Belt tightening begins – Private, public sectors prepare for a grim 2009
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Belt tightening begins – Private, public sectors prepare for a grim 2009
The signs of a sliding economy are clear across the Tri-Counties – empty storefronts, job losses, spiraling gas and home prices, and fear among employers. So it comes as no surprise that expectations for 2009 remain bleak among economic forecasters. Most sectors will be flat or down, except for bright spots in health care and Read More →
Incubating Ventura
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Friday, December 19th, 2008 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Incubating Ventura
If a new high-tech incubator in downtown Ventura hatches some ingenious companies, the city may by poised to receive both national attention and increased sales tax revenue. In January, the city is opening up 30,000 square feet of space for the county’s first technology incubator, officially named the Ventura Ventures Technology Center. Start-ups across the Read More →
A home-cooked meal
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Friday, December 12th, 2008 / Top Stories / Comments Off on A home-cooked meal
In recent years, CKE Restaurants, parent of the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, has become a nimble competitor in the tumultuous world of fast food. Under CEO Andy Puzder, CKE turned around Hardees by the exporting giant burgers and over-the-top advertising from the Carl’s Jr. menu to the regionally oriented Hardee’s stores in the South. The Read More →
Scary season
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Monday, December 8th, 2008 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Scary season
After 18 years in business, Diane Leone is ramping up efforts more than ever to attract customers. Her State Street shop in Santa Barbara, Paper Star, is getting ready for the holiday season in the shadow of dismal third-quarter retail sales nationwide. “We’re being very aggressive with mailings,” said Leone, who sells fine stationary, personal Read More →
Turbulent ride
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Sunday, December 7th, 2008 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Turbulent ride
Tri-county airports are reporting hefty declines in air traffic this year, a significant drop in business that managers are blaming on the newly-named recession. Year-to-date declines in passengers range from 30 percent to roughly 6 percent thanks to higher fuel costs, flight cutbacks and fewer business travelers. At the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, the region’s Read More →
Financing the fields: Ag lender reflects on U.S. vs. Europe
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Wednesday, November 26th, 2008 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Financing the fields: Ag lender reflects on U.S. vs. Europe
During the past year, Jetze Kempenaar, Rabobank’s regional manager for agriculture in the Tri-Counties, has seen the financial world turned upside down. But the world of farming is still pretty well grounded, said Kempenaar, who works for one of two AAA-rated banks in the world. “People have to keep eating their strawberries and broccoli,” said Read More →
Tea Fire: $500M and counting
By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff / Saturday, November 22nd, 2008 / Top Stories / Comments Off on Tea Fire: $500M and counting
The embers are out, and investigators have disclosed that Santa Barbara County’s Tea Fire was the result of a foolishly abandoned bonfire. But for the owners of 210 lost homes in Montecito and Santa Barbara, life will never be quite the same. And with damage claims expected to reach half a billion dollars or more, Read More →
