Our view: This recovery, like the last, will be Latino-led

Latinos were the unsung heroes of the U.S. recovery from the Great Recession, and they will lead the national economy out of its current pandemic slump. Those are the subtexts behind the latest annual report on the Latino economy, produced jointly by the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting at California Lutheran University and the Read More →
Patagonia names new CEO

Facing a difficult time for retail and rising concerns about a climate crisis, Ventura-based Patagonia announced Sept. 24 that Ryan Gellert, who has overseen its operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, will be its next CEO. Gellert replaces Rose Marcario, who was CEO from 2014 until earlier this year. Doug Freeman, the company’s Read More →
Mission Produce could join three-comma club with $1B-plus IPO

Mission Produce put a $1.18 billion price tag on its avocado operation, announcing in a Sept. 23 Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it plans to raise around $106 million in its initial public offering. The Oxnard-based avocado distributor said it plans to offer some 6.25 million shares of common stock for $15-$17 per share. Read More →
Region gets new SBA leadership as Parker heads to D.C.

Victor Parker, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Los Angeles District Office, is taking a new post at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The LA District, which includes Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, is the largest in the nation in terms of dollar volume of SBA loans. During nine years as district director, Read More →
Amgen to team with Eli Lilly on COVID treatment

Thousand Oaks biotech giant Amgen announced another strategy to help address the coronavirus pandemic, entering into a manufacturing agreement with Eli Lilly to produce COVID-19 antibodies. Eli Lilly, based in Indianapolis, has been pursuing several antibody treatments for the virus, the two companies said in a Sept. 17 news release. With access to Amgen’s manufacturing Read More →