Santa Barbara CEO to retire
UncategorizedSanta Barbara County Executive Officer Michael F. Brown announced on Dec. 2 that he will retire on Oct. 31, 2010. Brown and the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors agreed on the decision, saying that they wanted to keep the CEO on board as the county faces a daunting 2010-11 budget cycle. “We are depending Read More →
New SLO city manager
UncategorizedThe San Luis Obispo City Council unanimously selected Katie Lichtig as the new city manager at its Dec. 1 meeting. Lichtig replaces current city manager Ken Hampian, who is retiring after nine years on the job. Lichting will be appointed to her new position Dec. 15 and starts work toward the end of January. The Read More →
Santa Ynez Marriott paves way for future hotel green certifications
ColumnsThe Santa Ynez Valley Marriott just became the first hotel certified by Santa Barbara County’s Green Business Program. And it all started when General Manager Mike Hendrick heard Bill Hayward of Hayward Lumber speak at a green business luncheon. “We were already listed as a participating business, but we hadn’t done the big thing — Read More →
Ten things to be thankful for this year
ColumnsFace facts. This has been a horrible year to have to navigate a business through the tri-county economy. Between the meltdown in commercial real estate, California budget woes, softness in tourism, the foreclosure mess and the ongoing travails of community banking, this has been one for the books. But hey, kvetching only makes things worse. Read More →
Tech firms get a boost from small business
Small BusinessThe economic slump has many small businesses scrambling to cut costs, but as a direct result one group of businesses is getting a boost: information technology firms. As small businesses look for ways to streamline their budgets, tri-county IT firms are seeing a wave of new clients — if they offer the right products and Read More →
ValueClick moves could point to acquisition
UncategorizedDespite turning in a $25 million profit last quarter, Westlake Village-based online marketing firm ValueClick disappointed Wall Street analysts with a gloomy revenue forecast for the fourth quarter. But the company has quietly signed more than 70,000 square feet of new lease agreements and stockpiled hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and untapped credit Read More →
