SanLuisObispo.com: Business

Biz Buzz: Natural food store expands its facilities

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:52 PST

A Templeton-based natural foods store and nursery is adding a second location in Atascadero and at the same time expanding to a larger location in Templeton.

Nature�s Touch Nursery and Harvest, owned and operated by Melanie Blankenship at 140 Seventh St. in Templeton for eight years, sells items such as grass-fed beef and fresh juices.

All products are grown or produced within California and are certified organic and naturally grown. Blankenship requires a soil analysis from all producers to guarantee that she only sells products of sustainable practices, she said.

Biz Buzz: Wineman Hotel marks its opening

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:04 PST

The newly refurbished Wineman Hotel marked its grand opening Wednesday with the lighting of the newly installed, historic marquee sign on Higuera and Chorro streets.

The mixed-use building at 839-849 Higuera St. has been undergoing a seismic-safety retrofit and renovation since mid-February. After about 15 years without residents, the second and third floors now offer 47 mixed-income studio apartments ranging in size from 160 to 230 square feet and subsidized so that the rents will be between $580 and $850 per month.

Twenty-seven of the units are low income and available for those earning a maximum annual income of $39,650. Three will be very-low income, or affordable to individuals earning a maximum annual income of $24,800. Seventeen will be available at market rate for those who have a maximum annual income of $59,450.

Biz Buzz: A new place to chow down downtown

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:15 PST

Robin Covey opened his new restaurant on Tuesday � Chow, at 1009 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo.

The restaurant, co-owned by Covey and business partner Shanny Covey, will follow the pan-Asian, noodle-food style set by Chow Novo, the small establishment that Covey had opened briefly a couple of years ago on Palm Street as a temporary place for his customers to dine while his Novo restaurant on Higuera Street was undergoing seismic retrofitting.

The new Chow will have a blend of California-Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean cuisines, leaning toward lighter vegetable and noodle dishes and lots of ginger, garlic and chiles to spice the dishes up, Robin Covey said.

Tribune Economic Snapshot for the week of Nov. 11

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:26 PST

Click here to view PDF.

Biz Buzz: SLO County home sales tick up, while home prices drop, firm says

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:11 PST

Home sales in San Luis Obispo County were up slightly in September, but the median price of homes dropped that month, according to DataQuick Information Systems, a Southern California-based real estate tracking firm.

Sales of all homes � including new and resale single-family homes and condominiums � increased 4.3 percent in September over the same month in 2008.

A total of 245 homes sold in the county in September, compared to 235 in September 2008.

Biz Buzz: Tio Alberto�s reopens after fire risk is fixed

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:49 PST

Tio Alberto�s, a Mexican restaurant in downtown San Luis Obispo, reopened last weekend after an 18-day closure stemming from a fire hazard issue determined by city and county officials.

The business, at 1131 Broad St., fixed its roof venting system after San Luis Obispo County inspectors, along with the city Building and Fire departments, found that it had been spraying grease onto the roof.

�It was piled up a couple inches thick,� said John Callahan, San Luis Obispo fire chief.

Biz Buzz: Six firms honored for green practices

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:33 PST

Six businesses dedicated to saving energy and reducing their waste were honored Tuesday with Green Awards by the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce.

�We think these awards show it makes good business sense to be green � and brands this community as an environmentally sensitive place,� said chamber President Dave Garth.

The keynote speaker was Deborah Lyons, an environmental sustainability specialist for Hewlett- Packard in Palo Alto. The high-technology company, which is the largest information technology company in the country, was recently named by Newsweek magazine as the greenest company in America.

Biz Buzz: County unemployment rate improves

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:32 PST

San Luis Obispo County�s unemployment rate fell to 9 percent in September, down from 9.5 percent in August, according to the latest report from the state�s Employment Development Department.

That�s lower than 12 percent for all of California and better than many other areas across the state, including neighboring Monterey County with a 10 percent unemployment rate.

Still, San Luis Obispo County�s 9 percent is significantly higher than the 6 percent recorded in the same month a year ago. In September, 125,900 people were employed in the county out of a total labor force of 138,400.

Biz Buzz: Top 20 Under 40 nominations needed soon

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:02 PST

If you want to nominate someone for The Tribune�s Top 20 Under 40 competition, there�s less than a week left. The deadline is Wednesday.

The award, in its fifth year, honors 20 women and men younger than age 40 who have demonstrated leadership in their professions and communities.

To be eligible, nominees must live and work in San Luis Obispo County year-round and demonstrate a strong commitment to community service.

Biz Buzz: New gas station rises on old site

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:12 PST

A Chevron gas station under construction at Marsh and Higuera streets in San Luis Obispo is slated to open in January.

The station will feature a 2,112-square-foot, 24-hour convenience store with 11 parking spots and existing gasoline bays plus four new diesel pumps, officials say.

The previous station closed in October 2008.

Biz Buzz: Nurses union, CHW reach deal on H1N1 issues

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:34 PST

The hospital chain that owns Arroyo Grande Community Hospital and French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo has reached a contract agreement with a key nurses union over safety issues involving H1N1, or swine flu.

