The San Fernando Valley Business Journal received several awards in recent weeks, including a couple of national honors. At the annual conference of the Association of Area Business Publications on June 9, the Business Journal received a first-place gold award for best overall design in the small tabloid category (papers with circulation of less than 10,000). The Business Journal also received a third-place bronze award for best scoop for a story written by Senior Reporter Shelly Garcia. Also, on June 7 the Business Journal was named “Small Business of the Year” by the Valley Industry and Commerce Association. Garcia earned the best scoop honors for her Oct. 30, 2000 story, “Midwestern Chain Plans Assault into L.A. Area,” on plans for the Wisconsin-based Kohl’s Corp. to move into Southern California, including stores in the San Fernando Valley. The Business Journal received its award for design, according to judges who were members of the faculty of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, for its “ability to arrange a high number of elements into small spaces without cluttering the page.” The Association of Area Business Publications is a national organization with more than 80 member magazines and newspapers in the United States and Canada. The VICA recognition as “Small Business of the Year” was announced at the organization’s “Excellence in Business Awards” dinner at the Sheraton Universal in Universal City. Other finalists for the award were Box Brothers of Woodland Hills and Mike’s Roofing of Van Nuys.

A veteran team of real estate, public affairs and policy experts has launched a consulting firm that will house real estate development and law, urban planning and public affairs under one roof a combination of services not typically found in the industry, but one that many say is becoming increasingly critical to developers. DGLM Consulting Group, based in Glendale, includes Dan Garcia, an attorney and well-known former Warner Bros. executive who headed the studio’s highly controversial master plan expansion efforts in Burbank; Lucy McCoy, a high-profile public affairs consultant who most recently led the effort to bring the 2000 Democratic Convention to Los Angeles; and Mee H. Lee, who shepherded Douglas, Emmett & Co.’s Sherman Oaks Galleria makeover from its inception through to construction. Garcia and McCoy formed the company in April; Lee joins next month. The company name is expected to change at that time. In addition to the Douglas Emmett projects, which Lee will bring with her, DGLM will also oversee the development of the 21-acre Sports Academy for at-risk youth at Hansen Dam Recreation Center, a project that will involve everything from obtaining permits and entitlements to financing, construction and community relations. Most real estate consultants typically specialize in one or two of those areas, like law or zoning, but DGLM executives say they expect their diverse expertise to attract clients. “I think it’s fair to say the business and regulatory environment in Southern California is very complicated, and there are very few firms that are broadly experienced in terms of getting a project to completion,” said Garcia, who has also served on the Los Angeles Airport, Police and Planning commissions. In addition to the details of the real estate transaction and construction, developers have increasingly become involved in urban planning and policy issues, such as living wage ordinances; government funding partnerships, such as bond financing; and community affairs, to such a degree that many believe the lines between these areas have blurred altogether. “I think the process of trying to marry the needs of the community with the marketing of a project and the successful financing and development and approval process is getting so close together now, I’m not sure there’s a true separation anymore,” said Hayden Eaves, a real estate development veteran who is managing director of Investment Development Services Inc. As land becomes more scarce and developers encroach on existing communities to build projects, they are facing a growing number of special interests that need be addressed and, often, placated. “Our business has totally changed,” said Frank Gangi, president of Gangi Development, which recently completed a mixed-use project in Burbank. “It used to be that if you owned a piece of property with certain zoning, you could just go out and produce the product. Now it’s very important to get the community involvement. The better you are at handling the community, the more chances you’ll have at a successful project.” These days, a developer can spend half his or her time working with community and government groups with interests in the project, leaving less time to obtain financing, handle the administrative work and oversee the construction of the project. Future projects are likely to attract even more community scrutiny, requiring more time still. “Now we have neighborhood councils,” said McCoy, who has also served as a political campaign consultant. “You can’t expect that, because you’re a major corporation, that (communities) will be receptive.” Not only have communities become more outspoken in their opposition to large urban infill projects, these projects increasingly involve city and county redevelopment agencies that may have entirely different, even opposing, interests. While residents resist the increased congestion a new development often brings, cities often seek out new businesses and residents to build their tax bases. Even if they have the time, individual developers differ widely in their ability to effectively forge community and government relationships. “I think there are a handful of developers out there that are very good in that public relations, political schmoozing (role), but they are definitely the exception rather than the rule,” said Paul Novak, president of Novak + Associates, a Glendale zoning and land use consultant. “And as the process becomes more public, more community oriented, you need people to do that. Otherwise, you rely on consultants to do it for you.” During the highly controversial Warner Bros. expansion, for example, executives met with some 1,000 community representatives in Burbank, said Lee, who worked with Garcia on the project. “When we go to dinners now in Burbank for a retired council member or other official, I can walk into a room of 300 people and I can tell you who they are and how many kids they have,” said Lee. “That’s how intimate we got.” The academy project, a partnership between the Los Angeles Dodgers; Major League Baseball; a variety of city, state and federal governments; private enterprise; and a local community of residents that have already voiced some opposition to the project, is an example of the complex array of relationships developers must build. The academy, which will help prepare kids for careers as pro baseball players, sportswriters, coaches, trainers, managers and other related professions, needs to find about $10 million in financing from public and private sources in addition to the $3 million Major League Baseball already has pledged. And it will require organizers to navigate a maze of entitlement and permitting issues, not the least of which are the different entities that lay claim to the land the Army Corps of Engineers, which owns most of it; Southern California Edison, which owns a piece of it; and Caltrans, which holds easements on it before they even get down to construction. While the academy may be an extreme example, even private sector real estate deals are increasingly coming into contact with a wider variety of public entities, from redevelopment agencies to public bond financing, all requiring outreach efforts. “I think more and more developers are turning to consultants to assist them,” said Daniel F. Selleck, president of Selleck Development Group Inc., which built The Plant in Panorama City. “I think they can assist, and that’s the key word. The developer has to stay involved and be at these meetings, but certainly (consultants) can help organize these meetings, and they have key contacts in different cities that can be very helpful.”

Ake Almgren President & CEO Capstone Turbine Corp. More than 15 years ago, Ake Almgren had the idea that a new kind of an electric generator could be both more efficient and environment-friendly. So, he took his expertise as an engineer and founded Capstone Turbine Corp. in Chatsworth to develop the Capstone MicroTurbine engine. The micro turbine would run on natural gas or methane and, using jet engine technology, would generate nearly no toxic emissions. With only one moving part – an axle that turns on a continuous jet of air – in 1998 the micro turbine became the only commercially produced gas-powered micro turbine in the world. With more than $500 million invested in research and development, analysts predict Capstone will become a major player in the energy generating industry as the sales of its micro turbines skyrocket. Roberto Barragan President Valley Economic Development Center As president of the Valley Economic Development Center, Roberto Barragan manages the largest non-profit small development organization in metropolitan Los Angeles. Each year, VEDC helps more than 1,000 businesses with a budget of $3 million and 50 employees in four offices. But the size of the organization does not describe the magnitude of the tasks ahead for VEDC as the Valley small business community moves swiftly into the 21st century, meeting challenges unheard of even 10 years ago. VEDC itself underwent a great transformation in the last two years, both culturally and in terms of leadership, which eventually led to Barragan being named president. “Roberto has the ability to bring people together, cut to the chase, figure out what has to be done and get it done,” said VEDC Chairman Marvin Selter. Before joining VEDC, Barragan was executive director of the Community Financial Resource Center of South Central Los Angeles and, before that, executive director of the Mission Economic Development Association in San Francisco. Glen Becerra Region Public Affairs Manager Southern California Edison Glen Becerra, officially a public affairs manager for Southern California Edison, is also a member of the Simi Valley City Council and was recently appointed by President George W. Bush to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. Before returning to Simi Valley in 1996 and taking his position at Edison, he served as deputy director of Gov. Pete Wilson’s Office of External Affairs, acting as a liaison for law enforcement, crime victims and constituent groups. He was also a legislative aide for Assemblyman James L. Brulte before leaving Sacramento. The member of a family that has been in Simi Valley for more than 70 years, Becerra is nevertheless the first of his family to graduate from college, having earned a B.A. in history from UC Berkeley in 1993. Eric Brown Vice President & General Manager Time Warner Communications As vice president and general manager for the northern region of Time Warner Cable’s Los Angeles division, Eric Brown has his hands full. He oversees operations for a customer base of more than 150,000 households. Brown’s community involvement includes board positions with the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, the Northridge Chamber of Commerce and the North Valley Family YMCA. The Northridge resident is a graduate of UCLA with a degree in political science. Brown also holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Darden School of Business Management at the University of Virginia. Claire Bruno President Sebastian International When Sebastian International Inc. decided it was time to develop a global strategy for its beauty care products, they knew who to call on: somebody who already knew the company inside and out, had contacts all over the industry and saw the potential to take its business to virtually every continent in the world. Claire Bruno returned to Sebastian in 1997 as senior vice president of marketing, specifically to strategically reposition the company in the area of new-product development. She has been president of Sebastian International since November 2000. But even before that, Bruno had been named Sebastian’s vice president of marketing in 1990. After three years with the company, she left to spend four years as senior vice president of marketing and sales for the Revlon Professional Products Group. Larry Cohen President Glyphix Inc. As head of Glyphix, an advertising and Web design agency, Cohen has had his share of tough tasks and seemingly impossible problems to solve. But with his colleagues and a solid staff, Cohen has turned his company into one of the fastest growing firms in California in its first four years. “After our first year, we knew we had a tiger by the tail,” Cohen said. “We really had a good business, so the question was ‘How do we