Spotlight

The Santa Maria Chapter of California Women for Agriculture awarded $1,000 scholarships to six local students at a recent luncheon. This year’s recipients are Amy Guerra, Mark Powell, Amanda Rosa, Lisa Baray, Megan Brownell, and Ashli Middleton. California Women for Agriculture is dedicated to the survival of agriculture. Members serve as a non-partisan, non-sectarian, non-commercial […]

The next Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce mixer will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on July 17 at the Community Cornerstone Center for Nonprofits, 120 E. Jones St. According to a press release, the Chamber is celebrating the partnerships and friendships that have been established between local government, businesses, grantors and patrons. […]

After almost 20 years in Orcutt, Wil Schock, owner and furniture designer of Schock’s Furniture Crafters, is putting down his tools and walking away. “Even after 25 years of designing furniture every day, I still love this job. I’ve been artistic all my life, into music, restoring antique cars and motorcycles. But designing allowed me […]

Based in Santa Maria, but with most business done over the Internet, Gifts Gone Gourmet is a local online success story. The shop carries gourmet foods, specialty foods, wine, and gift baskets. Though online shopping is easy and fast, locals who want to see in person what Gifts Gone Gourmet has to offer can visit […]

The place to go for laser tag, video games, and some good clean fun, MotionZ, is shutting its doors for the last time on July 27 at 7 p.m. “The economic times have affected everyone and has hit us especially hard. We are proud of the product we have offered to our guests and patrons. It […]

Tourism is great for the local economy, but it can get expensive for the people doing the touring. To help out, the Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Association (SYVVA) has announced a first-ever 10 percent savings offer for mid-week summer visitors. “Gas prices and the economy can take a toll on vacation budgets,” SYVVA president Mike […]

Falling ill during the summer months can put a damper on vacation plans, but local healthcare managers are confident in their abilities to get people back under sunny skies. They have reason to be. After all, the president of Marian Medical Center and CHW Central Coast Service Area, Charles J. Cova, has become a Fellow […]

Sharon Brown is the new senior vice president, director of human resources, for Community West Bank, based in Goleta. She will oversee all human resource functions for the bank’s 150 employees at multiple locations. “Sharon brings over 20 years of human resources experience to Community West Bank,” Lynda Nahra, CEO and president of Community West […]

Timothy Holt, president of Preservation Capital Group LLC, successfully completed level II of the Professional Development Series at the Grubb and Ellis 2008 Real Estate Symposium. The two-day event was held in Newport Beach, and sponsored by the Tenant-In-Common Association. The topics covered were recent developments in commercial real estate, specifically relating to 1031 tax […]

The 580-acre development with a sports field, walking trails, bike paths, and, of course, houses, is now open for business in Orcutt. Western Pacific Land Group, the developer behind Rice Ranch, held a grand opening on June 7 and, according to a news release, about 2,000 people turned out to tour the new housing development. […]