Quick Take

The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce will once again be known by its original name, the Santa Cruz Area Chamber, Jessica M. Pasko reports in her weekly look at local business. She also notes next steps for Olipop, the prebiotic soda company that got its start in a makeshift lab in CEO Ben Goodwin's Santa Cruz home.

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.

Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce returns to its original name

The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce will once again be known by its original name, the Santa Cruz Area Chamber, chamber leaders announced. While long recognized as the county chamber, it still legally retained the name “Santa Cruz Area Chamber.”

Chamber leaders said the return to its old name better reflects the community it serves while also recognizing the other chambers in the area. That includes the Aptos Chamber of Commerce, the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Capitola Soquel Chamber of Commerce.

The Santa Cruz Area Chamber, founded in 1889, currently serves more than 400 members. The chamber is also actively working on hiring a new executive director following the departure of Casey Beyer last fall. Dan Smart, chair of the board of directors, said last week that the executive committee was finishing up its final interviews for the position. 

Soda alternative with Santa Cruz ties nets $50 million funding round

hands holding cans of Olipop soda toast
Credit: Olipop / Facebook

Prebiotic soda company Olipop just announced a new $50 million Series C funding round as it continues to compete in the growing soda alternative market. Series C is typically a company’s fourth and last stage of venture capital funding as it prepares to scale, enter new markets and, in some cases, prepare for an initial public offering (IPO). 

While the company is headquartered in Oakland, CEO Ben Goodwin perfected the recipe in a makeshift lab in his home in Santa Cruz, as he explained to CNBC Make It in 2023.

ICYMI: As a sale for Bayview Hotel falls through, historic Aptos property is back on the market

Plaques marking the Bayview Hotel in Aptos as a historic site
Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

On the hunt for a 150-year-old, 14-room hotel to restore? You just might be in luck. Aptos’ historic Bayview Hotel is still on the market after a failure to close a sale that was in escrow as recently as last fall, as Max Chun reported.

Christina Locke purchased the property with her now-deceased husband in 2002, but it hasn’t functioned as a hotel or restaurant since 2017.

Developer Joe Appenrodt was in talks to purchase the property, but ultimately walked away after determining it was too big a project to take on. 

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

  • Two local financial institutions named to top-500 list: Newsweek named Santa Cruz County Bank and Santa Cruz Community Credit Union to its annual list of America’s Best Regional Banks and Credit Unions. The lists recognize the top 500 in each category, based on credit quality, profitability, reviews and customer surveys. Both institutions got a 4.5 out of 5 stars rating for 2025.
  • Longtime Community Bridges employee promoted: Dana Wagner is now the senior program director for Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County, Community Bridges announced recently. Wagner joined the nonprofit organization as a supervising dietician for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in 2001. She later became the program’s director and has been serving as the interim director for Meals on Wheels since March 2024.
  • Driscoll’s general counsel set to retire: Tom O’Brien, senior vice president of global human resources and general counsel for Driscoll’s, is retiring this year, the company announced. O’Brien first represented the Watsonville-based berry company almost 25 years ago as an attorney in Washington, D.C. He became the company’s first general counsel in 2014 and his role was later expanded. Prior to joining Driscoll’s, he worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and for former California governor Gray Davis as a policy advisor.
  • Cabrillo College president will retire in December: Matt Wetstein, who’s served as president of Cabrillo College since February 2018, announced his retirement last week. Wetstein joined Cabrillo from San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. He’s overseen Cabrillo through a transformative era, including steering it through the COVID-19 pandemic and navigating a name-change exploration. Read Hillary Ojeda’s full story here.
  • Yoga studio moves to Midtown Santa Cruz: Yoga Center Santa Cruz has moved from downtown to 1620 Seabright Ave. in Santa Cruz, taking over part of the storefront previously occupied by Harts Fabric. (Harts moved to 1126 Soquel Ave. in October.) Yoga Center Santa Cruz started on Cedar Street in 1988 and moved to Front Street a decade later.

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

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Looking at the numbers 

Beehives in Visalia. Credit: California State Beekeepers Association
  • $350: That’s the minimum value of a single stolen beehive, according to the California State Beekeepers Association (CSBA). When you factor in replacement and loss of productivity, that can quickly add up to $1,000 per hive for commercial beekeepers. Beehive theft is a growing problem, especially during California’s almond bloom each February, and the state has experienced an 87% increase in hive thefts since 2013, according to CSBA. That accounts for a total of 10,000 hives reported stolen, with a collective value of over $3.5 million. The association announced this month a new program aimed at cracking down on theft.

Save the date 

  • Thursday, Feb. 20: Pajaro Valley Business Builders will host its next business mixer from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Hampton Inn & Suites, 75 Lee Rd. in Watsonville. 
  • Thursday, Feb. 20: Workforce Santa Cruz County, a partnership of local organizations that serve job seekers and businesses, is hosting two forums focused on veterans’ needs, one for north and south county residents. The first will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Career Center Classroom, 500 Westridge Dr. in Watsonville; the second takes place at the London Nelson Community Center, Room 1, 301 Center St. in Santa Cruz from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
  • Monday, Feb. 24: Monterey Bay Economic Partnership President and CEO Tahra Goraya and Santa Cruz County Bank CEO Krista Snelling are among 50 women leaders who will take part in the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s Mentoring Monday event. The event brings together the region’s top businesswomen and other leaders to share their stories and tips for success. It takes place from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Villa Ragusa, 35 S. Second St., Campbell. Tickets and more details here.
  • Wednesday, March 19: The cities of Watsonville and Santa Cruz are co-hosting a job fair for jobs in construction, electrical, plumbing, welding, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), agriculture and related fields. The event, open to those age 18 and up, will be held from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in the Watsonville Civic Plaza Community Room, 275 Main St., Watsonville. For details and registration, click here.
  • Friday, March 21: The Santa Cruz Small Business Camp will bring together a day of interactive sessions with local business owners, networking opportunities and a keynote address by Jared Truby of Cat & Cloud Coffee at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. Speaker and session details will be released later this month. Details and registration here.
  • Thursday, April 3: The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual awards gala at the Cocoanut Grove Ballroom in Santa Cruz from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Details and registration here. 

Add your business or networking events to Lookout’s free public calendar, BOLO. Click here to add your event.

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Jessica M. Pasko has been writing professionally for almost two decades. She cut her teeth in journalism as a reporter for the Associated Press in her native Albany, New York, where she covered everything...