North Bay Business Journal

NOVATO — While scores of institutions await the fallout from across-the-board cuts to federal spending known as “‘sequestration,” the local impact is being realized particularly by medical research centers like the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.

NOVATO — The Buck Institute for Research on Aging today said it received a $5 million donation from architecture entrepreneurs M. Arthur Gensler Jr. and Drucillia Cortell Gensler of Mill Valley.

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. …

North Bay facilities managers recognized this year for their achievements are Sal Balderrama of Trivascular, Jennifer Bruneman of Santa Rosa City Schools, Jacques Charton of Dominican University of California, Christopher Dinno of Sonoma State University, Jason Duval of Clos Pegase, Willie Ghilotti of Ghilotti Construction Company, David Gonzales of La Tortilla Factory, Sue Maddigan of Exchange Bank, Tony McCormick of Agilent Technologies, Jim Neely of Sonoma Wine Company, John Nicolette of Don Sebastiani & Sons, Ralph O’Rear of Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Jake Pewitt of Mary’s Pizza Shack, Matt Rudie of Enphase Energy and Dale Withers of Pacific Union College.

A unique summer algebra academy pioneered in Santa Rosa has grown throughout the North Bay, and organizations as far away as Arizona are expressing interest in duplicating the public-private partnership that works to expose English language-learners to real-world applications for math.

SANTA ROSA — State regulators are cracking down on contractors trying to cut corners on employment and licensing law to win jobs amid the steep contraction in the building industry in the past six years, while local governments increasingly have been actively looking for ways to speed projects that will revive the economy and tax base, according to experts set to speak at the Business Journal’s 2012 Construction Conference next week.

NORTH BAY – With high heating oil, propane and electricity prices, more commercial and residential building owners — as well as municipalities and school systems — are considering geothermal ground source heating and cooling as an alternative.

ROHNERT PARK – Marin and Napa counties are on track to be the “shining stars” of economic recovery in the six-county North Bay Area in 2012, though the enduring caution of commercial lenders and other pressures will likely keep growth modest across the entire region this year, according to regional economics expert Dr. Robert Eyler.

NOVATO — Mark Wood is vice president of human resources of BioMarin Pharmaceutical, which has approximately 700 employees. He joined the pharmaceutical company in 2004 and oversees all HR functions as well as public relations and corporate communications. Before joining BioMarin, he was a sole proprietor of an HR consulting practice from 2002 to 2004 and previously worked as vice president of human resources and consulting for AG Consulting. He also previously was manager of compensation and quantitative analysis at Genentech and held numerous HR positions with Wells Fargo Bank.

NOVATO — Remy Gross is currently the vice president of business development and technology advancement at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. His duties at the Buck include the increase of deal flow through global corporate collaborations and new company formation.

NOVATO — Remy Gross is director of technology transfer for The Buck Institute on Age Research. He will be a featured speaker at the Business Journal’s Impact Marin Conference on MArch 14. Business Journal: The Life sciences and biotech industries seem to be on an upswing in Marin County, with numerous companies expanding in and [...]

The national and local economy was on everyone’s mind in 2011. But as the Business Journal editorial staff set out to develop its Top Ten Stories of the Year, it quickly became clear that the North Bay was blessed with multiple economy-boosting projects and new commitments job creation.

SANTA ROSA — After nearly 10 years of regulatory maneuvering and an arduous approval process that included legal challenges, construction on Sutter Health’s new $284 million Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa is well under way. …

PETALUMA — Enphase Energy, the fastest-growing technology company in the North Bay, announced it had filed for an IPO and signed a 10-year lease on a 96,000 square foot space in north Petaluma. …

SANTA ROSA — Agilent Technologies pulled out of the recession with a record year and a thriving Electronic Measurement Group based in Santa Rosa. …

NOVATO — For the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, 2011 was a year of all-round expansion. …

Three of the North Bay’s most prominent colleges — Santa Rosa Junior College, Dominican University and Napa Valley College — have recently selected new presidents. …

The Napa Valley Destination Council last year received a significant boost when the county board of supervisors officially approved a tourism improvement district that affixed a 2 percent assessment on hotels and lodging, resulting in a vastly increased marketing budget from $437,000 a year to nearly $4.5 million. …

When Marin General Hospital, the Prima Medical Group and the then-named Marin IPA announced the formation of a physician foundation over a year ago, officials said at the time they would look north for further expansion. …

SANTA ROSA — A five-year job creation effort in Sonoma County will be transitioning to its “execution phase” in 2012, said Trip Snelson, campaign executive for Building Economic Success Together. …

HOPLAND — Brown-Forman Corp. in March announced it would sell Hopland-based Fetzer Vineyards to Santiago-based Viña Concha y Toro S.A. (NYSE: VCO) for $238 million after reviewing options for Mendocino County-based wine operations since the previous December. The sale closed in April. …

PETALUMA — The significant reset in Sonoma County commercial property values that started for distressed Petaluma office buildings in early 2010 is expected to continue to help spur business activity through the end of 2011 and beyond. …

NOVATO –The board of trustees at the Buck Institute for Research and Aging appointed James Edgar as chairman, effective Jan. 1.

In its analysis of the recently released unemployment statistics for May, Los Angeles-based Beacon Economics listed the Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA among three regions in California that gained jobs — 1,700 to be exact between April and May.

NOVATO — Preclinical research on the possibility of treating Parkinson’s disease with lithium is under way at the Buck Institute for Age Research, which is working toward beginning a second phase of clinical studies on humans treated with the drug in conjunction with standard therapy.

SANTA ROSA – The Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce is kicking off another session of the Mike Hauser Algebra Academy—and is helping other cities have their own programs.

NOVATO – The Buck Institute on Aging, its campus expanded with a new $50 million stem cell laboratory, is now looking to expand its name in the world.

Ralph O’Rear is vice president of facilities for the Buck Institute for Age Research in Novato. His name was misspelled in the story “Buck Institute to begin geothermal project” [p. 2, May 16].

NOVATO — The Buck Institute for Age Research will begin drilling holes for its upcoming geothermal project in the middle of June, according to Ralph O’Leary, vice president of facilities.

NOVATO — The Buck Institute for Age Research is planning to launch its own graduate degree program and is preparing to add more parking and on-site housing for employees and students.