Our annual listing of the very best of the North Bay, as voted by our readers.

See the entire list of "BEST OF" and Gold Medal winners here.

Keep reading for profiles of our "BEST OF" winners for Community Leader, Commercial Real Estate Company, Chamber of Commerce, Accounting Firm, Law Firm, Real Estate Company, and Bank.

Commercial Real Estate: Orion Partners Ltd.

Orion Partners Ltd. is a business phenomenon in the North Bay. Just seven years old, this commercial brokerage company is already the largest in the area, as measured by the number of agents (35), transactions completed, properties listed and square footage under control for sale or lease. Founder Bill McCubbin, himself a 35-year veteran in the commercial real estate business, is very clear about why this has happened.

"We're different from other commercial brokerages," says McCubbin. "My wife and I started Orion because we wanted to accomplish something new in this business by respecting and taking care of the only asset any service company really has-its people. Almost all our sales agents are owners of this company, and in fact, one day they will own the entire company. Add to that the fact that we have a profit-sharing program, and you can see why we've developed a strong, positive attitude among all our sales agents. We share our collective abilities and our information, and that makes us able to deliver a better set of services."

Thoroughly committed to better communication, Orion Partners maintains an unparalleled information-driven website. Here, clients and potential clients can search for available properties, contact any of the four Orion sales offices or get information about individual sales agents. Linked to chamber of commerce sites, Orion's website can provide vital demographic information that will help clients decide where to locate their business. Orion also publishes a quarterly newsletter (The Orion Report, also available online) that provides market information and analysis about North Bay commercial real estate.

Perhaps more than anything else, Orion Partners prides itself on its market research capabilities and its willingness to share this information both with clients and among its own sales agents. "This is a highly competitive business," says McCubbin, "but we think the best way to meet our clients' needs is to act as a cohesive group of consultants who can pool information and knowledge to deliver the right space in the right place at the right price. In other words, we don't just sell our own listings. We give clients information on the whole marketplace picture; and if our agent Joe knows of a great place in Santa Rosa, for example, he'll tell the client about it, even if it's not his listing. Our philosophy is that clients don't want just to be sold something, they want all the information available, not just the information that would benefit us."

In addition to the commitment to provide excellent service to their customers, Orion Partners is also very active in the geographic areas where they have a presence. Orion's agents are duty bound to be involved in local chambers of commerce, serve on economic commissions and the like. "We've benefited tremendously in the North Bay," says McCubbin, "and we intend to give back to the communities that have been so good to us."

- Nan Gilbert