grow responsibly?'” By mixing traditional advertising with Web design, Glyphix is among the first of the next generation of advertising firms, mixing Internet commerce with Web site design. Susanne Daniels Co-president, Entertainment The WB Network When Susanne Daniels arrived at the fledgling WB Network in 1995, she knew the going wouldn’t be easy. But at 29, already a veteran of the network wars, she was charged with developing programs before taking command of the entire Entertainment Division in 1998. Quickly, Daniels moved the network into a position that would make its ratings drastically improve with a slew of shows for young viewers. It was her idea to target teenage girls, a demographic that had gone largely ignored by the major networks. Daniels gave the go-ahead to shows like “Felicity,” “Charmed,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Dawson’s Creek.” Selling a series about a girl who fights vampires to network bosses wasn’t easy, but it helped WB turn the corner. Greg Dollarhyde President & CEO Baja Fresh Greg Dollarhyde has a mantra. “It’s a phrase I use,” he said. “People support what they help create.” That simple management philosophy – as opposed, he went on, to “dictating, do this, do this, and everyone has to say, ‘Yes sir'” – has turned Westlake Village-based Baja Fresh into a network of 100-company-owned and franchise stores in nine states with sales of about $160 million projected for this year. That’s not all. Dollarhyde’s plan is to open 250 new Baja Fresh stores by 2005. Before becoming president and CEO of Baja Fresh in late 1998, he held the same leadership position at Country Harvest Buffet Restaurants Inc., where he spearheaded a massive turnaround and reorganization effort. Even before that, at Roasters Corp., owner and franchiser of the Kenny Rogers Roaster restaurants, Dollarhyde was part of the development team that led the expansion from 16 restaurants to more than 300 in three years. John Duddy Division Director, Operations Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power Someday traveling through space will be as commonplace as grabbing a shuttle to San Francisco, and John Duddy will have played a role in making that happen. For the past three years, the 44-year-old engineer has been working on Rocketdyne’s RS68 engine, a prototype that is paving the way for low-cost space travel. Granted, the RS 68, currently undergoing a required government certification process, still has many more evolutions ahead of it. For one thing, it is an expendable engine, which means it can only be used once. Any viable solution in the long term will have to entail an engine that can be used again and again, just like an airplane. But, says Duddy, “It’s much cheaper than any other rocket engine that’s ever been developed. It’s the best solution right now, but eventually we’ll get to where technology can get us into a reusable vehicle. That’s when people will be taking it just like you take a trip to New Orleans.” Duddy spent two years setting up an assembly facility for the engine at Rocketdyne’s plant in Stennis, Miss. before returning to Canoga Park in November to head up operations here. Building rocket ships wasn’t a part of his plan when he received his degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech. But now he can’t imagine doing anything else. “I love to see things that I’m associated with turn into a tangible product, and I love to make a difference,” he says. Susan Eigenbrodt Owner Too Fun Sue’s Drawing Between the Lines Both the Small Business Administration and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce recently gave Sue Eigenbrodt awards – and it wasn’t for the clever name of her Sherman Oaks graphic design business either. It was because of her advocacy of and lobbying on behalf of small business and, more specifically, home-based businesses. In recent years, Eigenbrodt has lobbied in both Sacramento and Washington D.C. on issues that concern companies run by sole proprietors: local business taxes and insurance-related concerns among them. But what about that company name? “Well, Too Fun Sue’s the name I’ve had since college when a boyfriend gave it to me,” she said. “And Drawing Between the Lines is what I try to do for my clients.” A veteran magazine designer, Eigenbrodt went to work for herself 12 years ago because she wanted more. That more has meant everything from three-dimensional graphics to the traditional brochures and catalogues for clients. But it has also included an entire miniature city made out of plastic for the Los Angeles Recycling Committee and hand props for the daytime soap opera, “The Bold and the Beautiful.” “My theory is, when something I’ve done is sitting on a table, I want people to pick it up,” she said,” and ask, ‘What is it?'” Fred Gaines Attorney & Managing Partner Gaines & Stacey A former president and current member of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, Fred Gaines has been involved in a number of organizations and advisory boards involved in local issues. As executive vice chairman of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, Gaines works on issues affecting local business such as business tax reform and land use. And as a veteran attorney, Fred Gaines knows a good case when he sees one. So when community members came calling about improving their Sherman Oaks community, Gaines gladly joined them as a member of the Sherman Oaks Town Council. As the group’s president, Gaines helped push to beautify the area and help residents and merchants alike with their city-related problems. “I’m just glad to help,” Gaines said. Saul Gomez Director of Economic Development Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley As economic development director for the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, Saul Gomez, a Granada Hills resident and former administrative services manager for the city of San Fernando, has his finger firmly on the pulse of economic trends and business potential in the Valley. “I work closely with Valley business folks to help facilitate business projects,” Gomez said. “I help them wind their way through the maze of red tape for getting established here, expanding or retaining their business as is.” The companies Gomez has helped range from Health Net to RobinsonsMay, bringing in or retaining roughly 4,000 jobs in the last two years. Jolene Koester President California State University Northridge To some people, a university isn’t just a place to get a degree, it’s an “engine that drives the economic, cultural and human life” of a region. And if you haven’t heard that before, you haven’t spoken to Jolene Koester, president of Cal State Northridge since July 2000. The Minnesota native speaks passionately about her still relatively new role as she ticks off the list of accomplishments for CSUN since her arrival: accolades for the school’s film program, a victory for the basketball team over UCLA and a trip to the NCAA finals, and a 10th-place win for the engineering department in a nationwide contest to construct a steel bridge. And, although she wasn’t around seven years ago, she is overseeing the final stages of completion of repairs of damage caused by the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, devastating to the CSUN campus. What’s next? “It is my intention to improve and enhance the critical role of CSUN in the community over the next decade,” Koester said. Mee H. Lee Partner DGLM Consulting Group If redevelopment is the way to re-invent Los Angeles as the city of the future, you might say that Mee H. Lee stands at ground zero in that process. Through a succession of affiliations, including a long-standing association with Douglas, Emmett & Co., Lee has developed a special expertise guiding infill projects from the early planning stages to construction. In addition to her role overseeing the massive Sherman Oaks Galleria renovation, managing everything from entitlements to the team of architects, builders, engineers, electricians, plumbers and crew, Lee has served on the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles and overseen the master plan expansion for Warner Bros. A half century ago, when the San Fernando Valley was first being built, her job would have been easy: pull the entitlements, gather a crew and supervise the process. But today, with no raw land available, Lee’s job is much more difficult. Redevelopment, unlike construction on vacant land, must take place within an established community. It’s not enough to know how to build an attractive project, neighbors, the city and other special interests must see a need for the project and feel certain that it will not drain the resources of the existing infrastructure. “You have to present the project and get all their concerns and questions talked through, so everyone knows what you’re doing,” Lee says. Fernando Lopez Vice President and General Manager KVEA-TV Fernando Lopez saw nothing but a challenge when he took on the leadership just last year of KVEA-TV, a perennial runner-up in the world of Spanish-language television. By swiftly revamping programming and adding new novellas, or soap operas, during his first 10 months on the job and emphasizing its news operation with the addition of 16 hours of news programming in January, the station has rapidly grown into a contender in the all-important TV ratings race. Now regularly running a close second among Los Angeles’ four Spanish-language television stations to the top-rated KMEX-TV, KVEA-TV has the leader working harder for its ratings and looking over its shoulder. Lopez’s success comes after winning an Emmy Award while with the KCBS-TV news department. Alex Padilla Los Angeles City Council Two years ago at the age of 26, Alex Padilla became the third youngest city council member in the city’s history. Today, Padilla is fast becoming one of the city’s most visible elected officials, and one of its most popular. Representing the Northeast San Fernando Valley, Padilla has taken his “can-do” attitude to the City Hall and flourished. “When I see something needs fixing, I try to fix it,” said Padilla, who has taken on city government in an effort to rid some of the poorest areas in Pacoima and surrounding Valley communities of blight. Born and raised in the Valley, Padilla says he’s keenly aware of the problems facing his district. So it was no surprise when he helped secure $9 million to fund the Valley Youth Initiative, a job training program for unemployed youths. He also helped push for the establishment of a branch of the Los Angeles Children’s Museum at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area. Brent Reinke Managing Director Clark & Trevithick Rapid growth notwithstanding, the companies along the 101 (Ventura) Corridor have long toiled in the shadow of Silicon Valley. That will soon change if Brent A. Reinke has his way. Reinke last year founded Gold Coast Venture Forum, an organization to provide education and networking opportunities to emerging, high-growth companies from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara. In the process, he has begun to shape the scattered gaggle of businesses into a cohesive community. Reinke about five years ago began to realize more and more of the work coming to him at his Westlake Village law office involved emerging growth companies, many, but not, all high-tech. “I started to talk to a number of people from Silicon Valley Bank and local investment bankers, and it became apparent there was a real need to develop a vehicle whereby we could try to organize the emerging growth,” Reinke says. The Gold Coast Venture Forum’s first annual conference, held in May, drew more than 100 attendees. And the forum is fast gaining a broad base of interest. “We’re finding tremendous interest from the business community and quasi-government agencies,” Reinke says. “We’ve become the hub of the effort to organize the area, and we (plan to) coordinate with other organizations.” Omar Rodriguez President Bluestreak Aerospace Omar Rodriguez insists that if it hadn’t been for an ambitious salesman 21 years ago, he wouldn’t be president of a company that now manufactures and supplies parts to clients like British Aerospace and Boeing. In 1980, Rodriguez had just finished high school and was operating a small 500-square-foot machine shop in North Hollywood. One day, that salesman appeared on the scene, showed him what he could do if he had a bigger, better machine and said, “Sign here.” Before Rodriguez knew it, he was the owner of a $120,000 piece of equipment, making payments of $3,500 a month. “I didn’t sleep for a couple of months,” he said. Instead, he worked. Today, the company Rodriguez founded just months after he finished high school has 26 employees, making landing gear and structural aerospace parts out of 10,000 square feet in two buildings in Pacoima. “These days everything is robotics,” Rodriguez said, “but I