Santa Maria Energy drills down on search for private equity
By Stephen Nellis / Friday, May 9th, 2014 / Banking & Finance, Central Coast, Top Stories, Tri-County Economy, Tri-County Public Companies / Comments Off on Santa Maria Energy drills down on search for private equity
Santa Maria Energy is on the hunt for private equity funding for its $120.7 million capital budget after a going-public deal fell apart.
Cal Poly students tap crowdfunding to build playground in South Africa
By Marlize van Romburgh / Friday, May 9th, 2014 / Nonprofits, Real Estate, Top Stories / Comments Off on Cal Poly students tap crowdfunding to build playground in South Africa
A group of Cal Poly landscape architecture students and alumni are working to make the world a better place, one playground at a time.

Vapor Hub hopes to lead the way in $3B e-cigarette market
By Stephen Nellis / Friday, May 9th, 2014 / East Ventura County, Top Stories, Tri-County Economy, Tri-County Public Companies / Comments Off on Vapor Hub hopes to lead the way in $3B e-cigarette market
With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration promising to impose regulations on the free-for-all e-cigarette market, Simi Valley-based Vapor Hub International is hoping to help the industry grow up.

A fully baked idea: After TV success, Sweet Arleen’s goes nationwide
By Tom Bronzini / Friday, May 9th, 2014 / Small Business, Top Stories / Comments Off on A fully baked idea: After TV success, Sweet Arleen’s goes nationwide
Arleen Scavone, three-time champion in the Food Network’s televised “Cupcake Wars,” used a winning formula that she now hopes will help turn her Westlake Village boutique cupcake shop into a national brand.

Counting crops: Linkfresh makes planning software for food firms
By Stephen Nellis / Friday, May 9th, 2014 / Agribusiness, Technology, Top Stories / Comments Off on Counting crops: Linkfresh makes planning software for food firms
A Ventura company is bringing the same kind of sophisticated software that global manufacturers use to run their businesses to the fresh food industry.
HG Data funding rises to $5.5M
By Stephen Nellis / Tuesday, May 6th, 2014 / Technology, Top Stories / Comments Off on HG Data funding rises to $5.5M
Santa Barbara-based HG Data has raised $2 million in venture capital, bringing its total raised to date to $5.5 million. HG Data uses a proprietary algorithm to sift through massive amounts of messy online data to create a database of which software and hardware products are in use at about 1 million U.S companies. Fortune Read More →
Santa Maria Energy shelves $79M going-public deal
By Stephen Nellis / Friday, May 2nd, 2014 / Central Coast, Top Stories, Tri-County Economy / Comments Off on Santa Maria Energy shelves $79M going-public deal
A $79 million merger that would have taken Santa Maria Energy public has been called off after its financiers couldn’t gather the votes to pass it.






