North Bay Business Journal

SANTA ROSA and NAPA — Napa-based accounting firm Rabanal & Smith LLP will merge into Moss Adams LLP, giving Moss Adams and its wine industry practice a physical footprint in the Napa Valley.

PETALUMA — WellFX, a technology start-up in Petaluma, recently secured $5 million in Series A funding from private investment firm CMT Ventures, which will help the company embark on a platform that aims to integrate cloud-based social media with some of the region’s health care providers and their patient bases.

After three straight years of harvests delayed and reduced by unwelcome weather, North Coast winegrape growers see signs of brighter prospects for a 2012 crop that could be, thankfully, average-sized and on time.

Median prices for homes sold rose across Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties in June, while Bay Area averages reached the highest level in nearly four years, according to a report today from San Diego-based housing data tracker DataQuick.

Nearing the end of its fourth decade in business, Joseph Phelps Vineyards of St. Helena plans to unveil a refreshed website this summer that not only integrates the company’s Sonoma Coast wines and has a new background look but also will deliver from the same design a viewing experience neatly accommodating existing or future screen sizes ranging from smartphone to large panels.

That vintner and others as well as designers of their sites and providers of their ecommerce and operations software are exploring, actively pursuing and dealing with the consequences of “responsive web design.”

If we review sales activity over the past 18 to 24 months, we can see how the role of foreign investment in the U.S. wine industry has evolved. Broadly speaking, there are three general categories of foreign investment in the United States wine market from which to gauge activity.

Rohnert Park-based Stellar Energy, a solar energy engineering, procurement and construction provider, installed a 454-kilowatt photovoltaic electricity system at Jordan Vineyard & Winery in Healdsburg.

While insurance exchanges are poised to dominate health care discussions in the near future, another set of health information exchanges are arguably more important for providers across the state, particularly as independent physicians and health systems alike ponder implementation of electronic health records.

Redwood MedNetThis and other topics were the center of discussion of Ukiah-based Redwood MedNet’s sixth annual conference, Connecting California to Improve Patient Care, which included discussions on electronic health records, personal health records and health information exchanges.

The Marin Community Foundation will help oversee a philanthropic effort on multiple sclerosis research, according to Jansssen Research & Development, a New Jersey-based pharmaceutical subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, which established the fund. …

Dr. Michael Caccavale, an interventional radiologist, has joined Redwood Regional Medical Group in Santa Rosa. He graduated from the University of Arizona with a BS in physiology and public health. …

Sutter Medical Foundation announced that board-certified urologist Dr. Kadee Thompson has joined the foundation in Vacaville. …

The Northern California Center for Well-Being said it will offer technical assistance for implementation of Sonoma County’s new smoking ordinance, which will prohibit smoking in multi-unit residences in unincorporated areas of the county. …

Both Marin General Hospital and Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital received “A” grades on the Hospital Safety Score from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. …

Marin General Hospital received certification from the Joint Commission for its stroke program and, for the second year in a row, was given the Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association. …

Last month the North Bay Business Journal celebrated the many accomplishments of women in business in the North Bay. This recognition is so important for the many women who have made lasting contributions to the health and vitality of the North Bay economy. Here at Bank of Marin, we have also had many outstanding women who have contributed to our growth and success.

As financial planners and investment advisers, we study market trends and research, and are privy to the predictions and analyses of various pundits and experts. Ironically, some of the wisest investment advice comes from a man who had no money to call his own. Aesop the fable writer lived in Ancient Greece during the 5th Century B.C. and the morals of his stories give us great insight into smart investing for today’s volatile marketplace.

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

Novato-based ET Water Systems, Inc., which offers a range of traditional, retrofit and cloud-based irrigation management products for new and existing landscapes, announced the release of a suite of water budget tools that enable customers to monitor and manage water use in real-time, with graphs and analytics to communicate actionable, water saving data to stakeholders and stay within monthly water budget requirements.

Democrasoft, Inc. (OTCBB: DEMO), the Santa Rosa-based developer of the online Collaborize Classroom education software, announced the completion of a $500,000 interim funding private placement; most of the securities were sold to existing investors.

The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley founder and President, Tracy Hayward, announced the launch of a new warehouse program for local residents and businesses.

Shakespeare Napa Valley will present Twelfth Night, one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies set in the fantastical world of the “Wild Wild West,” free of charge in beautiful Veterans Memorial Park in Downtown Napa, July 20–29.

The Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center has been designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.

