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Ageless Atlanta
Young professionals are flocking to the city in droves; here's how to take advantage of it
By Janet Jones Kendall, Contributing writer
When California native Steve Schnugg graduated from Georgia Tech in 2001, he didn't look far for a place to settle down and call home.
The then 23-year-old Schnugg chose to live and run his business, Synergy Multimedia, a home theater and Web-enabled home automation company, from Midtown.
"It's really a cool atmosphere for me because I can do everything I need to in this small area," said Schnugg. "I grew up an hour north of L.A. but Atlanta -- compared to other big cities -- is much more livable. The cost of living is right in line with what you expect being a young person. There's a lot of opportunity here, big sports Groups, access to pretty much anywhere in the world in a single flight. And the weather is pretty good too."
The now 28-year-old Schnugg is not the only one in his age group to see Atlanta's advantages.
According to a recent study released by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and conducted by Portland, Ore., economist Joe Cortright of Impresa Consulting, from 1990 to 2000, Atlanta attracted 81,471 25- to 34-year-olds, increasing this population segment by 46 percent -- more than any of the top 25 most populous metro areas in the country.
Though metro Atlanta ranks eighth in the nation in the sheer number of this group (who have been coined the "young and the restless" because of their frequent desire to relocate), all other top 50 metropolitan areas except San Francisco had smaller increases or even outright declines in their 25- to 34-year-old population from 1990 to 2000.
The end result for Atlanta is a larger pool of young, talented labor -- a coveted resource in a nation where the retirement of baby boomers is shrinking the work force, and one that can be retained by creating an open and relaxed atmosphere.
The young face of Atlanta
Like Schnugg, the "young and the restless" survey participants said what attracted them to Atlanta is affordable housing, cultural attractions, the airport and climate.
Schnugg adds to that list the sheer number of other people in his age group who reside in metro Atlanta.
"Right after I graduated from Georgia Tech, I moved to Alpharetta for a short time and it was horrible. It's soccer-mom country up there," he said. "My building in Midtown is full of young, dynamic professionals with similar backgrounds and interests. Plus, in a 10- to 12-mile radius, I have great restaurants and places to party; I have a grocery store in my building and a gym to work out at across the street. Add to that that I'm only five blocks from Georgia Tech's football stadium and it's easy to see why this is the perfect location."
Sam A. Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, said young professionals coming to town bring with them economic development opportunities.
"We know now that metro Atlanta is the most attractive city in the nation to the young, highly educated work force," Williams said. "We also know that these young people are the No. 1 reason a business or a company wants to move to a city. Companies here are anxious and willing to hire innovative, risk-taking young people, and the fact that Atlanta is a town full of this market is appealing to businesses."
The survey also indicated that metro Atlanta is very successful in attracting African-American professionals in the 25- to 34-year-old age group.
While this population declined about 6 percent nationally during the 1990s, Atlanta saw a 36 percent surge in its young adult African-American population.
Felicia Taylor, a 32-year-old transmission line design engineer for Southern Co., grew up in Atlanta, where she attended Southwest DeKalb High School.
After graduating from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C., Taylor lived in the Florida cities of West Palm Beach and Miami.
In 2004, she returned home, married her high school sweetheart and purchased a home in Fayetteville.
"There are a lot of African-American professionals similar to myself who are doing well here," Taylor said. "I've tried to think about an opportunity that would entice me away, and I can't think of one right now. I think I'm in the best place."
Real estate costs also were a factor for Taylor, who said that her house in Fayetteville is one she never could have afforded in South Florida.
She also cites Atlanta's hospitality as a major factor in her satisfaction with the city.
"A lot has changed since I left Atlanta 13 years ago -- there's certainly more traffic -- but it's really outweighed by the things to do here and the Southern hospitality," Taylor said.
Attracting youth
Tim Hall, CEO of Digital Blue Corp., a five-year-old electronics design and engineering firm in Marietta, also works to make his company attractive to the 25- to 34-year-old age group -- a group that comprises one-third of his company's 36 employees.
"If you look at the MP3 market, the core audience that's adopting that technology is within that 25 to 34 age range, and those are the same people that we're trying to attract to help us develop and engineer them," Hall said.
He said his company -- which has seen revenue increase from $3.5 million in 2002 to $40 million in 2006 -- has been successful in recruiting young professionals from California, Oregon, Chicago and the North Carolina Research Triangle.
He said it has done so by having an open and relaxed atmosphere.
"People dress casually; usually someone's brought a dog in that's running around," he said.
In addition, Digital Blue has very flat hierarchy.
There's only three levels of management and there's no bureaucracy, which Hall says makes young professionals feel they can make a difference at work.
At Macquarium Intelligent Communications, an Internet strategy and design consulting agency, Art Hopkins said Atlanta's ability to attract young professionals -- those who came of age in the era of the Internet -- is a critical part of his business.
He said in order to attract young talent, he creates an environment where people want to work and where they want to have their friends.
Hopkins said the firm is in Midtown and has a very contemporary look and design, including a movie theater in the building.
"It doesn't have a corporate feel at all," he said. "It's very casual."
Keeping their interest
Bob Amick doesn't just focus on getting and retaining young adult employees, but on having them as patrons in the six Atlanta restaurants and bars developed and managed by his company, Concentrics Hospitality.
His establishments -- which include ONE. midtown kitchen, TWO. urban licks and the new TROIS -- are all young, hip and urban, popular with young professionals who have discretionary income and are looking for a fun night out with friends.
Amick will not disclose revenue for Concentrics' establishments but says he will open four additional restaurants in 2007.
He said 90 percent to 95 percent of his 500 Midtown employees and the majority of his patrons are in the 25- to 34-year-old age range.
He said he attracts this demographic by creating a fun and comfortable environment in his restaurants.
"Dining out has a reputation of being an uncomfortable, intimidating experience and 25- to 34-year-olds don't want that stuffiness," Amick said. "What we do is take all that fuss out of dining by doing things like eliminating items from the menu that no one knows how to pronounce so that we give a straightforward experience and a level of ease.
"That, in turn, makes people more comfortable and people who are more comfortable have more fun. That's what keeps that age group coming back again and again."
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