remember when we got our first Apple computer. That was a huge breakthrough.” Randy Roth Managing Member Sunquest Development Watch closely and you will very likely soon see a blighted Northeast Valley trash heap transformed into a 650,000-square-foot industrial complex. Look even closer and you’ll find Randy Roth, owner of the four-year-old Sunquest Development, which has managed to obtain rezoning permits for the Brandford Landfill in Arleta, and could very well be one of the driving forces behind a new era for growth in that long-neglected part of the Valley. Roth’s development company focuses on projects with environmental concerns somewhere in the subtext. It’s a company that’s also into books. Recently, Sunquest signed on with the Mayor’s literacy program and regularly provides for funding for reading programs and other teaching tools for under-served local schools. Jim Sherman President & CEO West Hills Hospital and Medical Center Like so many with outstanding careers in the health care industry, Jim Sherman has achieved success in recent years by steering his institution into a financial turnaround. As president and CEO of West Hills Hospital and Medical Center for nearly three years, he has kept a close eye on both the bottom line and the future as his hospital, the community it serves and the industry it is a part of have undergone massive changes. Nevertheless, as a native of the San Fernando Valley (a graduate of Birmingham High School and holder of two degrees from Cal State Northridge), Sherman said he has a vested interest in seeing that local health care entities continue to “coordinate their financial resources at the same time they improve access for the residents of the Valley.” Joel Simon Attorney & Partner Alperstein, Simon, Gillin & Scott Joel Simon isn’t just an attorney. He’s an educator and an active member of the Valley business community with interests in political science, history and constitutional law. As a partner in Alperstein, Simon, Gillin & Scott, Simon has tackled tough cases involving business law, real estate, civil litigation and commercial transactions. But his work in charitable planning has helped his clients give to non-profit foundations. Having served as an instructor on legal research and writing at Whittier College of Law, Simon says he most enjoys teaching and inspiring his students to pursue careers in the law. A member of several professional organizations, Simon often lends his expertise through pro bono work with municipal and superior courts in civil matters, small claims and other issues. Maurice Vanegas President Transit Systems Glendale native Maurice Vanegas has many irons in the fire these days, but what do you expect of a trained structural engineer who has chosen instead to make his living running a local transit firm? The 10-year-old Transit Systems is not just a local shuttle firm either: the company is deeply involved in the community, where it regularly donates part of its fleet of 41 buses and shuttles to local schools and charities. “I do a lot,” Vanegas said as he remembered to mention that he also frequently buys “fixer-upper” homes. Then, with the help of local investment groups, the houses are repaired and he allows his own employees to live in them, mortgage-free.Call the company any day of the week and Vanegas is as likely as anyone to answer the phone. “I’m still pretty much in a growth mode and I don’t often take a lunch. I enjoy that.” Alvaro Villa Chief Executive Officer AVG Productions A master in building animatronic robots, Alvaro Villa still relishes the assembly process to make his works come to life. “I’ve always been fascinated by electronics,” said Villa, a Colombian immigrant who founded and leads AVG Productions. Today, Villa’s business is booming. His robots have found their way to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios Hollywood and numerous other amusement parks across the country and around the world. The dinosaurs at Disney’s EPCOT Center and a robotic Benjamin Franklin at Disneyland are but a few of his noted creations. As a Walt Disney Co. engineer, he helped mold that company’s leadership in the world of animatronics. But his departure to build his own company has only added to his list of accomplishments. Today, Villa is making his mark with creations on television, in films and at a growing number of theme parks here and overseas – even in his native Colombia where he has created a musical revue with animatronic orchids – Colombia’s national flower. Stuart Waldman Community Activist A one-time high school dropout and eventual law school graduate, Stuart Waldman has crammed a lot of politics and community involvement into a relatively short number of years. While his business experience – so far, at least – is limited to a private-sector position he held with a Woodland Hills pension firm during his college and law school career, it was interrupted by the Northridge Earthquake and, like so many others in the Valley, he was forced to scramble to help an organization quickly resurrect itself under the most difficult of circumstances. Then, shortly after the 1996 election, Waldman joined the staff of just-elected State Assemblyman Robert M. Hertzberg. By 1998, he was Hertzberg’s senior field representative and, following Hertzberg’s election as Speaker of the California Assembly, Waldman became a special assistant to the speaker. Last year, he resigned that position to pursue his own campaign for a seat in the California State Assembly. Mel Wilson General Manager of Real Estate Operations Re/Max Centre Mel Wilson is known for his business savvy as well as for his dedication to the Valley business community. As a realtor, Wilson has closed more than 500 transactions and earned a number of awards, including the San Fernando Valley Association of Realtors’ Distinguished Realtor of the Year Award in 1991. Wilson serves on the Los Angeles Board of Fire Commissioners, the Cal State Northridge President’s Advisory Board and the Interim Joint Powers Agency San Fernando Valley Transit Zone Board of Directors, among others. He served on the county Metropolitan Transportation Authority from 1993 to 1997 and was president of the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley in 1988-89 and the Pacoima Chamber of Commerce from 1983 to 1985. Wilson was a member of the 1975 Kodak All-America Football Team.

A lot has happened since the Business Journal was launched in 1996. A lot has stayed the same too. O.J. Simpson was still on trial. The Menendez brothers were finally convicted. Tommy Lasorda retired as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. And Shaquille O’Neal signed with the Lakers. Over the hill, the San Fernando Valley was still reeling from the Northridge Earthquake. Empty storefronts and vacant office buildings told the story of an economy shaken by a recession and the greatest natural disaster in its history. Ventura Boulevard was lined with scaffolding and freeways were filled with Ryder trucks headed out of town. The Feds slashed the budget for subway funding, dealing what would turn out to be a crushing blow to the metro rail that was to have connected the eastern and western ends of the Valley. And the secession movement, while just a seed of an idea, had become worrisome enough to persuade Mayor Richard Riordan to initiate a proposal for city charter reform. And the San Fernando Valley Business Journal published its first issue. Much has changed in five years. Much remains the same. Here, a look at some of the events we remember and some that may have been forgotten in the first five years of the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. Now You See It Once one of the largest business tenants in the San Fernando Valley, CareAmerica Health Plans was among the most highly visible insurance companies housed in the Warner Center area. But in 1997 the company was acquired by Blue Shield of California and, as its services were absorbed by its new parent, the name CareAmerica disappeared from the Valley landscape. Whatever Happened to Whatshername? Former Assemblywoman Paula Boland was termed out of office in 1996, before the San Fernando Valley secession movement became front page news. But it was Boland, a Republican from Granada Hills, who first introduced the legislation that cleared the way for secession by eliminating the city’s veto power over such an effort. Last year, she formed Finally Restoring Excellence in Education (FREE), a group that gathered enough signatures to launch a study on the break-up of the LAUSD. And though she has been absent from the public eye of late, Boland is now rumored to be considering a run for City Councilman Hal Bernson’s seat in 2003. The More Things Change In 1996, the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority managed to condemn 130 acres owned by Lockheed Martin Corp., and then attempted to purchase the land to build a new terminal. Five years and $10 million in legal and other fees later, the Airport Authority is still trying to build its new terminal. The Airport Authority did buy the 130 acres. But the land wasn’t the real problem. The city and the Airport Authority have spent years battling each other over how large the new terminal should be. And even after they settled on a 14-gate terminal, the city asked the agency to go back and update its environmental study, prompting the airport to pull the application. Today, some of the land is up for sale, and the Airport Authority is now hoping to build its terminal on yet another parcel, an adjacent 41-acre site. Kind of Like Waterworld, Washed Up What Universal had planned was going to be huge. A $2-billion expansion with a new theme park, hotels, restaurants and retail stores, studios and offices. But don’t expect to see anything like it perched on that hill. All that remains of the planned 5.9-million-square-foot expansion is an extra 90,000 square feet of restaurants and shops at CityWalk. Universal battled the city and local residents for years over its master plan and finally tabled it. Just as well. The original owners who began the effort, MCA Inc., were acquired by Seagram Co., which has since been acquired by Vivendi, a global conglomerate that has aimed most of its efforts at the former Seagram music holdings and thinks master plan is a rap group. Don’t Bank on It Banks used to seem like the kinds of conservative institutions that remained unchanged forever until a few years ago, that is. By 1997, as merger mania swept the banking industry, three venerable Valley names were on their way to extinction. First Nationwide Holdings Inc., parent company of California Federal Bank, merged with Golden State Bancorp Inc., parent company of Glendale Federal Bank, replacing the name GlenFed, which once dotted Valley neighborhoods, with CalFed. That takeover was quickly followed by Washington Mutual Inc.’s acquisition of Great Western Financial Corp., Chatsworth’s local corporate citizen. And WaMu went on to acquire H.F. Ahmanson & Co. and its Home Savings of America subsidiary. Can you say, Bank of America? Don’t Let the Door Hit You… Price Pfister’s headquarters offices and manufacturing facilities in Pacoima employed 1,000 workers in 1996. Along came NAFTA, and the faucet and hardware maker moved most of its manufacturing to Mexico. Earlier this year, the remaining 120 administrative jobs were eliminated when the functions were moved to parent company Black & Decker in Orange County (although about 60 of those employees did make the move). You might say Price Pfister helped turn off the faucet where employment in Pacoima is concerned. The Mouse That Roared The Walt Disney Co. closed out 1996 with revenues of $12 billion and 8,000 employees. For the year 2000, the most recent full year available, Disney recorded revenues of $25 billion with 120,000 employees. Is This What They Mean by Open Space? Completed in 1991, Warner Center Plaza III was the last building to be constructed in the original Warner Center, a 120-plus acre development in Woodland Hills, and it had the dubious distinction of remaining virtually empty for much of its first decade. By 1996, little more than 20 percent of the 25-story, 591,000-square-foot building was occupied. Today, hardly any vacant space remains available. Except for a measly 4,000 square feet, the tower has been filled to capacity with a roster of tenants that includes SunAmerica Inc., Health Net Inc. and KB Home. Fade to Black The San Fernando Valley got 32 new movie theater screens in 1996 and theater operators like Mann Theatres, Edwards Cinemas and Pacific Theaters made plans for more than 100 additional screens in 1997. But by the end of 2000, only Pacific is still building in the Valley with its planned megaplex at the renovated Sherman Oaks Galleria. Market saturation and competition resulted in bankruptcy filings by Mann and Edwards, proving you can get too much of a good thing.

