ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR.

Alorica, Inc.

Andrew Lee 

Andy Lee has known all his life that he wanted to run a company when he grew up. After graduating from USC, Andy joined Advanced Membrane Technology - becoming Vice President in just three years - with responsibility for two factories in the US and China as well as all finance, accounting, worldwide purchasing and information technology. Leveraging his operational and IT skills, Andy left AMT to start Emagine Studios, creating web-based applications to help businesses streamline operations and improve efficiencies. His efforts at Emagine led to an opportunity to focus on consolidating post-sales service and support operations for CTX International, a PC and monitor manufacturer. Andy was appointed the president of the CTX service division and within only two years had developed some of their most significant business sectors, including the CTX call center, extended warranty, post-sales service and eCommerce businesses.

Knowing that making a sale is only the first step in developing a customer relation ship, Andy purchased the assets of CTX Data Services in June 1999 and formed Alorica Inc. to focus on service and support outsourcing. In just under two years the company has become a fast-growing, highly profitable entity, gaining such major clients as U.S. Robotics, eMachines, NEC and other technology companies.

Today the company is the only provider in the industry that offers a total service and support solution for customer relationship management (CRM), including leading practices consulting, CRM software, call center, logistics, repair and asset recovery. Andy Lee's Alorica is successful because it listens to its customers and clients, then provides them what they need and more than they expect. Maybe not a novel idea for a lifelong entrepreneur, but definitely a recipe for success for Alorica.

Aspen Education Group, Inc.

Elliot A. Sainer

Elliot Sainer's life work has been in the healthcare industry. After a number of years as a healthcare administrator then joining a family-owned company in 1989, he saw the opportunity to create a new business -- providing services for at-risk youth who were being treated primarily in psychiatric hospitals and other restrictive environments. Elliot reasoned that alternatives to this approach could be more successful, and he created Mt. Bachelor Academy in Oregon as a residential school for students with emotional needs. His idea was right on point, so he built upon that success and started a wilderness program in Utah and a special education day school in California.

As Elliot opened new programs and began to serve a growing client base, the scope became too large for his family to maintain, so he spun off the programs and created what would become Aspen Education Group. In 1998 Elliot completed a re-capitalization of the company.

The original mission of the Aspen business model was to provide a variety of educational and treatment services to at-risk youth and their families. Over the last two years the program has grown to encompass owning and operating schools and educational programs for under-achieving youth who have been unsuccessful in traditional school settings.

Currently operating in eight states, the company subscribes to four guiding principles: youth and family, service, teamwork and growth. With these principles at the core, Aspen has a very decentralized operating philosophy that enables significant responsibility and accountability to reside in the schools and with the individual program directors across the country. Through private pay programs as well as special education and community service programs, Aspen is able to extend its services to students from wealthy families as well as to youngsters who are battling poverty on top of their personal issues. The motto for Elliot Sainer and Aspen Education Group is "Help for today and hope for tomorrow." They are making sure that America's young people have both.

Box Brothers Corp.

Robert Goodman

Just over 20 years ago Robert Goodman left the Bronx and moved to Los Angeles with his wife and child. With a sixth grade education and $500 in his pocket, his future was uncertain at best. One thing he did have was ambition. He got a job at a moving company called Starving Students and within five years had been promoted to vice-president. Since upper management was only a few years older than Robert, advancement seemed unlikely, so he decided to go out on his own.

Box Brothers began in a 500 square foot store as a one-man boxing and shipping operation, providing customers with just-in-time services or, as his former Starving Students chums said, "selling cardboard." Undaunted by either their comments or the fact that there was no precedent in the marketplace, Robert (affectionately known as "Goody" by his employees) persevered, creating and distributing flyers about the business and gradually carving out a new market niche. The company today has 30 stores and 5 warehouses in major cities throughout the US, serving customers from local residents to large corporate clients.

Box Brothers competes against such major franchises as Mail Boxes Etc. and U-Haul. One of the things that differentiates the company is its concentration on customer service. In fact, Box Brothers has shipped treasures that include celebrity attorney F. Lee Bailey's desk, "Beverly Hills 90210" star Luke Perry's motorcycle and a list of other celebrity items. By leveraging its willingness to handle special and unusual orders, Box Brothers has earned a spot as the largest small shipper in the business.

