Blues owner arrested
Steven M. McPherson, owner of the San Luis Obispo Blues baseball team, was arrested on Jan. 2 in Reno, Nev., on three felony charges of passing bad checks associated with the team. The amount was for about $12,000, or $18,000 with restitution, but pales in comparison to the $285,000 he has already been convicted of, Read More →
Pappas sues over election
Steve Pappas, a candidate for Santa Barbara County’s 3rd District Supervisor seat, filed a lawsuit in Santa Barbara Superior Court contesting the Nov. 3 election. Pappas lost to Doreen Farr by 806 votes out of 35,621, according to results certified by the county clerk. But according to a press release sent out New Year’s Eve, Read More →
Peso sinks; Calavo profit soars
Santa Paula-based avocado marketer Calavo Growers said its net income shot up 235 percent in the fourth quarter to $4 million, making it the single best quarter in company history. Calavo’s fourth-quarter revenue jumped to $93.6 million — a 10 percent increase over the same quarter in 2007 but slightly lower than the $96.9 million Read More →
Wood & Bender merges with NY firm
Wood & Bender, a 14-attorney law firm based in Ventura, has merged with New York-based Anderson Kill & Olick, which has 79 attorneys. Founded in 1995, Wood & Bender ranked as the eighth largest law firm based in the Tri-Counties before its merger, which took effect Jan. 1. Both Wood & Bender and Anderson Kill Read More →
Expect commercial real estate sales to continue standstill in 2009
Though regional commercial real estate managed to escape the toxic effects of the sinking residential market during the first three quarters of 2008, it caught up with the industry in recent months and may continue to weigh it down in 2009. “You really have to look at 2008 as being two totally different markets,” said Read More →
Entrepreneurs remembered
During 2008 we marked the passing of some remarkable entrepreneurs. Two that stand out are Herb Peterson and George Bliss. Peterson was a Chicago native and ad executive who worked on the McDonald’s account and helped create the persona of Ronald McDonald. Bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, he moved to Santa Barbara and created the Read More →
