Pressure on at Los Padres Bank
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, August 9th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Pressure on at Los Padres Bank
Capital is king — that’s the new mantra for community banks the country over. In the Tri-Counties, Solvang-based Los Padres Bank is on the brink of a possible takeover, as regulators placed it under a new order telling it to shore up its capital levels, be merged or acquired, or potentially face regulatory seizure. Other Read More →
Drink up the sun: Solar financing flows for wineries
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, August 9th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Drink up the sun: Solar financing flows for wineries
When Jim Efird walks between the grapevines on his Edna Valley vineyard, watching them soak up the California sun, he’s also watching the meter on his electric bill run backward. Efird is one of a handful of tri-county viticulturists who have turned to solar photovoltaic systems to power their businesses. His Tolosa Winery in San Read More →
Weighing the options for Harbor Freight
By Stephen Nellis / Monday, August 9th, 2010 / Banking & Finance, Top Stories / Comments Off on Weighing the options for Harbor Freight
By Stephen Nellis Staff Writer Something big was in the works at Harbor Freight Tools, the nationwide discount tool retailer, when a father-son struggle for control of the company broke out in Los Angeles Superior Court on July 14. The closely held private company was in the midst of moving its Camarillo headquarters to Calabasas. Read More →
UCSB forecast pulls out of SLO, Ventura counties
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, August 2nd, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on UCSB forecast pulls out of SLO, Ventura counties
The UC Santa Barbara Economic Forecast Project — a major source of economic data and predictions for business owners and government leaders throughout the Tri-Counties — has named a new director and narrowed its focus to Santa Barbara County. Peter Rupert, a UCSB economics professor who came to the school in 2007 after 13 years Read More →
PCBC execs confident deal will close soon
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, August 2nd, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on PCBC execs confident deal will close soon
Pacific Capital Bancorp executives are calling a $500 million recapitalization agreement with Texas-based Ford Financial Fund a done deal. The Ford infusion, critical for the banking company to meet regulatory standards for capitalization, now has the cooperation of the U.S. Treasury and, pending regulatory approval, will likely be finalized by Aug. 31, Santa Barbara-based Pacific Read More →
Kind of blue: Latest challenge to strawberry
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, July 26th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Kind of blue: Latest challenge to strawberry
Although strawberries are still by far the highest-grossing crop in the Tri-Counties, another fruit is starting to make its way into the spotlight — blueberries. Blueberries are traditionally suited for places with high soil acidity and cold winters, such as Michigan, which is the top producer in North America, and Maine, where blueberries are the Read More →
Big deals drive region's venture growth
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, July 26th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Big deals drive region's venture growth
Companies in the Tri-Counties raised $146.5 million in venture capital in the first half of this year, already close to double the amount raised in the region in all of 2009. About 77 percent of this year’s total came in major funding rounds for five companies in different branches of the technology sector. Ceres Bioscience, Read More →
