American Riviera Bank Regional Pulse

National Elder Abuse Awareness Month: Chronic Victimization and Methods of Intervention

Laurel Sykes, Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer at American Riviera Bank, continues her discussion with Vicki Johnson, Deputy District Attorney from the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's office in part two of the series recorded as part of American Riviera Bank's National Elder Abuse Awareness month efforts. Episode Two focuses on chronic victimization and methods of intervention, and includes a personal testimony by Sandra Gallo, Senior Product Manager for the Bank, who recently had the misfortune of watching a loved one suffer the consequences of fraud.

National Elder Abuse Awareness Month: Recognizing and Reporting Scams

Laurel Sykes, Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer at American Riviera Bank, talks with Vicki Johnson, Deputy District Attorney from the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's office as part of a two part series for National Elder Abuse Awareness month. Episode One focuses on highlighting scams as well as how and where to report scams.

When the Lights Come Back On: The Santa Barbara Bowl

Laurel Sykes, Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer of American Riviera Bank, sits down with Rick Boller of the Santa Barbara Bowl to discuss the how the Bowl has made use of the unexpected time off to accelerate its improvements and enhance its support of youth performing arts, as well as what's in store as the Bowl reopens this summer.

The Santa Barbara Bowl is a 4,562-seat amphitheater, located in Santa Barbara, California. The Bowl is normally open for concerts from approximately April through October with an average of about 27 concerts per season. Since 1991, the Santa Barbara Bowl has been managed by the not-for-profit Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation. Rick Boller has been Executive Director of the Bowl for over 10 years but has been with the Bowl in a variety of capacities for over 20 years.

Financial Literacy Part 2: Providing Financial Education in Meaningful and Effective Ways

Laurel Sykes, Executive Vice President, Compliance and Risk Manager at American Riviera Bank, continues our two-part series on financial literacy with special guests Robb Schiff, longtime educator and AVID Coordinator with the Santa Barbara Unified School District, Chelsea Duffy, Executive Director at Partners in Education, and Melinda Cabrera, Director of Strategic Partnerships at United Way of Santa Barbara. In this episode, the panel discusses financial literacy on the Central Coast, including how we should be shifting our methodologies and programs to fit the current environment in our efforts to reach an ever-expanding need.

Financial Literacy Part 1: Learning Challenges During the Pandemic

Laurel Sykes, Executive Vice President, Compliance and Risk Manager at American Riviera Bank, facilitates a two-part series on financial literacy with special guests Robb Schiff, longtime educator and AVID Coordinator with the Santa Barbara Unified School District, Chelsea Duffy, Executive Director at Partners in Education, and Melinda Cabrera, Director of Strategic Partnerships at United Way of Santa Barbara. In this episode, the panel explores the learning challenges faced by students on the Central Coast during the pandemic, as well as the resulting short- and long-term impacts they are seeing.

Keeping the Arts Alive During a Pandemic: Santa Barbara's Historic Lobero Theatre

Jeff Devine, President and CEO of American Riviera Bank, sits down with David Asbell and Brandon Mowery of Santa Barbara's Lobero Theatre to discuss the historic theatre and the what the future may look like as things begin to open up both locally and globally.

The mission of the Lobero Theatre Foundation is to maintain and operate the historic Lobero Theatre as a performing arts center and cultural asset to the community of Santa Barbara, and to present the highest quality productions in music, dance, and theatre.  David Asbell has been at the helm of the Lobero Theatre Foundation as Executive Director for over 20 years.  Brandon Mowery serves as Director of Development where he plays a key role in establishing innovative fundraising ideas and growing the donor base in an effort to fulfill the philanthropic goals of the Foundation.

A Unique Approach to Affordable and Sustainable Eating: Teaching Kids to Cook

Michelle Martinich, Chief Financial Officer, sits down with Nancy Martz, Executive Director of Apples to Zucchini Cooking School, to learn about her nonprofit initiative to tackle hunger on the Central Coast one child at a time, by providing the tools kids need to prepare delicious, nutritious, affordable meals made from real food for their families. Whether teaching at an after-school program, a treatment home for youth-in-transition, or a backyard birthday party, the Apples to Zucchini Cooking School philosophy is the same: Cook together, eat together and clean up together.

Nancy Martz has been involved with non-profits for almost 20 years, helping start three non-profits, sitting on several boards, and volunteering much of her time for causes that matter to her. 

Unemployment, Education and Small Business: A Look at the Local Economy with Peter Rupert

Michelle Martinich, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at American Riviera Bank sits down with Peter Rupert, Professor of Economics at the University of California at Santa Barbara to discuss the economy on the Central Coast, including the pandemic's impact on unemployment, local businesses, and education, and the long-term ramifications we can expect to see as a result. Peter serves as the Director of the Economic Forecast Project and is the Associate Director of the Laboratory for Aggregate Economics and Finance at UCSB.

The Impact of the Pandemic on Residential Real Estate on the Central Coast

Lori Murray, Senior Vice President and Residential Lending Manager at American Riviera Bank and Nancy Hamilton, of Calgano & Hamilton Real Estate Partners in Montecito, discuss the residential real estate market on the Central Coast during the pandemic - from an influx of  buyers from cities like New York to the rich and famous to the first time buyers and more.

With over 28 years of residential real estate experience, Nancy Hamilton has remained in the top 1% of agents in our area year after year.

Supporting Local Business in a Pandemic Environment: Downtown SLO

Dustin Reese, Assistant Vice President, Banking Relationship Officer, sits down with Bettina Swigger of Downtown SLO to talk about their innovative efforts to keep downtown San Luis Obispo vibrant and thriving during the pandemic. As the CEO of Downtown SLO, Bettina leads the staff serving the community by working on initiatives like parking and beautification efforts, coordinating special events and the weekly Thursday night Farmers’ Market, supporting economic activities, and examining Downtown issues like creative place making, supporting small business, enhancing tourism and creating a clean and safe environment for all in downtown SLO.