James Acevedo has been invited to join the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley several times over the years, but he’s never considered it until now. As a lobbyist and governmental affairs consultant, Acevedo, who led James Hahn’s successful mayoral campaign, needs to stay plugged in, but he’s never felt organizations like the Alliance represent the East Valley, where he lives, personally or professionally. Now, with a growing number of elected officials drawn from the Latino community that makes up most of the neighborhoods in the eastern and northern Valley, Acevedo sees a glimmer of change on the horizon. “It’s different when you have people who walked the streets there. It makes them different kinds of leaders,” Acevedo said. “They’ve gone out and chosen people from the community to sit on commissions and boards, and you’ll see that slow change.” As much as anything, the Business Journal’s lists of Valley leaders 25 who hold positions of economic and political power today and 25 whose stars are likely to rise over the next five years reflect Acevedo’s sentiments. Change is coming, even if it isn’t yet readily apparent. “What’s tended to happen is the population changes before the power structure changes, and that’s the history of all of Los Angeles,” said Raphael Sonenshein, a political scientist at Cal State Fullerton. “There’s a lag time between getting your life together and getting settled in before they rise up and play a role. Generally, the business leadership in all parts of the city tends to be older and whiter than the population.” Since the years right after World War II when it emerged as a middle-class bedroom community, the Valley has grown into an urban center with Asians, Blacks, Middle-Easterners and Armenians and where Latinos represent the largest ethnic group. Many hold blue-collar jobs or small business operators earning wages well below the white collar professionals who came before them. Along with the demographic changes, the Valley’s business base has grown, from one centered in real estate and law to a broad array of industries including entertainment, technology and healthcare. “The Valley is in the midst of a major change in demographics,” said Joel Kotkin, senior fellow at Davenport Institute at Pepperdine University. “It’s become more of an urban area and less of a conventional suburban area.” To be sure, the Valley’s leadership reflects some of those changes, a shift from old boys to young turks, from old-line to first generation, from real estate money to paper money. Los Angeles City Councilman Alex Padilla, identified as one of the Business Journal’s emerging leaders, was born in 1973, more than 20 years after Bert Boeckmann, president of Galpin Ford Inc. and arguably among the most influential of the Valley today, began selling cars. Roberto Barragan, president of the Valley Economic Development Center, and one of the Journal’s emerging leaders, was born to Mexican parents. The parents of Bonny Herman, his counterpart at the Valley Industry & Commerce Association, who landed on the list of present-day influentials, hails from Boston. Another influential, Rick Caruso, president of Caruso Affiliated Holdings, builds shopping centers. Alvaro Villa, CEO of AVG Productions, tapped as an emerging leader, builds animatronic robots. Indeed, real estate, which produced eight of the Journal’s established leaders, only accounts for three of the emerging leaders. Five of the emerging leaders work in the area of technology, although only one of the established leaders comes from that sector. “Those numbers show the higher cost of entry into the old, established modes of economics,” said Fernando Guerra, director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University. “It costs a lot more to get involved in real estate than it did 20 years ago. Whereas in the new technologies your garage or your sweat equity can lead you to be the next Bill Gates.” Politics too has embraced the changing demographic profile of the Valley. In addition to Padilla, Assemblyman Tony Cardenas and State Sen. Richard Alarcon reflect the rising influence of both Valley Latinos and the Northeastern portion of the region. But for every young turk, there are several old boys still very much in prominence. The newer industries and ethnic groups have yet to unhinge the traditional power base, especially in the economic sector. For the most part, the newcomers have not reached the kind of economic critical mass they need to wield power. There’s little time to sit on a chamber board when you’re struggling to feed a family. Nor can you contribute to political campaigns when you’re working to meet the loan payments on your fledgling business. Even the professionals in entertainment and technology have little time to immerse themselves in the broader issues of the community. “Economic stability is what gives people the ability to do a bunch of things, said Acevedo, “to get politically active and socially active.” The fact is that change is slow, not only because newcomers are less equipped to seize power but because old-timers are reluctant to give it up. “Demographic change is really a matter of evolution,” said Gregory Rodriguez, senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a non-partisan public policy institute. “This is something that takes generations. Some of the players will continue to be players for a long time to come by virtue of their social status.” Still, the staggering population changes are laying the groundwork for a wholesale change in the leadership sometime down the road. “The same social trends that led to political power will inevitably lead to economic power,” said Fernando Guerra, director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University. “The political marketplace demanded there be a ‘Padilla’ type. The economics will demand that there be Latino business leaders. It’s just a foregone conclusion.” The seeds are evident in the ranks of small businesses emerging in the Northeast Valley and in local schools. Latinas are taking over their father’s businesses and starting their own, often in non-traditional areas like construction. And women of all backgrounds are comprising an ever-larger slice of the student population at Cal State Northridge. “Economic power is still pretty limited in terms of white and male, but having said that, you’re seeing many more minority entrepreneurs and many more women entrepreneurs and the growth in those areas is in large part because women and minorities were quick to address their own markets,” said Bill Flores, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Science at Cal State Northridge. “The female population is now the largest segment of the campus population and that’s pretty much the case in regards to every ethnic group.” How these changes will eventually affect the Valley’s future direction has yet to unfold. “The problem is that most of the political institutions will be captured and dominated by the old (economic) sectors,” said Guerra. “The new leaders are going to try to use government to benefit the new sectors, except they don’t have the juice. You see this everywhere where old sectors dominate politics and pursue things that advance those interests, so new, emerging technologies have to depend a lot less on government.” The potential influence of the growing Latino population is equally unclear. Reluctant to adopt the same stance as their counterparts in East Los Angeles, Valley Latinos have yet to define themselves as a block, pundits say. And as with the larger community, ethnic groups in general, and Latinos in particular, don’t vote as a unified group. Witness Padilla’s endorsement of Hahn in the mayoral race. Or President George W. Bush’s ability to attract 38 percent of the Latino vote in the presidential election. Still, there is some indication that many of those climbing the ladder to power come with a different sensibility that reflects their past. Their predecessors worry about home prices, traffic and taxes. They fret over housing, jobs and transportation. “To some extent, the people that become power players play the role that power players have had for a decade, but yes, they bring a different sensitivity,” said Rodriguez. “The Mexican Americans are only one generation away from the working class themselves and they bring a different level of consciousness.”

