COVID-19 taking toll on Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County is being hit hard by COVID-19 on multiple fronts, but as with previous disasters, recovery is possible. It’s just going to take a while, and the recovery won’t be enough to save all of the businesses that have been affected. In a webinar on April 16, experts in several fields joined Peter Read More →
Banks ramp up loans to tri-county small businesses
It’s not too late for tri-county small businesses to get financial aid from the government to help offset COVID-19 losses. President Donald Trump signed a $484 billion relief package bill April 24 containing the awaited second wave of Payroll Protection Program funding. The program originally had $349 billion for small businesses but ran out of Read More →
Tri-county manufacturers up to COVID-19 challenge
Manufacturers are finding niche opportunities as Central Coast operations pivot to serve essential industries like health care in order to survive a deep downturn. The shift has resonated throughout the supply chain as manufacturers aim to retain all-important relationships. “The challenge isn’t just in operating, keeping your doors open, it’s keeping supplies and components coming Read More →
Santa Barbara and Goleta chambers to merge
Two of the region’s largest chambers of commerce have agreed to merge, creating a regional chamber for South Santa Barbara County that mirrors efforts elsewhere in the region. The Chamber of the Santa Barbara Region and the Goleta Chamber of Commerce announced April 24 that they will combine memberships, creating an organization with more than Read More →
Garufis: Bankers want to fund small business loans
By Janet Garufis Last week, Henry Dubroff stepped out of his usual pundit role to share his impression of the Paycheck Protection Program rollout. I echo his sentiments and agree that it has been “a nightmare for many small business owners.” It has also been a challenging experience for many of your local bankers. I Read More →
Tri-county vintners use virtual wine tasting to connect to customers
Daniel Daou of Daou Vineyard & Winery in Paso Robles hosted his first virtual wine dinner from home recently, reaching 140 people in Arizona. They spent an hour and a half with him in their own homes as they enjoyed a meal packaged by a local restaurant and three Daou wines. “I have to tell Read More →
Tri-county tourism, hospitality hurting but region suited for recovery
Keeping the economy closed has saved lives, but it has hurt and will continue to hurt tri-county residents in the pocketbook. A webinar put on by UC Santa Barbara on April 16 probed the different ways the community’s businesses were hurting and panelists talked about solutions to help ease the pain. “I think we can Read More →
