Bill Thomas
When I saw that former U.S. Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Bakersfield, had been named vice chairman of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, I started paying attention. Thomas is a fiscal policy expert who knows tax law as well as anyone. He is a Republican with the sort of common-sense approach that represents the GOP at its Read More →
Climbing through the clouds: Jeep tour business grows in region's wine hotspots
Cloud Climber Jeeps was one of the first wine country tour companies in Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley. Now it’s hoping to blaze the trail in Ojai and Paso Robles, too. The company, founded in 1999 by Dave and Sybil DeMauro, offers back-country and wine tours, taking upwards of 5,000 people a year Read More →
Advertising innovation the hot topic at MIT Forum
If you thought the advertising business was all smoking, drinking and skinny ties, as it’s portrayed in the AMC series “Mad Men,” think again. The people making the industry tick in the digital age are more likely to be hunkered down behind a computer monitor, perfecting code that serves up an ad to just the Read More →
Shades of green: Avocados power Calavo's record earnings
Harvest season is around the corner, and the outlook for the region’s avocados is as healthy as ever. Santa Paula-based Calavo Growers, one of the largest avocado marketers in the world, recently reported record third-quarter profits and said the worldwide avocado industry is growing. The firm’s third-quarter earnings were up 141 percent to $5.9 million, Read More →
Los Osos gets stimulus loan
The project to install a sewer system in Los Osos got a boost on Sept. 3 with the announcement of $87 million in federal stimulus money. Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture came to the San Luis Obispo County Government Center to announce the grant, according to a USDA news release. The funding is Read More →
Editorial: Congrats, Clipper
We’ll take a minute to recognize Clipper Windpower of Carpinteria, once again the fastest growing company in the Tri-Counties. Partly due to timing and to the recession, which has taken the wind out of the revenue growth numbers for dozens of area companies, Clipper has taken top honors in the Business Times’ annual review of Read More →
Editorial: Three big deals could signal Conejo comeback
The Conejo Valley stretch of the Highway 101 corridor is looking like an early winner as the economy emerges from the Great Recession. We’re basing our judgment on one key factor — capital flows. In just 10 days in late August and early September, capital raises worth more than $200 million were announced for the Read More →
