Rod Companies Leaving California

[Drakestar]

Last year, Gary Dobyns moved his company from Yuba City to Texas. This February, Keith Bryan is moving Powell from Novato to Arkansas. I'm wondering if that means anything. What's your take?

Personally, I liked knowing that these rods were created*, tested and fished locally (in case of Powell in my home town), and I liked knowing the actual building where the companies were headquartered. Made it easier to drop off a rod for warranty evaluation, too! Now the companies are half-way across the country. Gonna miss rod descriptions like "Drop shotting at Lake Shasta anytime soon? Here’s the rod..."

Are there any big rod companies left in CA after this?

* Sure, the rods were made in China (and/or Korea?), but there were still developed locally.

[not4un]

Sure it means something, means they are smart leaving a state that isn’t tax friendly to businesses. They are just one of many that have or are going to leave to save money.

[Jboutfishn]

Over taxed and over regulated.

[WRB]

Dobyns and Powell didn't manufacture fishing rods in California, they were incorporated and headquartered here. Both companies imported thier rods from off shore suppliers and sold their products paying Califorina state and city taxes. The regulations to manufacture rod blanks in California is prohibitive in fact manufacturing any product that isn't grandfathered is nearly impossible.
It's a smart move to locate your business where it's appreciated with lower taxes and regulations plus greater members of bass anglers.
Tom

[Gary Dobyns]

Guys, my move really started as I out grew my warehouse in Yuba City that was 6800 Sq Feet. When I tried to build a new 14,400 sq foot warehouse is where I got into trouble. The price of the new warehouse was INSANE. I got pissed over many details. One was they gave me a list of plants I could put around my warehouse and I could only choose from this short list. Then they said if one of the plants died I had 30 days to replace it or the city would do so and bill me. I went to Sulphur Springs TX and built a 30,000 square foot warehouse for 1/6 the cost of the proposed Yuba City warehouse. Yes 1/6th the cost is accurate. I got so tired of all the BS with building permits, sprinklers, rules and regulations I finally said enough. I built a far nicer warehouse and did a lot of extras that I wouldn't of done in CA and it was super easy. How's this for info. I tried to buy a lot that was listed for sale. It was 10 acres. The owner turned out to be the city. I was told that my building was not big enough for this lot, but a couple of lots down was 5 acres and they could give me this lot for that size of warehouse. I was skeptical as he**, so they made it clear as day. If you're moving your business to Texas and going to employee our people, we're giving you the land!! AND THEY DID!!! Another thing, I got fed up with the ever changing laws on my guns. Ok, I'm an admitted gun nut and I'm right at home in Texas. Gas here is $1.94 to $2.07 a gallon and it's been this price about all year. In Yuba City at Thanksgiving it was all over $4 gal. Now it's dropped to $3.29-$3.39 gal. My DMV fees for my 1 ton diesel 4x4 truck was $930 a year, Texas $77.25 a year. Electricity is cheap as he**. There's a couple of hundred providers so competition keeps pricing in order. My worst bill was in August of course. It was a horrible $106. Did I mention there's no state tax?? Yep, none!!! I was born, raised and lived within 10 miles of Yuba City my entire life. Do I miss it, heck yes I do. My grandkids and kids are there, all my lifelong friends are there, and I love our fishing in the north state. I can't help but believe this state is going to continue going down the drain. The problems in this state keep getting worse. I come back and visit about every other month, I can't stay away from grandkids longer than that. I do miss some of the things in CA, but I swear to you TX is a far better place to live. It's a far better place to raise kids and many people are coming to TX for this reason alone. People are polite and friendly. They say Yes and No Sir, Thank you Ma'am, and all of these things. I'll tell you that you'll quickly get caught up in it too. I say the same things many times a day now. If I could be granted a couple of wishes, one would be to split CA into two or three states. Norcal has zero voting power or rights the way it is now. I'm sure I probably pissed a few off with my rant. It's not my intention, I'm still frustrated with all of CA's BS. Just for the record here I have two great shops in Yuba City to take care of all of our old customers. Johnson Bait and Tackle which has Lyndi as a GM and Lyndi worked for me for 5-7 years and I wish she still did. I also have Manny's Rod Shop one block from my old warehouse. Mendi is a dear friend and Blake does all the repairs and helps with the rods. Blake was our repair guy in Yuba City for many years. So you have two great shops still in my hometown and both are great Dobyns dealers/friends. I'm sure about now you're tired of reading my rant!!!

