In a region that takes pride in its philanthropic organizations, nothing stands out like Direct Relief International. Founded as a humanitarian organization by immigrants who fled the horrors of World War II, DRI is the nation’s ninth largest U.S. charity, according to Forbes, and by most measures one of the most cost-effective organizations of its Read More →
A rock climbing expert with an innate curiosity about markets, Matthew Fienup found his calling in his mid-30s when he won admission to a doctoral program at UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Management. Now 41 and a professor in California Lutheran University’s Center for Economic Research & Forecasting, he’ll get a view from Read More →
Cities that form the heart of the San Luis Obispo County economy should not become collateral damage as PG&E works out a plan to shutter the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant. On Sept. 15, the mayors of San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Paso Robles and Pismo Beach took what they called an “unprecedented Read More →
The biggest economic question of our time might not be how to deal with inequality, after all. It may be how to deal with corporate giants — and their top execs — when they misbehave. The latest company to come under fire is Wells Fargo, the banking company that is ranked No. 1 or No. Read More →
When the Business Times handed out its Family Business Awards in 2012, we recognized Art Geringer, an entrepreneur who was happily showing up at the office every day at age 89. Geringer was a pioneer in building safety who devised a fail-safe lock that allows people to exit high rise buildings in case of an Read More →
Gov. Jerry Brown has doubled down on his bet that climate change is the biggest issue facing California for the long run. That’s the message from a just-ended legislative session that extended the state’s greenhouse gas emission rules to include a reduction that’s 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. The state already is on Read More →
When the Business Times had a chance to speak with legendary actor Hugh O’Brian, we jumped at the chance. The opportunity came about five years ago as the “Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership” program, a national nonprofit, was beginning to raise its profile in the region. One of those hidden gems of East Ventura County, the Read More →