The San Fernando Valley is home to close to 400 biotech firms, both large and small. They make somewhere in the neighborhood of $15 billion to $20 billion in revenue each year. And yet, “It’s been a bit of a secret,” said Robert L. Scott, who has developed an online overview of the biotech sector. As founder of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, Scott has seen the area’s biotech businesses slowly grow from about a dozen firms 20 years ago. Now, published on his www.valleyofthestars.net Web site, Scott’s report outlines the growth and prospects of the Valley’s biotech firms, from giant MiniMed Inc. to small firms like Advanteq Development Corp. Scott said he wants to create a directory and a one-stop source of information about the Valley’s growing biotech firms. “There was a tremendous amount of growth in that industry since the 1994 earthquake and a lot of things have changed. That’s why this report is so important,” he said. The study, Scott said, will help area biotech firms learn about other such firms and their specialties, thus creating a better relationship among them. “It seemed to me that a lot of the people at these firms really didn’t get together to have coffee,” he quipped. Altogether, the report lists 471 firms in the San Fernando Valley and Pasadena areas which are responsible for about a third of the industry’s $57 billion in revenue for Los Angeles and Orange counties. According to the Biomedical Council of Southern California, there are about 2,500 biotech firms in Southern California. The research program is a joint project of the Economic Alliance and the Training Alliance, a consortium between Pierce, Valley, Mission and Glendale community colleges, to inform the public and local biotech and biomedical firms about that sector of the local economy. Outlining the names and specialties of each company, the report also focuses on the larger developments in the Valley’s biotech boom, like MiniMed’s advanced insulin pump and its November move to a site on the Cal State Northridge campus. Ahmed Enany, executive director of the Biomedical Council of Southern California, said the report highlights the Valley’s companies in the area and their major achievements. “It’s a very important document that I think will help people understand our industry,” Enany said. The report, funded by a $15,000 grant from the state Department of Education, was put together by Scott with the aid of the Biomedical Council, state officials and Valley biotech firms themselves. The report outlines the area’s biomedical and biotechnology firms, including those that manufacture diagnostic, surgical and dental equipment, as well as prosthetic and rehabilitation devices. It focuses on companies involved in food and agricultural biotechnology such as plant breeding, and techniques to improve the growth of food crops. The little-known field of bioinformatics, or the process by which microbiology data is analyzed and stored in supercomputers, is included. The report also goes on to outline the clusters of biotech firms in the Valley, through a map that gives their locations. One map shows a cluster of eight firms in Chatsworth, including NMB Technologies Corp., 3M Pharmaceutical Inc. and Natrol Inc. Another large cluster in Canoga Park and Woodland Hills shows several firms, including Syncor International Corp., Servo Magnetics Inc. and One Lambda Inc. Carolyn Corpolongo, industrial affairs coordinator for San Fernando-based Precision Dynamics Corp., said the report is especially helpful in locating firms in related fields. “It’s useful for anyone that is in this industry,” she said. But for Scott, the project is also an educational one. “Basically, I also want to implement a new training alliance and a collaboration between biotech businesses and local colleges,” Scott said. The effort aims to focus on developing continuing education programs for biotech and biomedical professionals. The report outlines the various local colleges that offer programs meant to advance the education of those in the biotech field. “What we’re specifically doing is aligning ourselves in the education community so that we can attract people to that business cluster,” said Kenn Phillips, education director for the Training Alliance which teamed with the Economic Alliance for the report. Phillips says the effort aims to inform local companies about training courses available to them through the four colleges. But so far, there are no takers, he added. “It’s still brand new and we’re still getting the word out about this program,” Phillips said.

Secession advocates pushing for a 2002 ballot initiative on a municipal divorce may have to ask voters for permission to levy taxes at the same time. In a report released by the city attorney’s office last week, Assistant City Attorney Fred Merkin suggests that residents of a new Valley city may have to approve the transfer of taxes from the old city to the new one even if those taxes remain unchanged. The report was released in conjunction with a highly critical 925-page report released by the city, its first formal response to the initial fiscal analysis on secession released in March by the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). The issue hinges on interpretation of a relatively new tax law, Prop. 218, and whether a straight transfer of taxes should be treated the same as the imposition of new levies. City officials say they aren’t positive the law applies, but it could present a potential minefield for secessionists and open them up to possible litigation. Secessionists and LAFCO representatives say it’s a non-issue because there are no increases in taxes being proposed in their secession application. Nevertheless, they plan to err on the side of caution. They say they will likely include language pertaining to the transfer of taxes in a secession initiative package, should it end up on the ballot in 2002. “We believe that Prop. 218 does not require that the current taxes be re-voted on,” said Richard Close, chairman of Valley VOTE, the group spearheading the drive for a municipal divorce. “It’s not a new tax, it’s existing taxes. It’s like saying that all the laws and the ordinances of the city would have to be approved (again), and that’s not the case.” The Right to Vote on Taxes Act, or Prop. 218, was approved by state voters in 1996. Under the law, a majority vote is required for approval of a general tax increase and a two-thirds vote is required for so-called special taxes, or assessments. But neither the language in the original ballot proposition, nor that in the enabling legislation that followed, clearly addresses the issue of whether a transfer of revenues and taxes under reorganization constitutes the imposition of a new tax. In his report, Merkin states that the California Legislative Counsel and the California Attorney General disagree on how the proposition should be interpreted. The attorney general does not believe it’s relevant, but the legislative counsel believes a reorganization of city boundaries would qualify as the establishment of a new tax structure. As a result, Merkin suggests that LAFCO comply with Prop. 218, or run the risk of a lawsuit. Although Sandor Winger, assistant executive director for LAFCO, disagreed with Merkin about the interpretation of the bill, he said his agency was already aware of the law and had planned to present the issue to the voters just to be safe. “We kind of have to,” said Winger. “But the bottom line is Prop. 218, by all standards, will be invoked anyway because we are not creating new taxes here.” Nevertheless, Close said the city is simply using the issue to make it more difficult for his group to garner voter support. “The city is searching for as many obstacles to keep the issue from being approved as they can,” said Close. “But the general belief in the legal community over this issue is that no action is needed. Beyond that, even if it turns out to be a serious issue, it is one that is easily solved.” Close, also an alternate LAFCO commissioner, said the agency’s ballot measure would likely not ask voters to approve new taxes outright, as Prop. 218 implies, but instead ask them to approve the continuation of existing taxes. “That would have the same effect,” said Close. “It eliminates the question so, if the city is right, it solves the problem.” City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, head of a special ad hoc council committee on secession, said a lawsuit against the new city over Prop. 218, or any other issue, could take a bite out of its cash reserves, which would, in turn, impact Los Angeles. LAFCO has proposed the new Valley city start out with a $5.7 million reserve fund in its $1.5 billion budget, or 0.539 percent of the budget. Miscikowski said she was concerned that if the new Valley city were to be hit financially while trying to defend itself in court, it could affect the Valley’s ability to make a planned alimony payment (now set by LAFCO at $68 million a year) to Los Angeles. “All it takes is one disaster or lawsuit to wipe out a reserve fund of that size,” she said. Close said city officials have consistently tried to convince the public that secession would mean tax increases for the new city’s residents. “There is no plan in the study to increase taxes and no need to increase them,” said Close. “So it’s the city of L.A.’s big lie to say taxes are going to increase even though they know it’s not likely and can’t happen legally.” Regardless, if a recent survey of 800 residents of the San Fernando Valley is any indication, taxes do not appear to be a factor. The survey, conducted by the Rose Institute at Claremont McKenna College (which did include a handful of residents in non-secession areas of the Valley), shows that of the 41 percent of respondents who said they would support a breakup, almost half said they would still want to secede even if their taxes increased by 10 percent, compared to 25 percent who said they would change their minds. City Councilman Nick Pacheco said the city is not trying to derail the secession movement. On the contrary, although personally opposed to secession, he supports the idea of enveloping the Prop. 218 question in a secession package to avoid future challenges that could hold up the process. “This is about creating new boundaries,” said Pacheco. “And, when you create a new boundary, then you have created a new entity with a new taxing authority. And once you do that, I believe the prudent thing to do is follow (Prop. 218) so that no one can come down the line five years later and challenge the whole secession vote.” Even Pacheco acknowledged that those in favor of secession are likely to understand that, along with the formation of new government, come shifts in the tax structure and how services are funded. “Most people who want to break away from L.A. know that there is responsibility in self-government,” said Pacheco. “And I would be very surprised if they didn’t consider (the issue of taxes) as part of the package.” The tax transfer question is just one of many challenges presented to LAFCO by the city that the agency will now have to address over the next few weeks. Close reiterated that this was LAFCO’s first report and that many of the complicated questions raised by the city will be addressed down the road. “Remember, this is their initial report, and there’s a reason for that,” said Close. LAFCO is expected to issue its comprehensive fiscal analysis on secession sometime this fall. Public hearings on the matter are expected to follow before LAFCO determines whether to put a secession initiative on the ballot.

