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Pro Surfer Cole Robbins Makes Waves in Local Real Estate Market

Published on Noozhawk in Homes & Lifestyle on July 8, 2016

Cole Robbins hangs ten while longboarding in the 2012 CITIC PACIFIC ShenZhou Peninsula Pro. The surfer also works as a real estate agent at Village Properties. (World Surf League photo)

When Cole Robbins and his twin brother, Brett, were 10 years old, their father taught them to surf. As a 16-year-old Santa Barbara High School student, Cole placed third in the U.S. Open of Professional Surfing, which qualified him for the World Longboard Tour.

“That’s when my professional surfing career took off,” says the UC Santa Barbara alumnus, who has won four national championships, been named Scholar of the Year and placed Best in the World in the 2012 World Longboard Tour in China, among other distinctions and accolades.

Determination and striving for excellence are the two qualities that Robbins believes have made him a winning surfer. Throw into this mix his belief in doing the things he enjoys — things he has a passion for — and the result is success on every level.

Two and a half years ago Robbins embarked on a real estate career with Village Properties, and he attributes his success as a Santa Barbara Realtor to these same qualities of determination, excellence and passion for what he does.

In every real estate transaction he is involved in, he is fully dedicated to his clients, works tirelessly on their behalf and believes in bringing excellence to all aspects of his work.

Robbins grew up learning about the real estate industry because his parents are residential developers who built beautiful houses in Santa Barbara and Montecito.

He always had a natural love for real estate, so after college he decided to join the industry, and there was only one brokerage he wanted to work for.

 Village Properties was the only company his family had used, and so he knew that joining this highly respected company and working alongside the most successful real estate agents in the area would help bring him the career success he now has.

He wanted to be part of a company that allowed him to excel using his qualities of determination, caring for his clients with 100 percent commitment and loving what he does as a real estate agent.
 
While he is looking forward to another World Longboard Tour, slated for December in China, he continues to throw his energies and passions into building his highly acclaimed real estate career in Santa Barbara.

With an eye on the championship in December, he gets to surf maybe three or four times a week, depending on the waves. 
 
“However, it’s clients before surfing. You don’t make a living longboarding,” Robbins says. “In addition to surfing, I get to do something else I love, which is helping people with their real estate needs. I give 100 percent to my clients, taking care of their needs and all the details for a successful and smooth transaction.”

Robbin’s belief in excellence and determination, along with his passion for all things real estate, make him a wonderful choice for clients as their local Realtor.

To contact Robbins, call 805.403.7735 or email him at mailto:colerobbins@villagesite.com. To learn more about Village Properties, call 805.969.8900 or visit www.villagesite.com.

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Out & About: Ziegler elected to SABER board

Published on Santa Barbara News-Press in Life on July 6, 2016

By Charlotte Boechler 

        R.W. "Hap" Ziegler has been elected to the board of directors of the Santa Barbara Executive Roundtable. Mr. Ziegler, an attorney and business consultant, is the chief operating officer of Mesa Consulting LLC. He is on the management board of the Santa Barbara YMCA and the board of Anka Behavioral Health Inc. He is a supporter of Surgical Eye Expeditions International and the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation. He earned a law degree from Duquesne University School of Law.

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Recovery Road Medical Center Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Published on Noozhawk in News Releases on June 22, 2016

Joseph Frawley

Recovery Road Medical Center has marked 10 years on its journey of providing outpatient treatment programs for alcohol and drug addiction, chronic pain and mental health disorders.

Recovery Road views addiction as an illness, like diabetes or asthma for example, and does not confuse a person with his or her illness.

Sherif El-Asyouty

Drs. Joseph Frawley and Sherif El-Asyouty are the co-founders and co-medical directors of Recovery Road Medical Center. The two doctors met at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where the two were working.

They shared the idea that in order for care to be based on an individualized assessment of needs a multidisciplinary program was needed, and Recovery Road Medical Center was born. 

Frawley is a board-certified internist and has specialized in addiction treatment for the last 26 years.

A board-certified psychiatrist, El-Asyouty is also certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine and has been practicing medicine in Santa Barbara since 2003. 

For more information on Recovery Road Medical Center and its programs, call 805.962.7800, email office@recoveryroadmc.com or visit www.recoveryroadmc.com.

