Historic Wineman Hotel lights up San Luis Obispo streets again
ColumnsThe intersection of Chorro and Higuera streets was lit up Nov. 18 with neon from the historic Wineman Hotel in San Luis Obispo. Again. The 100-year-old building first opened as the Wineman Hotel in 1930. Since then, it’s housed Riley’s Department Store, Carpenter’s Rexall, Copelands Sports and the Sports Authority, but even native daughters like Read More →
These towns are not afraid of big chances
ColumnsThrow deep. That’s not always the best economic development strategy. But in the case of North Santa Barbara County, there are two large-scale projects in the very earliest of stages that could become the job-generating engines for the next economic cycle in the Tri-Counties. Before you put down your newspaper and wonder out loud what Read More →
Landscaper wins in suit against producer
UncategorizedWhen a powerful Hollywood producer tried to stiff Santa Barbara small-business owner Arturo Gonzalez on half a million dollars of work, the landscaper stood up to the producer in court. And he won. Gonzalez’s landscaping firm, Progressive Environmental Industries, sued two entities controlled by Jon Peters, Barbara Streisand’s ex-husband, producer of “Rain Man” and Read More →
Forecast: hope for SB tourism
UncategorizedSanta Barbara County’s tourism industry has reached bottom, and the slow crawl out will mean reaching out to markets both close to home and across the Pacific. That’s the message industry experts delivered to hoteliers and restaurateurs at a tourism and travel outlook forecast for the county on Nov. 17. Particular bright spots are continued Read More →
Mixed signals from the top ruin strong economic foundations
OpinionAs an awful year for business heads for the history books, we’re going to sound a couple of warning notes about 2010. What troubles us more than anything else are what economists like to call “externalities” — events clearly beyond control of those of us who operate in the Tri-Counties. Here’s a look at two Read More →
Conjeo Valley
FeaturesShe’s been at the job for less than a year, but former Domino’s pizza queen Jill Lederer’s kingdom may already be expanding. Lederer is the president of the Thousand Oaks-Westlake Village Regional Chamber of Commerce, an organization that may just add Agoura Hills to its title if city officials decide to swap chambers next month. Read More →
Westlake
FeaturesMove Inc., the realty-related Westlake Village online firm that has only turned in a profit three times since 1993 and whose stock has lost more than 90 percent since its bubble-fueled peak, has moved. Sort of. The company is the parent of Move.com and Realtor.com, Web sites aimed at selling homes and connecting Realtors Read More →