Nurses from the San Francisco-based Catholic Healthcare West were planning to strike Thursday to protest what they said was a lack of preparedness for the swine flu.

CHW nurses planned the walkout over what their union said was the failure of the chain to assure adequate safety precautions for patients, their families, nurses and other health-care employees in the wake of swine flu, according to a statement from the California Nurses Association.

Central Coat Tech: Tech Brew gets new location

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:12 PST

By Dan Logan -- The SLO Tech Brew networking get-together for technology professionals will undergo a change of venue starting with its Nov. 9 event.

The new location is Central Coast Brewing at 1422 Monterey in San Luis Obispo.

TechBrew runs from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Admission to the event is free and open to the public. No registration is required.

Biz Buzz: Impact Award winners named

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:10 PDT

A local organization that helps disabled children and a hospital that donates millions of dollars in services were among the winners of the 2009 Central Coast Community Impact Awards.

Honoring recipients that give their time and resources for people facing special needs in local communities, the winners are Jack�s Helping Hand, outstanding nonprofit organization; Beverly Aho, outstanding volunteer; Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, outstanding business; and Jim Sargen, outstanding philanthropist.

The awards are presented each year by two local nonprofit radio stations, K-LIFE 89.3 FM and 890 AM. An independent selection committee chooses the winners.

Biz Buzz: Second location opened for Cole family

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:20 PDT

Despite tough times in the auto business, Cole Chrysler Dodge has opened a second location in downtown San Luis Obispo.

The dealership had previously occupied the site at 1371 Monterey St. � which the Cole family owns � and it returns there with the Cole Value Center.

It features a lineup of 20 to 30 vehicles catering to those who want less expensive cars and trucks, co-owner David Cole said.

Biz Buzz: Airline cuts may not be felt here

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:09 PDT

US Airways staffing and flight reductions will not directly affect operations at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, officials there said.

The carrier plans to cut 1,000 jobs next year � including ramp service workers, pilots and flight attendants � and drop flights to such destinations as Colorado Springs, Colo., and Wichita, Kan. It is also trimming its Las Vegas flights.

But the cuts will not affect San Luis Obispo County customers because the company�s move only pertains to US Airways� main service lines, which flies larger jets. Mesa Air Group, which operates the smaller regional jets and turbo prop aircraft, is the regional carrier for US Airways at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport.

Biz Buzz: More shopping coming to Atascadero

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:22 PDT

A 4,800-square-foot retail center in Atascadero�s West Front Village, a mixed-use project set on 13 acres west of Highway 101 on Santa Rosa Street in Atascadero, will break ground within the next two months, according to John Rossetti, one of the development�s owners.

The center will be divided into four separate stores, most probably used for food services such as a coffee shop or yogurt store, Rossetti said.

The first two installments of the project have already been built: an 80-room Holiday Inn Express and Suites, open since July 2008, and a Jack in the Box, open since summer, Rossetti added.

Central Coast Tech: �Ignite� should be a speedy evening

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:36 PDT

By Dan Logan -- �Ignite Central Coast� is the theme at Wednesday�s meeting of Softec, the Central Coast Software and Technology Association.

Speed presentations will be the order of business � eight presenters will have five minutes each to deliver short and sweet messages intended to surprise and delight the audience.

Ignite was the idea of two Seattle entrepreneurs in 2006, and hundreds of Ignite events have been held worldwide since.

Biz Buzz: Law helps off-site tasting rooms

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:22 PDT

Downtown Paso Robles wine-tasting rooms have been given a boost with a law signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week.

They can now sell wine by the glass or bottle, and customers can drink what they buy on the premises.

Up to now, tasting rooms off-site from their wineries, such as Ortman Family Vineyards and Clayhouse Wines in downtown Paso Robles, could give their customers only an ounce of a taste of their wine.

Biz Buzz: Chamber meeting focuses on ugly side of �paradise�

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:15 PDT

Recent criminal acts and ongoing behavioral problems with drunks in San Luis Obispo�s renowned downtown came into sharp focus Thursday at the Chamber of Commerce�s monthly breakfast meeting.

The audience of 250 business people grew silent when Wendy Hinsdale told of how her 15-year-old daughter was punched in the jaw by a man while they walked downtown at 1 p.m. on Oct. 3.

The unprovoked assault broke the teen�s lower jaw in two places. Doctors had to wire her jaw shut to allow it to heal properly. As Hinsdale related the incident, members of the crowd gasped.

Biz Buzz: High costs spell end for eco-friendly pizza place

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:39 PDT

Being earth-friendly does not pay when you�re running a restaurant. At least that�s what the owner of San Luis Obispo�s Pizza Fusion thinks.

Brandon Borene said he had no choice but to close Pizza Fusion on Oct. 11, after being open less than a year. His business model was based on serving organic foods and using renewable, reused, biodegradable or recyclable resources.

�Our operating costs were about 30 percent higher than most restaurants,� the 35-year-old from Paso Robles said. �Our concept just didn�t pencil out.