"Where the Jobs Are" Part 2

Posted: Nov 10, 2010 6:49 PM by Danielle Lerner
Updated: Nov 11, 2010 9:36 AM

Despite the down economy business is booming for some Central Coast companies and many are searching for local professionals to help continue that growth.

We're bringing you part two of our special series, "Where The Jobs Are."

KSBY News' Danielle Lerner did some research and came across at least eight companies right here in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties that are hiring for a range of professional positions.

Combined they have more than 150 jobs available and that is just the beginning.

Their clients are some of the most well-known companies in the world. Big names like Hewlett Packard, Apple Computer and Monster Energy Drink depend on LEVEL Studios for their web and digital advertising needs.

"We can as a digital agency come in and do your web properties, we can also do your display advertising, we can also build your infrastructure, we can also build your campaigns," said Tom Adamski, CEO of LEVEL.

The San Luis Obispo-based company also has locations in San Jose and Los Angeles.

It's workforce has grown from just 25 employees in 2002, to 220 in 2010 and it is about to get much bigger.

LEVEL recently made headlines after being acquired by Rosetta, one of the nation's largest and fastest-growing digital agencies based out of Princeton, NJ.

Together the companies will boast 10 locations and more than 1,000 employees.

While Adamski could not comment on the specific number of jobs coming to the Central Coast, he says the merger will send dozens more jobs our way.

That is in addition to the 28 positions currently available across their three locations.

"Largely our hires are technical in nature," said Adamski. "We trend fairly young in the business just because we're working with technologies that 5 years ago you couldn't go to school for."

Right now the company is hiring project managers, software developers and engineers.

"This is not the easiest place to work in the county and we're kind of unapologetic about that, but we believe it gives a great opportunity for career growth," aid Adamski.

"We have some of the biggest clients in the world and their needs can be very demanding, and sometimes it means staying all night to get something done, working through a weekend," said Ben Ryken, an account director. "We work very hard but we also keep a playful, fun atmosphere."

Just down the street business is also booming at MINDBODY.

"We provide web-based business management software for the health and wellness industry," said CEO Rick Stollmeyer. "We take care of everything in their business how they schedule, how they sell their products and services, how they connect that to their web site."

Stollmeyer started the company in his garage back in 2001.

MINDBODY now has 10,000 subscribers in 60 countries and an expanding workforce of almost 200 people, 160 of those employees work at the headquarters in San Luis Obispo.

"We plan to hire between 15 and 20 new employees just this year, and in the next 15 months between now and the end of 2011, we're going to hire at least 100 people," said Stollmeyer.

Positions range from entry-level sales, marketing and customer service jobs, to openings in software development and quality assurance.

"There's a lot of people from many different backgrounds that work at this company," said Vanessa Pfafflin, a simplification coordinator. "You don't just have to have a business degree or a computer science degree."

"We really focus more on core values than on specific resumes," said Stollmeyer. "We want people that have purpose driven lives, who are humble and helpful and caring and happy, who care about the environment, who care about health and wellness."

Speaking of eco-friendly, REC Solar sells, builds and installs solar electric systems for homes and businesses.

The company has 26 openings at its San Luis Obispo headquarters alone, ranging from sales and installation to engineering and development.

It doesn't stop there. Companies like Shopatron, Cygnet, CANNON, Applied Technologies Association and Specialty Silicone Fabricators are also searching for software engineers, project managers, customer service representatives and automation technicians just to name a few.

Some of these positions are entry level others require varying amounts of experience.

When it comes to salary that also depends on previous experience and education.

You can check out all of these jobs by visiting the Newslinks section of ksby.com.

Our series continues Thursday at 6 with a look at some local companies with openings in the construction field.