Veeco to sell Goleta unit
Veeco Instruments announced Aug. 16 that it plans to sell its metrology business, which includes a unit based on the South Coast, to a scientific instruments company called Bruker Corp. for $229 million. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, pending regulatory review and certain closing conditions, Veeco said Read More →
Amgen disappointed in latest drug trial
Amgen announced “disappointing” results on Aug. 10 from a Phase 3 trial evaluating its drug Vectibix as a treatment for patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell head and neck cancer. Thousand Oaks-based Amgen said the data from its study showed that adding Vectibix — the drug’s generic name is panitumumab — to chemotherapy treatment Read More →
Health care IT firm Aspyra acquired
Aspyra, a Westlake Village-based health care information technology company, announced Aug. 9 that it had been acquired by Orion Healthcare Ventures, LLC. Aspyra will continue operations under its own name. Orion Healthcare Ventures LLC is a closely held investment firm with a focus on health care technology enterprises that show potential for growth, the firm Read More →
Farmers Insurance to leave Simi Valley
Farmers Insurance plans to move 1,200 people from its Simi Valley office to one in the San Fernando Valley, leaving Simi Valley without one of its largest employers. The move will take effect in early 2011, according to a news release Farmers issued Aug. 11. In that statement, Farmers Executive Vice President David Travers said Read More →
Bunnin pursuing Goleta dealership
Ventura County auto dealer Leo Bunnin may be opening his first dealership on the South Coast, as he makes a serious bid for a Chrysler-Jeep-Hyundai dealership in Goleta that recently suspended new car sales. Bunnin, a longtime fixture in the Southern California car business, got his start in the Tri-Counties with an Infiniti dealership in Read More →
SLO airport gets federal grant
The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded a $2.2 million grant to the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, U.S. Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, announced Aug. 3. The airport plans to use the money for a new terminal. The project has been stalled due to a lack of funds, and this grant will pay for Read More →
Heritage Oaks lost $5.8M in Q2
Paso Robles-based Heritage Oaks Bancorp, the holding company for Heritage Oaks Bank and Business First Bank, reported a second-quarter loss of $5.8 million on Aug. 4. That compares to a $507,000 loss in the second quarter of last year. The net loss applicable to common shareholders was $6.2 million, or 55 cents per diluted share, Read More →