East West Bank

Dominic Ng

Creativity and innovation have been the cornerstones to the success of East West Bank since it was founded in 1973. Started as a business serving the Chinese immigrant population of Los Angeles, East West assumed innovation as an imperative in order to provide relevant products and services that would help its client base assimilate into their new homeland. Dominic Ng, President and CEO of the bank, has grown East West into the third largest independent commercial bank headquartered in Southern California and one of the largest financial institutions in the country with an Asian retail banking focus.

Among the earliest innovations that have helped the bank earn its status was the introduction of the secured credit card, designed to help new immigrants establish credit history. The bank continued as it leveraged new technologies to serve its customer base, installing ATMs throughout its branch network capable of providing services in English, Chinese and Spanish and implementing 24-hour telephone banking with transaction and information capabilities in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish. Most recently, East West has introduced the nation's first fully transactional Internet banking in Chinese, making it possible for customers across the nation and across the globe to conduct banking in their native script.

Building on this comprehensive portfolio of services and products, Ng has expanded the East West reach beyond its original niche to include commercial banking for the mainstream community and switched its charter to that of a full-service commercial bank. He has also managed growth even in such difficult times as the Southern California recession and the Asian financial crisis, turning adversity into opportunity with much the same spirit and courage as the original emigres.

El Clasificado

Martha C. de la Torre 

Martha C. de la Torre has always had an eye for business. During her stint as CFO at La Opinion, Martha determined that the community could benefit from an additional publication that was free and home-delivered to serve a wider portion of LA's Spanish-speaking community, and El Clasificado was born.

Believing strongly in her project but having limited start-up capital, Martha sold her house and car and moved in with her parents to help fund the company's initial operations. The publication began immediately receiving kudos and complements on its quality. But while her sales staff was effective at getting new clients, El Clasificado had trouble keeping them. In a desperate effort to reduce costs, Martha decided to try another method.

In 1992, almost four years after its founding, El Clasificado changed from being a home-delivered publication to a bulk drop paper. She and her husband took over distribution of the paper and comput erized the system so that each distribution locationcould be monitored weekly. They also obtained space in major store chains, installed street racks and audited distribution to validate their methods and channels. As a result, El Clasificado found its way to thousands of new outlets and into the hands of its target market. The newspaper is the first frelication to provide a combination of classifieds, display advertising and editorials to Southern California's Spanish communities.

Encore Software, Inc.

Michael Bell 

Some of the most important software inventions in the world have begun in someone's basement. Such is the case with Encore Software, founded by Michael Bell and his college roommate in a basement in Venice, California. Encore originated as a company that published bundled software -- licensing previously released software, combining several titles in one box and marketing and distributing the combo package. The go-to-market strategy was perfect for a start-up company because it required little initial investment and enabled Encore to get to market quickly to respond to already-high consumer demand. In less than five years Encore had grown into one of the top 25 consumer software publishers in the nation.

As the software industry matured and bundles became the most crowded market segment in the industry, Michael knew that the company needed a diversified revenue base. Encore began developing its own titles and rapidly filled the shelves with even more successful titles. At the beginning of the decade, Michael broadened the company's focus a step further to include branding agreements with such widely recognized and highly regarded companies as Golden Books, National Geographics and Kaplan, and also strengthened in-house development with such products as Math Advantage, the single best-selling match title at retail.

Since its founding Encore has generated 24 straight quarters of profits and has grown an average of 80% per year. For Michael Bell and Encore Software, things have come a long way since that basement in Venice.

Harbor Freight Tools 

Eric L. Smidt

There are a lot of mottos posted throughout Harbor Freight Tools. One in particular seems to describe the philosophy that defines Eric Smidt's approach: A successful merchant does not build a business; he builds an organization and the organization builds the business.

Eric began building his organization in the family business, becoming its president when he was just 25. The business, founded by Eric's father in the family's garage in North Hollywood, originally sold tools to contractors from the back of the family truck. Soon the company expanded to include a small squadron of outbound telephone salesmen, whose efforts kept the company healthy and profitable.

