By Janet Garufis We have all witnessed first-hand the serious and immediate impacts of the pandemic on local small businesses, our friends, neighbors and ourselves. Many workers have been furloughed or are now unemployed as non-essential businesses close and others learn to operate under restrictions that provide safe social distancing. At Montecito Bank & Trust, Read More →
Tri-county technologies are being deployed in the fight against the coronavirus response — but getting products in the field is not always easy. That’s put pressure on Central Coast manufacturers, including FLIR, Seek Thermal, Raytheon and Wyatt Technology to keep supply chains intact as tech firms work with skeleton crews and adopt new safety and Read More →
Tri-county wine tasting rooms and restaurants likely won’t reopen to visitors soon, but consumers are still buying and drinking wine. The Nielsen Co. reported that wine sales at grocery and drug stores soared 27 percent in the week ending March 14 when compared to both the previous and the year-ago week. Wineries are getting higher Read More →
In the past month, the FoodBank of Santa Barbara County has quadrupled the amount of food it’s distributing to members of the community. Even still, families will line up hours in advance for food distribution, and supplies will be gone within 15 minutes of the first box being passed out. “The scale is different than Read More →
An unprecedented level of uncertainty has gripped the travel and tourism industry across the Tri-Counties, forcing temporary shutdowns for some and a re-evaluation of plans for companies, workers and tourism promotion agencies. No one knows when business will go back to normal, and it’s hitting the tourism industry hard when bookings should be strong. Visit Read More →
Within the next week or so, thousands of small companies are going to be applying for loans — and possible loan forgiveness — under the Paycheck Protection Program or PPP that’s part of the $2 trillion in federal funding approved under the CARES Act. I’ve been studying the PPP since the first details began to Read More →
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