DIC Entertainment may have Inspector Gadget and Carmen Sandiego. But it wanted Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Dumbo. “Our business is concentrated on the older kids, like 6 to 11, and we never had to focus on the market for smaller kids like 5 and below, so this will be a great opportunity to do that,” DIC Chief Executive Officer Andy Heyward said. The opportunity Heyward means is the one his Burbank-based children’s cartoon production company paid $170 million for earlier this month: Golden Books Family Entertainment Inc. and all the characters it markets to young children. Now, Heyward said, the investor group he led in buying DIC from the Walt Disney Co. seven months ago is poised to market and promote such Golden Books characters as Poky Little Puppy, Pat the Bunny and Little Lulu. “We felt that this was a golden opportunity for us to bring back some great children’s characters,” said Heyward of his company’s June 5 purchase of the children’s publishing firm headquartered in New York City. Heyward plans to bring many of Golden’s famed literary characters to local toy store shelves with merchandising deals, books and brand new cartoons but only after they appear on some of DIC’s television programs. “You can’t have effective marketing without television,” he said. Heyward said some characters, like Pokey Little Puppy, have never been on television despite a wide following among parents of pre-schoolers. “Pat the Bunny is a character all young mothers know, and that’s another opportunity for us,” he said. Independent children’s media consultant Peggy Charren agreed with the strategy. “It makes sense to cater to young families and their smaller children with these wonderful characters,” Charren said. “It brings DIC to a whole other market that is largely ignored.” Families with young children make up a niche market that has not been effectively exploited by many children’s television producers, Charren said. Heyward admitted that taking on a company that had struggled financially for years is a challenge, but it is also a “golden opportunity to really maximize and bring tremendous value to these timeless characters.” Golden last posted a profit in 1993. The purchase in 1996 by an investor group led by Richard E. Snyder, Simon & Schuster’s CEO, didn’t seem to help. Snyder had plans to reinvigorate the company with a new printing plant and new talent. But to little avail. Last year, the publishing firm posted a $100.3 million loss on revenues of $149 million. Sales and income figures for the privately held DIC were not available. DIC will pay the Snyder group $70 million in cash and give it a $7 million promissory note to acquire Golden Books’ assets. DIC will also take on $90 million of the company’s debts. Golden Books publishes an estimated 500,000 titles, including those featuring Lassie, The Lone Ranger, Abbott & Costello, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Dumbo. The company also has produced cartoons and films like “Lassie,” “Powerpuff Girls” and “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” among others. Heyward said the company’s library and other properties will go well with DIC’s already extensive holdings. Earlier this month, DIC signed an agreement with Lions Gate Entertainment to distribute its cartoons on videocassette and DVD. As part of the company’s marketing efforts, Spanish-speaking parents will be targeted with Spanish-language versions of books and cartoons featuring Golden’s characters. “We’re looking to work with merchandising folks and bring these characters to the international marketplace,” Heyward said. Meanwhile, Heyward said, DIC will continue to focus on its core business of providing children’s television programs. DIC’s break with Disney has allowed it to pursue avenues that had been previously closed to the company. “Disney had this policy that we couldn’t sell to competing networks, so we couldn’t work with Fox or other companies and it hurt us,” he said. “But we’re freer to do things now that we’re not with Disney.” DIC has already signed agreements to produce programs in the fall on ABC, Fox Broadcasting Co., the WB Network, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network. DIC is now scheduled to produce about 100 hours per year of programs like “Sabrina, the Animated Series,” “Mummies Alive,” “Inspector Gadget” and “Carmen Sandiego,” up from 75 hours during the Disney days.

Roy Romer Title: Superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School District Age: 72 Education: Bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics, Colorado State University; law degree, University of Colorado Most Admired Person: Philosopher Martin Buber Career Turning Point: “Yet to happen.” Personal: Married, seven children, 18 grandchildren Superintendent Roy Romer believes that, by the time he’s done, nobody in the Valley will want to break away from LAUSD Roy Romer is trying to work fast. That might explain the hiking boots he wore as he moved quickly around the LAUSD superintendent’s suite of offices one afternoon this month, taking phone calls, bouncing back and forth between multiple meetings, explaining his plans to visitors. Romer blew into town a year ago. After 12 years as governor of Colorado and three as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, he had applied for the job few seemed qualified for, let alone wanted: running the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest public school system in the United States. By most accounts, whoever took the job would have a to-do list that included dealing with the Belmont Learning Center fiasco, a looming teachers strike, overcrowded campuses and entire schools where almost every student performed well below academic expectations. Recognizing that some things are more important than others, Romer has made no secret of the fact that that last challenge improving academic skills is the most urgent of all his responsibilities. Consequently, he has developed a short list of district goals and has harped on them with virtually every single one of the dozens of people he runs across in the average day. Romer spoke with Business Journal editor Michael Hart recently about those goals, his thoughts about two potential new school districts in the San Fernando Valley and his plans to change forever the way LAUSD teachers and administrators work together. Question: It is hard to argue with priorities like improving reading, writing and math skills. But many parents in the San Fernando Valley continue to worry and complain about cleanliness and safety issues. And what about those bathrooms? Answer: Those are important issues. Look, I recognize these are important, but not the most important. And I recognize that safety is almost a precondition. You’ve got to have a safe place. It’s a precondition before we start talking about the priorities. Bathrooms, you bet they’re important. We’ve been after it. But this place is not going to make or break over bathrooms. It’s going to make or break over whether or not we improve instruction. Q: What is your position about the potential breakup of the district and the founding of two new independent school districts in the Valley? A: I was hired to make this district work as a whole, including the Valley. My interest is to make it improve so much that people in the Valley will say, “Wait a minute. That is a good enough operation, I’d like to stay in it.” I’d like to make us perform so well that the people in the Valley would say, “It isn’t going to help us to split off. We’re doing better here.” But that’s for them to make that decision. I don’t want to try to dictate to them. Q: When the state board of education meets Sept. 5 to take up the issue of new Valley school districts, will you or some other LAUSD representative be there to present the district’s side of the story? A: I think we would have to be there and describe what the consequences of it are. People make their own decisions but I think I need to describe the consequences. The consequences would involve how it affects the rest of the district, how it affects our ability to put students in buildings. What’s the impact on both sides? You need to have those facts on the table. But my main cause is not to keep the district whole, my main cause is to educate the children as well as they can be educated. If somebody can convince me we can do it a better way, I’m for it. Q: What is the greatest challenge you see to accomplishing your goal of resolving overcrowding in Valley schools and building more classrooms? A: The hill is very steep and we all knew that when we started. We’re building 12,000 seats a year when over the last 17 years there’s been a couple thousand new seats a year. What you’re anxious about is finding enough sites, and we’re doing quite well on that. Then you’ve got to get the environmental work done on time. Then you’ve got to get your proposal in under the deadline so you can get funded. We’re doing really well on land acquisition. But there’s still work to do. Q: Many feel that, in this year’s union contract negotiations, teachers got very generous across-the-board raises. Is that an accurate perception? A: For 10 years this district has given its authority away (to labor unions). We got a bunch of it back. The contract would have been settled at 10 percent across the board if I had gone for a strike. That’s what everybody around was settling for. That’s what this town, which is a strong labor town, and that’s what this board would have gone for. Instead, I went 11 percent and I paid $30 million, $20 million to teachers. Q: And in return you got what? A: We in the past have not had any opportunity to assign teachers. It was totally on seniority. Right now, with the new contract, we’re going to have the same percentage of experienced and inexperienced teachers on each track and now you can move them around for good educational reasons. That is a change. It used to be that if you’re the principal of an elementary school, the only people who could help you were coordinators of special ed, coordinators of bilingual, things like that. They were chosen totally by the teachers. They would just elect them. If you’re the principal, you don’t even get to choose the people who help you run the place. So, we have got a new process that gives the initiative to the principal and gives a check and balance to the teachers, which is fair because you don’t want them totally inundated by a wild principal. That is a big return of power. Q: Then to your mind, having the teachers union relinquish some influence was an acceptable tradeoff for the extra money? A: These are very important returns of power. It’s the first time in 10 years that we’ve gone this direction. These are subtle things but, if you’re a principal at a school, you can’t work for the people who you’re supervising. You’ve got to work for the district and you’ve got to have some authority to make assignments. That was a big gain and one that was worth the extra 1 percent. And the reason it’s worth it is because it still just gets us up to the median (salary). Q: And what about the $150 million budget deficit we hear about as a result of the new teacher contracts? A: That’s crazy. The difference of 1 percent is $20 million for teachers and $10 million for everybody else in the district. We last year started the year with a balance of $220 million and ended with a balance of $100 million. That’s where the big shortfall came from. It just wasn’t available this year. The increased cost of this negotiation was $20 million for everybody. It didn’t increase our classified (employee salaries) because we would have done them anyway. Q: After what must seem like the relative peace of political life in Colorado, how are you adjusting to being a high-profile figure here in Los Angeles? A: You know, I’m not looking for another job. I’m not looking for a political office. I’m here to make this school district run correctly. If I’ve got to fight to do it, I’m going to fight.

