Engineering a deal: Stantec buys Penfield & Smith
Since coming out of the recession, Penfield & Smith had been growing between 5 percent and 10 percent annually but that the company wasn’t hitting its full potential, CEO Hady Izadpanah told the Business Times.
Governments, businesses band together on better broadband
The Broadband Consortium Pacific Coast has been launched to bring the region’s Internet up to speed. The effort is a collaboration between public- and private-sector officials in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties and has received an initial $300,000 in grant funding for its first two years from the California Public Utilities Commission.
Ventura County ex-Sheriff loses supplemental pension lawsuit
A Ventura County judge has denied former Sheriff Bob Brooks’ request for a $75,000 supplement to his existing $283,000-per-year pension.
Atara Biotherapeutics angles for $92M, but jobs are scarce
Atara is among a new breed of “virtual” biotech startups. Such firms operate with barebones staff and outsource research and manufacturing operations to contract organizations. They are becoming increasingly common as investors seek to mitigate the huge risks of bringing drugs to market, a process that can cost as much as $1.8 billion, according to industry estimates.
Firms shape up for success with workplace wellness programs, perks
At the San Luis Obispo headquarters for international software company Mindbody, employees can break away for noontime yoga or retreat to one of the building’s downstairs spa rooms for a massage or facial. Amid high ceilings, colorful beanbag chairs and exercise balls, employees at Mindbody are working in an atmosphere that’s anything but the Read More →
After Ventura County court battle, pension tensions endure
For most of the summer, Ventura County was at the heart of a statewide debate over public-sector pensions. Reformers spent tens of thousands of dollars on a proposed referendum to change Ventura County’s public employee retirement system from a defined-benefit system to a 401(k)-style system. On Aug. 4, the battle ended when a judge struck Read More →
Former deputy sues Ventura County over tax break
A former Ventura County Senior Deputy Sheriff who makes $139,771 a year in retirement is suing the county after his application for a service-connected disability designation that would lower his income tax bill was denied.
