How the face of Bubblegum Alley is providing a happy alternative to the pace of the Silicon Valley!
-as recognized in a recent story in the New York Times!
In a December article of the New York Times, San Luis Obispo is featured as the charming and quaint California town attracting start-ups and venture capitalists, with a growing tech hub to boot.
In that article, Rick Stollmeyer who is the chief executive of MindBody declared that he foresaw San Luis Obispo a bustling tech hub when in 2001 he cofounded the cloud-based business management tool for the wellness industry. The MindBody corporation serves about 35 million consumers in over 130 countries. (Wikipedia) Their office residing at 4051 Broad St. here in SLO.
Luke Soules, Cal Poly graduate and founder of iFixit a native San Luis Obispo start-up, is quoted as stating, “We have a lot of employees tired of the Silicon Valley pace and come to raise a family.” The 125-employee firm offers over 31,000 online guides on how to fix anything from a broken iPhone screen to torn jeans.
A former Cal Poly professor, Gary Dwyer shared his observation in the article sharing that tech workers were using San Luis Obispo as a playground to surf and ride mountain bikes. “The techies are building and buying secondary homes they can use as time shares. They are already here, and more are on the way.”
California Center for Jobs and the Economy has estimated more than 7,800 tech employees work in San Luis Obispo County; a 20 percent rise over the last five years. A principal contributor of the rise is the growth pool of engineering and computer science students from California Polytechnic State University and the network of support from government, education and community agencies providing access to real estate, funding and business connections nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit and encouraging fledgling enterprises. (NY Times)
The New York Times article cited the Mission San Luis Obispo De Tolosa and Bubblegum Alley as a tourist draw and also reported “Based on its clean environment, walkability and access to healthy food, San Luis Obispo is consistently ranked as one of the happiest cities in the United States.” (NY Times)
News has travelled countrywide! The SLO life is alive and thriving!
Contact us here at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate | Haven Properties and Bayshore Realty where any one of our 30+ real estate agents would love to help you find your space to call home here in San Luis Obispo County!