2012 NorthBay biz Top 500

Welcome to the 2012 NorthBay biz Top 500. To say the least, 2011 was a challenging year for business. As the year began, the news was driven by the ongoing housing crisis, mortgage meltdowns, an unprecedented credit crunch and economic uncertainties in the stock market, manufacturing, retail and auto industries. The National Bureau of Economic Research states in a report that the recession that began in late 2007 is now officially over, but try telling that to the 8.5 percent unemployed nationally and the 10-plus percent out of work in California. The financial bailouts, originally instituted to support failing financial institutions, have been extended as a hoped for panacea to other areas of our stressed economy. Despite claims by the federal government to the contrary, there’s little hard evidence that these billions have done much to turn things around.

To read more, click here.