Vege Labs, LLC (“Vege Labs” or the “Company,” previously Vege Kurl, Inc.), a leading value-added formulator and manufacturing partner for personal care products using organic and natural ingredients for leading brands, announced it had received a strategic investment from Hemingway Capital (“Hemingway”) and middle-market private equity firm, CVF Capital Partners Capital (“CVF Capital Partners”). With its new partners, Vege Labs plans to accelerate its organic growth and pursue acquisitions that will expand its product and service offerings for their clients.

Davis, CA (January 28, 2021) – CVF Capital Partners, a California-based private equity firm, announced its investment in Recreation Resource Management (RRM) (https://camprrm.com), a Phoenix, AZ-based recreation and hospitality company. RRM partners with various public agencies at the federal, state and local levels to operate campgrounds and recreation areas under long-term concession agreements. The infusion of mezzanine debt and equity supported the merger of Recreation Resource Management and California Land Management, a California-based recreation, and hospitality company. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Nampa, ID – Cool Mountain Transport, one of the Intermountain West’s premier transportation companies of food products, is naming industry veteran Tork Fulton as its new Chief Executive Officer. Along with the move, Interim CEO Tony Powe will remain on the company’s Board of Directors, a position he has held since September 2018. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Nampa, ID, the company is a leading asset-based over-the-road trucking company that provides refrigerated and dry van transportation services to leading food services companies and agricultural producers throughout the United States.

Kelly Solomon, founder and CEO of Signature Coast Holdings, was awarded the Bay Area Vistage Leadership Award. Vistage is a peer advisory group of CEOs designed to provide coaching for leaders of small and mid-sized businesses. Kelly earned the prestigious award after being selected from a group of 700 Bay Area Vistage members and 15 finalist nominees. Congrats Kelly!

Nampa, ID – Off-Spec Solutions, one of Idaho’s premier transportation companies of food products, is rebranding to Cool Mountain Transport effective July 1, 2020. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Nampa, ID, the company is a leading asset-based over-the-road trucking company that provides refrigerated and dry van transportation services to leading food services companies and agricultural producers throughout the United States.

Over the past few months, the effects of COVID-19 have been disastrous for both families and businesses.  As the economy attempts to reopen, it becomes ever more important for individuals and businesses to emphasize health and safety.

Gary Platt Manufacturing, a CVF Capital Partners portfolio company, has leveraged its manufacturing capabilities to begin producing premium, customizable face masks at an affordable price.  With safety being the number one priority at the moment, Gary Platt is committed to helping everyone get through this.

The events of the last few months have been unprecedented—shelter in place orders, remote working, and rapid change in many industries that’s never been seen before. Many businesses have had to make critical decisions affecting their employees, customers, suppliers, and communities—often without the tools and information needed.

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for our webinar on the implications of new laws, regulations, and initiatives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the panelists mentioned, the situation is very fluid and continues to evolve; our companies will be monitoring developments and posting to our websites.

CVF Capital Partners in conjunction with BFBA Accounting and Weintraub Tobin Law will be presenting a short webinar on updates to the 2020 economic forecast and the implications of the new Coronavirus legislation enacted by Congress, outlining the government programs that will be available for small businesses to help deal with the recent COVID-19 crisis. While the details of the legislation and the various programs are evolving by the day as regulators begin to implement the new laws, we will strive to have up-to-the-minute updates for you, including who qualifies and how to apply. This will include information on the CARES Act, which is aimed at providing low-interest, and potentially forgivable loans, along with numerous tax benefits to privately-held companies and to protect employees that have been impacted by the crisis. We will detail the CARES Act, workplace safety programs, and changes in tax law, along with government aid and how you can apply for those funds.

As originally written by Mark Anderson and published by the Sacramento Business Journal on April 30, 2020:

Businesses should be preparing now to get out of the Covid-19 slowdown and not just waiting for it to happen, said Brad Triebsch, a managing partner with private equity firm CVF Capital Partners in Davis.

As originally written by Hugo Martín and published by the LA Times on March 24, 2020:

With demand for air travel in a nose dive, U.S. airlines are taking hundreds of commercial planes out of service and parking them in remote desert airports, with the hope that the aircraft will be back in the air shortly.

The coronavirus outbreak has pushed so many planes out of service that the business of storing aircraft is taking off, with some remote airports parking more and more planes on seldom-used runways and taxiways.

