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 →
Harrington West files for bankruptcy
Solvang-based Harrington West Financial Group, the former parent of failed Los Padres Bank, announced Sept. 10 that it has voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Harrington West, listing more than $26 million in liabilities, said it intends to file a liquidating plan within the next few months. With the loss of Los Padres Bank Read More →
Santa Lucia defers debt payments
Atascadero-based Santa Lucia Bancorp said Sept. 3 that, following consultation with Federal Reserve officials, it will defer payments on $5 million in debt for up to 20 quarters. The firm also recently announced that it expects to enter an agreement with or be placed under an enforcement order to boost capital by banking regulators. The Read More →
Row 44 closes $37M funding round
Row 44, a Westlake Village-based company that provides wireless Internet on commercial airlines, announced Sept. 8 that it had closed a $37 million round of private financing. The new Series B round brings Row 44’s venture capital total to more than $60 million since 2008. “This investment gives Row 44 the operating capital to continue Read More →
