sector’s regional presence and impact — was described in a new report by Dr. Robert Eyler, chair of the economics department at Sonoma State University and director of the school’s Center for Regional Economic Analysis.

SANTA ROSA and NAPA — The North Bay Angels is going into the loan business and Napa technology company Visicon stands to gain.

The political and legal challenges to federal health reform may finally be settled with the reelection of President Obama and the Supreme Court’s upholding of the Affordable Care Act, but, even with that seeming sense of finality, a host of challenges lay ahead for all levels of the industry.

SONOMA VALLEY — Nearly five years after taking over cash-strapped Viansa Winery & Marketplace in Sonoma Valley, a New York-based hedge fund is considering a buyout offer from a former executive who quickly returned Viansa to profitably and has been running it since.

A North Coast winegrape season that was not too hot, too cold or too wet combined with steady demand for grapes and wine following two short crops led to a rare conjunction in recent years, possibly the most tonnage since the 2005 peak year and a number of wineries eager to find room to buy as much as they could.

A number of wine industry lenders in the North Bay have seen an uptick in demand for financing this year as wineries, vineyards and related industries seek to position themselves more strongly in a changed economy.

SANTA ROSA — In its first year, the North Coast Wine Industry Expo, set for Dec. 5 in Santa Rosa, has attracted nearly 200 exhibitors and registrations from more than 800 local wine industry professionals.

Welcome to the Business Journal’s second annual Healthiest Companies Awards, which recognize outstanding efforts of organizations and businesses across the North Bay in the critical movement toward wellness.

Read profiles of the 17 winners of the Business Journal’s 2012 Healthiest Companies in the North Bay awards.

David Hodges recently merged his own brokerage into Vantreo Insurance Brokerage, becoming vice president of employee benefits after operating independently for nearly 30 years in the North Bay. He has focused exclusively on employee benefits during that span.

Todd Salnas was appointed president of St. Joseph Health, Sonoma County in July 2012, overseeing operations for Santa Rosa Memorial and Petaluma Valley hospitals, as well as a variety of non-acute care services throughout the county. Mr. Salnas, 39, joined St. Joseph Health in 2009 and previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for Sonoma County.

Rick Heron is chief marketing and brand officer for Western Health Advantage, a Sacramento-based HMO that recently received approval to expand into Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties. The move into the North Bay for the nonprofit HMO is a significant development for a number of providers and brokers alike, who have said the injection of another health plan will offer more choice — and thus more competitive pricing, it is hoped — for the region’s employers and individuals. Mr. Heron has been with Western Health Advantage for seven years.

Michael Parr is an employee benefits agent with NorthWest Insurance Agency, a subsidiary of George Petersen Insurance Agency. He started a 20-year business career at Oracle Corporation in various technical support and sales management roles in the Bay Area and Boston. Following Oracle, he became an employee benefits broker for a large agency in New England, handling clients throughout the East Coast. In 2008, he returned to California, where he joined NorthWest. His focus is on business clients using his extensive industry knowledge of employee benefits in health, dental, life and disability products.

Dennis Lum is vice president of channel strategy, sale operations and performance for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan. His current areas of focus include broker strategy, broker development, and execution for health care reform and private exchanges, among other areas. He began his career with Kaiser by managing the Proposal Development Department for Northern California.

Mike Purvis is the chief administrative officer for Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa, an affiliate of Sutter Health. Mr. Purvis has been with Sutter in Santa Rosa for the past three years, helping to lead health systems’ efforts in rebuilding and relocating its current Chanate Road hospital to a $284 million facility on Mark West Springs Road just north of Santa Rosa.

Jim Settles is senior vice president and partner and the North Bay Benefits Practice Leader for Woodruff Sawyer & Co., an independent brokerage headquartered in San Francisco with a Novato division. Mr. Settles will be a panelist for the North Bay Business Journal’s Health Care Conference, which will focus on post-election health care reform, particularly as it relates to employers in the North Bay.

Victor McKnight is a principal with EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants in Petaluma, where he oversees employee benefits. Mr. McKnight, a North Bay insurance veteran with more16 years experience, has represented both employers and carriers, and has lobbied in both Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

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