Fire scorches 25K acres
A fire that broke out Aug. 9 in the wilderness of northeastern Santa Barbara County has scorched more than 25,000 acres. There are 1,277 firefighters, 39 engines, 10 helicopters and one air tanker fighting the La Brea Fire. At press time on Aug. 12, it was 10 percent contained. The flames raged in the Los Read More →
Spirit of Small Business 2009 photos
The Business Times and the Los Angeles District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration presented the 7th Annual Spirit of Small Business Awards on Aug. 6 at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort. The event honored eight businesses as well as this year’s Small Business Advocate, Rudy Estrada of California State University, Channel Islands and was Read More →
Dole tests waters for $500M IPO
Westlake Village-based Dole Food Co. said Aug. 14 that it has filed papers to become a public company again and plans to raise as much as $500 million. With $7.6 billion in 2008 revenue, Dole is the largest private company in the Tri-Counties. The company was public until 2003, when owner and real estate magnate Read More →
Cal Poly explores MBA for Santa Barbara
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, is taking a close look at launching an MBA program in Santa Barbara next fall. Dave Christy, dean of the Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly, said Aug. 12 that the school will study the feasibility of offering graduate business degree programs in Santa Barbara starting in Read More →
Ventura County vacancies low in first half, despite recession
The struggling rental market is sometimes forgotten in all the housing market hoopla, but that’s exactly what NAI Capital’s mid-year report explores. The Los Angeles-based firm said downward pressure in the single-family residence market has created a small boom in the rental market, effectively stalling the rise in vacancies. “Although we have seen little Read More →
Analysts: Second half critical for PCBC
The next two quarters could be the most important in Santa Barbara-based Pacific Capital Bancorp’s history. The parent of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust and four other banking franchises on the Central Coast, Pacific Capital said July 30 that it suffered a $362 million loss in the second quarter. That news followed 300 job cuts Read More →
Hertel tells tale of ruin
Developer Ronald W. Hertel said he likely made payments for his planes, a 130-foot yacht, a horse ranch and more than a dozen mortgages from the accounts of Ventura-based R.W. Hertel & Sons. In January, a group of creditors forced R.W. Hertel & Sons into an involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Just what R.W. Hertel & Read More →
