NorthBay biz Top 500 Lists

Welcome to the NorthBay biz Top 500, our curated list of the Top 500 companies in the North Bay.  Here you can see both the current year’s Top 500, and our Top 500 archive.

A few notes:

• Some companies provide revenue numbers as estimates if their fiscal year is incomplete.

• If a company can’t or won’t divulge revenues, we estimate based on history, research and comparative industry data.

• If a company does business here, but is headquartered elsewhere, we count only its North Bay-generated revenue.

We hope you enjoy perusing the Top 500 and find it interesting, informative and useful in running your business.

Editors note regarding NorthBay biz Top 500 2024 

J. Paul Getty once laid out his formula for success: “Rise early. Work hard. Strike oil.”

While the 20^th century oil baron was clearly waxing sardonic about his fortunes, it doesn’t negate the importance of a full day’s hard work in achieving success. Which is why our annual list of the Top 500 businesses in the North Bay is so impressive—many of these businesses date back 25, 50 sometimes even 100 years. And their continued presence on this list is testament to their tenacity to stay at it. Keep working. Never give up.

The flip side is this gem attributed to W.C. Fields: “If at first you don’t succeed try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it.”

It’s a very funny quip. But you’ll notice Mr. Fields has never appeared in North Bay biz’s Top 500 and never will. (He died in 1946.)

Not only have the businesses on this list refused to quit, they’ve overcome tough times—notably a two-year pandemic, whose effects still weigh on such business-dependent factors as transportation, distribution, inflation, interest rates and shifting consumer needs and expectations.

Business-as-usual isn’t a phrase oft heard these days. It’s more like keep calm, carry on.

This issue marks our 34^th year publishing the Top 500, which highlights the top revenue generators among tens of thousands of licensed businesses operating in the North Bay. For the past few months, we’ve been reaching out to companies for data and revenue verification—some companies provide their revenue numbers as estimates because their fiscal years are incomplete. We report those numbers as verified because the company supplied them.

When the company can’t (or won’t) divulge revenues, we estimate based on history, research and comparative industry data. If a company is headquartered in the North Bay, we count all its revenues. If a company does business here, but is headquartered elsewhere, we count only its North Bay-generated revenue. And finally, because of available space restrictions, we are unable to publish every company profile submitted. Changes to company leadership also happen regularly and, for those who don’t notify us of a shift at the top, we’ll research as best we can.

We work hard to make this issue as complete and accurate as possible. If you discover any inaccuracies, or if we’ve overlooked a company that merits inclusion, please let us know—contact us at northbaybiz.com—where the list will also be posted digitally—and we’ll correct it for the future.

We hope you enjoy perusing the Top 500 and find it interesting, informative and useful as a business operator or just a member of the North Bay community.

—Jason Walsh, editor in chief