Coker shut for a month
UncategorizedConocoPhillips, the second-largest U.S. refiner, shut a coker March 17 at its Santa Maria plant in Arroyo Grande for about a month of scheduled repairs, a United Steelworkers representative said. The coker will be shut until about April 20, Steve Sullivan, an international representative for the USW, said in an interview with Bloomberg News. Sullivan Read More →
Pacific Capital to cut 300 jobs
UncategorizedPacific Capital Bancorp – parent of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust and the largest banking company based in the Tri-Counties – said March 18 that it plans to slash 300 workers, about 22 percent of its full-time workforce. The reduction will begin immediately, with 80 jobs gone in the first quarter and the rest of Read More →
Calavo shows Wall St. how to make money
UncategorizedWhile a host of tri-county companies turned in dismal first quarter results, one Ventura County firm had its best ever. Calavo Growers, the Santa Paula-based avocado and produce giant, reported the highest quarterly profit in the company’s 85-year history. Though the first fiscal quarter is usually Calavo’s smallest, recent diversification in both products and geography Read More →
Safety at port gets pricey
UncategorizedThis is definitely not a drill. Beginning next month, workers, vendors and other regular visitors to the Port of Hueneme will be barred unless they produce a new security card mandated by the Department of Homeland Security. The Transportation Workers Identification Credential, or the TWIC card, is being required of all persons on the Port Read More →
RIP: IPO market
UncategorizedThe initial public offering — a vital part of the technology company life cycle — has become a casualty of the recession. “The IPO market is just dead right now,” said Tom Hopkins, a partner with Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton’s Santa Barbara office who has been heavily involved with technology companies. “The typical exits Read More →
Go forth and be creative – Oxnard firm diversifies client list to keep business strong
UncategorizedSince 1992, Trans FX has kept an edge. Formed from a core of automotive designers, the company used then-new design software in the 1990s to craft Batman’s car in a blockbuster motion picture and concept vehicles for General Motors. But with major changes in the movie and car business, the firm has shifted to provide Read More →