To learn more about CVF’s exit and BrightView’s acquisition of Signature Coast Holdings, follow this Landscape Management link.

CVF Capital Partners (Davis, CA) announced today the acquisition, alongside management, of Gary Platt Manufacturing (GP) (https://www.garyplatt.com/), based in Reno, NV.  Gary Platt Manufacturing has been in the gaming seating business since 1996. At the inception, the founders of the company had over 40 years of experience in the gaming seating industry. Gary Platt produces seating exclusively for casinos for their slots, table games, poker, bar-top, sportsbook, bingo, and hospitality seating.

The Central Valley Fund (CVF) announces a $9 million investment consisting of both mezzanine debt and equity, to support Elan Growth Partners’ (Elan) investment in HOB Custom Power (HOB or Company), based in Fountain Valley, CA, www.CustomPower.com.

Please join us for the annual Sacramento Business Transitions Seminar and learn how to lead the successful transition of your business. The event will include food, networking with professionals, and the opportunity to learn from the owner and expert panels consisting of various business professionals including entrepreneurs, business owners, professional advisers, and capital providers.

On September 25th, 2019, the Board of Directors Center of Excellence is hosting an event to educate entrepreneurs, investors, and board members on board room best practices that can be implemented to develop a more efficient and responsive Board of Directors. The Board of Directors Center of Excellence is a non-profit organization providing business leaders the forum and expertise to meet the ever-changing challenges of corporate governance. Their main focuses include connecting, educating, and enabling group members to:

You’ve embarked on the journey of running your own successful business. Whether your business is running smoothly, at an inflection point, or you’re confronting some difficulties, this event will bring together early-stage entrepreneurs, experienced business owners, professional advisers, and capital providers to share experiences, personal stories, best practices, and their views on the current landscape to help guide and inform you.

The Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program, part of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), was created in 1958 to fill the gap between the availability of capital and the needs of small businesses in start-up and growth situations. An SBIC is a privately owned and managed investment fund that’s licensed and regulated by the SBA. An SBIC uses its own capital, plus funds borrowed with an SBA guarantee, to make equity and debt investments in qualifying small businesses. For additional information about the SBIC program, please visit sba.gov or check out the Executive Summary.

SACRAMENTO, CA – State Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) is pleased to announce that Initiative Foods was named Senate District 14’s Small Business of the Year. The award recognizes outstanding small businesses that have demonstrated leadership in paving the way for other local businesses and its community.

You’ve built a successful business and you’re at an inflection point – is it time to take on additional capital and grow, time to take some chips off the table, or sell outright?

CVF Capital Partners (“CVF”) and the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership (“OMEP”) will co-sponsor the 2019 Oregon Manufacturers’ Summit on Friday, March 15, 2019 in Tigard, Oregon. The event will provide an opportunity for manufacturing leaders to learn from industry veterans on how to increase manufacturing profitability and respond to rising costs through innovation.

Orange, CA. and Davis, CA, January 24, 2019 – CVF Capital Partners (“CVF”), a private equity fund headquartered in Northern California investing across a broad variety of industries that emphasizes partnering with strong management teams, has acquired BC2 Environmental (“BC2” or the “Company”).

NAPA, CA. – Signature Coast Holdings, a landscaper with operations in Northern California and Nevada, has acquired C&R Landscape of Rocklin, California. The acquisition grows the combined businesses into one of the nation’s top 50 landscape contractors.

Please join us for our annual conference for existing business owners hosted by: CVF Capital Partners, Tonkon Torp, Geffen Mesher, and First Republic Investment Management on Thursday, November 15th, at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland, OR. The event will take place from 7:30am – 10:00am

CVF Capital Partners (“CVF”), a Sacramento, CA based private equity firm, announced today that it has made a $6 million investment in Off Spec Solutions, LLC (“Off Spec Solutions” or “the Company”), a leading over-the-road trucking company servicing customers throughout the Pacific Northwest and the Intermountain West. Daniel and Chris Salvador, co-founders and CEO and COO respectively, elected to partner with CVF to help finance Off Spec’s growth initiatives and will continue in their roles as day-to-day management of the Company.

Please join us for our annual conference for existing business owners hosted by: CVF Capital Partners, BFBA Accounting, Weintraub Tobin, US Bank, and the Sacramento Business Journal on Wednesday, October 24th, at the Hyatt Regency in Sacramento. The event will take place from 7:30am – 10:30am.

