NFP buys Simi Valley entertainment insurance firm
A division of National Financial Partners Corp., one of the largest insurance brokerage firms in the country, has acquired a niche Simi Valley business for an undisclosed amount. New York-based NFP said Sept. 9 that its had bought Insurance West Corp., a Ventura County-based firm that offers insurance to the entertainment equipment rental industry as Read More →
Schniepp: Outlook calls for robust housing recovery, modest job gains
Expect home prices to continue to rise and slow job-growth gains in Ventura County next year. That was the outlook from regional economist Mark Schniepp of the California Economic Forecast, speaking at Hyatt Westlake Plaza in Thousand Oaks on Sept. 19. Tracking trends at the statewide level, Ventura County will see more housing starts, retail Read More →
Warner pleads guilty to tax evasion, faces $53M penalty
Ty Warner, the Chicago billionaire and part-time Santa Barbara resident who owns the Four Seasons Biltmore, has been charged with federal tax evasion and plans to pay a $53 million penalty. Warner, the mind behind the wildly successful Beanie Baby toys, was charged with allegedly failing to report income he earned in a secret offshore Read More →
Business Times founder honored with entrepreneurship award
Henry Dubroff, the founder, editor and chairman of the Pacific Coast Business Times, was honored with the Joe Nida Entrepreneurial Spirit Award at the 2013 Clean Business Investment Summit in Santa Barbara on Sept. 12.
The award recognizes exceptional work promoting entrepreneurship on the South Coast. “Henry has been at the heart of the success of so many entrepreneurs, businesses, and organizations throughout our region — including our own,” California Coast Venture Forum CEO Jerry Knotts said in a statement. “We are extremely honored to present The Joe Nida Spirit Award to Henry, to acknowledge his exhaustive efforts on behalf of entrepreneurs and to salute him as an example of entrepreneurship and clean business growth.”
Health leaders: ACA gets top marks for access but implementation still lags
As it nears the takeoff point, Obamacare gets an “A” for increased access but just average grades for implementation, so far. That was the consensus view among a panel of health care experts at the kickoff on Sept. 17 for California Lutheran University’s Corporate Leader’s Breakfast series. Dr. Matteo Dinolfo of UCLA Health gave the Read More →
Sellout crowd at clean investment forum
More than a dozen companies pitched to a crowd of several hundred investors at the Clean Business Investment Summit in Santa Barbara on Sept. 12. The summit is hosted by the California Coast Venture Forum and is in its fifth year at its new home at the Corwin Pavilion on the UC Santa Barbara Campus. Read More →