[Drakestar]

I appreciate the “rant”, Gary, it’s informative. I’ve only lived half my life in the US (first half in Europe), and when I first came here in ‘98 I lived in Dallas. Super cheap rent and gas was $0.99/gallon. Still have (very friendly) friends there and understand the appeal (could do without the cockroaches, though). Lived in CA for most of the time since then and love it here for all the reasons everybody else does. Sorry about the business frustrations, all the best as you combine both lives!

[MikeR]

Thanks for posting this Gary. You've provided first hand, detailed information for those not aware of some of the many differences between living and conducting business here in CA versus Texas, or many other similar areas of the country for that matter. It adds fuel to my fire to relocate. Great post!

[Rob]

Smart move Gary. I don’t know if you did it, but would have been nice to send that same info to your Yuba City council and to your state representatives. Might not do anything but if you don’t they just go about their merry way. As long as the money keeps coming they don’t really care. Thinking about Texas myself tbh.

[marinerfandave]

Nothing but the best to you Gary as California gave you no choice but to move your facility. A smart business person always looks at the cost of running their business, in order to succeed you have to live that every single day. Congratulations and the State of TX is lucky to have your company there.

[Water_Dog]

Weatherby rifles jumped ship to Wyoming also.

[DDG]

Enjoyed your words Gary, I have lived in CA my entire life and have seen it change dramatically. You used to be able to hunt in what are now the business parks in the east bay for example. Although that is hardly my reason for wanting to leave CA, the fact is CA is trying to tax everything to expand government to make it more of a socialist state that WILL and IS depleting the middle class. CA Governor's mentality is "CA is such a great state, if you wanna live here, you gotta pay."

"

Guys, my move really started as I out grew my warehouse in Yuba City that was 6800 Sq Feet. When I tried to build a new 14,400 sq foot warehouse is where I got into trouble. The price of the new warehouse was INSANE. I got pissed over many details. One was they gave me a list of plants I could put around my warehouse and I could only choose from this short list. Then they said if one of the plants died I had 30 days to replace it or the city would do so and bill me. I went to Sulphur Springs TX and built a 30,000 square foot warehouse for 1/6 the cost of the proposed Yuba City warehouse. Yes 1/6th the cost is accurate. I got so tired of all the BS with building permits, sprinklers, rules and regulations I finally said enough. I built a far nicer warehouse and did a lot of extras that I wouldn't of done in CA and it was super easy. How's this for info. I tried to buy a lot that was listed for sale. It was 10 acres. The owner turned out to be the city. I was told that my building was not big enough for this lot, but a couple of lots down was 5 acres and they could give me this lot for that size of warehouse. I was skeptical as he**, so they made it clear as day. If you're moving your business to Texas and going to employee our people, we're giving you the land!! AND THEY DID!!! Another thing, I got fed up with the ever changing laws on my guns. Ok, I'm an admitted gun nut and I'm right at home in Texas. Gas here is $1.94 to $2.07 a gallon and it's been this price about all year. In Yuba City at Thanksgiving it was all over $4 gal. Now it's dropped to $3.29-$3.39 gal. My DMV fees for my 1 ton diesel 4x4 truck was $930 a year, Texas $77.25 a year. Electricity is cheap as he**. There's a couple of hundred providers so competition keeps pricing in order. My worst bill was in August of course. It was a horrible $106. Did I mention there's no state tax?? Yep, none!!! I was born, raised and lived within 10 miles of Yuba City my entire life. Do I miss it, heck yes I do. My grandkids and kids are there, all my lifelong friends are there, and I love our fishing in the north state. I can't help but believe this state is going to continue going down the drain. The problems in this state keep getting worse. I come back and visit about every other month, I can't stay away from grandkids longer than that. I do miss some of the things in CA, but I swear to you TX is a far better place to live. It's a far better place to raise kids and many people are coming to TX for this reason alone. People are polite and friendly. They say Yes and No Sir, Thank you Ma'am, and all of these things. I'll tell you that you'll quickly get caught up in it too. I say the same things many times a day now. If I could be granted a couple of wishes, one would be to split CA into two or three states. Norcal has zero voting power or rights the way it is now. I'm sure I probably pissed a few off with my rant. It's not my intention, I'm still frustrated with all of CA's BS. Just for the record here I have two great shops in Yuba City to take care of all of our old customers. Johnson Bait and Tackle which has Lyndi as a GM and Lyndi worked for me for 5-7 years and I wish she still did. I also have Manny's Rod Shop one block from my old warehouse. Mendi is a dear friend and Blake does all the repairs and helps with the rods. Blake was our repair guy in Yuba City for many years. So you have two great shops still in my hometown and both are great Dobyns dealers/friends. I'm sure about now you're tired of reading my rant!!!

