Santa Barbara County wine group abandons bid for BID
The Santa Barbara County Vintners Association has abandoned its two-year effort to establish the world’s first wine business improvement district, or BID, as an answer to its longstanding problem of lagging behind other wine regions in marketing spending. Vintners Association Executive Director Alison Laslett said in an Oct. 29 letter to members, co-signed by the Read More →
Earnings down, assets up at Community Bank of Santa Maria
Total assets at Community Bancorp of Santa Maria rose in the third quarter of the fiscal year, even as net income fell, the bank announced Oct. 20. The parent company of Community Bank of Santa Maria saw total assets rise to $327.6 million, an increase of 24 percent from the same time in 2019. Net Read More →
Income up at Bank of the Sierra
Sierra Bancorp, the parent company of Bank of the Sierra, announced a record quarter as net income grew by 16 percent from a year earlier. Bank of the Sierra is based in Porterville, in the San Joaquin Valley, and has 12 branches in the tri-county region, the result of a series of acquisitions of Central Read More →
Cal Poly kicks off startup competition
Central Coast companies looking for equity-backed funding now have the chance to make their case to investors through Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Cal Poly’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Small Business Development Center SBDC opened its application for AngelCon 2021 on Oct. 16. AngelCon, an annual event heading into its fourth iteration, is a Read More →
Region’s employment picture a little brighter
The unemployment rates in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties all continued to drop in September, and all three counties had healthier labor markets than the state a whole. The combined unemployment rate for the tri-county region was 7.9 percent in September, according to a Business Times analysis of data released Oct. 16 Read More →
SLO County names interim airports chief
San Luis Obispo County has found a new airports director in its own deputy director. Courtney Johnson, who has been the county’s airports deputy director since January 2019, will serve in an interim role leading the agency after current director Kevin Bumen steps down on Oct. 10 to take a job at San Francisco International Read More →
Figueroa Mountain Brewing announces Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing
Buellton-based craft brewer Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization on Oct. 5, as the region’s second largest craft brewer announced plans to restructure its debts and bring in a new financial partner. “While it is a difficult decision to go down this path, we believe this will be the best direction Read More →