You’ve built a successful business and you’re at an inflection point – is it time to take on additional capital and grow, time to take some chips off the table and transition, or sell outright and move on to your next phase? Debt and equity markets for private and public businesses have been generous for years, and there are as many options as ever before for entrepreneurs. With all of that comes a complex array of factors; the economic cycle, interest rates, current health and attractiveness of your business, and your own objectives and time frame.

Davis, CA – CVF Capital Partners (“CVF”), the manager of the Central Valley Fund, today announced the final closing of its latest mezzanine fund, The Central Valley Fund III (SBIC), LP (“CVF III” or “the Fund”). The Fund has $200 million of total committed capital, which it will deploy as mezzanine debt and equity capital to the lower-middle market. CVF will invest across a broad range of sectors and geographies in the Western U.S., with a particular focus on California and the Central Valley. In an effort to better serve Southern California and the Pacific Northwest, CVF recently opened offices in San Diego, CA and Portland, OR.

The Huntsman Venture Forum will bring together CEO’s, banks, venture capital, private equity, accounting and legal partners to provide insights on growing business ventures in all phases.

STOCKTON, CA – The Quality Jobs Fund, which was created by the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBank San Francisco) and is led and managed by the New World Foundation (NWF), today provided its first investment – $5 million to the Central Valley Fund. The Davis-based investment firm provides flexible capital solutions that facilitate the expansion of small- and medium-sized businesses, creating quality jobs and training employees for better positions.

Central Valley Fund (CVF) invested $6.0MM in ComAv, based in Victorville, CA, to finance the growth and expansion of their aircraft transitional services business, as well as their spare part sales and engine leasing businesses. The debt and equity capital will be used to capture dynamic market opportunities in MRO, aircraft transitions, and short and long-term storage for customers, as well as for purchasing airframes for part-out and engines for leasing, as the strong macro-environment for aerospace continues to drive significant industry growth.

The Sacramento Business Transitions Seminar is presented in a partnership with BFBA, Weintraub Tobin, U.S. Bank, and The Sacramento Business Journal. It is an educational event tailored to individuals to learn more about planning a successful transition of your business. This is something that’s never too early to start thinking about.

DAVIS, CA (PRWEB) – SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 – Central Valley Fund (CVF) announced today it has invested growth capital financing in two of the nation’s largest landscape contractors.

Stockton, California – August 4, 2017 – Utility Telecom has recently completed its acquisition of Black Cloud Networks (BCN), a Stockton, CA based provider of VoIP business telephone systems.

Exeter — Finding the right person for the right job in an organization is only half of the battle. The other half is training them. On a tight budget companies find it strenuous to not only keep up with day-to-day tasks but training someone on their job throws a wrench in the whole thing. Even worse, when an employee is not trained appropriately they make mistakes along the way that are not necessarily their fault. And while that may be the case for a lot businesses in the area, one business is being granted a break.

CONCORD, CA – June 6, 2017 – LightRiver Software, Inc., along with sister Company, LightRiver Technologies, Inc., the leader in Factory Built Network® design and commissioning of multi-vendor packet optical networks, announces today that it has acquired Unique Computer Services, Inc., a pioneer and industry leader in the development and support of multi- vendor, transport network systems software, with hundreds of thousands of nodes under management.

Davis, CA and San Diego, CA – March 6, 2017
CVF Capital Partners (“CVF”) announces the opening of a San Diego office in the downtown business district. This new Southern California office, allows CVF to broaden its California presence and be closer to Southland middle-market companies.

The S&P 500 was up over 11 percent in 2016, however the year was highlighted by a high degree of uncertainty. The stock market correction in January, the Brexit surprise, and Donald Trump’s unexpected victory are just some of the events that have left small businesses feeling increasingly uncertain.

PwC, Central Valley Fund, and Rabobank are hosting the fifth annual California Food & Ag Summit on Thursday, November 10. This conference is an exclusive (invitation-only) forum for executives and senior management of companies in the food and agricultural sectors including growers, processors, distributors, and suppliers across California. The summit includes:

Scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, the forum will be held at Clovis Memorial District Auditorium in Clovis, Calif. CVVF is a collaboration between the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Craig School of Business at Fresno State, and the Central Valley Fund.

Someday you will transfer your business to the next generation of family members or new owners.