Recovery Road Medical Center is located at 3891 State St., Suite 205, in Santa Barbara.

 

 

 

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Camarillo Flight School Issues First Pilot Licenses

Published on San Fernando Valley Business Journal in News on May 30, 2016

By Mark R. Madler

EDUCATION: Students can take final exam in cockpit with local instructor.

Channel Islands Aviation this month started issuing licenses to students who successfully completed its private pilot course. The license allows them to fly non-commercial aircraft.

The Camarillo charter company and flight school was given examination authority by the Federal Aviation Administration, which allows the company’s chief flight instructor David Koble to give a final check to students and award the license.

Sarah Bartush, chief marketing officer for the family-owned business, said that before the flight school got examination authority, an FAA-approved pilot examiner had to be called in to do the final test with the students.

“We no longer have to do that for the private pilot course because our customers, when they take their final flight with our chief flight instructor and if they meet the standards for the course, he can issue a pilot certificate right there,” Bartush said.

Having that ability means a streamlined process for the school but also helps students in that they are doing the final flight check with a pilot they know rather than bringing in an outsider, she added.

Sky: Channel Island Aviation's David Koble, right, with student. 

“That can allow for them to perform better,” Bartush continued. “It takes the edge off the stress.”

Channel Islands Aviation received its approval for examination authority in April and did its first check flight the week of May 16. Bartush believes her flight school is the only one given that authority in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Channel Islands was first approved by the FAA as a flight school in 2009.

The private pilot course is among eight offered and requires 35 hours of instruction. On average about 40 students complete the program annually, Bartush said.

The firm is now going to apply with the FAA to receive examination authority on the other courses it offers, starting with its instrument rating course.

“Now that we have the initial approval other courses should come much more quickly,” Bartush said.

New Charter

JetSuiteX started service this month between Hollywood Burbank Airport and Las Vegas and expanded service to the San Francisco Bay area.

The charter service will operate three daily roundtrip flights on weekdays and Sundays between the San Fernando Valley airfield and McCarron International Airport using Embraer 135 aircraft.

Chief Executive Alex Wilcox said that JetSuiteX is going after passengers who want a short-haul flight absent the hassles of flying out of a large commercial airport.

“After all, who wants to spend more time in the airport than in the air?” Wilcox said in a prepared statement. “JetSuiteX was created for people who prefer to fly but want to avoid crowded airport terminals and long security lines.”

Irvine-based JetSuiteX’s model is for passengers to purchase a single seat on the planes or to charter the entire aircraft. It differs from that of Surf Air, which also flies out of Hollywood Burbank with service to Oakland and San Carlos, which operates on a subscription model in which customers pay a flat fee each month and fly as often as they want.

In addition to the new Las Vegas service, JetSuiteX expanded its service between Burbank and Concord, outside of Oakland, to three roundtrips on weekdays from two daily roundtrips. That service started April 19.

JetSuiteX offers departures from private jet terminals and its Embraer aircraft feature 30 seats with legroom comparable to business class on a domestic airline and free Wi-Fi and inflight entertainment streamed to passengers’ personal devices.

Drone Bills

The Valley Industry & Commerce Association Aviation Committee voted on May 11 to oppose a state Senate bill governing the use of unmanned aircraft, or drones, in California.

The group is against Senate Bill 868, the State Remote Piloted Aircraft Act, because it is overly broad and could negatively affect innovation in drone development, VICA said.

The bill lays out where drones would and would not be allowed to operate. For instance, drone operators could not fly over state parks or lands and water managed by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife without a permit. The aircraft would be allowed in appropriate spaces at an airport or over private property where an owner’s permission has been given.

The committee tabled a vote on a second piece of pending drone-related legislation, Assembly Bill 2320. That bill would keep people with a restraining order or registered as a sex offender from operating drones.

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Local Law Office Gains Partner

Published on Ventura County Star in Business on May 29, 2016

Cristian Arrieta, Partner of Lowthorp, Richards, McMillan, Miller & Templeman

The law office of Lowthorp, Richards, McMillan, Miller & Templeman has named associate Cristian R. Arrieta as a partner of the firm, according to Patrick T. Loughman, managing partner.

Based in Oxnard, Lowthorp Richards specializes in business, estate, family, and injury law. The firm maintains the highest possible legal rating in the national attorney directory of Martindale-Hubbell.