[JLBassin]

Go team Texas! I am moving out of Cali at the end of May this year.

[Dorado_33]

Where in Arkansas is Powell moving to

[Gary Dobyns]

I'm amazed how often I run into NorCal people and find out that they've moved to the "tiny" little part of TX around Sulphur Springs or Lake Fork which is 25 min away. CA will always be considered home to me and it disgusts me that that our government here doesn't see the amount of GOOD people leaving and the amount of "not so good people" coming in to replace them.

[jiggin4bass]

Look like my wife and I are going to be looking in sulphur springs area we are looking at real state there it's very reasonable there.

[WRB]

No state comes close to California for beauty of natural resources from the coastal ocean, mountains, valleys and climate. I am a native Californian that enjoyed a career in the aerospace business that centered here during the 50's through to mid 90's before everything changed.
Anyone on a fixed retirement income can't afford to live in Califorina and must move out of state to places that are affordable with no state income taxes. The good folks leave and replaced by people with their hands out, not productive hands.
I can afford to live here but question why stay??? The answer is the my opening sentence, but it's getting harder to justify.
We lost our son to cancer on 22nd of Jan 2020. We traveled to Houston TX, MD Anderson in a effort to save Tommy. We were told Californians are not welcome in Houston because they bring with them their crazy politics.
Tom

[Drakestar]

Where in Arkansas is Powell moving to

They had a post about the move on their Facebook page, including the new address. But strangely that post is now gone (and a bunch of other older posts). It was somewhere in the Ozarks... Rogers, I think? Makes sense because Beaver Lake is right there.

[Gary Dobyns]

Tom, I'm very sorry for the loss of your son. That's a terrible thing and no parent should have to go through that. I can't even imagine......

Your opening sentence is on the money too!! CA is beautiful with the ocean and mountains so close. The comment about Californians not welcome in Houston was being said by an idiot. No one with 1/4 of a brain would make that comment around one of the best cancer hospitals in the nation. People come from all over to that hospital. I really hope you set him straight!! I'll admit I've had a few CA comments thrown at me but nothing bad and I was accepted there immediately. The things I've had to deal with is more like the questions... what's wrong with the people in CA? They think we all have a screw loose or something Many TX residents are fearful of CA "movers" trying to change TX. It's true too in some cases. No state is as screwed up as CA but there's several that are dang close. I can't really blame the TX residents for being wary of CA people moving there. We all know this state is getting more stupid by the day. It's not just TX either, there's lots of states that don't want CA politics brought to their states. Maybe it's just me but it seems like the lines are drawn in the sand far deeper in the last 10 years or so between Dems and Republicans.

I had one CA "mover" describe TX this way. (Remember we're fairly rural in my area). He said going to TX reminds him how CA was in the 70's. There's rules and regulations to live by, but it's more like CA was in the 70's. I think that comment is pretty much on the money too.

[WRB]

Gary thank you for your support. I am familiar with how folks feel towards Californians especially Oregon and Washington who's population is made up of Californians who moved years prior. I don't blame Texans being worried about our crazy politics, I worry!
I was blessed over the decades traveling all over our country, Canada and Mexico and well aware of being from Califorina. Most folks understand the westcoast is the left coast and except you for who you are when they get to know you. I am sure being a employer the community welcomes you with open arms and should.
SoCal has the top medical centers with Cedars, USC, UCLA, City of Hope, etc. MD Anderson wasn't any help but you try everything to get into trails. We are devastated, Tommy passed away 5 days after his 38th birthday. We shared a lot of time on the water and will cherish every moment.
Tom

[Hookset5]

That's because in CA.. if one person has a problem with "something", it's grounds for a new law which perpetuates the system of government. In other words, politicians don't have anything better to do than make up rules.. so it looks like they're doing something in the eyes of the taxpayer. Who hasn't seen their boss come around the corner in an office or building and have the feeling they should be doing something? The problem is the rule book keeps getting bigger and the businesses keep getting smaller.
To hire an employee (green employee) Employers have to gamble the time spent training vs. the thought that this employee can literally quit in 3 months, go on unemployment and make as much as hard working people did just 10 years ago. Most people take the easy way out in California. Have you seen the trash?

[monte300]

I have friends and family that have moved to Southern Idaho and the locals there don't make them feel super welcome because when Californians move in property prices go up. Politically San Francisco refers to criminals as "justice involved", need I say more?

[swordfish]

really did I just get nuked erased thought I had something to say ask caufield im legit took a lot of time to type I know but if that was unfair tony smith im pissed