Santa Ynez Marriott paves way for future hotel green certifications
The Santa Ynez Valley Marriott just became the first hotel certified by Santa Barbara County’s Green Business Program. And it all started when General Manager Mike Hendrick heard Bill Hayward of Hayward Lumber speak at a green business luncheon. “We were already listed as a participating business, but we hadn’t done the big thing — Read More →
Ten things to be thankful for this year
Face facts. This has been a horrible year to have to navigate a business through the tri-county economy. Between the meltdown in commercial real estate, California budget woes, softness in tourism, the foreclosure mess and the ongoing travails of community banking, this has been one for the books. But hey, kvetching only makes things worse. Read More →
Tech firms get a boost from small business
The economic slump has many small businesses scrambling to cut costs, but as a direct result one group of businesses is getting a boost: information technology firms. As small businesses look for ways to streamline their budgets, tri-county IT firms are seeing a wave of new clients — if they offer the right products and Read More →
ValueClick moves could point to acquisition
Despite turning in a $25 million profit last quarter, Westlake Village-based online marketing firm ValueClick disappointed Wall Street analysts with a gloomy revenue forecast for the fourth quarter. But the company has quietly signed more than 70,000 square feet of new lease agreements and stockpiled hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and untapped credit Read More →
Bailing out the party crowd
Each year on Halloween, tens of thousands of partiers descend on Isla Vista near the University of California, Santa Barbara, and most stores within a 10-mile radius stock up on booze to meet the swell in demand. The results this year: 25,000 revelers, 311 arrests and 701 citations, according to the Santa Barbara County Sherriff’s Read More →
