Is your IT disaster-proof?
When hundreds of homes burned in Montecito, the flames neared a cluster of financial advisers and other businesses that depend on data for their livelihood. Though none of those firms burned, the fire spurred companies to re-evaluate their IT disaster preparation plans. John Hunt, head of Santa Barbara-based IT firm CompuVision, said he’s spoken Read More →
Data backup on fast track: Thousand Oaks firm signs deal with Baja Fresh
Thousand Oaks-based Casdex didn’t take long to jump off the blocks. The company launched its first product in February. It provides an online document archiving service that gives small and mid-sized firms the same kind of backups that large enterprises use to protect against lawsuits and audits. And after just a few months, Casdex inked Read More →
Getting into position
Jon Ziskind knows how big the world is, and he doesn’t want people to get lost. A former professional sailor, Ziskind traveled widely to compete in the America’s Cup, sailing’s most prestigious regatta. The sport relies heavily on Global Positioning System, or GPS, technology, so when Ziskind settled down, it made sense for him to Read More →
Starting in troubled times
When David and Jeanette Hendrickson decided to relocate Retroville, their vintage-themed boutique, from the state of Washington to Santa Barbara, they had no idea that their first week in business here would be nationally notable. “We opened on the worst week in Wall Street’s history,” Jeanette Hendrickson said. Retroville, whose owners employ two workers, opened Read More →
Joy of cooking – Business teaches urban-style skills in San Luis
Within a bland industrial park on the edges of San Luis Obispo lies a converted warehouse, which is home to The Garden’s Kitchen, the complex’s most unlikely tenant. A couple of times a week, owner Ashleigh Hutchison teaches themed cooking classes in what she calls “an urban dwelling where friends and food come together.” But Read More →
Seeking office: Business owners tackling municipal politics
Small-business owners can do many things: create jobs, make payroll and turn a profit, or at least break even, in trying times. But can they do all that while juggling city politics? Two tri-county small-business owners – Don Gilman in Goleta and Sylvia Muñoz Schnopp in Port Hueneme – are betting they can. Both are Read More →
SkateLab to roll out new line
When Simi Valley skate park SkateLab opened in 1997, there were only four skate parks in California, co-owner Todd Huber said. Now, he said, there are 400. Tapping into the state’s growing market of skaters, Huber and former Los Angeles Dodger pitcher Scott Radinsky are about to ratchet up SkateLab’s revenues and visibility with the Read More →
