By Editorial Board / Friday, March 14th, 2014 / Editorials, Opinion / Comments Off on Editorial: Chamber chief ‘hatched’ Santa Maria recovery
Bob Hatch has the sort of practical wisdom that is very rare in today’s charged political environment. He has been increasingly frustrated at the no-growth politics of the county that seemed to stymie every effort to promote jobs and opportunity for the Santa Maria Valley.
Bob Hatch is retiring after 20 years as president and CEO of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, the largest business group in North Santa Barbara County.
By Henry Dubroff / Friday, December 13th, 2013 / Columns, Opinion / Comments Off on A speed bump on the way to creating a chamber-led vitality group
The most concentrated effort to date to create a Santa Barbara County economic vitality organization has hit a roadblock. And that roadblock appears to be the Board of Supervisors’ bitterly divided vote on the Santa Maria Energy project, where South County supervisors banded together to impose severe carbon emissions limits on an innovative onshore oil and gas development that had broad support in North County.
Zoe Taylor, a veteran chamber executive with deep roots in the tri-county region, has been named interim president of the Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce. Taylor will manage the chamber’s operations for the rest of 2012, according to a statement from board chair Janet Garufis, president and CEO of Montecito Bank & Trust. Taylor Read More →
By Editorial Board / Friday, May 25th, 2012 / Editorials, Opinion / Comments Off on Editorial: Cushman set stage for ‘great business’ in Santa Barbara
“Business is great in Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara is great for business.” With these words on the Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce answering system, Steve Cushman has welcomed business owners, service providers and working professionals hoping to build or expand businesses on the South Coast. For the past 24 years, Cushman literally has Read More →
[EDITOR’S NOTE: This story, originally published online on May 18, was updated with additional quotes and information. The updated version, published May 25, is below]. On the heels of $463 million in business investment since 2010, the city of Goleta is teaming up with its neighbor UC Santa Barbara and the Goleta Valley Chamber of Read More →