Under Eric's guidance, the company has continued phenomenal and profitable growth, with one-page flyers giving rise to multi-page marketing brochures, then full-blown catalogs. Today, Eric operates more than 100 retail stores and services more than 2,000,000 customers a year through traditional mail-order catalogs plus a popular and profitable website.

The company's continued growth is based on Eric's commitment to circling the globe to find and deliver incomparable value, unbeatable selection and world-class customer service. With retail expansion in full swing, the company has realistically predicted that annual revenue will soar within the next five years. Not a bad accomplishment for a business that started in the back of a truck.

Imagine Fulfillment Services

Andy J. Arvidson

Jim Heffernan

Even working in a solid corporate environment couldn't dampen the entrepreneurial spirit in Andy Arvidson and Jim Heffernan. Andy had spent five years at Airborne Express, where he brought the idea of fulfillment to the corporation by forming and directing the company's Fulfillment Sky Courier division. Servicing such accounts as 20th Century Fox, Republic Pictures and Disney's Buena Vista Home Video, Andy brought the division to rapid and remarkable profitability. At the same time, Dublin native Jim Heffernan was serving as fulfillment manager for 20th Century Fox. The two forged a close professional relationship that would lead in 1998 to the formation of Imagine Fulfillment Services. Imagine provides high quality, low cost customized ship ping and assembly of promotional and product kits. Their market focus is on the entertainment industry as well as the telecommunications, infomercial and Internet at-home shopping market segments.

Clearly these two young entrepreneurs have hit upon a business niche that needed filling. Its fulfillment services include processing orders, packaging and shipping products for many Fortune 500 companies, including 20th Century Fox, Transamerica Insurance, Imperial Bank, Pacific Bell and others. And while the phone didn't ring much during the first two months of business, that soon changed. In its first full year of operations the company's sales more than doubled, with a five-fold increase for calendar year 2000. Employee count has gone from 6 to 45 to 156 in the three years the company has been in operation. Imagine has maintained a consistent -- and amazing -- profit margin of more than 30%. And that's just the beginning. Within the next 2-5 years, plans include opening additional fulfillment facilities in Toronto, Tennessee and Ireland to create a global hub and spoke system that capitalizes on the growth of worldwide eCommerce and backend logistics / distribution. For Andy, Jim and IFS, what they can imagine, they can fulfill.

Innovative Merchant Solutions

Joe Kaplan

Tim Jochner

Although they began their careers in a highly corporate environment, both Joe Kaplan and Tim Jochner each nurtured an entrepreneurial spirit. Their collaboration began while the two were creating equipment leasing programs for their respective employers. Finding the synergy in fusing their creative energies, the two joined forces and formed Superior Bankcard Services (SBS), who in four years became the 8th largest bankcard processor in the nation.. With such significant success accomplished, the two decided to merge with a publicly traded company. After a year, the two again struck out on their own and within a week started Innovative Merchant Solutions.

Even with substantial shared and individual experience, Tim and Joe faced the challenge of all new customers, sales representatives, facilities and managers. With their characteristic go-forward attitudes and confidence, it took only a year for Innovative to begin processing as many accounts per month and serving as many merchants as SBS had accumulated in five years. They've also leveraged technology to enable Innovative to accomplish this growth with just 25% of the staff typically required. But fewer people clearly doesn't mean diminished services. Personal touches are the hallmark of the entrepreneurial spirit that characterizes both Joe and Tim. In fact, merchants are continually surprised and delighted when they receive a personal call as part of the Mer chant Appreciation Calls program. It's not surprising, then, that Innovative Merchant Solutions is now the fastest growing bankcard service provider in the industry.

Ixia 

Errol Ginsberg

Since he was a young boy, Errol Ginsberg has been building things -- whether it be a model airplane or an intricate electronic device, Errol is a true tinkerer. During college, he and a friend developed a slide projector control that won an engineering award sponsored by Siemens. Even with encouragement such as that, Errol knew that his home country of South Africa was a consumer of technology, not an innovator. Knowing that Errol packed his suitcase and moved to California, where the high tech community was flourishing. It quickly became obvious to him that what he really wanted was to be an entrepreneur and to own his own company. Over the years he had developed an idea based on the lack of quality equipment that he had worked with. In fact, there just wasn't anything on the market that could test network performance the way he and his engineer colleagues wanted it tested.

