Opinion: The Central Coast and the world keep moving into the digital future
By Greg Bland As the effects of the coronavirus continue to reshape the Central Coast and the rest of our world, 2022 will see several factors accelerating the shift to a more digital, hybrid future. In the year ahead, there will be a continued focus on digital transformation as the driving force creating value for Read More →
Street Smarts: Direct Relief again among nation’s top charities; B of A gave $1.4M in region in 2021
Direct Relief ranked No. 5 among U.S. charities in 2021 by revenue, slipping two spots even as donations totaled $1.9 billion, according to data compiled by Forbes. United Way, Feeding America, the Salvation Army and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ranked higher than the Santa Barbara-based charity in the magazine’s annual list of 100 largest Read More →
People’s Self-Help Housing secures $50K Bank of America grant
People’s Self-Help Housing, the longest-serving affordable housing nonprofit on the Central Coast, has received a $50,000 grant from Bank of America to scale its programs. The grant, announced by People’s Self-Help on Dec. 1, is part of Bank of America’s 2021 Neighborhood Champion program. Women’s Economic Ventures, a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit, received one of the Read More →
WEV wins $50K Bank of America grant for equity programs
Women’s Economic Ventures received $50,000 in grant funding from Bank of America’s philanthropic program to help underrepresented entrepreneurs on the Central Coast. The grant, announced by the Santa Barbara-based nonprofit on Nov. 17, will be used to advance a micro-grant and entrepreneurial training pilot program it launched recently in partnership with an Oxnard-based nonprofit supporting Read More →
Opinion: Celebrating the tri-county region’s Latino business community
By Kristina Alameda Although Hispanic Heritage Month is winding down, it gave us a unified opportunity to celebrate the richness and diversity of the Hispanic-Latino community and recognize our collective path forward to drive social and economic progress in the Tri-Counties. This year in particular, we recognize the resilience of small business owners impacted by Read More →
Opinion: Five ways your business can win the war for talent
By Greg Bland With the U.S. economy continuing to grow, businesses are beginning to scale their operations back to pre-pandemic levels. Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties all added jobs from June to July. As the Pacific Coast Business Times recently reported, Ventura County led the way with 2,500 new jobs in the Read More →
Opinion: Pandemic’s effect on the workforce hasn’t been equal
By Midge Campbell-Thomas According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in December 2019 there were 109,000 more women working than men, occupying 50.04% of positions. However, once the pandemic evolved, thousands of women left the workforce to accommodate responsibilities brought on by stay-at-home orders, which left them as full-time caregivers According to the January Read More →