Arrieta's areas of expertise include trusts and estates, business and property law. A graduate of CSU Northridge with a bachelor's degree in philosophy, Arrieta received his juris doctor from the California Western School of Law and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2005.

Outside of the law office, he is a volunteer member of Women's Economic Ventures as well as Senior Concerns in Thousand Oaks. Other philanthropic activities include serving as past chairman of SCORE and past president of the Camarillo Breakfast Rotary Club.

Arrieta is a native Southern Californian, was raised in the area, also lived in Lima, Peru, and is fluent in Spanish. He and his family live in Newbury Park.

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Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners Redefines Green, Launders Donated Prom Gowns

Published on Noozhawk in News Releases on May 20, 2016

By Jennifer Goddard Combs

An Ablitt’s employee delivers freshly laundered prom dresses for purchase. (Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners photo)

Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners & Launderers, the environmentally friendly dry cleaners based in Santa Barbara, is taking its green philosophy to prom. In a different take on reduce, reuse and recycle, the award-winning dry cleaning business is making prom dresses available to those who can’t afford to buy one. 

According to Sasha Ablitt, business owner, “we pick up donated gowns from the Assistance League and clean them after the prom as a way of helping. We also collect gowns for donations.”

Ablitt’s also is gearing up to partner with the Assistance League, which has a “store” with an inventory of special-occasion dresses for young women to choose from. It’s a common charity for dry cleaners because of the easy fit, noted Ablitt.

“And now is the time to get on people’s minds: what will they do with the prom dresses after the prom?” she added. 

Ablitt’s currently is accepting prom gowns in good condition. To donate, call Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners & Launderers at 805.963.6677.

For information regarding buying a prom dress, contact the Assistance League at mailto:pieters@sbceo.org or mailto:marycma@aol.com. 

The last opportunity to buy a dress for this year is Saturday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 2p.m.

Ablitt’s is located at 14 W. Gutierrez St. in downtown Santa Barbara. Its hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information on Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners & Launderers, visit ablitts.com.

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Commercial Real Estate Veteran Dave Pintard Starts New Company

Published on Noozhawk in Business on May 1, 2016.

By Jennifer Goddard Combs

Dave Pintard, President of Pintard Commercial Real Estate

Local real estate veteran David Pintard has opened Pintard Commercial Real Estate specializing in commercial real estate leasing and investment properties, including syndication, ground up development and development entitlements.

Pintard has been active in local real estate since 1979. Before launching Pintard Commercial Real Estate, he served as Director of Leasing at Investec for past 20 years, responsible for the leasing and tenant retention of more than 1.350 million square feet, asset re-positioning and development of commercial buildings from Camarillo to San Luis Obispo.

Prior to his successful tenure at Investec, Pintard was president of Stewart Title of Santa Barbara and senior marketing consultant at Grubb & Ellis Commercial Real Estate.

Working primarily in Santa Barbara, his impressive achievements include negotiating leases, on behalf of the landlord, with well-known names in the financial industry, including Chase Bank, American Riviera Bank, Rabobank, Scottrade, Citizens Business Bank, First Republic Bank, Bank of the West and Wells Fargo Advisors.

Recently, he secured the new lease with Vons in the Mesa Shopping Center in the former Haggen site, and extended the lease term with Metropolitan Theatres in Paseo Nuevo.

Additionally, he represented the landlord in lease transactions with prominent national and international brands such as Pier 1 Imports, Walmart, Claire’s, Clark Shoes, Swarovski, Foot Locker, Metropolitan Theatres, Verizon, BevMo!, GameStop, Petco, Leslie’s Swimming Pool Supplies, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, PizzaRev, Brighton Retail, Zumiez, Subway, Payless ShoeSource, Vons, Rite Aid, FedEx Kinkos, The Shade Store, GNC, Supercuts, Trader Joe’s, Sally Beauty, Massage Envy, European Wax Spa, Great Clips, Chili’s, McDonald’s and Starbucks.

His professional affiliations include an active membership in the International Council of Shopping Centers and associate member of Downtown Santa Barbara.

Pintard studied economics at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. An enthusiastic community volunteer, he is a past president of Santa Barbara Pony Baseball, the Santa Barbara Foresters Semi-Pro Baseball Organization and the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table. Pintard was inducted into the SBART Hall of Fame in 2006, and previously served as a board director for the Page Youth Center and Santa Barbara Family YMCA.

