Remembering Fess Parker, businessman
ColumnsThe first time I asked Fess Parker to keynote the Business Times’ Spirit of Small Business Awards, his office had a polite reply: “Thanks, but no thanks.” A year later, I tried again. I called his office around noontime and got no farther than an assistant who said she was going to lunch. “Try back Read More →
Eyeing new concepts
Small BusinessHealth care reform may be the hottest topic in the United States, but one Goleta medical equipment firm is focusing its attention on developing low-cost medical imaging technology for overseas markets. Pointe Conception Medical is launching what it says is the first integrated and networked endoscopic camera system in the world. The new medical video Read More →
African couture
Small BusinessSan Luis Obispo now has some Ethiopian flair in its wardrobe of downtown boutiques. The newly opened storefront at 1065 Higuera St. is the first retail location for Vancouver, Wash.-based Konjo Ababa, which designs and imports high-end, fair-trade handbags from Ethiopia. Owner and founder Thomas Meister is a former fashion model and photographer who went Read More →
The tech behind the scenes
UncategorizedChances are you’ve never heard of Oxnard’s Nevion. But if you’ve watched a space shuttle launch, the past two Super Bowls, President Obama’s inauguration or the Oscars on March 7, you’ve seen the company’s products at work. Nevion makes the circuit-packed boxes that fill the broadcast trucks outside live events. Through more than two decades Read More →
PCBC turns 50 with a back-to-basics plan
UncategorizedHalf a century after its founding, Pacific Capital Bancorp, the parent of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, is looking to return to its roots. Santa Barbara National Bank opened March 18, 1960, at 20 E. Carrillo St. with 18 employees. A staid and tradition-bound community bank until an acquisition flurry in the 1990s, Pacific Capital Read More →
A new Santa Barbara can lead rebound
OpinionAmong the region’s larger cities, Camarillo probably has the strongest retail environment — and a much better-than-average fiscal position. Oxnard, Santa Maria and Paso Robles probably have some of the best long-term growth prospects, thanks to affordable housing and a pro-business attitude. San Luis Obispo has a dynamic new city manager with a laser-like focus Read More →
