Heitzeberg

Ugh, it is yet another gray, cold day here in Seattle. It has been rough start to “Junuary,” and I’ve heard from more folks (at least compared to year’s past) complaining about the lack of sun. Typically, that’s good weather for coding. But one Seattle entrepreneur has had enough. MediaPiston founder Joe Heitzeberg — a former executive at WhitePages and SnapVine —  said that he’s heading south to the San Francisco Bay Area in search of some sun this summer.

“California, here we come,” Heitzeberg wrote in a Facebook post this week.

In a follow-up email, Heitzeberg says that the move is temporary and that he’ll likely return in mid-September. Doesn’t Heitzeberg already know that summer really starts in Seattle on July 5th?

Yep, but he’s heading south anyway.

“Yeah, Seattle is awesome during those months, but I feel like I’ve been in a cave for months, working on the product and with a newborn,” he said. “Just need a change of pace for two months.”

There are other factors at play beyond the lack of sunshine.

His wife is a tax accountant, and because of that her work typically slows down in the summer months. But Heitzeberg also sees other advantages to switching it up for a few months.

As MediaPiston starts to roll out more publicly, Heitzeberg says that the Bay Area represents plenty of partnership opportunities. There are also “loads of early adopter customers.”

Seattle entrepreneurs can be lured to the Bay Area, and some good ones have left for good (Box.net and Twilio for example).

Heitzeberg says none of the other team members are moving, and he’s very much planning on coming back. We look forward to his return. But, as his travel consultant, I’d just suggest next time he plan his Bay Area hiatus for January and February.

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