Three outpatient clinical programs in Sutter Medical Network, Sutter Health’s physician network, were recognized for statewide best practices in the California Association of Physician Groups’ annual Standards of Excellence Survey of medical group features and capabilities.

Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s Live Well Be Well workplace-wellness program received platinum certification in the 2012 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles awards presented by the National Business Group on Health.

HopMonk Tavern owner Dean Biersch has announced that Novato will be the home of his third craft beer-centric tavern with plans to open fall 2012.

Silverado Country Club, located at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, announced the availability of a limited number of memberships to individuals outside of the Silverado Community for the first time.

Cogenra Solar, a Mountain View-based provider of distributed solar cogeneration systems, announced its first dairy solar cogeneration system at the Clover Stornetta Farms Dairy Processing Plant in Petaluma.

B.R. Cohn Winery, based in Glen Ellen, received three gold medals at the California State Fair Wine Competition for the 2009 Mendocino County Barbera, the 2010 Carneros Chardonnay and the 2010 Russian River Pinot Noir.

Twenty-six volunteers from the business community and government agencies have been working together to conduct interviews throughout the county in recent weeks as part of Sonoma County BEST’s “100 in 100” effort.

United Way recently honored local businesses with their annual Community Partnership Awards.

For the first time in its six-year history, two organizations tied for Nonprofit Organization of the Year in the Napa Community Awards, presented at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa. Community Health Clinic Ole and Community Action of Napa Valley jointly received the prestigious award, selected from among nine nominees submitted by the community.

Fresh Starts Culinary Academy, a project of Homeward Bound of Marin, has received a $30,000 grant to refine and enhance its training program with updated curriculum and a new job coach.

The Sonoma County Harvest Fair judges have announced Santa Rosa Junior College’s Shone Farm olive oil is a double gold winner in the fair’s professional olive oil competition.

Novato-based Circle Bank announced that the Redwood Empire Food Bank, which serves Sonoma County and the North Bay, will be the beneficiary of its quarterly charity day program.

SailNapaValley.com, a collaboration between the Napa Valley Destination Council, Napa Valley Vintners and the 34th America’s Cup, launches on June 27 to showcase Napa Valley lodging, wine and culinary offerings for fans and friends of the America’s Cup.

North San Francisco Bay Area events of interest to the business community

Scott A. Upton, a firefighter with 28 years of service, has been named Napa County’s full-time fire chief.

Napa City Planning Manager Rick Tooker will become Community Development Department director upon the retirement of Cassandra Walker.

The board of directors for the Redwood Empire Food Bank has elected new officers. Suzy Marzalek is now president of the board. David Guhin is assuming the role of vice president. The offices of treasurer and secretary are being served by Howard Daulton and Judy Farrell.

Arborwell, a professional tree management company, announced the addition of Rick McMann as the new account manager for the Santa Rosa/North Bay Area Region.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage announced that James Madison, an agent in the company’s Santa Rosa office, ranked among the top 1,000 Realtors in the U.S. for home sales last year in a new report by The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends.

Meadowcroft Wines announced that Petar Kirilov is now winemaker for the Meadowcroft, Thomas Henry and Foyt Family labels.

The Court of Master Sommeliers welcomed several new members from the North Bay to the organization: Gillian Ballance (Murray Circle Restaurant at Cavallo Point Lodge, Sausalito); Desmond Echervarrie (French Laundry, Yountville); and Sur Lucero (Oenotri Restaurant, Napa).

SANTA ROSA – Exchange Bank reported today that it earned an after-tax profit of $2.84 million for the quarter ended June 30, nearly level with earnings during the same quarter in 2011.

SAN RAFAEL — Buckelew Programs is scaling back its plans for People’s Harvest, which was intended to be an 18,000-square-foot, fresh-cut produce processing center in Petaluma, but which will now be temporarily housed in a small commercial facility in Marin County, the nonprofit said today.

SAN RAFAEL — Westamerica Bancorporation (Nasdaq: WABC), parent company of San Rafael-based Westamerica Bank, reported a net income of $21 million in the second calendar quarter of 2012, level with earnings in the prior quarter and down slightly from $21.3 million a year before.

SANTA ROSA – First Community Bank has named Deborah Meekins as its new president and CEO, succeeding founding president and CEO, Kathy Pinkard. Ms. Meekins joins the bank from her former role as executive vice president and California market president for Spokane Washington-based Sterling Financial Corporation, which owns Santa Rosa-based Sonoma Bank.

North Bay insurers reflect on the Supreme Court’s ruling that maintained key aspects of the Affordable Care Act.