Taser gives Carp a jolt
UncategorizedTaser, maker of the handheld voltage delivery system of “don’t tase me, bro” fame, is setting up shop on the South Coast. Arizona-based Taser snapped up a former Microsoft executive and put him to work as head of the new virtual systems division in Carpinteria, where he and roughly 80 employees are working on a Read More →
SLO chamber envisions better days for city
UncategorizedThe San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce will have a new driving force behind it Jan. 23 when it releases its updated economic vision statement. The SLO chamber is the oldest and largest voluntary organization in the county. The new 18-page document acts as a roadmap for the chamber, which has thrown its full weight Read More →
Impact Radius scores $6M
Small BusinessA Santa Barbara firm has just garnered a $6 million investment to see if it can shake up the broadcast, radio and print advertising world the same way its leaders shook up the online advertising world. Impact Radius has rolled out a new online platform for advertisers and media firms to buy and sell performance-based Read More →
NAI report: Ventura County has seen the worst of CRE woes
ColumnsVentura County’s office market is still reeling from the Countrywide collapse, according to a recently released NAI report. Office vacancy in the county is still up, and the NAI market report puts the number around 20 percent and notes that net absorption was negative through the third quarter of 2009. “Office space is tough Read More →
Westmont neglected as donor defaults on $75M
OpinionBy any account, $75 million is a lot of money. If you are a small, Christian college laboring with recovery from a major fire and an ambitious expansion plan, it’s an enormous amount of money. Which is why the report in this issue of the Business Times that Westmont College’s mystery donor won’t be able Read More →
Green Coast summit puts iZone on map
ColumnsOn Jan. 21, some 80 business, community and educational leaders met to kick off a project that has evolved from a column in this newspaper into something called the Green Coast Innovation Zone. It was a rare moment when the leadership of all three counties — Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo — were Read More →
Region shows compassion for Haiti
OpinionWhen tragedy strikes, our region steps up. That’s one of the truly remarkable things about living and working in the tri-county region. The Business Times takes some space on these pages to pay tribute to all the innovative ways our businesses and nonprofits have found to raise money for earthquake relief for Haiti. Rather than Read More →