This week in Santa Cruz County business: Ambient Photonics’ vision to replace batteries, English Ales for sale, local bank rebrand

Quick take:

In this week's roundup of Santa Cruz County business news, Jessica M. Pasko reports on Scotts Valley-based Ambient Photonics' bid to replace small batteries with low-light solar cells, owners of English Ales putting the brewery up for sale, and Santa Cruz County Bank rebranding as West Coast Community Bank.

Each week, we’re taking a closer look at the movers and shakers, the growth of industries, and what’s really driving the Santa Cruz County economy. I’ll be spotlighting some of the biggest areas for opportunity, updates on local development and all things underpinning the regional business scene, each Wednesday.

Got ideas? Send them my way to news@lookoutlocal.com with “Business News” in the subject line.

Ambient Photonics imagines a battery-less future

What if instead of a disposable battery, you could power your laptop with a small solar cell that could charge even under indoor lighting conditions? That’s the theory behind Scotts Valley-based Ambient Photonics’ low-light photovoltaic technology.

CEO and co-founder Bates Marshall stands in Ambient Photonics’ Scotts Valley factory space, which was designed with future growth in mind. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

“The villain in our story is batteries,” said CEO Bates Marshall. “People don’t really think about it, but batteries have a huge environmental impact.”

The Scotts Valley-based company, launched in 2019, has set its sights on reducing the need for single-use batteries that power small devices such as computer keyboards and mice. Spun out of a Boston-area research lab, Ambient Photonics has been steadily perfecting proprietary technology that enables small solar cells to harvest and store energy under low-light conditions.

The company opened its fully automated manufacturing facility in a former Fox shocks manufacturing plant last year, and has been ramping up production ever since. After more than a year of producing batteries for testing with early adopters, Marshall said he expects mass production to begin this fall. It’s still early days, but the company ha already racked up some power players as partners and inaugural customers, including Google.

Marshall, a Santa Cruz native, says he is committed to keeping as much of the company’s operations local as possible, even as many other solar technology companies ramp up production facilities overseas. With Scotts Valley home to the company’s headquarters and factory, more than half of Ambient Photonics’ employees are currently based here.

ICYMI: Woodhouse Brewing wins outdoor music OK

Santa Cruz officials have given the green light for Woodhouse Blending & Brewing to host live outdoor music, following a yearlong hiatus. Last week, the city’s planning commission voted to expand the brewery’s use permit to allow it to host live music until 10 p.m.

Woodhouse Blending & Brewing owner Will Moxham spent the past year navigating what he describes as a frustrating and at times dehumanizing city bureaucracy in order to host live music outside. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

The brewery regularly hosted live entertainment until last October, when an anonymous complaint prompted city officials to shut it down due to the brewery lacking the proper permit. Read more from Lily Belli here.

Ch-ch-changes: Openings, closings and other developments

Santa Cruz County Bank to become West Coast Community Bank: As part of a planned merger with Salinas’ 1st Capital Bank, the combined entity will rebrand as West Coast Community Bank next year. The new name reflects Santa Cruz County Bank’s parent company and is expected to go into effect sometime next year. The merger, approved by shareholders this week, will expand the bank’s footprint in Monterey County. Additionally, bank officials also announced Gerald Stuart as a new senior business banking officer, based out of the company’s Cupertino office.
Climatize announces new platform, new hires: Climatize, a Santa Cruz startup that helps renewable energy projects, recently launched its new web platform. Investors can now review and fund available projects through the browser-based platform as well as the company’s iOS and Android apps. Additionally, the company announced three new hires: Jim Goldmann as director of finance and Oscar Garcia and Shaun Luttin as senior software engineers.
Capitola’s English Ales taproom for sale: Marina-based brewery English Ales is putting the business up for sale after 24 years and selling off its Capitola Village location separately as the owners prepare to retire. The Capitola Avenue taproom opened in February 2020, just weeks before the pandemic shut down the county.

Got hires, promotions, or departures to report? Send them to news@lookoutlocal.com with the subject line “Career changes.”

Looking at the numbers

$184.8 million: That’s the estimated gross production value of the county’s strawberry crop in 2023, marking a 19% decrease from 2022. The region’s strawberry fields were hit hard by 2023’s winter storms and the floods that followed. Check out Tania Ortiz’s full story here. The county’s agriculture commissioner, David Sanford, spoke with me last year about the challenges 2023 brought for the area’s agriculture community.
5.8%: That’s the unemployment rate in Santa Cruz County for August, holding steady for a second month. It’s a slight uptick from the statewide rate of 5.3%, which followed three consecutive months at 5.2%, according to the latest data from the state’s Employment Development Department.

Save the date

Wednesday, Sept. 25: The Aptos Chamber of Commerce will showcase local businesses at the Marketplace on the Green, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Seascape Golf Course in Aptos. More information here.
Saturday, Sept. 28: The El Pajaro Community Development Corp. and the Regional Women’s Business Center will hold a Latina Entrepreneurship Leadership Conference from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Watsonville Civic Plaza. Tickets and registration here.
Thursday, Oct. 3: The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce will hold a “business after hours” event at Abbott SPI Inc., a local security guard service. The networking event takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. at Abbott’s offices at 2030 North Pacific Ave., Suite A, in Santa Cruz. It’s $20 for non-members and $10 for chamber members to attend. More details here.
Saturday, Oct. 5: Santa Cruz Community Health will mark its 50th anniversary with a fundraising gala at the Hotel Paradox in Santa Cruz, from 6 to 10 p.m. The event will feature speakers, a sitdown dinner and a cash bar. Tickets start at $150. For details and to purchase tickets, go here.
Sunday, Oct. 6: Santa Cruz Works and the UC Santa Cruz Seymour Marine Discovery Center will host Blue Innovation 2024, a day of exhibits from companies, small businesses, non-profit organizations, artists and researchers tackling water and ocean challenges. More details here.
Thursday, Oct. 10: Workforce Santa Cruz County is sponsoring a job fair at Cocoanut Grove in Santa Cruz from 4 to 6 p.m. For more details and to register, click here.
Thursday, Oct. 17: The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce will hold its women’s leadership summit at Mount Hermon Conference Center from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. The agenda includes keynote speakers, breakout sessions and networking opportunities focused on empowering women in their professional and personal lives. Registration and details here.
Friday, Nov. 8: The Monterey Bay Economic Partnership hosts its 2024 annual State of the Region event from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the CSUMB University Center in Seaside. Representatives from Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties will speak about the region’s economic progress and other key issues. Register here.