Lessons from a summer of disasters
This generally dismal summer for business has produced a few teachable moments — if only we are willing to pay attention. In fact, most experts would tell you that there is more to be learned from failure than from success. Here are three management lessons, ripped from the headlines in recent weeks. Lesson No. 1: Read More →
San Luis Obispo developer mixes it up on gas station site
The Mix @ Monterey — an exciting new mixed-use project coming to San Luis Obispo — is set to break ground this month. The four-story building will feature 4,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, 5,000 square feet of second-floor office space and five condos on the third and fourth floors. Architect and developer George Garcia Read More →
We were all victims of mortgage fraud
For most scam artists, fraud is a morally murky process that involves taking money from people who are often motivated by greed to push the limits of common sense. Victims of financial fraud are often involved in Ponzi schemes, where proceeds from new investors are used to pay off older investors until the entire edifice Read More →
Limoneira
Santa Paula-based Limoneira Co. has come a long way since its early days as a family-owned lemon grower. Today, it’s traded on Wall Street and enjoys tens of millions of dollars in sales each year. And it’s not just a citrus business — Limoneira is now one of the largest players in the tri-county real Read More →
With Towbes, L.A. takes notice of our region
For the past five years, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards — aka the Oscars of business in Los Angeles — have followed an annoyingly familiar script. Really cool South Coast companies get named finalists and they look good in awards videos. But they haven’t exactly lit a fire under the judging Read More →
Green jobs are no cure-all for the economy
Just as President Barack Obama was delivering his Oval Office speech promoting a green jobs agenda as part of the next administration push, a report from California Lutheran University economist Bill Watkins was hitting the office printer. The message from Watkins was sobering. Green jobs are costly to produce, the opportunity is limited and, most Read More →
Banks adapt by changing their ways and revamping their looks
The financial crisis rocked the very foundations of the banking world — and going forward, it may change the way banks look from the ground up, too. Few people can better speak to that than Elisa Garcia, owner of Garcia Architects in Santa Barbara. She specializes in banking design; if you live in the Santa Read More →
