New place, new horizon

Each year around this time, the CN&R takes a look at our local business community and identifies some entrepreneurial spirits who help make this region an eclectic, fun place to live. Truth be told, not every great idea or skilled business leader is homegrown. Part of our diversity lies in the newcomers who identify the charms of the North State, set anchors and carve a niche amongst those born and bred here.

So, in honor of those entrepreneurs who recognize something special in Butte County and set a goal to add to it, we decided to highlight four local ventures that have found their place here, although they may have started somewhere far away.

In these pages you’ll read about a coffee franchisee who opened a drive-thru in Chico because he liked the vibe—and now has four; there are the candy shop owners who were shunned at first as outsiders (though their roots run deep), but quickly won over the locals; there’s the head of a tech startup who came to Chico after two years in a Jesuit monastery; and, finally, there’s the couple who moved to Oroville from San Francisco, by way of Mexico, to run their Web design business.

They all have unique stories of how they arrived, and in their own ways now are making their mark on our community.