Ex-CEO shares Trader Joe’s secrets
Speaking in Thousand Oaks on Nov. 9, former Trader Joe’s CEO John Shields offered up business advice and anecdotes from his thirteen years spent heading up what Fortune magazine recently called “the hottest and most secretive retailer in America.” Shields, who guided Trader Joe’s growth from 27 to 174 stores and from $132 million to Read More →
Heritage Oaks reports $11.3M loss
Paso Robles-based Heritage Oaks Bancorp reported a third-quarter loss applicable to common shareholders of $11.3 million on Nov. 9, compared to a $5.6 million loss in the same quarter last year. The banking firm, the third largest based in the Tri-Counties, blamed the wider loss on a $10.5 million non-cash charge related to the valuation Read More →
From the editor: Regionalism reigns at eco-devo forum
Santa Barbara County should explore an economic development effort to help existing businesses expand and recruit new companies to the area. That was the near-unanimous view of more than 200 business leaders who packed the Reagan Room at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort on Nov. 8 for a South Coast regional economic development forum. I served Read More →
Editorial: Keep Oxnard business-friendly
There’s a bit of a “reform” movement afoot in Oxnard, the region’s largest city. Mayor Tom Holden won re-election even in the face of a district attorney’s investigation of some city officials, but the City Council has undergone some big changes. We hope the newly elected council members, Tim Flynn and Carmen Ramirez, remember Oxnard’s Read More →
Editorial: Safe seats aren’t forever
Right now it’s hard to imagine the Central Coast represented in Congress by someone other than Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, or Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara. And it’s hard to imagine Assembly districts safer than the ones won by Democrat Das Williams or Republican Jeff Gorrell. But the day is coming when, thanks to redistricting, congressional Read More →
Editorial: Memo to Abel: Keep political options open
As we watched him speed across the state in search of votes for a long-shot bid for statewide office, Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado’s passion for small business and the small-business owner left a big impression. Yes, in the crazy world that is California politics, the former Santa Maria city councilman finished short of the mark Read More →
