North Bay Business Journal

SANTA ROSA — SenarioTek has been able to survive economic slumps over its 10 years in business by diversifying target markets for its products used in testing wireless communications systems.

SANTA ROSA — After more than six years of planning, the larger new home of Redwood Empire Food Bank is set to open Tuesday.

The year 2012 has shown steady signs of economic recovery for the city of Benicia.

SEBASTOPOL — FlashCo Manufacturing, a fabricator of roof-penetration details with integrated flashing designed to trim installation time and enhance waterproofing, is doubling the size of its headquarters plant in a move to Santa Rosa.

NOVATO — SPG Solar, which designs and installs commercial photovoltaic energy systems, plans to move its headquarters to Petaluma to have room to grow, particularly in product development.

ST. HELENA — Blicker Pierce Wagner Wine Merchants, an online retailer of fine and rare collectibles that is better known as BP Wine, and the owners’ “flash” online wine sales venture Last Bottle Wines are growing so quickly that they are have secured a much larger south Napa warehouse.

SAUSALITO — Boyd Lighting, a 91-year-old designer and maker of contemporary-styled lighting fixtures, has relocated its headquarters to the former naval shipyards where the company had worked on deck fixtures for Liberty Ships during World War II.

PETALUMA — Biosearch Technologies Inc., an early pioneer in developing life science tools, plans to expand to Petaluma to provide room for continued growth.

EO Products’ proud “Made in Marin” line on the labels of its line of personal care products almost had to be rewritten as the company considered whether growing locally still made economic sense for a consumer products maker.

But now the September target is looming for an expansion move to a higher-capacity plant twice as large in San Rafael, thanks to active help from a commercial property owner, city and regional economic developers and public officials.

PETALUMA — Petaluma will soon serve as the new headquarters for the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit District, with a new location serving to consolidate two current offices in Santa Rosa and San Rafael and providing room to grow for the commuter rail agency.

SANTA ROSA — A 46-year-old custom fabricator and dealer of winery equipment has expanded to Santa Rosa after decades in Napa Valley.

PETALUMA — Short-staffed office workers feeling the squeeze of deadlines increasingly are reaching for Office Playground Inc.’s growing line of silly-styled squeeze toys and other daft diversions, so much so that the Novato-based business plans to significantly grow size in a move to Petaluma.

NOVATO — Birkenstock USA, LP, distributor of the iconic German-made leather and cork–soled sandals and other footwear, plans to move its offices back to the shuttered Birkenstock distribution center in Novato this fall, a company official confirmed.

HEALDSBURG — Project portfolio management software developer Métier Ltd. has moved its West Coast office to Healdsburg from downtown Santa Rosa as the company prepares to rapidly increase its local workforce to accommodate a recent surge in sales.

SANTA ROSA — PNI Sensors Corporation has leased 13,671 square feet of industrial and office space at 2331 Circadian Way in the Santa Rosa Corporate Center that will become the new home of the firm’s research and manufacturing operations — and eventually all company staff groups.

CORTE MADERA — After 17 years of making environmentally and health- conscious personal care products in Marin County, EO Products seriously considered the better economics of taking the 40-person company to the East Bay, but the manufacturer is choosing to stay in Marin after an opportunity arose to convert a former Industrial Light & Magic sound stage to a much larger production plant plus local and regional economic boosters and a state legislator jumped in to help navigate permit processes.

SONOMA — North Bay staffing leader Nelson announced that it will move into a larger space on Cleveland Avenue in Santa Rosa, where it will consolidate operations after posting significant growth over the year.

SONOMA — Increasing sales of wine plus greater demand for direct shipments has fulfillment services provider Wineshipping packing for a major expansion to Napa Valley.

SANTA ROSA — The Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce said today it plans to relocate its downtown offices to a business park in the west central area of the city this summer.

SANTA ROSA — Marmot Mountain LLC is on track to meet its goal of doubling sales and the number of its new branded stores worldwide, and that has the 38-year-old maker of premium outdoor gear for serious expeditions and sports apparel for technical and everyday use preparing its headquarters and local production facility for a trek to a high-profile Rohnert Park location twice the size this summer.