The People That Make the Place

Blogging in San Luis Obispo deemed “The Happiest City In The US”, I wanted to do a bit of digging on what that actually means.  The 2010 Census Bureau, shows the city has a population of 45,016.  This is substantially less than what I am used to living downtown in Orlando, FL.  I chose to work remotely at different coffee shops in the heart of the city to unravel this mystery.  The weather is great here in the 70’s as a high year round, this certainly would make me smile at least once everyday.

Cycling, hiking, and running seem to be very popular here with all of the trails nestled between beautiful mountains and valleys.  Being a avid runner I certainly understand the blissful feeling of exercise………perhaps I am onto something.  The next day I decide to hike the most popular mountain, bishops peak.  Aside from the blisters on my feet it was an amazing experience, yet I am not overwhelmed with happiness.

Having my sister, “a local” as my guide, I continued my conquest following in her daily routines.  We went to a movie in their famous movie theater, ate at all the best restaurants, went swing dancing with the Cal Polly College coeds, experienced a few happy hours and much more.  Through all of this instead of feeling happy, there seemed to be something missing.  The weather and scenery was certainly better so what could it be that draws me to the pollution, crime, and humidity?  The missing piece of this equation is my friends and community that I have really bonded with.

Peering over the top of my laptop while I worked I noticed everyone is very friendly.  This must be the answer to the notoriety of SLO California.  As I looked back to my laptop and started sifting through the vast amount of emails a project manager receives my mind segwayed into work.  My sister works in a very similar industry for a company that supports clients that have fruit on their computers and many other large companies.  I took the opportunity to compare what makes my job at TechGuysWhoGetMarketing so enjoyable.

Just like San Luis Obispo their company was quite impressive with arcade consoles, foosball, free food and drinks, and impressive workstations.  I found everyone munching on cereal at his or her desks to be a bit annoying, but overall very cool.  Watching everyone within the company I could see like most offices there were groups of people that got along great and a few that just did not mesh well.

Working for Tech Guys I have been on a few retreats that consisted of a lot of face time, but day in and day out we all work remote.  This does not change the fact that we all still work together.  I have never experienced a team armed with so much talent that through good times and bad pull together and mesh so well.  It really is the people that make the place!

– Graham