Cal Poly grad ponders e-waste solutions
Most days, you’ll find Kyle Wiens, the chief executive of Atascadero’s iFixit, jetting off to London or New Zealand to be the first in line for new gadgets like Apple’s iPhone. His company dissects the devices on iFixit’s Web site and shows users how to do their own repairs. They sell the parts and tools Read More →
Oasis Apartments scores $10.5M from LA lender
Johnson Capital’s Los Angeles office funded $10.5 million in permanent financing for the privately held entity that owns the 125-unit Oasis Apartments in Goleta. This is the fifth loan Johnson Vice President Kevin Burkhalter has closed in the South Coast area in the past two years. “In my 25 years in this industry, I’ve never Read More →
Scholar, engineer, magician
Just a few months shy of 10 years ago, I arrived in the Santa Barbara area to start what would become the Pacific Coast Business Times. I was introduced to Paul Glenn, an investor and philanthropist, who graciously hosted a lunch for me and several area business leaders. Glenn said at the time that he Read More →
Bank sues contractor, alleging his home is not his house
Some heavy accusations are being thrown at a well-known area contractor by a Santa Barbara bank. According to a lawsuit filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court, David Lack of David Lack General Contractors and Bank of Santa Barbara are tangling over the matter of Lack’s house. Or, rather, the house Lack appears to lack. Read More →
A long fall from the top of the bubble
In the heyday of the housing boom, Bob Fowler and Ron Hertel cut a wide swath across the West Coast. By Fowler’s own account, their flagship company, R.W. Hertel & Sons, built some 1,100 homes in and around the tri-county region. They were active as far north as Oregon and as far south as Woodland Read More →
Anchor Blue, in Chapter 11, could close Santa Barbara store
Anchor Blue Retail Group, a 177-store casual wear retailer that filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 in May, may close one of its five tri-county locations as it attempts to restructure out of bankruptcy. The store at 820 State St. in Santa Barbara is on the tentative closure list. Brian Johnson of Radius Group Read More →
A first-hand look at future of automakers
Listen to the CNBC gang talk about the collapse of the automotive industry and you just might believe we have witnessed a catastrophe equal to the dinosaur extinction. But to Jamey Power, whose family pioneered the idea that customer satisfaction could be a driver for auto sales, the bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler signal Read More →