By that time Errol had been on both sides of the engineering fence and was very clear about what the network engineering community needed. He also knew his company could deliver a product with a much better feature set and at a more affordable price. Like a good entrepreneur, Errol saw the need and filled it, and his original idea soon became the foundation for Ixia, started in 1997 with a core team of engineers.

Ixia delivers powerful distributed multiport traffic generators and performance analyzers for wire-speed verification of today's advanced optical networking equipment, LAN and WAN multi-layer switches and cable television Internet products. The products are distinguished by their accuracy, reliability, high-port density, diversity of support and protocol standards, as well as by their adaptability to the industry's constant evolution. In the beginning Errol worked in every capacity of the business, from shipping clerk to CEO. He went on all the initial sales calls and assembled the products. Today the company employs 147 people and Errol has a strong management team to support him. For Errol that support is just what he needs to continue building success, one piece at a time.

JAKKS Pacific, Inc.

Stephen Berman

Stephen Berman has had an entrepreneurial spirit virtually all of his life. Leaving home at the age of 18 and putting himself through school cemented his commitment to succeed on his own. In 1987 Stephen co-founded Balanced Approach, a company that provided fitness training services for corporations. Later he went on to work for THQ, virtually building their international business operations. In 1995 Stephen joined with Jack Friedman to found JAKKS Pacific Inc, a multi-brand toy company that has quickly moved to the forefront of several business categories.

It may look as though Stephen aspires to second place when he says he wants to be the "King of B brands." What he means is that he wants JAKKS to rank number one among the "challenger" brands by delivering better service than his competitors, better prices for the consumers, better margins for the retailers and a quality recognizable branded product for the buyer. Stephen's first step in meeting that objective was to acquire the World Wrestling Federation license for its action figures. Leveraging that success, he has gone on to acquire tired brands and build them into strong competitors -- including the 20 year old Road Champs, which became for JAKKS what Hot Wheels and Match Box were to Mattel; Remco, which became what Tonka is to Hasbro; along with Child Guidance, with its Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval on infant and pre-school toys akin to Fisher-Price or Play School.

JAKKS has also acquired Pentech International, which manufactures and markets specialty pens, pencils, markers and related products, a move that has propelled the company into one of the industry leading positions in the writing instrument business and opened many retail doors not previously available.

Stephen attributes the company's success to the entrepreneurial spirit and passion of its management team and its employees, and also to the price, quality and innovative brands that JAKKS offers its customers. Whatever force is behind him, he's led the company from its starting position at #124 to ranking as #5 in sales in the US and is on his way to achieving the ultimate goal of being third -- behind nobody but Mattel and Hasbro -- a prime position for the industry's top challenger.

Maloney Vision Institute

Dr. Robert K. Maloney

Good vision has always comprised the vision of Dr. Robert Maloney. A little over 10 years ago he was introduced to the surgical process called LASIK, an advancement that would change his life and the lives of thousands of others. Dr. Maloney was one of the five investigators to conduct FDA-supervised trials for LASIK and the first surgeon to perform LASIK in western North America. Then in 1998, he expanded his vision to open the Maloney Vision Institute. For Dr. Maloney the Institute is considerably more than a business. The hallmark of the Institute is quality, a fact that is evident throughout -- from the design of the office and the attitude of the receptionists to the explanations that the vision correction assistants provide, the surgeon's focus on detail, the state-of-the-art equipment and the follow-up care.

Making all those tenets a product of the business is not an inexpensive proposition, and Dr. Maloney will not compromise on quality to effect competitive price. Other aspects of his service that bear out the fees include the cutting edge research that will ultimately improve the quality of patient care and the qualified ophthalmologists who provide follow-up care. Dr. Maloney's procedures and personally developed techniques in the field of vision care surgery have resulted in an unparalleled record for lack of post-operative complications as compared to other vision correction surgeons and reduced interoperative complications from a typical 1 in 330 to 1 in 3,500 at the Maloney Vision Institute.

