A new session of the Green Building Professional Certificate Program offered by Longview Education Associates and the Redwood Empire Chapter of the US Green Building Council begins July 11 at Autodesk in San Rafael.

Charter Oak Bank is holding a special Relay For Life barbecue fundraiser, Friday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in front of the bank at 600  Trancas St.

The Napa Valley College Business Boot Camp is being offered to high school and college students, ages 14-27.

During the early 1980s and while still in high school, Mike Marino had the bright idea that visitors might enjoy touring the wine country in a limousine. At the time, “A lot of people thought I was crazy,” wrote Marino in an e-mail.

Hiring your first employee can be overwhelming, almost as overwhelming as laying off an employee. Many small business owners don’t know where to begin and what they must cover to avoid potential legal and financial liabilities. Most of the critical steps are listed below, but I would encourage all businesses owners when hiring or downsizing to be aware of the risks.

An e-mail from a fellow associate this past week seemed to make a lot of common sense in a time when it could appear least appropriate. With national unemployment nearing    10 percent and an economy struggling to emerge from recession, the focus on survival leaves little room to consider the role that happiness might play in your personal or company business plan.

A smart kind of risk is good. Long ago, in a cynical moment, I told my friend, John Garn, “You’re crazy. Business people are never going to buy into this.”

Dear Len & Rosie,

Every once in a while, I see an Internet posting that is entertaining and full of wisdom. A friend sent me one written by Regina Brett, a columnist in Cleveland, Ohio’s Plain Dealer, who had just turned 50. She listed 45 lessons of life, plus five to grow on, which I have reduced to the ones with business applications.