Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus launched the California Institute for Social Business at California State University, Channel Islands, on Feb. 26. The first of its kind, the endeavor will “make it clear to people what a social business is,” Yunus said. A university is not “not just a think tank — it’s also an [...]
Carpinteria-based CKE Restaurants, parent company of the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s fast food restaurants, announced Feb. 26 that it is being sold to Boston-based private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners for $928 million. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2010, will include the assumption of about $309 million of CKE [...]
California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks said Feb. 22 that it received $5 million for a new football stadium. The gift is the largest single donation in the history of the university. The new 3,000-seat facility will be named after donor and Ventura County real estate developer William Rolland. His gift is only the second [...]
Tuttini’s Café and Bakery, formerly located next to the Business Times at 10 E. Carrillo St. in Santa Barbara, closed its doors on Feb. 21 after six years in business. In a sign posted in its window, the popular downtown bakery said that it was closing due to “circumstances beyond our control.” The landlord reportedly [...]
After 117 years of essentially operating as a family-run company, Santa Paula-based Limoneira Co. filed papers Feb. 12 to become publicly traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Limoneira said it’s likely the largest lemon and avocado grower in the United States. It has begun moving into real estate development with projects such as East Area [...]
San Luis Obispo County is putting the finishing touches on the single largest project the county has ever undertaken — the $176 million Nacimiento Water Project. Forty-five miles of pipeline have been put in the ground as part of the project, which aims to make water more available in the county by the end of [...]
Even in an economy struggling back to its feet, a good engineer is hard to find. From startups to industry veterans, tri-county technology companies are still hiring and snapping up space in the commercial real estate markets. While it’s still a buyer’s market for employers looking to hire in other sectors, tech companies say finding [...]
Here’s the million-dollar question every business owner in the Tri-Counties should be asking: Which communities are in the best position to capitalize on a recovery? Businesses in relatively healthy cities will have brighter growth prospects, while those in communities that are behind the curve will struggle much longer. Guessing right about the pace of recovery [...]
Santa Barbara-based real estate software developer Yardi Systems just purchased RentGrow, a Massachusetts-based company that offers Web-based resident screening for multifamily property managers. Yardi said it acquired the company so it could offer the screening service as part of its Yardi Multifamily Suite, a program that includes payment processing and utility billing. “Yardi acquired RentGrow [...]
It’s still not clear whether the real estate market will thaw in 2010, but the South Coast scene is certainly heating up. After months of sluggish sales volume and anemic pricing, credit lines seem to be loosening up and organizations big and small are looking for their own slice of the South Coast. Among them [...]
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