Former MySQL exec to spearhead Eucalyptus
UncategorizedAs a chief executive, Marten Mickos took MySQL, the open-source database firm whose technology powers Facebook and other Web sites, from a startup to its $1 billion sale to Sun Microsystems in 2008. On March 19, Mickos became CEO of Santa Barbara-based Eucalyptus Systems, an open-source software firm whose code forms private cloud computing networks and Read More →
Economists: coastal regions better than inland, but state faces exodus
ColumnsInland and coastal California might as well be two different worlds — at least that’s the view of California Lutheran University real estate economist Kirk Lesh. Lesh and the rest of CLU’s forecasting team presented their first economic prophecies for the new year at a March 24 event at the Thousand Oaks campus. Lesh Read More →
A new Santa Barbara can lead rebound
OpinionAmong the region’s larger cities, Camarillo probably has the strongest retail environment — and a much better-than-average fiscal position. Oxnard, Santa Maria and Paso Robles probably have some of the best long-term growth prospects, thanks to affordable housing and a pro-business attitude. San Luis Obispo has a dynamic new city manager with a laser-like focus Read More →
African couture
Small BusinessSan Luis Obispo now has some Ethiopian flair in its wardrobe of downtown boutiques. The newly opened storefront at 1065 Higuera St. is the first retail location for Vancouver, Wash.-based Konjo Ababa, which designs and imports high-end, fair-trade handbags from Ethiopia. Owner and founder Thomas Meister is a former fashion model and photographer who went Read More →
The tech behind the scenes
UncategorizedChances are you’ve never heard of Oxnard’s Nevion. But if you’ve watched a space shuttle launch, the past two Super Bowls, President Obama’s inauguration or the Oscars on March 7, you’ve seen the company’s products at work. Nevion makes the circuit-packed boxes that fill the broadcast trucks outside live events. Through more than two decades Read More →
PCBC turns 50 with a back-to-basics plan
UncategorizedHalf a century after its founding, Pacific Capital Bancorp, the parent of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, is looking to return to its roots. Santa Barbara National Bank opened March 18, 1960, at 20 E. Carrillo St. with 18 employees. A staid and tradition-bound community bank until an acquisition flurry in the 1990s, Pacific Capital Read More →
