Napa–Sonoma wine hospitality group hires management firm; other North Bay business news

NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

April 17, 2017

The Concierge Alliance of Napa Valley and Sonoma hired Hauck & Associates Inc. to manage the association. Brian Mandrier, senior vice president of Washington, D.C.-based Hauck, will serve as CANVAS director of operations.

CANVAS provides networking, websites, training and education, acknowledgment of professional excellence, the CANVAS Trade Show, and soon a consumer website that enable their hospitality “ambassadors” to provide optimal experiences for visitors to the wine country.

Redwood Credit Union announced the completion of a remodeling project at its Petaluma branch, located at 301 N. McDowell Blvd. Features include a technology bar for members to access online banking and information; three 24-hour access ATMs; and a children's activity area. Investment and insurance representatives are also on hand to assist members. The branch is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

RCU announced that the Petaluma branch is its latest location to be remodeled with a more open layout and technology features. The credit union's Rohnert Park and Sonoma branches were remodeled in 2015, while the Mendocino Ave. branch in Santa Rosa was updated in 2016.

Novato- and Sonoma-based SolarCraft recently completed the installation of a 90-kilowatt DC solar installation at the Hog Island Oyster Company on Tamales Bay in the rural Marin County community of Marshall. According to SolarCraft, the West Marin County oyster farm now powers more than 85% of its operations and retail oyster bar with clean and renewable energy.

The solar photovoltaic system is mounted on multiple roof tops and engineered to solve the difficult challenges presented by the coastal location such as high winds and salt mist corrosion, the company reported. The solar photovoltaic system consists of 260 high-efficiency SunPower 345-watt solar panels.

During the life of the system, over 2,570 tons of carbon dioxide will be eliminated from the Hog Island's carbon footprint, which is the equivalent of removing 8.4 million miles of driving over the next 25 years. That's also comparable to the air pollution removed by 44 acres of trees.

The Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation has received a $75,000 grant from the Sonoma County Water Agency Watershed Partnership Program to fund a 2.1-acre restoration project in the Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetlands Preserve.

The target restoration area is property owned by the city of Sebastopol next to/paralleling the Laguna channel between Zimpher Creek and Highway 12. The city stated that the restoration will be the first step toward creating a trail that connects the AmeriCorps Trail with the Joe Rodota Trail by way of Tomodachi Park. The grant does not require any matching funds from the city.

The Laguna de Santa Rosa is the largest freshwater wetlands complex on the northern California coast.

All of Kaiser Permanente's 38 hospitals have been recognized as a “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization.

The health care provider stated this is the eighth consecutive year that Kaiser Permanente, the nation's largest integrated health system, has earned a perfect score on the annual survey encouraging equal care for LGBTQ Americans.

FirstLight Home Care of Marin County has been recognized as one of the country's top home care providers by the 2017 Best of Home Care Awards.

The company's announcement stated the awards are presented annually by Home Care Pulse, a third-party research and quality assurance home care satisfaction measurement firm. It is based solely on feedback from clients. FirstLight Home Care of Marin County earned a Provider of Choice Award, which recognizes home care companies with performance that qualifies them as a Home Care Pulse Certified – Trusted Partner for at least six consecutive months, and that rank in the top 50th percentile in two or more client satisfaction categories.

FirstLight operates in the San Rafael, Santa Rosa and Napa areas.