The financial-services firm Edward Jones ranked No. 11 on
Fortune magazine’s
The financial-services firm Edward Jones ranked No. 11 on Fortune magazine’s”100 Best Companies to Work For 2011″ list – its 12th appearance on the prestigious list. Edward Jones also ranked No. 2 for large-sized companies and was the highest ranking financial-services firm.
Pinnacle profitable in second quarter
Pinnacle Bank, headquartered in Gilroy, announced its second profitable quarter. For the three months ended Dec. 31, the bank reported net income of $92,000 compared to a loss of $495,000 in the comparable quarter of 2009. Net loss for the year ended Dec. 31 was $1,296,000 as compared to a loss of $5,421,000 for the year ended Dec. 31, 2009. Total assets were $146.1 million, a 1 percent increase from the $144.6 million in 2009.
“We have achieved profitability in consecutive quarters which demonstrates the substantial progress we have made since the onset of the disruptions in the financial markets in 2008,” said Susan K. Black, president and CEO. “Continued profitability is a result of our ongoing focus on cost control and improvements in our core deposits and asset quality. The significant increase in non-interest bearing deposits is a direct result of our strategic emphasis on relationship banking. Our quality client relationships allow us to maintain net interest margin and asset quality with safe, controlled growth and a strong balance sheet.”
Guglielmo Winery hires new sales reps
Parting ways with its long-time distributor, Frank-Lin, Emilio Guglielmo Winery has hired two new sales people to re-establish personal relationships with its trade clientele throughout the Bay Area. Kathleen Spillane, most recently with Domaine Serene, and previously with WineBow, and Ted Catanesi, who has been with Classic Wines for 25 years, will together represent the winery.
In welcoming the two new sales professionals to the growing customer service-oriented Guglielmo team, General Manager Gary Guglielmo, commented, “From the very beginning, Guglielmo prided itself on doing business person-to-person, with a handshake and a smile. We highly value our partnerships with our on- and off-premise customers, and want to reconnect with the people who are responsible for matching their clientele with the right wine for their lifestyles and life occasions. Developing and maintaining personal connections is how our family has always done the most rewarding business, and this move to a direct sales model comes at the perfect time. Our product lines have never been stronger: our story has never been better. And frankly, the trade is tired of doing business with high-pressure distributors.”
Observing the trend towards consolidation in the distribution space, Gary noted, “Distributors are so busy selling vodka and “big name” winery brands, that they ignore the smaller, boutique wineries in their portfolio. Nobody is sampling or presenting the smaller producers to the trade. Brands like ours receive almost no attention from the dwindling cadre of distributors, and consumers are denied the opportunity to experience those smaller, hand-crafted wines, with real people and genuine stories behind them. Our goal is to bring the Guglielmo product line and story to our retail partners, so they can share them with their clientele. We want wine consumers to feel a connection not only to the Guglielmo brand, but to what it represents: our enduring family values of hospitality and respect.”