This commitment to quality, service and superior patient care have also helped fuel growth and positioned the Institute to be acquired by Clear Centers of America. As the Director, an equity owner and Board member of the company, Dr. Maloney plans to expand, first to other cities in California then across the country, as well as to broaden the services to include such procedures as cataract and plastic surgery. Whatever the endeavor, his vision remains clear.

Moorefield Construction, Inc

Ann Moorefield

When Ann and Harold Moorefield were married in the 1950s, their dreams

were clear -- to raise a large family and to build a successful business. Once their first dream was well on its way, they began to focus on their second. The couple borrowed enough money to buy a truck and some tools and started a business that is known today as Moorefield Construction. Harold worked in the field and handled plans and bids while Ann took care of the office work, bookkeeping, financial and business operations and most importantly their children. Over the years, both the business and the family prospered. Then in 1982 Harold died unexpectedly. Though she had no formal training or actual construction background, Ann was determined to keep the dream alive. With a fierce commitment and a $3 million construction project under negotiation, she set out to continue the company. Proving the courage of her own convictions, Ann put up her home and all her assets as collateral to see the project through and got her first experience in dealing with the "nuts and bolts" of the construction business.

At a time when virtually the only women in the construction business were the receptionists, Ann Moorefield managed not only to keep the business going but also to grow it into the company it is today, with operations in five western states and annual sales that comprise a nine-figure number. Her client base, comprised largely of repeat customers, includes Albertson's, Ralphs Grocery Chain, Sav-On, Edwards Cinemas and other retail customers. Complementing the company's proactive approach to customer service and value engineering is a commitment to her subcontractors, typically advancing payments to them (unheard of in her industry) and treating them as valued members of her professional family. Nearly all of Ann's seven children are involved in the family business and for Ann, who once struggled to balance both work and family, seeing the two most important things in her life become one is her greatest pride.

Moseley Associates, Inc.

Jamal Hamdani

Born in Asia, raised in Africa and educated in Europe, Jamal Hamdani is truly a citizen of the world who found entrepreneurism in the US and made it his home. One of the top 25 graduates from 20 countries chosen to work in an International Fellowship at Phillips in the Netherlands, Jamal was a pioneer in the field of Digital Signal Processing. He also spent 5 years in Africa designing and installing a telecommunication network for a state of 4 million people. It was during this process that he learned a valuable lesson -- the best way to overcome corruption, poverty, illiteracy and nepotism is to help people communicate. That became his goal and his mantra.

In 1992 Jamal was part of a management buyout from General Research Corporation of Moseley, a company founded in 1959 as a supplier of wireless products for the broadcast industry. He immediately implemented a strategy to move Moseley into the new Wireless and System segments to address the rapidly growing needs arising from the widespread global construction of large-scale wireless communication networks and related infrastructures. In 1995 Jamal became president and CEO of Moseley and nearly tripled revenues in three years.

In 2000 the company acquired Microwave Data Systems and has since turned the combined entity into one of the most powerful and profitable in its business space. His strategy was to build a global, diversified and profitable wireless company founded on three principles: innovative management of technology, deep understanding of customer needs, and compassion in all interactions. His innovative approach to research and to uncovering opportunities is exemplified by such market firsts as the world's first all digital studio-to-transmitter link, the world's first spectrum scalable low/mid capacity digital radio and the world's first portable digital video electronic news gathering (ENG) link.

Jamal also led Moseley to fuse its energy and professional intentions with Cisco, Broadcom and Texas Instruments to form the Broadband Wireless Internet Forum to set the industry standards for the next generation in the $50 billion broadband industry.

Omni Computer Products

Gerald W. Chamales

While many entrepreneurs have stories of overcoming adversity on the way to success, few can match the challenges that Jerry Chamales has met. His story begins with childhood in a foster home and continues through brushes with the law and substance abuse. But at his core was always a belief in him self, which Jerry finally mined.

By studying motivational literature and practicing the habits of successful people, he began to turn his life around and soon became the top salesman at Pacific Computer Products. Not content with simply being an employee, Jerry launched Omni Computer Products from his apartment in 1982 with a staff of two. He saw that the widespread adoption of computer technology at the time was dovetailing with a heightened aware ness of recycling, and he reasoned that the demand for remanufactured computer consumables wouldn't be far behind. He was right.