The resulting transition may be the single largest financial transaction of your life.

Now is the times to start planning.

The Central Valley Fund (CVF) announced today the exit of its investment in Source Logistics, www.sourcelogistics.net. CVF invested $3.36M in March 2008 as part of the company’s rapid expansion plan. Financial terms have not been revealed.

Central Valley Fund II (CVF) announced today it has invested $3.3M in mezzanine capital financing to Valley Healthcare Staffing (VHS), a leading provider of nursing and allied healthcare travel staffing services, in order to facilitate the exit of legacy minority shareholders. The investment was completed in partnership with Founder and CEO Steve Swan, who is the principal shareholder of the Company. Steve Swan will continue to oversee the day-to-day operations and support his management team in the ever-evolving healthcare marketplace- which has experienced dramatic growth as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Davis, CA — Central Valley Fund II (“CVF II”) announced today it has made an investment in LightRiver Technologies (“LightRiver” or “LRT”), a Concord-based multi-vendor network integrator and equipment reseller. CVF II is pleased to invest alongside North Carolina-based Plexus Capital (“Plexus”) and sponsor Muir Equity to complete the recapitalization of LRT and provide the resources for the company to grow into the future.

Stockton, California – Dec. 22, 2015 – Utility Telecom (“Utility”), a leading Central Valley provider of business telecommunications, networking, communications, and technology solutions, has completed its acquisition of The Telephone Connection of Los Angeles (“TTC”). Central Valley Fund II (“CVF II”) provided $6.75M to help finance the TTC acquisition and provided additional growth capital. The deal significantly expands Stockton based Utility-based customer base in the Southern California market and gives it access to a new industry vertical through live assist paging and voicemail services, largely used by physicians.

Flavia Takahashi-Flores and her Fresno snack company, P*DE*Q, won top honors from a panel of judges from the business and venture capital communities at the Valley Entrepreneur Showcase, a highlight of the Central Valley Venture Forum last week in Clovis.

Davis, CA, – Central Valley Fund II (“CVF II”) announced today it has exited its investment in Texas-based Resourcing Edge Human Resources (“REI”), an industry-leading HR management solutions provider. REI was sold to the large Midwest-based insurer, Assurity Life Insurance Company, based in Lincoln, NE. The terms of the transaction were undisclosed.

When: November 19th, 2015

Where: Clovis Veterans Memorial District Auditorium. 808 4th St. Clovis, CA 93612

Featuring: Ashley Swearengin. Mayor, City of Fresno. The Central Valley Investment Ecosystem – Celebrating 10 Years of Progress

Pam Marrone. CEO & Founder of Marrone Bio Innovations. Lessons learned from Start-up to IPO

PwC, Central Valley Fund, and Rabobank will host the fourth annual California Food & Ag Summit on Thursday, November 5. This conference is an exclusive (invitation-only) forum for executives and senior management of companies in the Food and Agricultural sectors including growers, processors, distributors, and suppliers across California.

In May of 2015, California led the nation in new job generation, reporting 54,000 new jobs for the month, bringing the overall unemployment rate down to 6.4 percent. California’s unemployment rate has dropped 2.0 percent from 2013, and 6.0 percent from its peak of 12.4 percent at the height of the Great Recession. While these gains represent strong progress, unemployment remains well above the national rate of 5.5 percent. This is by no means a new phenomenon, however, as California’s unemployment rate has been higher than the national rate for more than 20 years—even during periods when the state’s employment growth far surpassed national growth, as it did during the technology boom in the late 1990s.

You can’t run a business without money, but finding that money can become a formidable obstacle to budding entrepreneurs and their start-up companies.

TACOMA, WA, and CLACKAMAS, OR (December 8, 2014) – Pioneer Recycling Services, LLC (“Pioneer Recycling”) announced today the acquisition of two of the Pacific Northwest’s largest material recycling facilities (“MRFs”) with over 200,000 of processed tons combined in 2013. The transaction establishes Pioneer Recycling’s footprint in the Pacific Northwest and launches the Company’s strategy to expand its operations through improved plant efficiencies and targeted acquisitions.

Robb Moore, CEO of IoSafe Inc., recently won the 2015 Small Business Person of the Year from the Sacramento District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Robb was selected from over 30 nominees from around the area and chosen for his numerous business accomplishments, community involvement, and personal character.

