Quick Take

Jessica M. Pasko dives into the story behind the surf helmet a Santa Cruz company pitched on a recent episode of "Shark Tank," explores The Catalyst's iconic status and highlights numbers, names and events to know on the local business scene.

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.

Fresh off ‘Shark Tank,’ Santa Cruz-based Surf Skull’s surf helmet takes off

The Surf Skull helmet won a $50,000 investment on a recent episode of ABC’s “Shark Tank.” Credit: Surf Skull

Head and neck injuries are extremely common in surfing, and bring the risk of serious and permanent damage, yet helmet use remains rare in the sport. Davon Larson and Paul Huang want to change that, with their more fashionable take on a surf helmet. 

The avid surfers and business partners recently landed a $50,000 investment from KIND Snacks CEO Daniel Lubetzky on the reality television series “Shark Tank.” Now, they’re busily working on meeting demand for their surf helmets with the hopes of shipping out version 2.0 later this month. 

Inspiration struck Larson literally — he was surfing in Mexico in 2022 when he went under a wave and his board hit his head. Bleeding profusely, he sought help from a nearby campsite, where a nurse was able to do a makeshift dressing of his wounds. Reeling from the realization that the scary situation could have been worse, he decided he should wear a helmet while surfing from then on. But existing surf helmet options left him wanting something more, something a little more stylish. As a product designer by trade, he knew he could come up with something to fit the bill. That launched Surf Skull, which combines a simple helmet with a bucket hat for headgear that’s both functional and fashionable. 

Read more about Surf Skull here.

ICYMI: What The Catalyst means to Santa Cruz’s music scene, its culture and its sense of itself

The Catalyst nightclub on Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz
Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

In light of the news that a Silicon Valley developer filed a pre-application seeking to tear down the Pacific Avenue building that currently houses The Catalyst nightclub, Wallace Baine took a deeper dive into what the venue means to Santa Cruz culture. Read his piece here. 

While no proposal has been approved by Santa Cruz city officials yet – and any potential demolition is likely a ways off – the idea that downtown could lose the storied music venue has set off alarm bells for many citizens and fans. It’s just the latest spark point in the ongoing discussion over the changes happening in downtown Santa Cruz. 

Ch-ch-changes

Veteran baker Danielle Orlando was the head pastry chef at The Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay before she opened Dani O Bakeshop in the Capitola Mall in September 2024. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz
  • Dani O Bakeshop hits pause for health reasons: A Capitola bakery is putting operations on pause as the owner faces upcoming heart surgery. Danielle Orlando opened Dani O Bakeshop in 2024, with a home base in the Capitola Mall. Drawing on her 17 years of pastry chef experience, Orlando quickly earned a following for her croissants, cruffins and breakfast smash burgers, among other treats. Orlando posted recently on her Instagram that she had been diagnosed with a congenital heart condition and will need surgery. “So for now, the ovens are pausing,” she wrote. “Not as an ending, but as a necessary moment of evolution.” The bakery’s final event, for now, will be at Collective Santa Cruz’s holiday pop-up on Dec. 20 and 21 in the former Logos Books & Records store on Pacific Avenue downtown.
  • Cabrillo College hires new choral director: Cabrillo College recently named Carlin Truong as its new director of choral and vocal studies. Prior to joining Cabrillo, Truong directed ensembles at Clear Creek Middle and High School in Colorado, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Arkansas Tech University and the University of Ghana, among others. He also previously served as an assistant conductor for the Moores Opera Center at the University of Houston.
  • Santa Cruz Works appoints new accelerator director: Local tech and business organization Santa Cruz Works has hired a new director for its accelerator program. Michael Ashley brings extensive experience in entrepreneurship, startup coaching and program-building. For the past three years, he launched and led SpartUp, an incubator program at San Jose State University. (The name stems from the school’s mascot, the Spartans.) Ashley will lead Santa Cruz Works Accelerator’s seventh cohort this spring. 
  • King’s Paint & Paper opens third local store: King’s Paint & Paper has opened its newest paint store at 716 Soquel Ave. in Santa Cruz. This is the company’s third location, in addition to its Capitola and Scotts Valley locations. Originally founded as Thomsen’s Color Corner in 1945, the name changed to King’s Paint & Paper after brothers Ron and Bill King purchased the business in 1976. 
  • Monterey Bay Economic Partnership nets $50,000 Bank of America grant: Bank of America named regional nonprofit organization Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) its 2025 “Neighborhood Builder” for its work to improve economic health and quality of life in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties. Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders program is one of the nation’s largest philanthropic investments into nonprofit leadership development. MBEP will receive a $50,000 grant over two years, leadership training for the CEO and an emerging leader, and the opportunity to connect with other nonprofits.

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

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Looking at the numbers

  • 65.7%: That was the hotel occupancy rate in Santa Cruz County for October, down slightly from last year, according to the latest numbers from Visit Santa Cruz County. Short-term rental occupancy was up significantly, however: 42.6% compared to 26.7% in October 2024. U.S. visitors to Santa Cruz in October stayed an average of 1.2 days, and 78% of tourists came from within California.

Save the date 

  • Thursday, Dec. 11: Hwy17 Studios will host an open house and ribbon-cutting with the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce from 5 to 7 p.m. Hwy17 Studios at 831 Almar Ave. in Santa Cruz is a new 22,500-square-foot film and event production facility. For more information, click here.
  • Thursday, Dec. 11: The Aptos Chamber of Commerce will hold its December luncheon at Seascape Golf Club from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets are $35 for chamber members. Details here.
  • Friday, Dec. 12: Santa Cruz Community Credit Union will hold another open house and ribbon-cutting for its new mobile branch, this time in South County. MobiBranch is essentially a branded van outfitted with an ATM and staffed by credit union employees. The credit union introduced the van in October with a goal of helping expand affordable financial services to more communities. The vehicle will be set up outside Casa de la Cultura, 225 Salinas Rd., #4A, in Pajaro from noon to 2 p.m.

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

Business news worth reading

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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...