Bert Boeckmann Owner-President Galpin Motors It’s nearly impossible to drive very far on a San Fernando Valley street or highway without seeing a “Galpin Motors” license plate or new car tag sticker. Why? Because Bert Boeckmann, Galpin’s chief executive officer, has managed to remain Ford Motor Co.’s top retailer for more than a decade, and that means he sells more cars for the company than any other Ford dealer. Boeckmann is the recipient of the Presidential Citation for Private Sector Initiatives for public service and has been named Time Magazine’s National Quality Dealer of the Year. Through his company, which employs more than 800 people, Boeckmann, along with wife Jane, contributes endless time and funding for local, national and international causes. Rick Caruso President Caruso Affiliated Holdings Want to make sure your retail project gets approved? Invoke the name of Rick Caruso. An exaggeration perhaps, but the name Caruso holds the kind of sway that many in the development community envy. More than a roof to shelter stores, Caruso’s retail projects have provided a kind of Main Street for affluent suburbs that have grown up without a town center. Modeled after quaint streets and villages found in countries around the world, projects like the Commons at Calabasas and Promenade at Westlake Village allow residents to congregate, sip a latte and mingle, whether or not they want to shop. There are meandering pathways with elaborate landscaping (for the Calabasas center, Caruso brought in nearly 1,000 50-foot trees), benches, fountains and sculptures. On weekends, there is often entertainment. “Our tagline is, ‘We don’t build retail centers, we build the center of town,'” Caruso has said. The orientation has not only helped Caruso to attract some of the best retailers, it has also helped gain community and government approval for the centers, so much so that when other retail developers have approached city planning officers for approvals, they often use drawings that closely resemble Caruso’s projects. Richard Close Attorney Gilchrist & Rutter Since 1976, Richard Close has been president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association – the largest homeowners group in Southern California with roughly 3,000 members. He was there with pen in hand alongside outgoing Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan to co-sign the two ballot measures calling for and finally adopting a new city charter. But Close is perhaps becoming best known for his role as president of Valley VOTE since its formation in 1996. That’s the group pushing for Valley secession. And there is little doubt – he insists – that once the voters approve or reject the idea of a new Valley city, he will slip quietly from the scene. Speaking of the secession movement, the Boston native put it best himself: “I don’t play golf. This is my golf and tennis. There’s nothing I would rather be doing.” Martha Diaz-Aszkenazy Co-owner Pueblo Contracting Services Inc. As co-owner of Pueblo Contracting Services, Martha Diaz-Aszkenazy has worked to strike a balance between social and civic responsibility and the drive to see her company, which she co-founded with husband Severyn in 1984, flourish and prosper. And karma may be at work here, for her company is clearly prospering. Pueblo focuses on historic rehabilitation, including the renovation of the historic Angel’s Flight railway and the remodeling of Bullock’s Wilshire into the Southwestern University law library. The company has also completed several housing developments for seniors and other low-income groups, and is preparing now for the grand opening of the $2.7 million Library Plaza in San Fernando. Dan Emmett President Douglas, Emmett & Co. Over the past several years, Douglas, Emmett & Co. has acquired three of the four trophy properties that frame the intersection of Sepulveda and Ventura boulevards: McNeil Plaza, the Glendale Federal Bank Building and the Sherman Oaks Galleria. The company has also acquired the block that runs east along the north side of Ventura Boulevard to Columbus Street, and four high-rise properties in Encino. In all, nearly 3 million square feet in what is arguably the heart of the San Fernando Valley. But the soft-spoken, unassuming man at the center of those transactions hardly fits the image of a hard-driving real estate mogul. Indeed, what most strikes those who meet Dan Emmett is that he appears downright shy. Emmett avoids the spotlight, politely declining interviews with the press. His free time is spent climbing mountains (he’s said to have tackled Kilimanjaro regularly), running Olympic-level track and raising his four kids with the same principles of humility and fair play he exercises day to day in spite of his position. “Dan has a business acumen that you would never see when you’re talking to him, but his track record speaks for itself,” says a colleague. David Fleming Of Counsel Latham & Watkins David Fleming describes himself as a man who arrived in the San Fernando Valley of the 1950s to find a place very much like the Iowa community he had left behind. Today, the lawyer with the firm of Latham & Watkins has a different view of his Valley of villages from an office on the 25th floor of a Universal City high-rise. His firm belief that this community of 1.6 million people can return to something close to what he discovered more than 40 years ago has made him one of the highest-profile supporters of Valley secession anywhere. His list of philanthropic and civic activities seems almost endless. He is president of the Los Angeles Board of Fire Commissioners and former vice chairman of the California Transportation Commission. Fleming chairs the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation and, for the last 12 years, the Board of the Valley Presbyterian Hospital. He and his wife Jean have contributed more than $3 million to various charities and he has been a close advisor to Mayor Richard Riordan. Still, it apparently is difficult to separate Fleming from one of the most controversial subjects of the day, secession. After all, he is quick to point out, “This is the only major city with a mountain range running through it. It really is the continental divide of Los Angeles.” Rickey Gelb General Partner Gelb Enterprises Rickey Gelb’s business is real estate development and property management. At least it has been ever since 1985, but in many ways it seems almost like a sideline to his real activities. Many in the Valley business community know him best for the many civic, governmental and business organizations he has leadership roles in. Those organizations include everything from the Encino Chamber of Commerce (and that’s just one Valley chamber of commerce he’s involved in) to the Encino/Tarzana Regional Medical Center Foundation, from the Los Angeles Charter Review Committee to the L.A. Valley College Alumni Association, from VICA to Tree People to numerous City of Hope committees. Besides being named member of the year or receiving commendations from any number of organizations, Gelb is also the 2000 Fernando Award recipient. Jay M. Gellert President & CEO Health Net Inc. He could well be called Mr. Turnaround, but Jay M. Gellert prefers his given name, thank you. As president and CEO of Health Net, Gellert took a floundering health care organization that suffered consecutive annual losses of $165.2 million in 1998 and $187.1 million in 1997 to one that showed a $142.4 million profit in 1999 and a $163 million profit in 2000. Despite the sharp turnaround, Gellert declined a bonus last year, just as he had the year before, saying he still has “much work to do.” The company’s turnaround was no small feat, but Gellert credits his management team and right-hand man, Gary Velasquez, who helped convince seven competitors to standardize their claims processes into a single Web-based system to sharply reduce costs. Moreover, Gellert moved to develop a partnership with Boston-based NavidMedix that would allow health care agencies to check patient eligibility online, thus cutting faulty claims by 75 percent. Bonny Herman President & CEO Valley Industry and Commerce Association Companies may come and go, personalities arrive on the scene and depart, business cycles evolve. Meanwhile, Bonny Herman has been in a leadership position at VICA for more than a decade and a half. The last 16 years have been busy for one of the most important business organizations around as the San Fernando Valley itself evolves, every year, into an independent dynamic economic engine. Although very familiar to most anybody in the business community, Herman has kept a relatively low public profile over the years, relative to the scope of VICA’s activities. “She does all her work behind the scenes,” said VICA Chairwoman Cathy Maguire. Maguire said Herman’s most significant contribution “has been in developing leadership in the Valley over the years,” first as president of the Valley Leadership Institute until 1996 and continuing in her role as VICA president. “She is always bringing along leaders: people like me, for instance.” Michael Klausman President CBS Studio Center “I tried to pretend I lived here,” said Michael Klausman, describing his approach to appeasing the neighbors and merchants who live and do business in the area as he prepared for the 1995 expansion of the CBS Studio Center, where he still serves as president. Eventually, CBS contributed $40,000 for roadwork, traffic signal upgrades and parking permits to mitigate concerns stemming from the expansion. And, since his arrival at CBS in 1991, Klausman has offered use of the facility and financing for programs at CSUN, allowed UCLA students to film on site at no charge, and imposed a “cultural arts fee” to construction companies working at the studio, money since used to build a media center for the local Carpenter Avenue School and a theater for Ulysses S. Grant High School in North Hollywood. Mel Kohn Managing Partner Kirsch, Kohn & Bridge Mel Kohn is an accountant; he doesn’t mind crunching numbers. In fact, he loves it. That passion has led him to many opportunities where he can help local businesses other than his own. As managing partner and founder of the Encino accounting firm Kirsch, Kohn & Bridge LLP since 1960, Kohn has become known as much for his passion for helping local business people as for his accounting skills. So it may have come as little surprise to those who know him that the California Chamber of Commerce named Kohn and five others its 2001 California Small Business Advocates of the Year. His work with the Valley Industry and Commerce Association contributed to the California state legislature’s passage of the Truth in Bonding Act – a measure aimed at ensuring that bond money is used for the projects for which it had originally been intended. Kohn is also chairman of the city’s Business Tax Advisory Committee, aimed at reforming the convoluted business tax system and allowing local businesses the opportunity to reduce their tax burdens. Thomas Lee Chairman and CEO, Retired Newhall Land and Farming Co. When it comes to developing master planned communities, there are few to match Thomas L. Lee and his Newhall Land and Farming Co. After joining the company in 1970, Lee helped expand the company into one of the premier developers in the state. While the community of Valencia, founded in 1965, is the company’s flagship project, Lee led the company as it initiated what may be the biggest project ever – Newhall Ranch, on the banks of the Santa Clara River. As its visionary for more than three decades, Lee helped expand Newhall Land efforts in other real estate and agricultural operations. Lee was named president and chief operating officer in 1985, CEO in 1987 and eventually chairman in 1989. He retired this past March. Tony Lucente President Studio City Residents Association Tackling tough issues is what keeps Tony Lucente going. Whether it is establishing a “Graffiti Patrol” or fighting to keep adult entertainment out of a Studio City neighborhood, Lucente is the “go-to” guy when it comes to community or business problems. In his 10 years with the Studio City Residents Association, the group has grown by 90 percent, now with more than 2,100 members. “There is a strong sense of identity in Studio City that makes people care about this community,” Lucente said. Among his recent accomplishments are the establishment of the Studio City Farmers Market and a cooperative partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department. As a businessman, Lucente has directed Nissan