North Bay Business Journal

MV Transportation names Carter Pate as CEO

FAIRFIELD — MV Transportation Inc., the largest private provider of paratransit services and the largest privately owned transportation contracting firm in the U.S., today announced renowned company turnaround artist Carter Pate as chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors, beginning Aug. 15.

Fairfield-based MV Transportation employs more than 13,000 transit professionals in 100 locations and operates more than 190 paratransit, fixed-route, shuttle and Medicaid contracts in 26 states, the District of Columbia and British Columbia.

Wine: After years of waiting, IRS approves tax advantage for AVAs

Winemakers have been arguing for many years that there’s special value in wines made from grapes grown in Napa Valley, Russian River Valley and other prized winegrowing regions to justify bottle prices. Now, the IRS agrees. … Craig and Kathryn Hall’s St. Helena-based Hall Wines took a “substantial” stake in the 5,000-case-a-year Roessler Cellars. … The effort to open up direct shipping in more states is trying to give more power to the people via a new group called American Wine Consumer Coalition.

Insurance market trends: property/casualty stable; health premiums rise; worries about reform

NORTH BAY – Perhaps now more than ever, insurance is an industry of many moving pieces. Where one sector surges the other might subside. Local brokers and industry experts sounded off last week on trends in the market as well as rising topics, including fire, high-deductible plans and long-term care products.

Accounting standards shift creates stir

The Securities and Exchange Commission has published a roadmap for the change from the rules-based American Generally Accepted Accounting Principals, or GAAP, to the principles-based International Financial Reporting Standards, or IFRS, and has the document open for comment.