Mission Community buys Santa Lucia
Mission Community Bank said Oct. 24 that it acquired Santa Lucia Bank, doubling the San Luis Obispo-based bank’s size and kicking off its effort to consolidate smaller lenders along the Central Coast. The previously announced deal closed Oct. 21, Mission said. Although it did not confirm the deal price in its announcement, Mission’s top executive Read More →
Los Angeles SBA director appointed
The Los Angeles District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration appointed Victor Parker as its new director on Oct. 24. Parker now heads up the SBA district that administers small-business loans for Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The office is the largest of the administration’s districts in the U.S., as ranked by Read More →
‘Planet Money’ comes to UCSB
When you speak the language of economics and finance every day, it’s easy to forget that to your non-business-class friends and family, you might as well be speaking Greek. Coming to your rescue is Planet Money, National Public Radio’s team of economic translators, which will present at UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday, Oct. 26. The Read More →
Former banker, councilmember to lead Ventura chamber
Ed Summers, a former Ventura City Council member, has been named to lead the Ventura Chamber of Commerce. Summers will begin work for the chamber on Nov. 7. He is the second new CEO to lead the chamber in a little more than two years, after longtime CEO Zoe Taylor stepped down in 2009. “The Read More →
Sustainability key focus for business leaders
Ventura County business leaders overwhelmingly think sustainable practices will be necessary to compete. A survey conducted at the annual Ventura County Economic Development Association outlook conference showed that two-thirds of businesses expect to see increased spending on sustainable practices, and about 70 percent of respondents said sustainable practices are competitively important. “Brand reputation is the Read More →
Economists: Trade with Asia, steer clear of Europe
Steer clear of struggling Western economies and look to thriving Eastern markets. That was the advice from economist Sung Won Sohn to local business leaders at an Oct. 20 event in Santa Barbara. Sohn, a former Wells Fargo economist who now heads the Institute for Global Economic Research at CSU Channel Islands in Camarillo, and Read More →
Amgen to lay off 226 in Thousand Oaks
[wikichart align=”right” ticker=”NASDAQ:AMGN” showannotations=”true” livequote=”true” startdate=”19-04-2011″ enddate=”19-10-2011″ width=”300″ height=”245″] Thousand Oaks-based Amgen is laying off 226 people at its headquarters as part of a restructuring of its research operations. Worldwide, the R&D shakeup will affect 380 staff members, but the company’s headquarters are bearing the brunt of the cuts. The company said the layoffs are Read More →
