Shortly after Circuit City announced that it would be closing its Santa Barbara branch, Make It Work founding partners Eric David Greenspan and Jeremy Anticouni decided it was time to go location shopping. “When we moved in, we were aware of the fact that it wouldn’t be forever,” Greenspan said. “We wanted to leave as [...]
Santa Maria-based Greka Energy, which has spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil and processed water over the past year, has laid off more than 20 percent of its local workforce. The company said Nov. 25 that it laid off 31 employees, or about 22 percent of its Santa Maria workers. In a prepared [...]
The Goleta City Council paved the way for a 140-room, extended-stay hotel across from the Santa Barbara Airport. The council approved the Residence Inn by Marriott project on a 4-1 vote Nov. 18, with Councilwoman Jonny Wallis dissenting. The project is located at 6300 Hollister Ave. The Chumash community has opposed the project because of [...]
Amgen on Nov. 25 decided to suspend a clinical trial of its experimental cancer drug motesanib because of higher deaths among patients, setting back the company’s efforts to expand in the market for oncology treatments. The Thousand Oaks-based pharmaceutical company has made a major push in the past seven years to develop treatments for cancer. [...]
Government leaders across the Tri-Counties should be prepared to take President-elect Barack Obama up on his offer to spend federal dollars to fast track transportation improvements. From the eastern edge of Ventura County to Paso Robles, the Highway 101 corridor is in serious need of upgrades. Chief among these is the stretch between Santa Barbara [...]
There’s no doubt that among donor organization in the Tri-Counties, the Santa Barbara Foundation is at the top of the food chain. With $300 million in assets and the ability to provide $27 million a year in community grants, it ranks among the top 50 community foundations in the country. But these days even the [...]
During the past year, Jetze Kempenaar, Rabobank’s regional manager for agriculture in the Tri-Counties, has seen the financial world turned upside down. But the world of farming is still pretty well grounded, said Kempenaar, who works for one of two AAA-rated banks in the world. “People have to keep eating their strawberries and broccoli,” said [...]
Pleasure boat sales are slumping across the region with yacht brokers and marinas extremely reluctant to describe what amounts to a steep decline in sales. But a few brave dealers in Santa Barbara and elsewhere are optimistic about the long-term future of an industry that’s been as hard hit as General Motors, Ford or Chrysler [...]
After painful losses in the November elections, California’s Republican Party stalwarts are trying to decide whether to head for the beach or hole up in the Central Valley. The labels aren’t perfect. But lined up on one side are Beach Republican moderates such as 15th District State Sen. Abel Maldonado and Neal Andrews, a Ventura [...]
Oxnard-based Catalytic Solutions has been fined nearly $17,000 for failing to report details of its nitrate releases. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency levied the fine after Catalytic Solutions reported the violation. The company said it had cooperated with the agency on clearing up the reporting problem. The agency said Catalytic Solutions processed more than 120,000 [...]
It’s all smiles and sauvignon in Happy Canyon’s vineyards
Towbes Group grabs Goleta with Groupon-like deals at retailers
Social-media IPOs could launch Golden State sustainability fund
Ventura County brokers hold out ’til 2013 for real recovery
Name changes and new faces at SLO and Oxnard law firms
From apartments to industrial spaces, deals close in the region