North America’s corporate communications department for the past 10 years. Cathy Maguire Public Affairs Manager The Gas Company She may live in the Santa Clarita Valley, but don’t let that fool you in to thinking that Cathy Maguire doesn’t have her feet firmly planted in the San Fernando Valley. She is the chairwoman of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association. As head of public affairs for The Gas Co., she helped launch the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, which she now serves as vice chair. Maguire serves on the boards of the Northridge Hospital Foundation and New Directions for Youth, a Van Nuys organization working to steer at-risk youth in the right direction. What does she see as her top priority for the Valley? “My vision for the Valley is for all of the local organizations that have done so much for local businesses and the economy to continue to join forces and strengthen ourselves as one entity.” Alfred E. Mann Chairman & CEO MiniMed Inc. Risk is nothing new to Alfred E. Mann. Having founded, financed and successfully sold five technology companies – so far – Mann just launched what he has called “my baby,” MiniMed Inc., off on its own as well. Mann has successfully created Spectrolab, an electrophysics company; Heliotek, semiconductors; and Pacesetter, Siemens Infusion Systems, MiniMed and Advanced Bionics, all medical device manufacturing firms. Mann began his career in 1956 when he started Spectrolab to supply the U.S. Army with optical filters for its anti-tank missile firing system. He later established Heliotek with the capital he accumulated by selling Spectrolab. By 1969, Mann had sold Heliotek, turning to the biomedical field to establish Pacesetter, which in 1972 introduced the first rechargeable pacemaker for heart patients. Upon selling Pacesetter to Siemens AG, Mann established the non-profit Alfred E. Mann Foundation in Valencia, which developed the Clarion, a hearing device implanted near the ear, giving many previously deaf patients a chance to hear for the first time. In 1985, Mann established MiniMed to develop and market an insulin pump for diabetes patients. Louise Marquez Manager & Marketing Director Panorama Mall Most malls hold fashion shows to promote the latest trends. The last time Louise Marquez organized a fashion show, it was part of a clothing drive for welfare-to-work recipients. Such is the signature brand of retailing Marquez has developed in the nearly 10 years since she joined the Macerich Co.-owned Panorama Mall, initially as marketing manager. Visit the mall each month, and you’ll likely run into a job or health fair, seminar on immigration rules and procedures, income tax tutorial or arts and crafts session for the area’s school kids. The way Marquez sees it, the shopping center is as much a part of the community as the schools or fire department. And in Panorama City, a predominantly blue-collar neighborhood with a heavily Latino population, including many new immigrants, better to skip the glam and go straight to the basic necessities of day-to-day life. “It’s the ability to tie the community together,” Marquez says. “If we, as an entity in the business arena, can be utilized to bring the customers and the government and schools and children together, I really believe we can make a difference. It’s the united effort of all of us working together that brings prosperity to a community.” The social conscience Marquez has given the mall has paid off on the business side as well. Panorama Mall enjoys sales per square foot of $382, substantially higher than the national average, and an occupancy rate of more than 95 percent. Ed Masry Attorney Masry & Vititoe Nearly two decades ago, Westlake Village attorney Ed Masry got interested in a little environmental contamination case. He couldn’t possibly have known that eventually his firm, along with two others, would end up winning a $330 million settlement against Pacific Gas & Electric Co. over contaminated ground water. Nor could he have known that the case would be made into a major motion picture that drew heavily on the work of his now famous staffer, Erin Brockovich. And Masry is reportedly continuing to stir up controversy in his most recent role as a Thousand Oaks city councilman. He said he ran for public office to fight big development projects because he wants his seven grandchildren to “have open space” and “be able to look at horses and see animals, instead of nothing but asphalt.” Bud Ovrom City Manager City of Burbank For the last 16 years, Robert “Bud” Ovrom has been Burbank city manager. He arrived just as the aerospace industry was taking a nose dive, resulting in the closure of Lockheed Martin Corp., the sudden availability of roughly 5 million square feet of vacant industrial space and the loss of about 20,000 jobs. Fortunately, this all coincided with a simultaneous burst of growth in the Media Center – a challenge for Ovrom and his staff as well, because the key was to keep growth on track without encroachment into residential neighborhoods. Today, a parcel of land vacant for a decade is now home to the Media City Center Mall, the adjacent downtown area is bustling, and a chunk of the former Lockheed property is set for more than 1.3 million square feet of development. Brad Rosenheim Principal Rosenheim & Associates If you’re trying to move a sensitive project in Warner Center through the city’s approval process, Brad Rosenheim is the guy to call. When a lawsuit brought by the Los Angeles Unified School District against the city of Los Angeles charging that Warner Center development had adversely affected air and noise levels at local schools effectively bringing building to a standstill, it was Rosenheim who negotiated a compromise that allowed development to continue. When Lennar Partners sought to redevelop 1.3 million square feet of office space at the former Prudential regional headquarters, it was Rosenheim who persuaded the community to support the project and steered it through the city’s approval process. And when business and developers complained that they were unfairly hampered by a specific plan that imposed onerous fees on the community, it was Rosenheim that spearheaded the effort to change the plan. A revised specific plan is expected to be approved by the city shortly. Rosenheim, also executive director of the Warner Center Association, a group of local businesses and developers, came to L.A. in 1979 from Deerfield, Ill. and worked in local government and at an engineering firm doing land use entitlements before setting up his practice in 1995. He is also a founding member and chairman of the West Valley Boys & Girls Club, chairman of the board of trustees for West Hills Hospital & Medical Center and a board member of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley. Robert L. Scott Director Civic Center Group Through his Civic Center Group, Bob Scott provides consulting, research and planning services primarily to non-profit organizations. Also, for the last 20 years he has been the principal attorney with the civil litigation firm of Scott and Associates. Many in the San Fernando Valley have known Scott to wear any number of hats over the years, but most recently he has been involved in developing information and ways to get information for the business community. In May, for instance, he took to the stage during the Economic Alliance’s Info Summit 2001 to explain how to research biomed companies in the Valley, a project he has prepared for the Alliance. He also has compiled a compendium on “Rightsizing Local and Regional Government.” Scott was the founding chairman and current vice chairman of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley. He is a past president and current member of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission and a past president of the United Chambers of Commerce. Jerry Snyder Partner J.H. Snyder Development Co. “I look like Cary Grant, is that OK?” quips Jerry Snyder of J.H. Snyder Co. when asked to submit a photo to the Business Journal. And that’s pretty much vintage Snyder, a New York native and Bel Air resident with a tireless, albeit take-no-prisoners charm. But as a developer he could very well be the next messiah to those pushing for development of the long-troubled multi-million-dollar commercial and residential project called the NoHo Commons in North Hollywood. After two attempts by another developer to get the project off the ground, Snyder was able to secure financing and is nearing receipt of a final stamp of approval from the city of Los Angeles. His company, over the years, has built more than 1,200 homes in the Valley area and recently brought the Warner Marketplace and Reseda Plaza to fruition. Dale Surowitz Chief Executive Officer Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center Like most hospital administrators over the years, Dale Surowitz has seen the parameters of his career change right along with the challenges that face the health care industry. As chief executive officer of the Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center for the last four years, Surowitz has balanced a number of responsibilities as he has managed virtually every aspect of the center’s two facilities. Before taking over those responsibilities, he spent five years as president and CEO of the North Hollywood Medical Center and was an administrator at three other acute care facilities before that. Surowitz has been named Outstanding Business person of the Year by the Encino Chamber of Commerce and is a four-time winner of Tenet Healthcare’s Circle of Excellence Award. Ross Thomas Partner Delphi Business Properties Have you even thought about industrial property in the San Fernando Valley in the last few years? Then you no doubt are familiar with Ross Thomas. It’s virtually impossible to rent or buy that particular kind of real estate without doing business with Delphi Business Properties, the company he is a partner in. What’s more, he doesn’t mind investing in what he markets. Thomas has been investing in San Fernando Valley property himself ever since he began as a broker, with a 6,000-square-foot facility in North Hollywood 22 years ago. His personal holdings now exceed 650,000 square feet. “It’s a natural adjunct to the business,” Thomas said. He also has countless partnerships with those he does business with. “I like it when a user is a partner,” he said, “because they have a vested interest in being a good tenant.” Robert Voit Chairman & CEO The Voit Cos. They told Robert Voit it was sheer folly to build a commercial center in Woodland Hills. The year was 1974. Hardly any business ventured west of Chalk Hill, an imaginary line somewhere between Winnetka and DeSoto avenues. The oil embargo – and the recession it brought – was only just beginning to lift. And Voit was not only proposing an office building; he was ready to drop a bundle on a whopping 110 acres in what seemed like a remote area that stretched from DeSoto to Canoga avenues and from Oxnard Street to Burbank Boulevard. (He purchased another 24 acres, which became the Warner Center Towers, in 1980.) What seemed in 1974 like foolishness is today Warner Center, the premier commercial hub of the San Fernando Valley and corporate and regional headquarters to such companies as Health Net, Litton Industries Inc. and 21st Century Insurance Group. Voit, who lived in the Valley for 20 years (he has since moved to Orange County), says the dynamics that led him to develop the West Valley are the same today as they were nearly three decades ago. “People have always come to the Valley looking for a better life,” he says, “and that’s exactly what’s happening today. “Other people, be they Hispanic or Asian, are coming here (now) for the same darn reasons.” Tyree Wieder President L.A. Valley College L.A. Valley College – under the leadership of Tyree Wieder – has seen a rebirth since she became president in 1995. Enrollment has increased, class offerings have expanded and the college’s relationship with the private sector has blossomed. Wieder has reached out to private contributors for equipment and donations and, under her direction, the college has forged business partnerships that led to, among other positive attributes, collaborations that have trained and placed nearly 1,000 current and former welfare recipients and unemployed workers into jobs. Most remain on the job today, not always an easy task to accomplish. Wieder said of that particular project, “We just start with where they’re at, work with them and try to move them up.”