North Bay Business Journal

Kaiser Permanente has earned accreditation for its Santa Rosa Medical Center Family Residency Program, which was developed to attract and retain more physicians to the region in lieu of national shortages.

After being largely vacant from commercial property sales at the height of the economic recession, investors in North Bay multifamily complexes are moving back into the market.

NAPA — VinLux Fine Wine Transport, a logistics company for fine wines going to California trade accounts, more than doubled the size of its south Napa facility and staff to accommodate a surge in wine shipments and demand for its services.

SAN RAFAEL — San Rafael-based wealth management and advising firm Private Ocean is expanding, responding to rising demand from a wave of aging Bay Area executives and business owners eying an end-of-career asset strategy.

A number of accounting firms that have recently made efforts to grow in the Napa Valley are moving into the next phase of their expansions, positioning themselves through hiring and training to help bring those moves to fruition in a regional economy spearheaded by the wine industry.

In a time where our country is muddling through a recession to recovery, more and more schemes are being uncovered.

The North Bay office of Burr Pilger Mayer is taking part in the launch of a new “Nonprofit Education Series,” a six-part educational program focusing on financial risks and strategies specific to the nonprofit sector. …

The Internal Revenue Service has released data reflecting electronic tax filing last year, showing a trend towards Web-based filing services while anticipating usage of its Web and mobile offerings in 2013. …

The federal tax treatment of charitable contributions was the subject of a recent report by the staff of the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, outlining the impact of the related deduction and casting a spotlight on an issue that has been closely watched by the nation’s nonprofits. …

A partner at St. Helena’s Brotemarkle, Davis & Company has received the President’s Volunteer Service Award, recognizing his history in helping to teach financial literacy to high school students in Napa County, according to an announcement from the firm. …

As North Bay lodging businesses look to the year ahead, most are expressing confidence for continued improvement, with occupancy rates and revenues showing steady gains across Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties.

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.

Russian River Brewing Co.’s cult-like Pliny the Younger, a rare triple IPA, has received yet another accolade, this one coming from state Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa. …

The Napa Winery Inn has joined the Ascend Hotel Collection, a portfolio of independent hotels from Choice Hotels International, giving the portfolio its first property in the Napa Valley. …

Passenger volume at the Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport in January was 2.4 percent higher than a year before and up 33.9 percent since the same month in 2008 after airline service returned. …

La Condesa, a farm-to-table restaurant in St. Helena, hired Chris Mortenson as its new executive chef. …

A website has been launched to promote downtown Napa’s riverfront, www.NapasRiverfront.com, including information on everything from retail promotions and product offerings to special events and lodging information. …

Many aspects of life require careful consideration and balancing of the tradeoffs that arise from competing demands. For example, a common lifestyle tradeoff is working longer hours versus spending more time with your family.

The competing demands within this decision are the income necessary to provide a suitable quality of life for your family versus the immeasurable benefits of quality time spent with them. There is no right answer, but most people understand the tradeoff and attempt to find the balance that is right for them.

Summit State Bank appointed Kim August vice president and commercial loan officer. …

Jodi Shubin, director of client and community relations at Pisenti & Brinker, was named the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce 2012 Ambassador of the Year. …

The Democratic Caucus selected Rep. John Garemendi, D-Fairfield, for the House Agriculture Committee. …

Nick Hansen, CPA, of Moss Adams, LLP, was appointed vice president to the 2013 board of directors for Santa Rosa Wednesday Night Market. …

Pacific Coast Air Museum announced that Julia Hochberg of Sonoma Jet Center was elected to the 2013 board of directors. …

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

North Bay events of interest to the business community

Medtronic, which has cardiovascular-device operations in Santa Rosa, received the CE (Conformité Européenne) mark to be able to market the Evera portfolio of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in the European Union. …

SenarioTek, a Santa Rosa-based designer and manufacturer of radio-frequency and microwave products, announced it has received ISO 9001:2008 certification from ABS Quality Evaluations. …

SpotOn, a San Rafael-based digital loyalty network for local merchants and consumers, announced a major milestone six months after officially launching its tablet-based incentive program in July. …

The print version of the Business Journal’s North Bay HMOs list [Feb. 18, p. 18] contained incorrect information as to the number of individual members for Kaiser Permanente as follows: Total North Bay: 300,472, Sonoma County: 181,592, Marin County: 79,461, Napa County: 39419.

Jan. 1, 2013: The Solano Economic Development Corp. held its 30th Anniversary Luncheon at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fairfield

U.S. wine exports, 90 percent from California, last year increased 2.6 percent in winery revenue to a record $1.43 billion from 2011, but at the same time, shipment volume dipped 4.9 percent, a major wine trade policy advocacy group announced today.

New California legislation known as the “homeowner bill of rights” helped the rate of new foreclosures to plunge in the North Bay and beyond in January, while home prices and sales in general continued a steady upward climb, according to reports released today by Irvine-based foreclosure tracker RealtyTrac and San Diego-based real estate data service DataQuick.