If 2013 felt like a busy year, it's because it was, as the Business Journal's Top 10 stories illustrate.
From the most extensive transformation of Sonoma County's energy sector ever to the construction of the $800 million Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park to the reshuffling of health care to major wine M&A deals in Sonoma and Napa, 2013 could very well be viewed a decade from now as a pivotal year for the region.
Like this time every year, we look forward to reporting more big stories in 2014. For now, here are the Top 10 Stories of 2013 as selected by the Business Journal editorial staff:1. Sonoma Clean Power launches
SONOMA COUNTY -- It was a vote that marked one of the most pivotal moments in the formation of a new renewable energy-focused power agency in Sonoma County, a moment when the county's largest municipality would decide whether it would allow the agency to serve its residents and businesses.
That favorable decision by Santa Rosa to join other municipalities in Sonoma Clean Power's first year of operation was in July 2013, adding hundreds of thousands of potential customers and major momentum to the agency's launch phase. The agency will begin serving its first round of 20,000 customers in May of 2014, aiming to give ratepayers an alternative to Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
The agency has celebrated other milestones throughout the year, including the hiring of its first CEO and the finalization of its first two contracts for wholesale electricity.
Yet the decision by Santa Rosa and other municipalities was key in outlining the scope of the program, with a looming deadline for securing discounted wholesale electricity rates adding additional pressure for city governments. Around 80 percent of Sonoma County ratepayers will be eligible for service as the program phases in over three years, with Petaluma, Healdsburg and Cotati opting out in the first year. Participating municipalities are represented on the agency's joint powers authority.
Sonoma Clean Power entered into its primary three-year power supply contract with Baltimore, Md.-based Constellation Energy in November, which will allow a power supply that is at least one-third from renewable sources and 70 percent from low greenhouse gas-emitting sources. The agency also entered into a smaller 10-year contract with Calpine Energy Services, which operates a network of geothermal power plants on the Sonoma and Lake County border.
Those contracts are expected to allow retail power rates that are between 2 percent and 3 percent less than comparable prices from PG&E.
The agency also entered into a $10 million financing arrangement with Santa Rosa's First Community Bank for startup costs and power purchases prior to receipt of ratepayer payments in 2013.---Eric Gneckow2. Graton Resort & Casino
ROHNERT PARK -- After years of debate, legal battles and continuing questions about its potential impact, the Graton Resort and Casino officially opened to the public in November to massive crowds from the Bay Area and beyond.
Major construction began in 2012 and ended in 2013 on the 3,000-slot, 320,000 square-foot, $820 million facility, which proponents say will be a significant boon to the city of Ronhert Park, Sonoma County and the North Bay in general.
Indeed, on opening day, thousands of eager gamblers flocked to the casino, operated by Las Vegas-based Station Casinos and owned by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, snarling traffic along Highway 101.
Proponents point to the hiring figures of the massive structure, which now employs some 2,000 people and employed 700 construction workers during the building phase. Casino officials and other proponents also say the casino is yet another attraction for Sonoma County, luring tourists from the Bay Area and further increasing the already-strong tourism sector.
But the casino is not without its critics. A local group, Stop the Casino 101 Coalition, has filed suite to block development but has so far been unsuccessful. The Coalitions says it has a current suite pending that could shutter the casino. Critics say the sight is ill-suited for a large-scale casino and say that quality of life in Rohnert Park will decline.
Nevertheless, the casino said it is confident it will prevail in court. In addition to the 3,000 slot machines, the facility is also home to a number of well-known restaurateurs, adding further depth to Sonoma County's growing hospitality sector. Among them: 630 Park Steakhouse, owned and operated by the casino, Daily Grill, M.Y. China and Tony’s of North Beach.---Dan Verel3. Agilent spinoff to be based in Santa Rosa