Amgen’s profits jump as forecast brightens
Amgen reported higher-than-expected earnings on Oct. 23 and raised its outlook for the rest of the year. Amgen’s earnings are regionally significant because the Thousand Oaks biotech firm is Ventura County’s largest private sector employer. The company turned in adjusted third-quarter earnings of $1.67 a share, topping the Wall Street estimate of $1.47 by a Read More →

Business leaders want to deepen STEM focus in local schools
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Helix Medical buys Kentucky firm
Helix Medical, a Carpinteria-based manufacturer of medical devices, has acquired Kentucky-based MedVenture Technology Corp., it said Oct. 17. The Carpinteria company purchased MedVenture, a medical device design, development and manufacturing company that also has offices in Indiana and Minnesota, from Ampersand Capital Partners, a Massachusetts-based private equity firm. Terms were not disclosed. With 150 employees Read More →
Kimpton’s Canary names new GM
Kimpton’s Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara has welcomed Caroline Dyal as its new general manager. Dyal comes to Canary, a 98-room boutique hotel in downtown Santa Barbara, from Kimpton’s Hotel La Jolla. She replaces Laura McIver, who in August took on the top job at El Encanto, the historic Santa Barbara resort that’s set to Read More →
Melchiori files for Ch. 7 bankruptcy
Santa Barbara-based Melchiori Construction Co. has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection amid a flurry of creditor lawsuits. The general contractor filed bankruptcy documents at 9:02 a.m. on Tuesday and listed assets of $50,000 or less and debts between $1 million and $10 million. In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, a debtor seeks to liquidate its Read More →
Madonna Road apartments sell for $10.5M
A 120-unit affordable housing apartment complex in San Luis Obispo has changed hands for $10.5 million. Seattle-based Vitus Group, an affordable housing developer, purchased the property at 1550 Madonna Road, which is on the west side of San Luis Obispo off Tank Farm Road. The seller was a local affiliate of the United Brotherhood of Read More →