Spotlight

The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Hispanic Business Committee luncheon will be held on Sept. 8 in the Santa Maria Room at the Santa Maria Inn. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m., with lunch and a presentation from noon to 1 p.m. Maria Fabula is the featured speaker. She’s the regional manager of Nonprofit Support […]

It’s an unfortunate fact that some people in Santa Maria need help holding onto their homes. Peoples’ Self-Help Housing can offer that help. The organization is hosting a “Foreclosure Prevention Seminar” on Sept. 10, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The seminar will present alternatives and loan options for first-time buyers. Brian Kerrigan, a counselor for […]

The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County serves more than 100,000 people in the county annually, and with increased demand this year, the group needs all the help it can get. That’s why a recent donation of $10,000 from Wells Fargo was so appreciated. “On behalf of all the hungry people or member agencies, I want […]

Dr. Steven Posson has been testing his “on-time” model of seeing patients for the last year in Santa Maria. Now, he’s moving shop to 1353 Shell Beach Road in Pismo Beach. His new office is called The Doctor Is In Center for Family Health, and treats patients differently than most practices, according to a press […]

The Santa Barbara County Chapter of the American Red Cross has four new employees: AmeriCorps members Ally LeClair, Laura Parrott, Jeffrey Scott, and Ashley Spoto. They will be working as part of the National Preparedness and Response Corps. Funded by special grants, the mission of this particular AmeriCorps program is to provide vital emergency assistance […]

There may not be many glories to be had in the insurance business, but there is the Golden Eagle. Hans Kardel, of Kardel Insurance Services in Santa Maria, has received the prestigious Golden Eagle Award from the Leading Producers Round Table of the National Association of Health Underwriters. The Golden Eagle Award is the highest […]

Joseph Engineering, a company located in Santa Maria, has received the “Spirit of Small Business Award” from the Pacific Coast Business Times. “It is an honor to be recognized for our hard work,” Brian Joseph, owner of Joseph Engineering, said in a press release. “Receiving this award motivates us to continue to strive for excellence. […]

The results are in, and there are now three new members of the board of directors of the Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Association: Thomas O’Higgins, Bent Olsen, and Sherry Thore. O’Higgins is the owner of Wine Country Home in Los Olivos and a partner in Artiste Winery in Santa Ynez. He’s been a Valley resident […]

Santa Barbara County was recognized on Aug. 6 for its use of the geographic information system (GIS), by the company that makes it, ESRI. The award was presented at the 28th Annual ESRI International User Conference in San Diego. GIS combines computer hardware, software, and data to create a tool for analyzing and displaying geographic […]

Rick Sweet, director of utilities for the city of Santa Maria, will be the featured speaker at the Business Development Luncheon on Aug. 19. Sweet has worked for the city for 21 years, starting as an assistant civil engineer, then becoming Santa Maria’s city engineer, director of public works, and finally director of utilities. Sweet […]

The Trattoria Uliveto, a new restaurant in Orcutt, is set to open its doors for the first time on Aug. 22. Owners Jim Spallino and Alfonso Curti, formally of Grappolo in Santa Ynez, have created a menu emphasizing the simple tastes of an Italian kitchen, from a salad of arugula and parmesan to a spinach […]

A new phase of homes has been released at Providence Landing in the Vandenberg Village area. Capital Pacific homes has sold all but two of the new houses so far, according to a press release from the company. Patrice Weston, sales manager at Providence Landing, said in the release that homes are selling well. “We […]