March 24, 2008
Mitch Bernet and his wife were living in northern California with two small children when they decided to move to the North Fulton-Forsyth area.
"My wife wanted to get back East," he said.
They had lived in St. Ives subdivision in the early '90s, having moved around quite a bit in his career. They made stops in Chicago and New York, too.
"California is not the most business friendly climate in the world," Bernet said.
Georgia has a great economy, a well-educated workforce and a great school system. From his standpoint, Georgia is great for business. From his wife's standpoint, the family would be back East where it was significantly cheaper to live. As the head of a start-up company that would provide him with no income for the first few years, a reasonably priced place to live was a big deal. That was especially important because his wife wanted to get their children into private school.
The Bernets made a list of reasons they loved California, coming up with two reasons: every day had perfect weather and they were close to many things to do. A longer list of things they didn't like was compiled. Having a newborn and a 3-year-old tipped the scales heavily in favor of moving here.
In 1992, nobody went any farther north to live than St. Ives, Bernet said.
"I never thought why anybody would move to Cumming. We moved there five years ago and everything has come right to us," he said.
Integra Logistics started out in the unfinished basement of the family home. The few workers alternately froze or baked, depending upon the weather.
When that space was outgrown, Bernet looked for an office within a reasonable commute distance to his home. An office park off Windward Parkway in Alpharetta. Now the firm is building out some open space within its office suite for the new workers.
"Over the next year, we'll probably add 50 to 60 people in this office. It's an easy place to draw to, because the cost of living is great," he said.
People from Chicago who are used to paying $300,000 for a very tiny house with a small carport will be able to find a brand new house with a garage in Forsyth County.
- www.northfulton.com
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