San Luis Obispo, CA, 16 February 2018 – Really Right Stuff, LLC (RRS) is pleased to announce it is moving its manufacturing operations and headquarters to Lehi, Utah by the end of summer 2018. The move to a new, 2 ½ times larger building enables continued growth and allows RRS to better serve its customers.
CEO Joseph M. Johnson, Sr. commented, “Continually rising costs in California make it tough for a small business to compete in the global economy. We love beautiful San Luis Obispo, but our employees can’t afford to buy a home. The business-friendly environment and low cost of living in Lehi, Utah made it a clear choice for us to best serve our customers and employees long-term. I’m happy to see most of our employees coming with us, keeping our RRS family largely intact.”
Located 35 minutes south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front of the Rocky Mountains, Lehi is an ideal location for Really Right Stuff. It is the fifth fastest growing city in the country at the center of the high tech “Silicon Slopes.” Lehi’s beautiful natural surroundings provide easy access to hiking, mountain biking, fishing, camping, skiing, hunting, and, of course, excellent outdoor photography that spurred the birth of RRS. Six national parks are within a 4-5 hour drive from Lehi, including Yellowstone and Zion.
I read the thread title and knew they would choose Utah seeing that the owners are Mormon.
Utah is quickly turning into California price wise, so the excuse does not seem very credible to me at all. Hope their employees enjoy the pollution that the Wasatch Front has to offer them. I am from there, but there is no way in hell I would ever live on that side of the range for that reason alone.
Steezus wrote:
I read the thread title and knew they would choose Utah seeing that the owners are Mormon.
Utah is quickly turning into California price wise, so the excuse does not seem very credible to me at all. Hope their employees enjoy the pollution that the Wasatch Front has to offer them. I am from there, but there is no way in hell I would ever live on that side of the range for that reason alone.
The Mormon connection is too improbable to be a coincidence. I wonder how many of their employees are moving and is RRS paying moving expenses, too?
Steezus wrote:
I read the thread title and knew they would choose Utah seeing that the owners are Mormon.
Utah is quickly turning into California price wise, so the excuse does not seem very credible to me at all. Hope their employees enjoy the pollution that the Wasatch Front has to offer them. I am from there, but there is no way in hell I would ever live on that side of the range for that reason alone.
According to Zillow, the median home price in San Luis Obispo is $682K while the median home price in Lehi, Utah is $310K. You may be from Utah but I grew up and lived and worked for many years in California and, with the exception of New York, there isn't much that comes close to the cost of living or, for that matter, running a business, in California. I'm sure the LDS connection is not a coincidence but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the underlying favorable economics both for the company and those who work for it. Regardless of how you feel about the CEO's private religious beliefs, it's a good company that makes superior products.
I don't blame them. CA politics are not business friendly anymore (were they ever?). If I remember RRS also took a lot of heat for not supporting either gay marriage or illegal immigration. As a privately owned company they can do whatever they want IMO. The consumer will either support them or not - seems they still do.
Etherton wrote:
I don't blame them. CA politics are not business friendly anymore (were they ever?). If I remember RRS also took a lot of heat for not supporting either gay marriage or illegal immigration. As a privately owned company they can do whatever they want IMO. The consumer will either support them or not - seems they still do.
I don't believe that Really Right Stuff has ever taken a political position on anything. It's owner did contribute, in his private capacity, to support Proposition 8. I'm not aware that the owner has taken a position on illegal immigration one way or the other.
I'm not surprised that the employees can't afford to buy a home in CA. I have a kid out there now about 18 months, she's a PhD and her partner has one too, both with great salaries and they've made 20+ offers on houses in Berkeley and so far have come up short. And you should see the size of the houses in Berkeley, they're really small.
Etherton wrote:
That's probably what I was thinking. I tried to Google it but couldn't find it. I remember seeing it here on FM and some were not so happy with them.
I think there are a few people that are fairly opportunistic
I once turned down a promotion and huge (double!) salary increase because I'd have to move to California. I chose instead to leave my company and stayed where I am. That was 15 years ago and I am grateful for my good sense as it's only gone further downhill. There's absolutely no way I'd live there now. After what I saw on my last trip to San Francisco I haven't even wanted to visit.
People complain about the high cost of RRS yet they are running their businesses out of one of the most expensive places in the world to live in one of the most highly anti-business environments in the world. Unless you are a huge business, it is probably difficult to succeed. Kudos to them for fleeing the craziness.
Next, people will whine that the move won't result in a price drop for RRS products.
jharter wrote:
Next, people will whine that the move won't result in a price drop for RRS products.
Well, it is a logical thing to think about.
The move either means more profit or lower prices.
If the median home cost at the new location is roughly half of the cost at their present location, then it is reasonable that RRS can double their manufacturing facility without really "costing" any more. Obviously, there is a need to make more items or employ more people, otherwise the facility size would not change.
Steezus wrote:
If California is so anti business, then how is it that they have one of the largest economies in the world stacked against entire countries!?!?!
Their cost of living is high, but so are their wages.
There's always a lot of people chomping at the bit to spread a false narrative about California like it is some kind of failed state.
Anyways, hopefully RRS isn't moving so they can pay lower wages to their employees.
in this particular relativistic world one should stay within the borders of the country you live in. yes there are a more than a few countries on the planet that have "economies" that are considerably smaller then CA. my own relatively small town here in the east used to be able to claim a bit of that too "if we want to look at it in a certain way". we all live in states that fail in some way. i still see CA as a more progressive state in some ways but there is always points where things are weaker. everything is a balancing act.
Sure, there are probably a bundle of incentives given to RRS by Utah. Even if quality of life isn't the main driving factor, just the fact that they have their employees in mind speaks volumes. Nice to see a US business staying here. RRS is doing the Really Right Thing!
Steezus wrote:
I read the thread title and knew they would choose Utah seeing that the owners are Mormon.
Utah is quickly turning into California price wise, so the excuse does not seem very credible to me at all. Hope their employees enjoy the pollution that the Wasatch Front has to offer them. I am from there, but there is no way in hell I would ever live on that side of the range for that reason alone.
EB-1 wrote:
The Mormon connection is too improbable to be a coincidence. I wonder how many of their employees are moving and is RRS paying moving expenses, too?
EBH
Ok, that's like saying B&H will be relocating to Israel