By 1986 the company was vertically integrated, with its own manufacturing capability and the accompanying ability to strengthen margins and ensure quality. Today Omni is a leading manufacturer and supplier of recycled / OEM computer imaging supplies, with multi-million dollars in sales and a roster of more than 200 employees. Omni is positioned for continuing growth as well, with the launch of its first branded product called Rhinotek and a percentage of its profits going to the Lewa Conservancy in Kenya.

What may be most meaningful for Jerry Chamales is the company's commitment to its people. He has created a loyal workforce by treating all members of the team with respect and dignity and by extending opportunities to others who may be down on their luck or recovering from substance abuse. By any measure, Jerry Chamales can be called a success.

ParaSoft Corp..

Dr. Adam Kolawa

Dr. Adam Kolawa was born in Poland in what he calls "a science family." While he was a student working on his doctorate in theoretical physics at Cal Tech, Adam was part of a team that developed the world's first parallel computer. Drawing upon what he had also learned about capitalism, he and his teammates founded ParaSoft, with the idea of designing superior automated software solutions that enhance and improve the effectiveness of software development.

ParaSoft experienced almost instant success when the company released its first product in 1988, a complete programming environment for developing parallel and distributed applications. Since their primary customers were government and military agencies, the end of the Cold War signaled to Dr. Kolawa the need to mine other possibilities.

With a new idea in mind, Adam Kolawa set out to create software development tools that automated several programming practices often considered to be time-consuming, expensive and monotonous. In 1993, Parasoft introduced Insure++, the most thorough runtime error detection tool available. Within a year, Parasoft had increased profits by 100% and soon released an entire suite of software development tools for C/C++, Java and Web developers. With jtest, codewizard, webking and other highly effective developing and testing tools, the company has earned several patents and continues to release innovative new technologies through its global distribution offices in the UK, France, Germany, Brazil, Australia, India, Hong Kong, Israel, Taiwan, China and Japan.

It can be said that Dr. Kolawa is part mind reader, releasing products into the marketplace before trends take hold rather than after they have become widespread. That's a rare talent, in light of the typical two-year development cycle such products require.

Carlton Calvin

Razor USA LLC 

Carlton Calvin will never underestimate the power of the press. A little over a year ago he read an article about the popularity of push scooters in Japan and immediately set out to get one. As soon as he'd completed a test spin around his warehouse, Carlton also knew he'd just scooted into a prime business opportunity.

Having developed several toys, Carlton already had a basic distribution network he could use to distribute the scooters. And seeing how scooter sales had taken off around the world, he decided to join forces with the Taiwan-based company that developed and manufactured Razor. So in June 2000, Razor USA was born.

Always on the fast track, Carlton was up and rolling -- with employees, warehouse space, web site, logo and licensing agreements -- all within two weeks. As in any new business, there were challenges and the road was not always a smooth one. But Carlton flattened the bumps with his characteristic drive and commitment. Within a single year Razor has become the dominant brand in scooters, with the wheeled wonders showing up in a variety of venues, from college campuses to corporate headquarters all across the country. And what may have once been a kid's toy is now the new mode of transport for a number of generations. As a result, the company has taken 45% of the market share while its nearest competitor has wheeled in only 3%.

Carlton Calvin is continuing Razor's aggressive marketing strategy with plans to develop "scootering" as a sport and to add new product lines including bikes, pogo sticks, electric scooters and apparel. He's also made sure that Razor responds to the safety issues of scootering, taking a proactive approach to educating the public about scooter safety, saying, "Our customers' first priority isn't safety, so ours has to be." Now that's the way to roll out a product.

SeaWest Financial Corp.

Frederick A. Cooper

Kenneth H. Terkel

Fred Cooper and Ken Terkel bear out the theory that the entrepreneurial spirit is hereditary. Each is the offspring of entrepreneurs, with Fred's father the founder of four high tech companies and holder of 32 patents. Fred conceived the idea for the business while he was working in the Indirect Loan Department of a bank. At the same time, Ken was working for a franchised automobile dealership that was a client of the bank. The two identified a unique opportunity in the market -- to purchase automobile loans from borrowers with limited access to traditional credit sources because of such issues as negative credit histories, limited employment histories or lower than aver age income. They developed an operating plan using a decentralized model that others in the industry had considered unworkable, with one significant change: Fred and Ken made it work and SeaWest Acceptance Corporation became a reality in 1992.

