Former banker, councilmember to lead Ventura chamber
Ed Summers, a former Ventura City Council member, has been named to lead the Ventura Chamber of Commerce. Summers will begin work for the chamber on Nov. 7. He is the second new CEO to lead the chamber in a little more than two years, after longtime CEO Zoe Taylor stepped down in 2009. “The Read More →
Sustainability key focus for business leaders
Ventura County business leaders overwhelmingly think sustainable practices will be necessary to compete. A survey conducted at the annual Ventura County Economic Development Association outlook conference showed that two-thirds of businesses expect to see increased spending on sustainable practices, and about 70 percent of respondents said sustainable practices are competitively important. “Brand reputation is the Read More →
Economists: Trade with Asia, steer clear of Europe
Steer clear of struggling Western economies and look to thriving Eastern markets. That was the advice from economist Sung Won Sohn to local business leaders at an Oct. 20 event in Santa Barbara. Sohn, a former Wells Fargo economist who now heads the Institute for Global Economic Research at CSU Channel Islands in Camarillo, and Read More →
Amgen to lay off 226 in Thousand Oaks
[wikichart align=”right” ticker=”NASDAQ:AMGN” showannotations=”true” livequote=”true” startdate=”19-04-2011″ enddate=”19-10-2011″ width=”300″ height=”245″] Thousand Oaks-based Amgen is laying off 226 people at its headquarters as part of a restructuring of its research operations. Worldwide, the R&D shakeup will affect 380 staff members, but the company’s headquarters are bearing the brunt of the cuts. The company said the layoffs are Read More →
Attorneys warn startups of potential missteps
Starting a small business is expensive enough without tacking attorneys’ fees onto the budget, but Santa Barbara lawyers say quality legal services are a critical investment for every startup. New businesses benefit from partnering with legal counsel for a few main reason: It’s more expensive to fix legal mistakes down the line than to ensure Read More →
Power-One docks outlook on Eurozone austerity
Power products company Power-One slashed its third-quarter outlook Oct. 11, causing stocks to sink 3.8 percent in after-hours trading. The Camarillo-based firm cut its outlook for third-quarter sales to the $240 million to $245 million range, down from its previous outlook of $265 million to $280 million. It said power conversion revenue was down about Read More →
Dole buys blueberry business
Dole Food Co. has purchased a Florida blueberry company, it said Oct. 11. Westlake Village-based Dole, the largest producer of organic bananas in the world and of the biggest players in the fresh fruit and vegetable industry, said it had acquired all of the capital stock of the parent of SunnyRidge Farm. Terms of the Read More →
