Is your IT disaster-proof?
When hundreds of homes burned in Montecito, the flames neared a cluster of financial advisers and other businesses that depend on data for their livelihood. Though none of those firms burned, the fire spurred companies to re-evaluate their IT disaster preparation plans. John Hunt, head of Santa Barbara-based IT firm CompuVision, said he’s spoken Read More →
Region
After years of losing ground to foreign competitors, cut flower growers in the Tri-Counties are hoping a new presidential administration will help them expand their market share. They are California’s largest producers of cut flowers, contributing more than $770 million a year in business activity to the region and accounting for more than 7,000 industry-related Read More →
Texas firm pays $1.4B for Ventura County office space
Texas-based development giant Hines Interests acquired 16 office buildings in Ventura County last week in a transaction valued at almost $1.4 billion after the previous owners were unable to make payments on their loan. The new office purchases include the 68,110-square-foot Conejo Business Park in the heart of Thousand Oaks. “This is an economic driver Read More →
Ampersand Publishing makes more staff cuts
The parent company of the Santa Barbara News-Press said Dec. 3 that it is eliminating 17 positions and consolidating operations of two other publications it owns. Ampersand Publishing LLC, which owns the News-Press and other publications, said that its Valley Living and Goleta Valley Voice editions will be “incorporated into the daily pages” of the Read More →
Johnson & Johnson acquires Mentor for $1.07B
One of the Tri-Counties’ largest public companies, Mentor Corp., was acquired by Johnson & Johnson Dec. 1 for about $1.07 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Johnson & Johnson will start a tender offer to purchase all shares of Mentor at $31 – nearly double Mentor’s Nov. 28 closing price of $16.15. Santa Barbara-based Read More →
Make It Work, Circuit City exit, setting the table for Whole Foods
Shortly after Circuit City announced that it would be closing its Santa Barbara branch, Make It Work founding partners Eric David Greenspan and Jeremy Anticouni decided it was time to go location shopping. “When we moved in, we were aware of the fact that it wouldn’t be forever,” Greenspan said. “We wanted to leave as Read More →
Greka lays off 31 workers
Santa Maria-based Greka Energy, which has spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil and processed water over the past year, has laid off more than 20 percent of its local workforce. The company said Nov. 25 that it laid off 31 employees, or about 22 percent of its Santa Maria workers. In a prepared Read More →