Once the two had grown the infrastructure of the company and proven their approach, they were able to attract significant investment interest, then leverage part of the proceeds to acquire Chappell Finance, a Los Angeles independent finance company with a $10 million portfolio. As a result, the company now known as SeaWest Financial Corporation has become a leader in the consumer finance industry, specializing in purchasing and servicing retail "sub-prime" automobile installment contracts. The company currently services a portfolio in excess of $120 million with a staff of more than 135 employees. These numbers represent a growth of 1200% in receivables and 500% in employment since the 1994 acquisition. They also earned SeaWest designation as the 11th fastest growing company in the Los Angeles area. Additionally, the company ranks in the top 5% in the country in terms of collection efficiency and portfolio quality and is positioning itself as a potential initial public offering or acquisition target for a bank or financial institution not currently in the sub-prime automotive financing industry.

Robbins Bros.

Stephen A. Robbins

The entrepreneurial spirit is in the blood of Chairman & CEO Steve Robbins, going all the way back to his grandfather. After graduating from UC San Diego, Steve joined his brother and their dad in the family jewelry business. When their father was no longer able to work in the business, the two took it on and began to plan its growth. Following the trend at the time of moving into regional shopping centers, they grew the company to 14 Southern California stores. At the beginning if the 90s, with Southern California reeling from a recession and multiple jewelers in every mall, Steve and his family re-evaluated their business and decided to dominate the engagement ring market. The family sold their entire inventory, concentrated on bridal jewelry, then re-opened a virtually new business under the new name of Robbins Bros. Knowing that change was only the beginning, Steve led the family business and opened the World's Biggest Engagement Ring Store.

The store was a multi-faceted jewelry "experience" for couples. They could watch one of the five custom jewelers actually make their rings as they wander through the displays of literally thousands of styles and a huge inventory of loose diamonds. The store's success far exceeded any expectations to such an extent that the plans were changed to phase out any remaining mall stores and replace them with regional super stores. By September of this year, there will be seven World's Biggest Engagement Ring Stores. Steve, who in 1999 purchased majority shares from the family, still works with his brother Skip (who retains 10% ownership and serves as a consultant to the company). With his contribution to countless couples, Steve Robbins shares in some of life's most intimate moments, one ring at a time.

Sega GameWorks LLC

Ron Bension

Ron Bension has always been in the business of having fun. He began his career with MCA in 1971 sweeping floors at Universal Studios Hollywood, rising to the role of President and Chief Operating Officer by 1988, making him one of the youngest executives of a major US corporation. Since then, he has been at the helm of the Universal Studios theme park facilities in Hollywood and Florida and the Yosemite Park and Curry Company, developing international theme park joint ventures in the UK and Japan and spearheading planning and development of Universal's sister theme park Islands of Adventure in Orlando. Then it was time for a real challenge - taking on a company with depleted cash reserves that had yet to hit budget or forecast numbers.

Even with the original GameWorks product developed by renowned creatives in the entertainment industry, there was a disconnect between the existing physical product and the intended target market. In short, Sega GameWorks was a male teen arcade hoping for a broad adult market. And that's where Ron came in to play. He changed the look from dark game arcades to brighter stores with clear signage that made obvious the invitation to "Eat, Drink, Party + Play." He also brought the metrics for a successful business back into line -- lowering building costs, increasing operating margins and positioning product, branding and marketing to improve customer stay times, repeat cycles and spending. Brighter surroundings, better food and better customer service are the new rules of the game.

Ron's strategy for re-positioning the GameWorks product as "the ultimate entertainment destination" for young adults is working. More females are going to Sega Game Works, with the ratio of female to male increasing from 25/75 to 50/50. People are staying longer and coming back more often. And for Ron, its in keeping in line with his philosophy of fun.

