North Bay Business Journal

Melissa Bastianon and Cathy Miller are the newest members of Frank Howard Allen Realtors’ Sebastopol office. …

Michael Moffett, a Coldwell Banker Commercial Brokers of the Valley agent in Napa, earned a spot in the company’s Bronze Level Circle of Distinction. …

Jeanette Ditter, a sales associate in Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s Santa Rosa office, earned membership in the company’s International Diamond Society. …

Petaluma-based Cyan appointed Joe Cumello chief marketing officer. …

Sonoma County Tourism certified its 500th “tourism ambassador”: Randy Johnson, owner of Getaway Adventures. …

Several large retail construction projects are reaching completion or getting started in Sonoma County this year in Petaluma, Sebastopol and Windsor.

Agavé Garden (agavegarden.com) is not grape wine, but it is fermented in local wine country and shipped in wine bottles. It’s not distilled like tequila, but it is made from organic syrup of Agavé tequilana weber, or blue agave. This “fine agavé wine” is the work of custom vintner Owl Ridge Wine Services of Sebastopol. …

Large-scale custom winemaking company The Vintners Group, which operates Carneros Vintners, purchased a 600,000-gallon winery it had been renting from the VinREIT division of Entertainment Properties Trust since the middle of last year. …

Karissa Kruse, who has been marketing director for Sonoma County Winegrape Commission since August and instrumental in the rollout of the Sonoma County branding campaign, is set be the 1,800-plus-member organization’s next president on May 1. She replaces Nick Frey. …

The anticipated Kendall-Jackson bistro and tasting lounge is coming to the Healdsburg plaza area around the end of this month. The 55-seat restaurant, called Partake by K-J (partakebykj.com), is set to open March 25 at 241 Healdsburg Ave. …

La Follette Wines (lafollettewines.com), launched in 2010 by Tandem creator Greg La Follette, is set to open a tasting room with private and public tasting events March 15–17 at The Barlow industrial-retail redevelopment in Sebastopol. …

The 17th annual Premiere Napa Valley charity auction by Napa Valley Vintners in late February took in $3.04 million, nearly matching last year’s record. …

A total of $483,500 in proceeds from the 2012 Sonoma Wine Country Weekend charity food and wine events. …

A 9-liter bottle of 2010 Williams Selyem Westside Road Neighbors pinot noir was auctioned for a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo record $205,000. …

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.

Several North Bay restaurants and restaurateurs have been nominated as semifinalists in the James Beard Awards, a prestigious national recognition in the food and beverage industries.

Altus Equity Group, LP, in Santa Rosa announced that it funded and closed its latest investment fund last month. …

Bear Republic Brewing Company in Cloverdale brought home a silver medal at the 2012 Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer, the country’s largest celebration of wood and barrel-aged beer. …

Sebastopol-based Leff Construction has been awarded Residential Design+Build’s national 2012 Design Excellence Award for innovative technology integration for a custom residence project located in Cazadero. …

Marin County and Napa Valley restaurants will be participating in California Restaurant Month (DineinCA.com) for all of January, and those in Vacaville during Jan. 18-27. …

Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit announced that it has been selected by The Bond Buyer as the Far West finalist for its “Deal of the Year” Award, recognizing SMART’s 2011 $191 million Measure Q Sales Tax Revenue Bond issuance for innovation in public finance. …

Recently I was invited to present at an event called LocalMade at the San Francisco headquarters of Gensler, the second largest architectural firm in the U.S. The goal was to introduce some of the principals’ favorite Bay Area artisans to their staff and also to network Gensler’s internationally known architects and interior designers with other San Francisco designers. It was an especially rich networking event because quality and innovation were requirements for participation.

Nearly two dozen North Bay restaurants were named to the “Bib Gourmand” list, a highly sought-after designation among lower-priced gourmet restaurateurs, according to The Michelin Guide, which also awards the more famous Michelin stars.

California Small Business Association announced Leland Fishman, owner of the Petaluma-based Fishman Supply Company, joined its board of directors. …

Mark Friedman, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon specializing in shoulder and knee arthroscopy and shoulder, hip and knee replacement, has joined the practice of Sebastopol Orthopedics and the medical staff of Palm Drive Hospital. …

The Tug McGraw Foundation appointed Tom Higgins to its board of directors. …

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage announced that Kacie Ricker, senior marketing manager for the company, has been named the new regional vice president of marketing. …

Calix of Petaluma announced the addition of telecommunications industry veteran Kevin DeNuccio to the company’s board of directors. …

Jordan Vineyard & Winery has appointed Greg Miller to the position of director of wine. …

Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa and Kaiser Foundation hospitals in Santa Rosa and Vacaville were the three North Bay facilities on latest list of the nation’s top performers in “key quality measures” by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of U.S. health care organizations. …

Northern California Center for Well-Being on Sept. 14 held its annual “Celebration of Dreams,” honoring local health care professionals and individuals for improving overall health in the region: Amy’s Kitchen, Gary Pace of West County Health Centers, Zuli Baron of St. Joseph Health, Andrea Michelsen of Kaiser Permanente and Hannah Early, a student at Analy High School. …

Two Petaluma orthodontists recently purchased a 7,500 square-foot former Wells Fargo branch at 301 Washington St. and plan to remodel it for their private practice. …

North Bay Cancer Alliance, a Santa Rosa-based nonprofit, launched a new website, a new brand and renewed focus on expanded community programs. …

The Burbank Housing Development Corporation has four affordable ownership and rental communities in various predevelopment and final construction stages in Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol and Windsor.

SEBASTOPOL — The Palm Drive Health Care District today unanimously voted to approve Tom Harlan as Palm Drive Hospital’s new chief executive officer, it’s 10th in five years.

Founder, president, chief executive officer, Solar Works, Sebastopol. “Make all decisions with integrity, based on the long-term health of the business, staff, customers, community and planet.”

Chief financial officer, Community & Family Service Agency: “A financial leader needs to have a sense for potential opportunities, and be able to rationally support the idea with sound cost benefit analysis.”

President, Manzana Products, Sebastopol.

Manzana was a small business started by my grandfather. I grew up in this business, picking up apples as a child. At 14, I was in the cannery trimming apples; at 15, peeling apples; at 16, in the office. This continued until I left for flight attendant training. When my children were old enough for me to return to work, I returned to Manzana to work in quality control seasonally.

SEBASTOPOL — In its first real budget outlook since aligning with Marin General, Palm Drive Hospital reported improved cash flows while significantly lowering its deficit, all positive develops, though challenges still remain.

SEBASTOPOL — Ninety-year-old apple processor Manzana Products Co. Inc. has merged with a large France-based agricultural products co-operative, giving the European company an entry point to U.S. markets for its apple products and Manzana backing for growing sales.

News about professionals in the north San Francisco Bay area

SEBASTOPOL — The Palm Drive Healthcare District named current Chief Financial Officer Rick Reid as interim chief executive, replacing Charles Guenther, who himself was serving on a three-month interim basis.

A number of major private-sector construction projects will be under way or are set to begin in 2012: Grady Ranch, San Rafael; Madera Vista, Corte Madera; East Washington Place, Petaluma; Marin County Emergency Operations Facility, San Rafael; Safeway expansion, Petaluma; Bell Village, Windsor; Multitenant warehouse, Napa; Kaiser data center expansion, Napa; The Barlow, Sebastopol; and Napa Century Center, Napa.