Yardi Systems buys resident screening service software firm
ColumnsSanta Barbara-based real estate software developer Yardi Systems just purchased RentGrow, a Massachusetts-based company that offers Web-based resident screening for multifamily property managers. Yardi said it acquired the company so it could offer the screening service as part of its Yardi Multifamily Suite, a program that includes payment processing and utility billing. “Yardi acquired RentGrow Read More →
The scoop: Save this business, eat ice cream
OpinionThe surest way to kill an economy is to kill its entrepreneurial spirit. In the brief, 10-year history of the Business Times, we’ve seen this attempted on a few occasions. The killers can wear suits — as in the case of the tort lawyer who went up and down the Central Coast filing Americans for Read More →
Sorting out the recovery: which city is first?
ColumnsHere’s the million-dollar question every business owner in the Tri-Counties should be asking: Which communities are in the best position to capitalize on a recovery? Businesses in relatively healthy cities will have brighter growth prospects, while those in communities that are behind the curve will struggle much longer. Guessing right about the pace of recovery Read More →
New carrier arrives
OpinionSpeaking of free enterprise, United Airlines is about to get some competition on its heavily traveled route from Santa Barbara to Denver. Frontier Airlines, which emerged from bankruptcy recently under the ownership of Republic Airways of Indiana, is going to give United its first head-to-head competition to Denver in decades. Business travelers and ski fans Read More →
Experts fear rules gridlock
Personal FinanceAs new stormwater rules take final form in Ventura County, legal experts are wondering whether the aims of the regulations are on a crash course with the goals of landmark smart-growth and carbon emissions laws passed in Sacramento in recent years. At its heart, the conflict centers on density. AB 32 and SB 375, laws Read More →
SLO finds a solution
UncategorizedThe monthlong battle over San Luis Obispo’s Farmers’ Market has finally been settled, and the two warring parties have come to a joint decision: The Farmers’ Market Association will regain control of produce sales at the popular street fair. The Downtown Association, which seized control of produce sales in January, and the San Luis Obispo Read More →
Controversial Oxnard smelting plant is on the market again
ColumnsThe former Halaco smelting plant in Oxnard is on the market again. The 10.7-acre site at 6200 Perkins Road is being marketed by Ventura County’s Troop Commercial Brokerage, which is hoping a buyer converts the controversial property to a clean job site. The property served as a smelting plant for Halaco Engineering from August 1965 Read More →