Henry Dubroff

The masthead signals that we’re at issue 52 and about to start into a new year. So I’ll exercise my editor’s privilege and provide an update from the Business Times newsroom as we launch Volume 18.

On April 13, CSU Channel Islands President Erika Beck will be the keynote speaker and special honoree at this year’s Top 50 Women in Business awards reception at the Deckers Rotunda in Goleta. We’ll be profiling Beck and our other winners in our March 24 publication and I hope you’ll join us at a wonderful venue for celebrating and shopping.

On May 18, Marsha Bailey, founder of Women’s Economic Ventures and a pioneer in the field of micro lending, will be inducted into the Business Times Business Hall of Fame at a special reception at the Four Seasons Santa Barbara Biltmore. Our 101 One Hundred/Hall of Fame event will also be introducing our first ever “Best Places to Work” awards and we’ll be profiling our winners in the April 21 edition of the Business Times.

To round out the first half of the year, Eduardo Cetlin, director of the Amgen Foundation, will be keynoting our Champions in Health Care awards luncheon at the Topa Tower Club on June 22. Our theme for the 2017 awards is “Aging and Elder Care” and we’ll be publishing our special report on May 19.

With this week’s issue, we are welcoming more than 600 members of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce to a new 12-week trial subscription. We hope many of you will join us as permanent subscribers — we’re offering a special deal to get all of our print issues and digital access for a year.

And, our Legacy Publishing Division is partnering with the American Red Cross Central Coast region on a 100th anniversary publication. We’re in the final stages of editorial production and sponsorship outreach on our legacy project.

And, as a sneak peek at the rest of the year, our Latino Business Awards on July 20 will introduce our inaugural Business Times scholarship winner; our Spirit of Small Business Awards on Aug. 24 will celebrate its 15th year; and our Fastest Growing Companies reception on Oct. 19 will be held at the brand new MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation.

The year has been a busy one at the Business Times.

We’ve welcomed several new staff members, including Marissa Nall, who is holding down the technology, travel and tourism, and agribusiness beats.

We recently brought on board Josh Molina, a longtime reporter in the Tri-Counties, who will take over the commercial real estate, banking, economy and health care beats from Alex Kacik, who is moving to Chicago.

Our veterans in the newsroom are Managing Editor Glenn Rabinowitz and Special Reports Editor Chris Officer, who manage to move 52 weekly print editions, 24 special reports and countless web updates and email blasts through our system each year.

Our advertising and sponsorship sales efforts is led by the incomparable Linda le Brock, our publisher and the leader of our marketing/social media efforts. For information about event sponsorship or advertising, you can reach her at llebrock@pacbiztimes.com.

Linda’s team includes advertising account executives Jared Godinez and Veronica Kusmuk as well as graphic artist Cory Pironti. Later in March we’ll be welcoming back Marketing Director Jennifer Carusa, who’s been on leave after the arrival of her son James, the newest member of the Business Times family in late December.

Our circulation efforts, including the Ventura chamber initiative, are handled by Circulation Director/Office Manager Debra Giles. We’re hoping to launch several more chamber of commerce partnerships this year. You can reach Debbie at dgiles@pacbiztimes.com or me at hdubroff@pacbiztimes.com.

We launched the Pacific Coast Business Times on March 17, 2000 as an independent business news company that would advocate for business, tell it like it is and connect our region’s business community. We welcome a wide range of opinion. And we really appreciate your support as we roll into a new year.

• Reach Editor Henry Dubroff at hdubroff@pacbiztimes.com.