The young lions
[...] in 2011 business turned around.
For a region that's gone through the recession that hammered the south coast, sometimes an idea takes hold that the area's young, talented adults are leaving; hitting the road for better opportunity anywhere but where they came from.
There are no reliable numbers to refer to that churn business owner statistics with age and demographic data.
[...] start asking around and you'll soon discover there are scores of young entrepreneurs and business professionals up and down the south coast.
[...] it wasn't just them; friends and colleagues brought their artisan talents to the interior and exterior in exchange for liquid remuneration, creating a kind of co-op vibe to the enterprise.
Beane said they were going for a bohemian atmosphere, and that's evident with the shelf of used books and board games, the corner stage for soloists or small performing groups and the calendar of readings and discussion groups.
Ever since the President, Council, and Fellows of the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge first coined the term "brain drain," the concept has been bantered about to bemoan the migration of youth from their regions of origin.
[...] while the population figures make sense, it's important to note that the so-called younger demographic is in the age range of 18 to 29, or thereabouts.
University of Minnesota Extension rural sociologist Ben Winchester began researching population trends nearly a decade ago and has seen a steady in-migration of 30- to 49-year-olds to rural areas of his state.
Similar research by Aaron Renn, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, suggests the same phenomena is occurring in larger metropolitan areas as well — 30- to 40-year-olds re-inserting themselves into neighborhoods and communities that were assumed to have been abandoned by young professionals.
Souza now uses her education and skills in her business, Sol Coast Consulting and Design, designing and installing residential and commercial solar systems.
"Once I met folks, I wanted to stay," said Souza, who was a founding parent for the Lighthouse Charter School.
The 31-year-old transplant from the central California coast definitely keeps a baker's early morning hours, but says he can slip in at least one day a week for golf, and loves the trees, the weather and area.
Betting on the lower south coast's rich tradition in the dairy industry, Face Rock's double-digit growth has been astronomical.
The creamery now distributes its cheese to some 3,000 retail outlets in 14 Western states while maintaining a retail front that's become a visitor destination.
At 33, Drobot, who earned his economics degree at University of Washington and an MBA at San Diego, said he realizes some older business people may see his generation as less than industrious.