The French author Charles Pierre Monselet once said, “The pleasant hours of our life all are connected…with some memory of the table.”

Napa Community Bank, the oldest and largest community bank in Napa, earned $309,000 of net income for the fourth quarter of 2008.  For the full year, the bank reported net income exceeding $1.2 million. 

Great American Group Advisory & Valuation Services, a leading asset valuation firm, has announced the formation of a Wine Advisory Group and has opened an office in Napa.

Gary Rose, president of the Rotary Club of Napa, was recently recognized as “Volunteer of The Year” by the Lighthouse For The Blind at their recent annual dinner in Sam Francisco

AT&T Mobility announces a new cell site to increase 3-G wireless coverage in Napa.

Ira C. Smith came to Northern California for the first time to broadcast a 1974 football game between the Michigan Wolverines and Stanford Cardinal. Visiting Napa Valley afterward, “I thought, ‘Wow, this is really a nice area,’” Smith said. He realized that if he lived in California, “I wouldn’t have to shovel snow or scrape windshields.”

One of the advantages of having a small business in Napa County is our size. The county is small enough that local businesses and community events are featured, yet we are big enough to have our own, local print media. Getting your business featured in the local media can obviously boost sales, but it can also provide you more credibility with vendors, bankers and the community at large. Media attention can be very important, but it is only a small part of your overall promotion strategy.

The arrival of one more luxury resort in the Napa Valley would be hardly worth mentioning except that eco-developer Phil Sherburne’s new Bardessono, recently opened in Yountville, just raised the bar for sustainable development in Napa County. And it may also be the hospitality model for the future.

Dear Len & Rosie, My husband of 30 years recently passed away without a will. Our home is in joint tenancy, so I know that an affidavit of death of joint tenant should be recorded with the county recorder. Our cars were titled in both our names, and all our bank accounts were also joint tenancies. Other than a small IRA, of which I am listed as the beneficiary, everything was in both of our names. As I see it, all of our assets now will pass to me and there is simply no estate to probate. Or am I over-simplifying things?