Natural Café banks on new locations for growing chain
By Marlize van Romburgh / Friday, June 6th, 2014 / Columns, Real Estate, Restaurants, South Coast, Tourism / Comments Off on Natural Café banks on new locations for growing chain
Kelly Brown is the first to admit that he let the success of his restaurant empire cloud his judgement. As a free-spirited young chef, Brown lived on a boat in the Santa Barbara harbor so that he could build equity to start his own business. Twenty-one years ago, he launched Natural Café in Santa Barbara, hoping to offer a laidback sit-down restaurant focused on affordable, unpretentious and health-conscious food.
Get a move on: StartupWeekend winner taps sharing economy for moving
By Stephen Nellis / Friday, June 6th, 2014 / Small Business, South Coast, Technology, Top Stories, Tri-County Economy / Comments Off on Get a move on: StartupWeekend winner taps sharing economy for moving
Moving is never fun, but a Santa Barbara startup is hoping to make it a little less stressful by connecting people who need to move with nearby truck owners looking to earn extra money. NextMover bills its service, which launched earlier this year, as “your friend with a truck.”
FindTheBest wins patent battle costs
By Stephen Nellis / Monday, June 2nd, 2014 / Law & Goverment, South Coast, Technology, Tri-County Economy / Comments Off on FindTheBest wins patent battle costs
Summerland-based FindTheBest has won what a federal judge called a “frivolous” and “objectively unreasonable” patent lawsuit against it and will recoup its costs from its opponent. Last summer, Delaware-based Lumen View Technology sued FindTheBest over a patent on matching user preference data. That patent was invalidated late last year, and Judge Denise Cote ruled on Read More →
QAD shares soar on narrower Q1 loss
By Staff Report / Friday, May 30th, 2014 / Banking & Finance, South Coast, Technology, Tri-County Public Companies / Comments Off on QAD shares soar on narrower Q1 loss
Shares of software firm QAD shot up almost 7 percent in midday trading on Friday after the company reported a smaller first-quarter loss. Santa Barbara-based QAD posted a quarterly loss of $76,000, or 1 cent per Class A share and break-even for Class B shares, compared to a loss of $1.3 million a year earlier. Read More →
Isla Vista tragedy shows the dark side of paradise
By Erika Martin / Friday, May 30th, 2014 / South Coast, Top Stories, Tri-County Economy / Comments Off on Isla Vista tragedy shows the dark side of paradise
The densely packed student community has been rocked by two high-profile gang rapes, drunken riots quelled with tear gas and, on May 23, a bloody killing rampage that killed six innocent people and injured 13 others.
Isla Vista shooting spree reignites gun control debate
By Marissa Wenzke / Friday, May 30th, 2014 / South Coast, Top Stories / 1 Comment
Questions about guns and the ease with which mentally ill people can obtain them have been thrust into the center of the debate about what caused Friday night’s massacre in Isla Vista.
In the line of fire: IV Deli owners vow to ‘be strong’ after tragedy
By Erika Martin / Friday, May 30th, 2014 / Small Business, South Coast, Top Stories, Tri-County Economy / Comments Off on In the line of fire: IV Deli owners vow to ‘be strong’ after tragedy
“As much as our hearts are broken, it’s time to move on and be strong,” said store owner Sam Hassan. “If you fall down, just get up, lick your wounds and keep going. That’s how you defeat the evil of what happened here.”