Longtime Santa Barbara builder passes away
Ugo Melchiori, Santa Barbara businessman and founder of Melchiori Construction Co., died Dec. 12. He was 69. Melchiori founded his company in 1988 after entering the construction industry in Santa Barbara in 1959. Now run by other members of the Melchiori family, Melchiori Construction is the largest general contractor in the Tri-Counties with $78.5 million Read More →
Watkins: state recession not over until end of 2010
The U.S. economy will experiences slow growth throughout most of 2010 but California won’t emerge from recession until the very end of the year. That’s the view of California Lutheran University economist Bill Watkins, who presented his first state and national forecast for 2010 at a breakfast event on campus on Dec. 16. The Business Read More →
Gear up for the launch of our 10th year
I’m very proud to announce that 2010 will mark the 10th anniversary year for the Pacific Coast Business Times. Since March 17, 2000, we’ve been chronicling the fortunes of business and the overall economy in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Along the way we’ve covered major stories about innovation and financial meltdowns Read More →
Area leads the way in sustainable ag
Agriculture still dominates much of the landscape across the Tri-Counties. And thanks to a new wave of interest in creating a “sustainable” economy, agriculture is being reinvented for the 21st Century. Gone in large part are the pesticide-heavy, water-guzzling practices of the past. Instead, farmers across the region are focusing on efficiency, environmentally sound practices Read More →
Santa Barbara sees shifts, new business on the real estate front
There have been a few notable shifts in the Santa Barbara commercial real estate landscape over the past few weeks. First up, we have a new venture from real estate executive Jim Slaught. His new company, Slaught Real Estate Group, focuses on commercial real estate development, investment, management and brokerage projects. Slaught, a former vice Read More →
Economy encourages women to look to entrepreneurship
Rosandra Heffefingers was a successful project leader at a Ventura insurance brokerage firm — until her job fell out from beneath her. “They just decided it was no longer a lucrative project, so my position wasn’t necessary,” she said. Facing dim prospects in a difficult job market, she decided to look into entrepreneurship as an Read More →
A high-tech patent war
In what could become a contest of war chests, Westlake Village-based chipmaker Inphi has fired back in a patent battle with a struggling Orange County firm over products for one of the hottest parts of the semiconductor market. The dispute started on Sept. 23 when Irvine-based Netlist, a money-losing company whose stock had traded Read More →
