Spotlight

On Oct. 27, retailer Walmart appealed a Lompoc Planning Commission ruling that denied the company’s application to expand its Lompoc store by more than 40,000 square feet. In the appeal to the Lompoc City Council, filed on behalf of Walmart by Los Angeles-based law firm Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips, the company contends the project’s Environmental […]

Sport Clips in Santa Maria is joining the rest of the franchise’s stores nationwide in supporting the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ “Operation Uplink,” a program offering free call days for deployed and hospitalized American service members. The shop will be taking part in Sport Clips’ “Biggest Haircut Day of the Year” cut-a-thon on Veterans Day, […]

CoastHills Federal Credit Union, an 11-branch institution serving the Central Coast, recently introduced an integrated mobile marketing and banking application designed for smartphones, according to CoastHills officials. By using the application, credit union members can check account balances, transfer funds, make loan payments, and generate on-demand account statements from their phones. The app also displays […]

Gordies BBQ and Grill, a new barbecue restaurant in Nipomo, opened its doors on Oct. 1. Offering barbecue chicken, tri-tip steaks, ribs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and burritos, Gordies owner Jonathan Chavez and manager Gilberto Chavez promise great food. Located at 277 W. Tefft St., Gordies is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days […]

Community Bank of Santa Maria released its third quarter financial statements Oct. 18, showing a large increase in net profits over the same period in 2009. For the period ending Sept. 30, net profits for the bank were $308,967, a 169-percent increase over the $114,587 reported for the period ending Sept. 30, 2009. Total assets […]

Santa Maria’s Engel and Gray, Inc. equipment yard will be the site for the Santa Barbara County Chapter of the American Red Cross’ “M*A*S*H Bash,” a celebration of 100 years of First Aid, on Nov. 5 and 6. On Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Engel and Gray will display a historical exhibit […]

Halloween night promises to be a ghoulish time at the Santa Maria Town Center mall, where participating merchants, during “Safe Trick-or-Treating,” will treat costumed kids from 5 p.m. until all the candy is gone. The mall is also home to a super scary Haunted House, open Oct. 22 to 24 and Oct. 28 to 31, […]

Four members of the California Agricultural Leadership Program, a two-year fellowship affiliated with Cal Poly-SLO, recently donated $2,000 to Growing Grounds Farm in Santa Maria. Lisa Bodrogi, Cara Crye, Ivor VanWingerden, and Erin Huston participated in service projects in Washington, D.C., and South America. In Peru, they fundraised and repaired 30 homes damaged in an […]

The Pacific Coast Business Times recently named Nicholas Miller, of the Central Coast Miller Family, one of the “Top 40 Under 40” business people in Santa Barbara County. Miller was recognized for his efforts within the Miller Family portfolio, which includes Bien Nacido Vineyards, Solomon Hills Vineyards, French Camp Vineyards, and Central Coast Wine Services […]

With looming concerns over the health and viability of the economy, the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is introducing an aggressive campaign to encourage residents to spend their money in their own backyard. Beginning Oct. 15 and running through mid-December, the chamber will be saturating television, radio, and print with advertising, including the tagline, […]

The Berchtold Equipment Company, a third-generation family-owned farm equipment seller with a location in Santa Maria, is celebrating its centennial this year. Joseph Berchtold, a former miner and inventor from Dubuque, Iowa, started the company in Bakersfield as a feed-and-seed store in 1910. Joseph’s son E.G (Berch) Berchtold took over the company following his father’s […]

The Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Association announced the election of a new board of directors for 2011. John Kochis, general manager of Bridlewood Estate Winery, is the group’s new president, and Thomas O’Higgins, owner of Wine Country Home, was named vice president. Other elected officers are treasurer Sherry Thore, owner of Sherry Thore CPA; secretary […]