Pintard Commercial Real Estate is located at 201 W. Montecito St. in Santa Barbara. For more information, contact Pintard at 805.895.4071 or email dave@pintardgroup.com.

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Teacher's Fund Announces Co-Chairs for Annual Golf Tournament, Dinner Extravaganza

Published on Noozhawk in Nonprofits on April 21, 2016

By Jennifer Goddard Combs

Kim Hardy and Leanne Wood have been announced as the co-chairs of the sixth annual Teacher’s Fund Golf Tournament and Dinner Extravaganza, scheduled for Oct. 7, 2016, at Glen Annie Golf Course. The day will begin with registration at 10 a.m with a 12 p.m. tee off, and the Dinner Extravaganza is scheduled for 5 p.m.

From left to right: Leanne Wood and Kim Hardy

Quickly becoming a Santa Barbara tradition, the golf tournament includes multiple contests, a silent auction, fantastic giveaways and gourmet food and drink. All money raised is earmarked for the Teacher’s Fund.

The Teacher’s Fund was created by Village Properties co-owners Renee Grubb and Ed Edick in 2002 as a way to deepen their commitment and give back to the community they serve.

The purpose of the nonprofit is to raise money for Santa Barbara-area teachers so they may enrich the classroom experience with added supplies, materials and equipment in addition to outside classroom activities not covered by school funds.

To date, more than $1.5 million has been donated to Santa Barbara County elementary, middle and high school teachers in both public and private schools.

Leanne Wood, a New Zealand native, has lived in Santa Barbara for the past three years after moving from North Carolina, where she owned a real estate company for ten years.

Prior to that she lived in Europe where she managed a nonprofit and ran extensive fundraising projects for relief and development in Eastern Europe. She has been a real estate professional since 2003 and joined the Village Properties team in 2015.

Wood currently works in Village Properties’ Montecito office. She makes her home in Santa Barbara with her husband.

She may be reached at 805.284.7177 or Leanne@villagesite.com.

Kim Hardy is a native Californian and has called the Central Coast home since 1995. She is currently serving as a consultant specializing in sponsorship, promotion and event coordination.

Hardy also sat on the board of directors from 2004-07 for the Teacher’s Fund. She, her husband and their two sons live in Santa Barbara.

Hardy may be reached at 805.453.2343 or kimhardy87@gmail.com.

To learn about participating in or donating to either the Teacher’s Fund or in the 6th Annual Teacher’s Fund Golf Tournament and Dinner Extravaganza, contact the Teacher’s Fund at 805.284.7177 or visit www.teachersfund.org.

To learn more about Village Properties, call 805.969.8900 or visit www.villagesite.com.

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Channel Islands Aviation Receives FAA Approval

Published on The Ventura County Star in Business on March 19, 2016

Channel Islands Aviation Flight School chief flight instructor David Koble (right) conducts a flight lesson with Danny Zarachoff, of Moorpark. The school has received examination approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

 

Flight school OK'd to issue licenses

Camarillo-based Channel Islands Aviation Flight School has received examination approval from the Federal Aviation Authority, the family-owned business said.

FAA examination authority means flight school has the privilege to conduct end-of-course checks and testing for student pilots and to issue pilot licenses. An outside FAA-designated pilot examiner previously had to conduct the exam.

"One advantage of receiving examination approval is the scheduling end-of-course checks. We don't have to wait for an outside examiner's schedule to coincide with a test date," said David Koble, the flight school's chief flight instructor, who will be issuing pilot certifications. "We can streamline student activities and the test dates. It's more expedient."

Started in 1976, the Channel Islands Aviation Flight School offers private pilot, instrument rating, commercial single engine, certified flight instructor, and advanced ground instructor courses. A youth aviation academy is offered in the summer.

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Brad Tisdale, on "Money Talk" radio show on KZSB 1290 AM

Brad Tisdale spoke with radio hosts Dianne Duva on Duva and Neil Kreisel's "Money Talk" radio show on KZSB 1290 AM to discuss the introduction of the Long-Term Care Benefit plan at Life Care Funding. The Long-Term Care Benefit Plan converts a life insurance policy into a monthly benefit that pays for any form of Senior Care including Homecare, Assisted Living, Nursing Home, Memory Care, and Hospice.

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