With Towbes, L.A. takes notice of our region
For the past five years, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards — aka the Oscars of business in Los Angeles — have followed an annoyingly familiar script. Really cool South Coast companies get named finalists and they look good in awards videos. But they haven’t exactly lit a fire under the judging Read More →
Making cement green: Oxnard firm leads the way
Jim Price, president of Oxnard’s Diversified Minerals, has entered a range of businesses with his 26-person company, but it all adds up to single-minded focus: greener cement. Diversified Minerals builds giant cement silos, runs a railroad spur and blends specialty cements for projects like dams and levies. But its main thrust is to remanufacture Read More →
Hearst buys Paso meat company
The Hearst Corp. announced June 9 that it has purchased the former Paso Robles Meat & Sausage Co. out of bankruptcy. The meat processing facility had been in receivership since June 2009 and was closed by a federal bankruptcy court in March, Hearst said. Hearst said it will lease the plant to Kaney Foods, which Read More →
Editorial: Pacific Capital deal moving along
There are signs that the $500 million investment by Ford Financial Fund into Pacific Capital Bancorp is inching forward. An increased offer to bondholders has met, we understand, with positive responses from a large group of investors. The expiration of TARP funding this fall means the U.S. Treasury might be highly motivated to swap its Read More →
Towbes wins Entrepreneur of the Year honors
Breaking a five-year drought for South Coast companies, Montecito Bank & Trust owner Michael Towbes won a coveted Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for Greater Los Angeles. The awards were presented June 22 at the Beverly Hilton hotel. Towbes, who celebrated his 80th birthday last year, was the winner in the Financial Read More →
Editorial: Santa Barbara, stand and be counted
The city of Santa Barbara is the latest among the region’s cities to review and update its general plan. The next public meetings are on June 22 and June 23 at 630 Garden St. This is a chance to create a denser, more energy efficient and more prosperous city that better attends to the needs Read More →
