Down to Business

For the second consecutive year, the South Coast Business & Technology Awards ceremony at the Hilton grossed record proceeds on behalf of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara.

Eight standout organizations and individuals were honored during the 500-guest event, which grossed $313,450 with net proceeds benefitting the foundation and recognized innovation, leadership, and success in the area’s business and technology sectors.

This year’s honorees included Zohar Ziv with the Pioneer Award, the news website Noozhawk for Excellence in Service, Jackie Carrera of the Santa Barbara Foundation as Executive of the Year, Tecolote Research as Company of the Year, Andrew Firestone and Jess Parker of StonePark Capital as Entrepreneurs of the Year, and the companies Pearly and Rabbit as Rising Stars.

“This annual showcase reminds us that our region is home to an extraordinary abundance of world-class business talent and technological innovation,” said foundation president Melinda Cabrera. “It also affirms the importance of our continuing efforts to help educate the workforce of tomorrow.”

Co-chairs for the fun fête were CEO of Montecito Bank & Trust Janet Garufis and Matt Rowe, branch manager of Raymond James in Santa Barbara. Donna Weidl, a senior vice president at Merrill Lynch, was co-emcee.

Among supporters turning out were Brooks and Kate Firestone, Tom and Karla Parker, Bill and Missy Macfayden, Chuck and Merryl Zegar, Renee Grubb, Nancy Ransohoff, David and Louise Borgatello, George and Laurie Leis, and former mayor Helene Schneider.