Since its inception in 1975, NorthBay biz (then Sonoma Business) has been all about business in the North Bay. Original owners William Bryon, David Bolling and John Brill set out to give the business community a highly readable and informative resource: mission accomplished. And while ownerships and editors have changed over time, the magazine itself has remained strong through good times and bad. An interesting note is that when it started, the United States was experiencing an economic climate much like today. There was a recession going on, a war overseas and a climbing unemployment rate that eventually peaked between 8 and 9 percent—not much less than where we are now.
When Norm and Joni Rosinski and John Dennis purchased the magazine in 2000 (wow, is that 10 years ago already?), they saw the true potential in its niche. By 2003, its coverage had expanded beyond Sonoma County to include Napa and Marin counties, and its name was officially changed to NorthBay biz.
Our last major anniversary was 30 years in 2005, when we published a comprehensive history of the NorthBay biz evolution (see “30 Years of Minding Your Business,” Jan. 2005). This time around, we’ve decided to have a little more fun. So here’s a timeline that chronicles what happened at NorthBay biz during the past 35 years, but also puts things into perspective by reminding you what else was going on locally and around the world. We hope you enjoy our trip through time, and we look forward to hitting more milestones with you in the future.
1975
• William Bryon, David Bolling and John Brill, owners of the Santa Rosa News Herald, decide to launch a new quarterly magazine aimed at business people in Sonoma County. The work begins.
• The Cloverdale Business Association is founded; changes its name to Cloverdale Area Chamber of Commerce in 1985.
• Edmund Gerald “Jerry” Brown, Jr. is elected governor of California.
• The laser printer and digital camera are invented.
• The Coastal Post begins publishing in Bolinas.
1976
• Sonoma Business magazine debuts in January. Guion Kovner is its first editor.
• A 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay and a 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, both from Napa Valley, win a blind wine tasting in France, beating out entries from heritage French wineries. Click here for the Wikipedia entry.
• Apple Inc. is launched.
• The 18-foot-high Running Fence, spanning 24.5 miles through Marin and Sonoma counties, is completed by Christo and his wife, Jeanne-Claude.
1977
• Verna Mays becomes editor of Sonoma Business.
• The Oakland Raiders win Super Bowl XI.
• Jimmy Carter is sworn in as president of the United States.
• MRIs and mobile phones are invented.
• “Star Wars” opens in cinemas.
• Elvis leaves the building.
• Elizabeth Burbank bestows the Luther Burbank Home & Gardens to the City of Santa Rosa.
1978
• The Jonestown massacre happens.
• The first test tube baby, Louise Brown, is born.
• Proposition 13 is approved by California voters.
• San Francisco’s Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk are assassinated by former Supervisor Dan White. Click here for the Wikipedia entry.
• The French Laundry opens in Yountville.
• Sonoma State College is granted university status.
• Safari West begins as a private wildlife sanctuary. In 1989, Peter and Nancy Lang purchase it and later introduce tours and lodging.
1979
• Cell phones and the Sony Walkman are invented.
• ESPN debuts.
• The Iran hostage crisis begins.
• McDonald’s introduces the Happy Meal.
• The Susan B. Anthony dollar coin is introduced.
1980
• The Greater Larkfield Chamber of Commerce is established in Santa Rosa; changes its name to Mark West Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center in the 1990s.
• CNN launches as the first 24-hour television news network.
• CDs are invented.
• The Winter Olympics take place in Lake Placid, N.Y. The U.S. men’s hockey team defeats Russia for the gold. Click here for the Wikipedia entry.
• George Lucas begins construction of Skywalker Ranch, 95 percent of which is deeded to Marin Agricultural Land Trust.
1981
• Oakland Raiders win Super Bowl XV.
• Ronald Reagan is sworn in as president of the United States.
• For the first time, NASA successfully launches and lands its reusable spacecraft, the Space Shuttle.
1982
• The San Francisco 49ers win Super Bowl XVI.
• Santa Rosa Plaza opens for business.
• Sony launches the first consumer CD player.
1983
• Assistant editor Matt Solis is born.
• George Deukmejian is elected governor of California.
• Time magazine names the PC “Man of the Year.”
• The Apple Lisa computer is invented.
• The birth of the Internet begins with the invention of the first TCP/IP network.