The California economy has recovered from the effects of the 2008 Great Recession with employment rebounding to historic levels, albeit with certain sectors outperforming other sectors – highlighting a zero-sum outcome. The California economy is expected to exceed $2.04 trillion in output in 2014, ranking the state as the 8th largest GDP in the world, just behind the United Kingdom and Brazil. Among the winners, the California service sector has shown very strong employment growth as social media and mobile app development has taken hold in the technology sector and driven robust hiring gains. The flurry of new IPOs and growing market capitalization of Silicon Valley technology firms like Apple, Google, Facebook, etc. have ushered in a wealth effect in the Bay Area economy, driving real estate prices and consumption back up in Northern California.

WHAT: 9th Annual Central Valley Venture Forum, including:

Valley Entrepreneur Showcase (Five Central Valley businesses presenting to a panel of judges actively seeking investment opportunities)

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the NAFTA trade treaty between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

In the last 20 years under NAFTA, trade between Mexico and the U.S. has more than sextupled (6.2), growing at nearly 10% annually and far exceeding the U.S. trade rate growth with the rest of the world (6.7%). Mexican exports to the U.S. have multiplied by seven, surpassing $280 billion in 2013. Currently, Mexico is the U.S.’s third-largest supplier.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Mark your calendars for the 3rd Annual California Food & Ag Summit on Friday, November 21, 2014, hosted by PwC, Central Valley Fund, and Rabobank.

Register now for the 9th Annual Central Valley Venture Forum on Thursday, November 6, 2014, hosted by the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Fresno State and the Central Valley Fund.

The California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (CHCC) is hosting the 2014 CHCC Convention on August 13, 2014 – August 15, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove, CA.

The Golden State’s economy, which represents over 12% of U.S. GDP, continues to grow at a pace slightly ahead of the nations’, 2.3% versus 2.0%. However, these gains have been heavily weighted toward the state’s larger metropolitan areas along the coast. Technology, tourism, and retail trade have led to a recovery in job growth in recent years, which has helped trim the unemployment rate and revive housing demand.

CVF Capital Partners announced today that The Central Valley Fund II made an $8.0 million investment in National Legal Services, LLC (“NLS”). NLS will combine the businesses of Quest Discovery Services (“Quest” or “QDS”) and RSP & Associates (“RSP”), which both provide outsourced legal services. The combination of these two businesses creates a dominant record retrieval and document preparation company. The Company will be led by current Quest CEO, Ken Croney, who brings extensive industry knowledge and experience to the combined Company.

Central Valley Fund II (“CVF”), a California-based private equity firm, announced today that it has provided $3.66M in Mezzanine debt and equity capital to support the acquisition of Precision Machine & Manufacturing, Inc. (“PMM” or the “Company”) in partnership with management, led by Kirk Morton, and Socius Capital (“Socius”). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

ioSafe Inc., the technology leader in disaster-proof hardware, announced today that it has raised $2.50 million of growth capital from California-based private equity investor group, Central Valley Fund II (“CVF”). This capital will allow the Auburn, CA-based company to further expand its disaster-proof product capabilities into the private cloud / network-attached storage (NAS) markets as well as licensing its technology to other data storage companies.

Resourcing Edge Human Resources, an industry-leading HR management solutions provider, today announced it raised $3.65 million of growth capital from a California-based private equity investor group, Central Valley Fund II (“CVF”) which will allow the company to further expand its product capabilities and scope of operations.

The Central Valley Venture Forum literally brought in a heavy hitter for its 2013 keynote speaker.

One of the most feared hitters in NFL history and former San Francisco 49er Ronnie Lott, also an accomplished entrepreneur, will serve as a keynote speaker at the eighth-annual Central Valley Venture Forum.

In the ancient Aztec language, paQui means “to be happy,” which summed up PaQui Tequila founder and president Javier Martinez’s sentiments on Tuesday at the Save Mart Center.

Farmers like to think that their business is fairly recession-proof, that people will eat even while cutting back on another spending.

A banker speaking this week in Modesto had a chart to support this. It showed how the overall stock market, as measured by the S&P 500, stumbled badly in 2008 and stayed down for most of the next half-decade. Meanwhile, a composite of 109 food companies recovered from an initial loss and nearly doubled investor returns in recent years.

