North Bay Business Journal

Gary Heck, owner and president of Korbel Champagne Cellars and Kenwood Vineyards, became an honorary inductee of the Sonoma State University chapter of the Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society last month. …

Amid the rising popularity of a for-credit “Banking and Finance Academy” program operated in partnership with Santa Rosa City Schools, Redwood Credit Union recent took part in a new “Bite of Reality” financial literacy program in San Rafael. …

Dominican University’s Venture Greenhouse incubator and accelerator program will host a “Marinnovation” showcase for innovators and entrepreneurs from Marin County on May 15, with Netflix co-founder and Mill Valley resident Mitch Lowe as keynote. …

On May 10, College of Marin will host a celebration for its recently opened Science, Math and Nursing building at the school’s Kentfield Campus, featuring a lecture by alumnus Adam Steltzner from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars Rover “Curiosity” expedition. …

Stephen Olson, long-time agriculture instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College and a major force behind the college’s Shone Farm programs, has been selected to receive one of the school’s highest honors for staff, the President’s Medallion of Honor. …

Massage Envy Spa’s Santa Rosa location hired a certified massage therapist in March, Susan Losinski. …

The Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa hired an additional group sales manager, Mary Jo Baird. …

Jen Birmingham, a sales associate in Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s Petaluma office, has been awarded membership in the company’s International Sterling Society, an honor bestowed upon the top Coldwell Banker sales associates worldwide. …

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage announced that Gary Sumner, a sales associate in its Santa Rosa office, earned membership in the company’s International Diamond Society. …

Sonoma-based marketing agency V2 Wine Group appointed industry veteran Ken Meyerson director of national retail accounts. …

A new office for the federally administered Small Business Development Center program opened Friday in Santa Rosa, expected to be joined by a first-ever Marin County office later this year. The two locations boost the physical presence for the national program along the Highway 101 corridor in the North Bay.

SANTA ROSA — Santa Rosa Junior College will be adding up to 500 new class sections in its 2013–2014 academic year, using new revenue from the voter-approved tax measure Proposition 30 to restore approximately 7 percent of courses cut in the past three years.

The herd of beef cattle at Petaluma’s Spring Hill Ranch is now certified by the Alexandria, Va.-based Animal Welfare Approved program. …

Working Solutions, a nonprofit microlender that recently opened an office in San Rafael, recently funded Marin County businesses. …

Three wines produced by students at Santa Rosa Junior College won medals in the 2013 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Shone Farm 2010 pinot noir won a gold medal, while its 2009 syrah and 2011 rosé won a silver and bronze, respectively, in the January competition. …

Keiretsu Forum, a large global private-equity angel investment network, and The Venture Greenhouse at Dominican University of California plan to hold the Green Technology Investment Showcase on April 3 from 1–4:30 p.m. at the early-stage green business accelerator in San Rafael. …

An abandoned elementary school on Main Street in the west Sonoma County’s Monte Rio community will be transformed into a destination where residents and visitors can enjoy a café, hiking trail, a skate park and a community farm. …

SANTA ROSA — Santa Rosa Junior College is embarking on a multi-year strategic planning process that participants say is of unprecedented scope in the college’s 95-year history, with hope that widespread community participation will strengthen a longstanding spirit of collaboration between the college, the regional business community and other stakeholders throughout the North Bay.

SANTA ROSA — An anonymous donation to fund scholarships at Santa Rosa Junior College has grown to $6 million, following an additional $1 million gift from the original donor.

The Petaluma Education Foundation announced that it received a record volume of donations as part of its 30th anniversary celebration in September, collecting over $400,000 to support the foundation and its 2012-13 grant program.

As positive indicators continue to strengthen across the North Bay housing market, real estate leaders in the region expressed increasing confidence that housing is starting to recover from the crash of 2006.

PETALUMA — Raydiance wants to significantly increase production of its high-precision lasers in the next year and is expanding its manufacturing workforce to match a recent move to a larger headquarters and $20 million in new capital that has made both possible.

SANTA ROSA — The Medtronic CardioVascular division in Santa Rosa is beefing up its manufacturing operations to turn out more prototypes more quickly, according to endovascular therapies R&D lab manager Joe Wilson.

Exchange Bank will resume its regular shareholder dividend, a first step towards restoring the iconic Doyle scholarship that has been awarded to more than 100,000 students attending Santa Rosa Junior College since it was enacted in 1948.

NORTH BAY — A duo of bills passed by California lawmakers this month could assist distressed North Bay residential properties in finding resolution – either refinancing, sale or foreclosure – more smoothly, a development that stands to impact an important hurdle in the overall recovery of the region’s housing market.

SANTA ROSA — Exchange Bank could be moving closer to reinstating its shareholder dividends, which fund the Doyle college scholarship, after the U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced it has completed the auction of stock in the bank purchased through the Troubled Asset Relief Program in 2008.

SANTA ROSA — In a move that could bring Exchange Bank closer to restoring the shareholder dividend that funds the Doyle college scholarship, the U.S. Department of the Treasury today said it will auction securities in the bank it purchased through the Troubled Asset Relief Program in 2008.

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.

SANTA ROSA – Agilent Technologies’ commitment to education has been amply demonstrated in the North Bay, where students from elementary school through college graduation benefit from a series of programs and partnerships.

Education 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 grant from Catalyst Kitchens, an affiliate group for culinary social enterprise businesses, is supported by the Walmart Foundation and will allow Fresh [...]

SANTA ROSA — Entrepreneurial initiatives at Santa Rosa Junior College’s 365-acre Shone Farm in Forestville are likely to expand in the coming years, an effort that the school’s new dean of agriculture and natural resources said will help generate revenue to grow the popular program at a time of historic budgetary constraints.

More than 50 percent of North Bay manufacturers predicted growth above 15 percent during the next five years. By one estimate, they’ll need to hire and train at least 3,000 new skilled and college-trained workers. But skilled technicians are hard to come by — especially after several years of recession, and it won’t get any easier as time goes by and seasoned workers retire.