1984
• Sonoma Business and the Santa Rosa News Herald are sold to Lesher Communications Inc.
• The summer Olympics take place in Los Angeles. New sports include the women’s marathon, synchronized swimming, rhythmic gymnastics and wind surfing.
• CD-ROMs and the Apple Macintosh are invented, as is the portable CD player.
• Ronald Reagan is reelected president of the United States.
1985
• The San Francisco 49ers win Super Bowl XIX.
• Corte Madera Center is redeveloped and renamed Town Center Corte Madera.
• The Village at Corte Madera opens for business.
• Microsoft invents Windows.
• NorthBay biz administrative assistant Jessica Hicks is born.
1986
• Bolling resigns from the Santa Rosa News Herald; maintains editorship of Sonoma Business.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 20) first observed as a federal holiday.
• Space shuttle Challenger explodes after launch; all aboard perish. Click here for the Wikipedia entry.
• Fuji introduces the disposable camera.
• The first PC virus begins to spread.
• Details of the Iran-Contra affair come to light.
• Duncan Garrett joins Sonoma Business as photographer.
1987
• Managing editor Alexandra (Haslam) Russell graduates from San Francisco State University.
• Northgate Mall in San Rafael is roofed and enclosed as part of a remodel.
• The first 3-D video game is invented, as are disposable contact lenses.
• The Golden Gate Bridge turns 50.
1988
• Joan Voight is named editor of Sonoma Business. Under her watch, the magazine moves from quarterly to bimonthly and then to monthly publication.
• Prozac, Indiglo nightlights (remember when you could finally see your watch at night?) and digital cell phones are invented.
1989
• Sonoma Business presents its first “BEST of” readers poll awards.
• Carol Caldwell-Ewart is named editor of Sonoma Business.
• The San Francisco 49ers win Super Bowl XXIII.
• The Loma Prieta earthquake shakes the Bay Area.
• The Oakland As defeat the San Francisco Giants to win the World Series. Click here for the Wikipedia entry.
• George H.W. Bush is sworn in as president of the United States.
• High-definition TV is invented.
1990
• Jim Dunn is named editor of Sonoma Business; buys the publication from Lesher Communications Inc.
• The San Francisco 49ers win Super Bowl XXIV.
• The World Wide Web and Internet protocol (HTTP) and language (HTML) are created by Tim Berners-Lee.
• The Hubble telescope is deployed.
• Nelson Mandela is freed from prison in South Africa after 27 years.
1991
• Editor Julie Fadda graduates from San Francisco State University.
• Pete Wilson is elected governor of California.
• The memory card and the digital answering machine are invented.
• The Soviet Union collapses.
• The Oakland Hills firestorm kills 25 and destroys 3,469 homes and apartments.
• Concert promoter Bill Graham is killed in a helicopter crash over Sonoma County.
• Jim Boggio and Clifton Buck-Kaufman co-found the Cotati Accordion Festival.
1992
• Plasma color displays are invented.
• The Rodney King riots occur.
• Johnny Carson retires as host of “The Tonight Show” and Jay Leno takes the helm.
• John Gotti, “The Teflon Don,” is convicted of 13 criminal counts, including racketeering and murder.
• The “Dream Team” wins the gold medal in men’s basketball at the 1992 summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
1993
• Bill Clinton is sworn in as president of the United States.
• The GPS is invented.
• Michael Jordan retires to play minor league baseball. Seventeen months later he returns to basketball.
• “Jurassic Park” opens in theaters.
1994
• Olympian Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the leg by an assailant, under orders from figure skating rival Tonya Harding’s ex-husband.
• The Northridge earthquake hits the San Fernando Valley.
• O.J. Simpson demonstrates just how slow a police chase can be.
• Netscape Navigator is released.
• Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
• The first annual Napa Valley Mustard Festival takes place.
1995
• San Francisco 49ers win Super Bowl XXIX.
• DVDs are invented.
• The Oklahoma City bombing occurs.
• The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia dies.
• The World Trade Organization is established.
1996
• The summer Olympics take place in Atlanta, Georgia; an Olympic Park bombing occurs.
• President Bill Clinton is reelected.
• The Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, is arrested in Montana.
• Professional cyclist Lance Armstrong is diagnosed with cancer.
1997
• Plasma television is invented.