The Central Valley Fund (“CVF”) announced the exit of its investment in Ultra Gro Plant Food (“Ultra Gro”) in Madera, CA. CVF supported a management led buy-out (“MBO”) of Ultra Gro in 2008 by investing $3.35 million in Mezzanine Debt and Equity to assist management in financing the purchase from the company founders.

Former San Francisco 49ers defensive back Ronnie Lott believes the lessons he learned during a Hall of Fame playing career have served him well during his post-football career as a successful entrepreneur.

Lott will share those insights Tuesday when he delivers the keynote remarks for the Central Valley Venture Forum, a conference for businesses and investors at the Save Mart Center. Lott’s speech is slated for 10:30 a.m.

Former San Francisco 49er and successful entrepreneur Ronnie Lott will be the keynote speaker at the 8th Annual Central Valley Venture Forum (CVVF). Dr. Jeffrey Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at the University of Pacific, will serve as the event’s luncheon speaker.

The Central Valley Fund (“Central Valley Fund” or “CVF”) has partnered with the current management of Waterman Industries (“Waterman”) to acquire the company. Waterman, based in California’s San Joaquin Valley, is a leading manufacturer of control gates, valves, and vents primarily used in wastewater treatment facilities and irrigation districts throughout the United States and abroad. The Central Valley Fund’s investment includes $5.0M of equity and mezzanine debt.

About nine years ago the Central Valley Fund took the first steps in developing a healthy capital acquisition ecosystem with its first fund. Now, with more than $175 million in committed and invested capital, it’s looking to build upon that success with the second fund, which recently closed at $120 million.

Los Angeles, CA and Portland, OR, December 20, 2012 – Source Logistics (“SL”), a California based leading 3PL logistics provider, and Fulfillment Corporation of America (“FCA”), an Oregon based fulfillment and digital deployment provider catering to some of the largest U.S.consumer product, financial service and healthcare companies, today announced that both companies have agreed to a transaction and a business combination.



The potential impact of spending cuts that will take effect if Congress and the President currently can’t agree on a plan to avoid is referred to as the balance of the so-called “fiscal cliff” remains a major obstacle to fortifying business confidence in 2013. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (“ATRA”) was enacted on January 1, 2013, avoiding substantial increases in marginal tax rates for the majority of U.S. taxpayers, however, postponed undertaking any budget cuts related to sequestration.

The California economy continues to generate mixed results as certain sectors begin to show signs of solid recovery (technology, agriculture, tourism, and health care) relative to other sectors that continue to struggle (residential construction, retail, and business services). The state continues to recover from the real estate overhang with persistently high foreclosure rates and a consumer looking to continue to de-lever.

CVVF brings together venture capitalists, investment bankers, angel investors, leading startups, valuation executives, corporate executives, and community leaders to discuss economic and financial opportunities relating to the Central Valley.

DAVIS, California — The Central Valley Fund (“CVF”), a private investment fund focused on middle-market companies, today announced its recent exit of an $8.5M mezzanine investment in Anabi Oil Corporation and its affiliates (“AOC” or the “Company”). CVF led the transaction with its co-investor, San Diego-based Huntington Capital, and partnered to support the Company’s acquisition of certain Shell-branded retail gasoline properties and related wholesale distribution rights in Northern and Southern California.

Michael Stead, capital markets director for Bank of the West, and Jeffrey Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at the University of the Pacific, will be keynote speakers for the Business Forecast Conference to be held on Jan. 19 in Stockton.

The seventh edition delivered diverse topics of interest to entrepreneurs, business owners, the banking community, angel investors, venture capitalists, and private equity funds from the Central Valley region and throughout California.

Montebello, CA – Source Logistics, LLC (“Source”) announced today that it has been named one of Inc. 500/5000 fastest-growing private companies list and now ranks among the top 100 Logistics & Transportation companies in the country. The 2011 list measured revenue growth from 2007 through 2010. To qualify, companies must have been in operation during this period of time, based in the U.S., privately held, for-profit, and employee-based.

Davis, CA and Modesto, CA – February 17, 2011 – The Central Valley Fund, a private investment fund focused on middle market Central Valley companies, today announced a preferred stock investment of $3.5 million in Paleteria La Michoacana, LLC (“PLM” or the “Company”). The capital will be used to support management as it continues to capitalize on growing demand across a wide variety of food and grocery retailers for its uniquely flavored Mexican-style frozen novelties and related ice cream products.