This week in Santa Cruz County business: Joby Aviation Academy gets Watsonville OK, big win for Climatize, county housing market stays hot

Quick Take

A Joby Aviation school offering aviation career courses for high school, college and professional-level students is coming to Watsonville Airport, Jessica M. Pasko reports in her weekly local business roundup. Elsewhere, a Santa Cruz-based startup that helps renewable energy projects takes home a big honor, plus more news, names, notes and numbers to know.

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.

Joby Aviation Academy gets green light in Watsonville

As Joby Aviation inches closer to launching commercial service of its electric aircraft, it has secured a spot for its pilot and aircraft maintenance training programs. The Santa Cruz-based company previously received a $1 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to develop courses aimed at increasing access to aviation careers.

Last week, the Watsonville City Council approved the company’s three-year lease for a hangar at Watsonville Airport. The Joby Aviation Academy will be the company’s first aviation college and the fourth flight school at the airport. Further details about the academy have not been made available yet, but anyone interested can sign up on the website to receive early notice about the aviation career courses that will be offered for high school, college and professional-level students.

Pilot training is a key component of Joby’s progress toward its goal of launching service in 2025. Last month, the company announced it plans to start with service in New York City and Los Angeles, and it has also inked deals with the U.S. Department of Defense and the United Arab Emirates.

Joby is also exploring future options for its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. While most of the company’s efforts so far have focused on its air taxis that run on an electric battery, it’s also experimenting with liquid hydrogen as a power source. Last week, the company announced it had completed a 523-mile flight with one of its eVTOL aircraft that had been converted to use hydrogen electricity as the power source. Company officials said this demonstrates the potential for emissions-free regional travel, and it builds on the work being done by H2Fly, a Joby-owned subsidiary focused on hydrogen electric flight. Hydrogen electricity enables the aircraft to take longer trips than the battery-powered vehicles, which are limited to short-distance trips due to the weight of the battery.

Climatize wins $50,000 from international prize program for efforts to reduce climate change

Climatize, the Santa Cruz-headquartered startup that helps renewable energy projects, is a winner of this year’s Keeling Curve Prizes. The prizes, awarded by the Global Warming Mitigation Project, recognizes green organizations working to reduce climate change. Winners were announced Monday and will each receive $50,000. Climatize was one of two winners in the finance category, chosen out of 600 entries. Since 2018, the Global Warming Mitigation Project has given out more than $1.75 million to nonprofits, for-profits and startups through the Keeling Curve prize program.

ICYMI: Santa Cruz County housing market stays course with another busy summer month

The local housing market remains hot, with real estate agents reporting a lot of activity in June and early July as visitors flocked to Santa Cruz County to beat the heat wave. The number of home sales remained largely the same in June as the prior month, with 112 compared to 110. However, that’s lower than the number of homes sold in June 2023. Max Chun has the full scoop here.

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

Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce names new membership coordinator: Channing Baker, a graduate of UC Santa Cruz, will serve as the membership coordinator for the chamber, having been promoted from intern. Baker is a Santa Monica native who moved here for college, where she earned a bachelor of arts in politics.
Digital NEST gets grant from Bank of America: Watsonville-headquartered Digital NEST is among the recipients of nearly $500,000 in grants from Bank of America. The grants were awarded to 20 local nonprofits throughout the greater Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley region, where Digital NEST operates facilities in Modesto and Stockton. The nonprofit focused on youth workforce development now runs five facilities, including its flagship Watsonville location.
New Santa Cruz Public Libraries director takes the helm: Christopher Platt started as the library system’s director of library services this month. Platt, a California native, brings more than 20 years of experience, and most recently served as library director in Mono County. Prior to that, he oversaw the New York Public Library system’s 88 branches as chief branch library officer. In his new role, he’ll oversee the library district’s 10 branches, bookmobile, digital archives and community programming.
Downtown Santa Cruz restaurant pursuing new format: Barceloneta in its current format has closed, and the owners plan to reopen with a new concept and name. Ibiza will be a Mediterranean breakfast and lunch spot, with a full cocktail menu. Read Lily Belli’s full report here.
Ross Dress for Less closes in Santa Cruz: The Ross Dress for Less store in Gateway Plaza on River Street in Santa Cruz has closed. Calls to the company’s spokesperson and Gateway Plaza’s owner, Balboa Retail Partners, were not returned. It’s the second flagship store at the plaza to close in the past year; Office Max shuttered last summer. New Leaf Community Markets has announced plans to open a new store at the plaza in 2025 following the closure of its downtown location on Pacific Avenue.

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

Looking at the numbers

$198,000: That’s the price to purchase a 2-year-old franchise of a mobile shaved ice business called Kona Ice. The price includes the 2022 GMC Savana van, established contacts and more. Details here.
23%: That’s how much job growth occurred in Santa Cruz County’s tourism, hospitality and recreation sector from 2021 to 2023, according to the 2024 Santa Cruz County State of the Workforce Report. This growth was largely fueled by a gain in restaurant jobs over that same period, as restaurants staffed back up following the pandemic shutdowns and new businesses opened.

Save the date

Wednesday, July 17: Santa Cruz Works hosts its next CEO luncheon with Steph Tsatos, president of Rapid RevOps. She’ll be speaking about how businesses can gain traction with EOS, a business software suite. The event takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at productOPs’ offices, 110 Cooper St., Suite 201, Santa Cruz. Register here.
Monday, July 22: The Santa Cruz City School District is hosting a recruitment fair for support positions from 4 to 6 p.m. in the multipurpose room of Harbor High School. For more information, contact Denise Grogan at dgrogan@sccs.net or 831-785-6353.
Tuesday, July 23: Kelsey Knox and Cindy Mediavilla, coauthors of a new book that explores the critical role of women workers in the development of the Disneyland project, will read excerpts and speak about their research. The event takes place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room at UC Santa Cruz’s McHenry Library. More info here.
Saturday, July 27: The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce hosts its 2024 awards dinner and auction at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville. Details and registration here.
Wednesday, Aug. 7: The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce will host a women’s networking mixer from 5 to 7 p.m. outside the Dientes and Santa Cruz Community Health clinics on Capitola Road. Details here.
Saturday, Sept. 28: The El Pajaro Community Development Corporation and the Regional Women’s Business Center will hold its Latina Entrepreneurship Leadership Conference from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Watsonville Civic Plaza. Tickets and registration 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 sit-down dinner and a no-host bar. Early bird tickets are now available for $150 and prices will increase Aug. 1. For details and to purchase tickets, go here.