• Princess Diana dies.
• The Toyota Prius is unveiled in Japan.
• Julia “Butterfly” Hill climbs into a redwood tree in Humboldt County, names it Luna and remains there for two years—the tree, and a 200-foot buffer, were saved due to her efforts.
• Rene di Rosa opens the di Rosa Preserve, a sculpture garden and nature preserve, in the Carneros region of Napa.
1998
• American Canyon Chamber of Commerce is formed.
• Norm Rosinski marries Joni Dennis.
• Smoking is banned in all California bars and restaurants.
• The Napa Valley Museum opens its doors.
• Viagra is invented.
1999
• The U.S. women’s soccer team defeats China in overtime penalty kicks to win the World Cup tournament.
• Joseph Graham “Gray” Davis is elected governor of California.
• “The Matrix” debuts in movie theaters, setting new standards for special effects in movies.
• The revolutionary music download service, Napster, debuts.
• Exxon and Mobil merge to form ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded company in the world.
2000
• Sonoma Business is purchased by John Dennis and Norm and Joni Rosinski; Riba Taylor is named editor.
• Turns out the whole Y2K scare was just a bunch of crap.
• Peanuts creator Charles Schulz dies.
• The average gas price in California hits $1.63 per gallon.
• California celebrates its 150th birthday.
2001
• COPIA: The American Center for Art and Wine is founded in Napa by Robert and Margrit Mondavi.
• George W. Bush sworn in as president of the United States.
• Apple introduces the iPod.
• The 9/11 attacks occur on the United States, claiming 2,976 victims.
2002
• Sonoma Business begins its transformation by publishing three simultaneous monthly issues—labeled Sonoma biz, Marin biz and Napa biz—for several months.
• John Gizzi, then Cathy Fisher, oversee the editorial helm of transitioning Sonoma Business magazine.
• River Rock Casino opens for business in Sonoma County.
• MySpace is invented.
2003
• Sonoma biz, Marin biz and Napa biz consolidate into a single publication, NorthBay biz, targeting the business communities of all three counties.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected governor of California.
• WordPress introduces the blog.
• The Human Genome Project is completed.
• Lucasfilm signs a lease to build a digital arts campus in San Francisco’s Presidio district (it opens in 2005).
• Anne Schenk joins the graphics team at NorthBay biz.
2004
• Laura Hagar Rush is named managing editor of NorthBay biz.
• Oregon Steel Mills Inc. closes its sprawling Napa Pipe facility.
• SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.
• Google goes public.
• Janet Jackson suffers a “wardrobe malfunction” during her half time performance at Super Bowl XXXVIII.
2005
• Julie Fadda joins NorthBay biz as co-managing editor (with Laura Hagar Rush)
• Facebook goes mainstream and YouTube is invented.
• Santa Rosa’s W. Mark Felt is confirmed to be Watergate’s “Deep Throat” informant.
• Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans.
• Lance Armstrong wins his seventh straight Tour de France.
2006
• Julie Fadda is named managing editor of NorthBay biz.
• Alexandra Russell joins as associate editor of NorthBay biz.
• The population of the United States reaches 300 million.
• Former Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling are convicted of 29 counts of conspiracy.
• Flooding devastates downtown Napa.
2007
• Julie Fadda is named editor of NorthBay biz.
• Alexandra Russell is named managing editor of NorthBay biz.
• Matt Solis graduates from Sonoma State University.
• Jessica Hicks joins NorthBay biz as administrative assistant.
• The iPhone hits the market.
• Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy, while AIG receives an $85 billion bailout from the Federal Reserve Bank and Washington Mutual is seized by the government and sold to JP Morgan Chase.
2008
• David Brawley joins NorthBay biz as design director.
• Matt Solis joins NorthBay biz as assistant editor.
• Oxbow Public Market opens in Napa.
• Robert Mondavi dies.
• Muir Woods is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places on its 100th anniversary as a national monument.
2009
• Fred Conner joins NorthBay biz as director of sales.
• Jodi Barbuto and Lori Rooney join the NorthBay biz sales team.
• Barack Obama sworn in as president of the United States
• Michael Jackson dies at age 50. His death is ruled a homicide caused by his doctor.
2010
• NorthBay biz magazine celebrates 35 years of covering business and enterprise in the North Bay.
