Quick Take

In Santa Cruz County business news this week, Jessica M. Pasko reports on a surf wax company that won a local entrepreneurship competition, a new record store opening downtown and a Cabrillo College scholarship program being boosted by Comcast.

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.

Surf wax company nets $5,000 in competition

Treeswax, a Santa Cruz-based company that has created a petroleum-free surf wax, claimed first place at last week’s Demo Day. The event, held by Santa Cruz Works, featured seven local startups competing for seed funding and other opportunities. Each company had to deliver a five-minute pitch to a panel of judges and venture capitalists.

Treeswax also took the People’s Choice award and netted an additional $1,000. Treeswax was founded by Christian Shaw, a surfer who also runs Plastic Tides, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness about plastic pollution.

Ryze AI and TerraNova Bio earned second and third place, respectively, with each awarded $2,500.

ICYMI: Hundreds of UC Santa Cruz staff will strike

Two University of California system unions are set to go on strike next week, including employees at UC Santa Cruz. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 includes more than 27 patient care workers and 474 custodial and transportation workers at UC Santa Cruz. Read more from Hillary Ojeda here.

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

  • New record shop in downtown Santa Cruz: Offshore Sounds opened a new shop at 109 Locust St. in Santa Cruz this past weekend, making it the third record shop downtown alongside Streetlight Records and Redwood Records. Offshore Sounds also operates a shop on Haight Street in San Francisco.
  • Comcast contributes to Cabrillo College journalism scholarship: Comcast is contributing $45,000 to Cabrillo College to establish the Comcast Journalism Scholarship to support journalism students participating in local internships. Scholarship awards range from $600 to $2,400; the deadline for the winter semester is Dec. 9. Applications are here.
  • UC Santa Cruz researchers discover new biodiesel production process: Chemists at UC Santa Cruz have found a new way to create biodiesel from waste oil that involves a simplified process and mild heat. Their study, published in the American Chemical Society’s journal, Energy & Fuels, explains a new way to turn used vegetable oil into fuel for cars and other vehicles. Read more here.
  • New Leaf’s new Capitola store now open: New Leaf Community Markets marked the grand opening of its new shop in the former Lucky grocery store location in King’s Plaza in Capitola this past weekend. The new store expands on the 41st Avenue location to offer more products, including more prepared items and a self-serve poke bar.

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

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Save the date 

  • Wednesday, Nov. 13: The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce hosts a business “friendsgiving” network event at Cruzio Internet featuring refreshments and holiday crafts. The chamber also will be accepting donations for the Community Foundation’s Equal Access Santa Cruz County fund, which will help support Cruzio’s efforts to make low-cost, high-speed reliable internet available to everyone. The event takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. at 877 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. Register here.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 13: The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is holding a community workshop to share updates and receive public input on the Zero Emission Passenger Rail and Trail project. The meeting is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Live Oak Community Center, 1740 17th Ave., Santa Cruz.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 20: The Transportation Agency for Monterey County will hold an open house and community meeting to share details about the Pajaro-Watsonville Multimodal Station Project, which would be a major transit hub for residents in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. Transit officials will be on hand from 6 to 8 p.m. to hear public comment and provide more details. The event will be held at Pajaro Middle School, 250 Salinas Rd., Pajaro.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 20: Santa Cruz city officials will host a public community meeting at 6 p.m to discuss a planned development at 831 Water St. Developers are seeking to reduce the existing commercial space from 2,400 square feet to 800 square feet, with a plan for developing 140 affordable housing units on site. Details here.
  • Wednesday, Dec. 4: Santa Cruz Works hosts its eighth annual Titans Awards ceremony, celebrating individuals who have made a significant contribution to Santa Cruz, Monterey or San Benito counties through their innovation, leadership and dedication to making a positive impact. The ceremony is at Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. Tickets and details here.
  • Thursday, Dec. 5: The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce will hold its holiday business after-hours networking event at Woodstock’s Pizza, 710 Front St. in Santa Cruz. The event, held from 5 to 7 p.m., is also a food drive to support Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County. Attendees are asked to bring nonperishable food for the drive. More details here.

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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...