This week in Santa Cruz County business: SwellCycle, Wienerschnitzel lot and high-wage job growth

Quick Take

In this week's local business roundup, Jessica M. Pasko dives into sustainable surfboard company SwellCycle, the latest Santa Cruz County job-growth figures and a slew of changes and updates from the business community.

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.

Sustainable surfboard company SwellCycle preps for pre-orders

SwellCycle co-founder Patricio Guerrero. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Patricio Guerrero had twin inspirations for co-founding a company focused on building a more sustainable surfboard. Not only did the Mexico City native grow up surfing in Southern California before moving to Santa Cruz, but he’d also seen first-hand just how much plastic waste the medical and healthcare industry produces. Partnering with Nathan Jackarzi and Pol Riera, Guerrero helped start SwellCycle, which uses 3D printing technology to create surfboards from recycled plastic hospital trays.

The company has been actively conducting research and development, including getting surfers to try out their boards, since 2022. This fall, the SwellCycle team expects to start taking pre-orders for their unique creations. They’ve recently moved from a home garage to the Wrigley Building on the Westside of Santa Cruz, where they’re busily fine-tuning and creating their unique boards.

Not only are the boards made from more sustainable materials, but they’re also highly customizable in terms of shape and size, said Guerrero. “We can tune the boards, increase the stiffness and make them more flexible so that you have more control depending on the conditions of the waves. And that’s really exciting.”

Read my full story on SwellCycle here.

ICYMI: Will the beer garden in the old Wienerschnitzel lot on Soquel Avenue ever open?

Beer Run Santa Cruz, a new forthcoming beer garden on Soquel Avenue in Santa Cruz, has been in the works for years but could open soon. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Construction and renovation has been in progress at the former hot dog joint in midtown Santa Cruz for several years, with plans to turn it into a new beer garden. The owners of Beer Mule Bottle Shop & Pourhouse, Beer Thirty Bottle Shop & Pourhouse, and Felton’s Trout Farm Inn purchased the building in 2015, but it’s been a lengthy process. Lily Belli got the update this week on what’s going on with the new spot, Beer Run. Read her piece here.

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

Bottles and cans from Fruition Brewing. Credit: Via Michael Hanson

Granite Construction’s top finance officer retiring: Lisa Curtis, chief finance officer of Watsonville-based contractor Granite Construction, will retire Sept. 16. Curtis has been with the company since 2018 and in her current role since January 2021. Staci Woolsey, Granite’s senior vice president and chief accounting officer, will take the reins from Curtis. Woolsey joined Granite in June 2021. In her new role, she’ll lead all of the company’s global financial operations, including accounting and finance, investor relations, internal audit, IT and more.
Watsonville brewery marks five years in business: Fruition Brewing is celebrating five years in business at its East Lake Village shopping center locale this month. The brewery, owned by Tallula Preston and David Purgason, is commemorating the occasion with music, pop-up vendors and special beers on Saturday, July 27.
UC Santa Cruz gets $1 million grant to document labor activist’s legacy: The Mellon Foundation has awarded UC Santa Cruz a $1 million grant to establish new public archives that document the legacy of Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the labor union United Farm Workers (UFW). The university will hire a project archivist and two postdoctoral scholars to support development of Huerta’s archives and produce research and education materials. Huerta and Cesar Chavez founded UFW in 1962 and Huerta has spent more than 60 years leading community organizing efforts.

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

Looking at the numbers

45.9%: That’s how much job growth occurred between 2021 and 2023 within the defense, aerospace and transportation industry in Santa Cruz County, driven largely by Joby Aviation’s expansion. That was more growth than any of the other “high-wage industry clusters” identified in the new 2024 Santa Cruz County State of the Workforce report. Following behind with growth of 21.7% was the biotechnology and biomedical devices industry. I’ll be sharing more insights from these findings in the coming weeks.

Save the date

Thursday, July 11: UC Santa Cruz will host EmpowHer Sound, a three-hour event focused on music production for women. The introductory course with Xylo Aria, singer and founder of Music Production for Women, will teach attendees basic skills and tools to help them in their journey to a music career. To register for the free event, which takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. on campus, go here.
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.
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 5:00 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.