Recession taking its toll as builders file for bankruptcy
Well-known Santa Barbara contractor David Lack has filed for both business and personal bankruptcy, listing a total of $2.6 million in debts for his firm and $3.1 million for himself. But Lack’s is just one in a flurry of filings that have rushed through the region’s bankruptcy court in recent months — many smaller construction Read More →
Greening the coast, world at UCSB
If it’s spring it must be summit season at UC Santa Barbara. Two recent events put on by UCSB underscore how important a player the campus has become in the convergence of energy and the environment now being called “sustainability.” Both the Corporate Partners Summit at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management and Read More →
SLO firm gets local with mobile ads
The buzzword-heavy consensus in the tech world is that print publications are dying, consumers glaze over at the sight of traditional Web ads and hyper-local mobile phone marketing is the official Next Big Thing. That’s all fine — but what’s a corner diner or mom-and-pop shop to do to get out a coupon and grab Read More →
Growing a tech business: Ojai
Tri-county agricultural giants such as Gills Onions and Mission Produce ship onions and avocadoes all over the country and are some of the biggest names in the business. But they run on software written by Ojai entrepreneur Bryan Bernard and his small team of programmers. Bernard’s AgKnowledge software suite is tailored to agribusiness, with the Read More →
Capital raise at Pacific Capital, other banks tops $700M
Tri-county banks have brought more than $700 million into the region in recent months, with some looking to expand and others simply hoping to shore up their capital. “It means we have more financial institutions with the wherewithal to lend,” said California Lutheran University economist Bill Watkins. “It gives businesses more borrowing opportunities and provides Read More →
Maldonado touts Gills Onions' fuel cell project
Making a pitch for California to lead the world in clean technology research, Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado said a $10 million project in Oxnard shows how innovation can create jobs in old-line industries such as agriculture. “This is an important project for California,” said Maldonado, speaking May 14 at Gills Onions, where a waste recycling Read More →
Feds give Pacific Capital September deadline to raise cash
Pacific Capital Bancorp, parent of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust and the largest banking company in the Tri-Counties, is under new orders from regulators to boost its capital levels by September or potentially sell or liquidate the bank. Pacific Capital, which is in talks over a $500 million rescue that would transfer control of the Read More →
