Crowded GOP field in 33rd Assembly District
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Crowded GOP field in 33rd Assembly District
Four Republican candidates — a county supervisor, a financial analyst, a city councilman and a former planning commissioner — are vying for the party’s nomination in the 33rd State Assembly District. Each touts him or herself as the business candidate. Each promises to work to cut spending in Sacramento. And each continues to support drilling Read More →
Down, but not out: Santa Maria plots its comeback
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Down, but not out: Santa Maria plots its comeback
The Santa Maria Valley economy has suffered blows from many sides: 3,500 construction jobs have evaporated, a motion picture special-effects house with Oscar-nominated work has signaled its intention to leave town and, earlier this month, a UPS call center announced it would lay off 270 workers. But economic forecasters say Santa Maria — with its Read More →
Property management software smackdown hits Santa Barbara
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Property management software smackdown hits Santa Barbara
The two biggest players in residential property management software, Santa Barbara-based Yardi Systems and Texas-based RealPage, are locked in an arms race of acquisitions. And both have taken note of the threat posed by Santa Barbara-based AppFolio, an upstart backed by the founder of one of the South Coast’s most successful software firms. Yardi, one Read More →
K-Swiss loses a factory
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, May 17th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on K-Swiss loses a factory
For the past two and a half years, Westlake Village-based K-Swiss has been trying to transform itself from a staid, shield-logoed company that introduced the first leather tennis shoe at Wimbledon in 1966 into a cutting-edge footwear brand. It’s put millions of dollars into developing and marketing specialized shoes for triathletes and runners, investments that Read More →
Building bridges: Ventura chamber CEO reaches out to city
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, May 17th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Building bridges: Ventura chamber CEO reaches out to city
In Ventura, the sometimes fractious relationship between city government and business groups is getting a fresh face and a formal “prosperity council” to keep in touch. On May 17, Sandra Walker, a banking and accounting veteran, will take over as CEO of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce. Her start date comes a week after the Read More →
Commerce Planet assets land at Lenco
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, May 17th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Commerce Planet assets land at Lenco
Santa Barbara-based Lenco Mobile, a designer and distributor of mobile phone advertisements, is testing the waters in the United States after its revenue and share price have risen based on its operations abroad. In an April 15 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Lenco said sales had jumped 725 percent to $12.2 million in 2009. Meanwhile, Read More →
Bank earnings hint at rebound
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, May 10th, 2010 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Bank earnings hint at rebound
Even as the region’s largest bank grabs on to a $500 million lifeline, smaller banks in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties reported mixed first quarters and plans to bring much-needed capital into the region. Many of the region’s banks found their income statements back in the black and saw deposits grow during Read More →