Syncor International

Monty Fu

Long before the idea of the Internet commerce revolution and the concept of putting customers in the driver's seat, Monty Fu was driving patient-specific, time-sensitive, unit dose vials of radioactive pharmaceuticals to hospitals. Monty was attending the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy in the early 1970s when he hit upon the idea of providing radiopharmacy services for nuclear medicine departments in a variety of healthcare sites. He turned this idea into a small pharmacy operation called Pharmatopes, which grew to 12 locations by 1980. That same year a newly public company called Syncor caught Monty's eye and he negotiated a merger with the company that was completed in 1982, only to be followed by another merger with Nuclear Pharmacy Inc. in 1985. The resulting company, Syncor International, is the leading provider of time-sensitive radiopharmaceuticals used in diagnostics imaging and therapy.

Like every successful entrepreneur, Monty has also helped shape his marketplace. By developing a national network of outsource radiopharmacies and imaging centers, he has made traditional in house radiopharmacy compounding facilities obsolete. His business now includes managing inventory, production, administration, labor, cost containment and regulatory compliance -- activities that formerly squeezed hospital profits.

The Syncor culture rests upon a series of core values that Monty established at the company's inception: customer service and intimacy, excellence and pride in the quality of its products and services, and commitment to being the very best at whatever it does.

Tanner Research, Inc.

John Tanner 

The son of a Midwest farmer, John Tanner grew up in Minnesota and Iowa. He got his start in business with a company he co-founded during his days as a graduate student at Cal Tech. The company, called Stac Electronics, was generated out of the integrated circuit design work that John and his peers had begun at school. When his ideas and those of his colleagues and co-founders began to diverge, John took his life savings and his good ideas and left to pursue his own vision, a move that resulted in the formation of Tanner Research. As company CEO, John has grown the business from 3 people to more than 80 and achieved average annual growth of 40%, with no outside investors and profitability recorded for six of the last seven years.

The company provides innovative electronic design solutions and design automation software to its customers, which include Motorola, Intel and the Department of Defense as well as smaller companies that may actually benefit more from Tanner Research. For example, most chip design software is run on large Unix-type platforms, which can be very cost-prohibitive for smaller companies. Tanner's software, however, can be run on a smaller, more user-friendly PC platform. It is this flexibility and customer focus that helps to differentiate Tanner from its competitors and deliver value to its customers, enabling clients to get more of what they want without spending a great deal of money.

Tanner's success is also evidenced in the company's increased market presence, a fact that has not gone unnoticed by the trade press or the business community. Tanner Research has been named to the Los Angeles Business Journal's 100 fastest growing private companies in Los Angeles County and is considered one of the 50 fastest growing technology companies in the area as well. Helping others succeed is equally important to John and he is committed to transferring his knowledge to others in his industry as well as to everyone in his company.

UltraViolet Devices, Inc.

Tom Veloz

Tom Veloz's business centers on two critical elements -- light and water. In 1962, shortly after he'd graduated from USC, Tom joined his father in a company that used ultraviolet light to disinfect water, primarily for agricultural workers and the food processing industry. Then, as the semi-conductor industry grew, so did the company, called Aquafine, whose task was to provide the tremendous volume of high purity water, free of any microbiological contamination, required by the industry for its microprocessor chips. The next phase of Aquafine's growth was precipitated in the late 80s by another evolving need -- that of an ultraviolet disinfection system to purify drinking water for consumers.

After almost four years, hundreds of evolving prototypes, extensive testing and product certification, Aquafine was awarded the contract to produce the UV sub-assembly for the newly developed consumer drinking water appliance. Creating the device also created the company and UltraViolet Devices, Inc. (UVDI) was spun off from Aquafine in 1992.

UVDI is a state-of-the-art facility, where the company produces its primary product and also performs high volume, high quality services. A source of tremendous pride for Tom Veloz and UVDI is the company's record for quality. The high tech automated assembly line gathers quality control data on every single piece of end product and documents information on 100% of the items it produces. That means the UVDI subassemblies can be taken directly to the customer and put right into their products, bypassing the typical incoming inspection. This type of quality control translates into annual warranty expenses of only $400. Out of 10 million subassemblies shipped, only four have failed. The next time you turn on the tap, think about the contribution that Tom Veloz and UltraViolet Devices has made to something as simple as water.