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The Bank of Santa Barbara celebrated its first expansion into a Goleta branch during a grand-opening ceremony Wednesday.
CEO Eloy Ortega said this week that the locally owned bank has been looking forward to opening a second location for more than a year.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place at 5880 Calle Real in the Calle Real Shopping Center, where the store formerly occupied by a Blockbuster closed in December.
Ortega said he is hopeful that the Goleta branch marks the first of more expansions for the bank, whose flagship property is at 12 E. Figueroa St. in downtown Santa Barbara.
“We’re actually very excited to get out into the Goleta market,” Ortega told Noozhawk. “We already have quite a few clients there. We really want to become a part of the community.”
Lee & Associates-Central Coast Elects President
Clarice Clarke has been elected president of Lee & Associates-Central Coast, whose brokers cover all of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
Clarke has been active for more than 25 years in commercial real estate, brokerage and various ownership and management positions, including partner in Leider Group and founding partner in Leider Hayes Commercial. She has served as CFO and shareholder of Lee & Associates Central Coast since 2008.
In addition to management, she remains a top producer in her marketplace while upholding high standards of professionalism and integrity, according to a company news release.
Candice Nyholt Promoted to Accounts Director
SurfMedia Communications has announced the promotion of Candice Tang Nyholt to the position of accounts director.
Nyholt joined SurfMedia as an account executive in 2009, and was promoted to senior account executive in 2012.
Before joining SurfMedia, Nyholt worked for an investor-relations and corporate-communications agency, served as distribution and marketing manager at BabyFirstTV, and was an account executive at the Pacific Coast Business Times.
Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. Appoints Executive Chef
Patrice Martineau has been named executive chef for El Encanto, according to Orient-Express Hotels Ltd.
Originally from France, Martineau brings international and national award-winning experience to the Santa Barbara property, scheduled to reopen in March as the only West Coast hotel under the luxurious Orient-Express portfolio.
His menu will incorporate freshly picked herbs and vegetables from the hotel’s chef’s garden, as well as seasonal produce and Santa Barbara’s famous sea urchin.
Prior to joining El Encanto, Martineau was chef de cuisine at Peter at The Peninsula Tokyo, where he was selected as the opening chef to launch the restaurant.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
