There is money in places you wouldnt even suspect back east that you just dont find here. Here’s an example, in Socal we have Frazee Paint stores, Dunn Edward Paint Stores, Vista Paint Stores, Home Depot, Lowes and Dixieline which I guess pay their employees $10 to $15 an hour.
Where I grew up we have local family owned companies. The family of one of my best friends growing up owns 3 large Wallpaper and Paint stores. All the kids go to college for a degree and some fun. How they do really isnt important. When they graduate, they come back to an entry level position (stock boy) at a salary of at least $100,000. Everyone in the family starts this way and works their way up. They all work very hard and there is plenty to go around (there are at least 20 family members working in the business). Spouses marrying into the family work there and get the same deal. My friend is now a co-manager of one of the stores (probably somewhere between #5 and #10 in the company) and takes home at least $300,000 a year. More if he needs it. His wife has a high paying job there too. They own all the shopping centers where their stores are located and have handful of tenants in each.
In SoCal, all the money would go to a corporation, my friends position would be filled by an assitant mgr earning $40K and the Commerical Real Estate would be owned by a REIT. Back East these companies are family owned and operated as they have been for generations.
