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Business Briefs

Los Olivos

Scott does interiors for the Bench

Shannon Scott Design recently completed the interiors for the Bench, a new Los Olivos wine tasting room owned by Barbara Banke and Jess Jackson.

The tasting room features local wines from Byron, Cambria, Kinton and IO wineries. For more information about the Bench, visit www.thebenchwines.com.

Scott said her fusion of new and used environmentally sustainable materials creates a “modern rustic” atmosphere that reflects the diverse personality of the various wines.

In addition to reclaimed and sustainably harvested woods, the interiors use paint with no volatile organic compounds, low-VOC finishes, natural fibers, recycled materials and low-voltage lighting.

Local contractor Allen Associates teamed up with Shannon Scott Design to provide construction services.

For a complete portfolio and information on Shannon Scott Design, visit www.shannonscottdesign.com.

Thermography Center opens in SB

The Thermography Center of Santa Barbara opened Dec. 11 at the Sage Center for Health in Santa Barbara, specializing in breast thermography for women, and mobile services.

The mobile center will be available upon request, traveling as far south as Los Angeles and as far north as San Francisco. Both ‘centers’ will feature advanced technology with doctors at Duke University reading and analyzing the results, company officials said.

Thermography is a safe, non-invasive technology offering the earliest detection possible, better than the traditional mammogram, they added.

A thermography image can show the development of breast disease up to 10 years prior to a mammogram before it becomes a cancerous growth. In addition, thermography can provide a safe and accurate reading of dense breasts and breasts with implants, where other modalities may not, they added.

For more information, call 560-7602 or send e-mail to jackie@thermographycentersb.com.

Stricklin joins Hometown Insurance

Bob Stricklin has joined Hometown Insurance Services with the Jones Organization in Solvang. Stricklin has 15 years of real estate sales experience but is switching gears to insurance. He will concentrate on commercial, farm and personal lines (home and auto) for the brokerage serving clients in the Santa Ynez Valley.

Stricklin grew up in a small farm town near Fresno where his father and grandfather sold insurance.

Stricklin said he has enjoyed meeting people in the Valley and is interested in joining the Rotary and Chamber of Commerce because he enjoys getting involved and “getting plugged into” a thriving community.

Stricklin can be reached at 688-6418 or Bstrick730@aol.com. The office is at 1571 Mission Drive, across from the Petersen Village Inn.

Director appointed for YMCA branch

Lynn Karlson has been appointed executive director of YMCA Youth and Family Services, a branch of the Channel Islands YMCA — a charitable organization of seven YMCA branches including the Stuart C. Gildred YMCA in Santa Ynez.

While serving on the Channel Islands YMCA Association board, Karlson participated in the acquisition of two of the largest Youth and Family Services programs, Noah’s Anchorage Youth Crisis Shelter and the Isla Vista Teen Center.

The YMCA Youth and Family Services Branch works with youth and families living in at-risk situations in Santa Barbara County and provides direct social services to them. As executive director, Karlson will be responsible for the current operation and future development of the branch.

She has a bachelor’s of science degree in international affairs and a master’s of science in agricultural and resource economics, according to the YMCA’s recent announcement.

Members of the Channel Islands YMCA include YMCAs in Santa Ynez, Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Montecito and Camarillo as well as YMCA Youth and Family Services, serving more than 44,000 people and providing more than $1.2 million in financial assistance to low-income families for child care, YMCA memberships, away camps, youth sports and teen after-school-programs.

Visitors Guide to be released

Special guests speaking on the state of the local tourism industry and the release of the group’s 2009 Vistors Guide will be features of the Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Association’s first meeting of 2009.

The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, at the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott, 555 McMurray Road in Buellton.

Speakers will include Kathy Janega-Dykes, CEO of the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau and Film Commission, and economist Dr. Kenneth Harwood.

For more information, contact SYVVA Executive Director Mary Harris at mary@SYVVA.com or 686-0053, or Laura Kath, media relations director, at laura@mariahmarketing.com or 344-1717.

For more on the Vistors Association, go to www.syvva.com.

Web site offers healthcare resource

A recently launched Web site, www.centralcoasthealthsource.com, provides a resource for finding local doctors, dentists, hospitals, pharmacies and other health care services.

Providers’ profiles, sorted by area of expertise, on the site are a tool for people who are new to the Central Coast, who have recently changed insurance providers or are looking for a new provider.

While the site offers no medical advice, consumers are encouraged to post reviews and comments about their experiences with the healthcare providers and services they use, said a company spokesman.

Central Coast Health Source LLC is based in San Luis Obispo and covers healthcare providers throughout Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

For more information visit www.centralcoasthealthsource. com.

Bank forgoes party, helps charities

Community West Bank employees recently voted overwhelmingly to cancel their company holiday party and use some of those funds to support local charities.

Employees at the bank’s five branch offices selected local nonprofit organizations carefully to do the most good for the communities the bank serves, said Lynda Nahra, bank president and chief executive officer.

Funds were provided by the bank, although many employees made personal donations as well.

Donations helped prepare health packages at Direct Relief International for natural disaster victims and provide toys for children staying at Casa Serena in Santa Barbara, the Rescue Mission of Oxnard and Domestic Violence Solutions in Santa Maria.

Employees also purchased books for children of St. Vincent’s PATHS Program and supplied personal hygiene items to the Healthy Start program and Prototypes Women’s Center in Ventura.

Corporate employees in Goleta adopted families at Transition House and participated in the “Stuff the Bus” toy drive to benefit the children of Peoples’ Self-Help Housing projects.