Consensus: Central Coast lacks business support systems

February 19, 2010

While the Central Coast is a beautiful place to live, it fails to provide some of the community support systems required to help entrepreneurs thrive in San Luis Obispo County, according to a consensus of three business owners at the Central Coast Business Symposium, held in Arroyo Grande on Feb. 18. [Pacific Coast Business Times]

Ty Safreno, founder and chief executive of Trust Automation Management in San Luis Obispo said that even though there is a lot of community support for new businesses, the local permit process is time consuming and opaque. He also felt the high cost of living in San Luis Obispo County makes it difficult for entrepreneurs from single income households to establish a new business in the area.

Randy Flamm of the software firm IQMS in Paso Robles said that while public officials appear to support retail establishments, they fail to recognize how global companies support the local economy.

Steve Newell, co-founder of a British Columbia company Windset Farms, said California’s high tax structure and difficult health insurance options would keep his company from moving their headquarters to the Central Coast.

This was the second annual business symposium presented by the law firm Andre, Morris & Buttery, which has offices in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles and Santa Maria.


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I don’t know what IQMS does, except employ a lot of people and help a lot of kids out by buyng their livestock projects at the fair. As a community, we ought to be doing the needful to make other companies like IQMS want to make their HQ here. They seem to be good for the community.