Spirit of the Entrepreneur Finalists Announced.

Winners to be Named at Nov. 15 Gala

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- The Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at Cal State San Bernardino has announced the finalists for the 2006 Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards program. Award winners will be announced on Nov. 15 at the annual black-tie gala at the Riverside Convention Center in Riverside.

The program will also feature the presentation of the 2006 Spirit of the Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement award to Luis Theisen, William Young and Donald Fithian, co-founders of Columbia Steel Inc. in Rialto. Past lifetime award recipients include Anthony Maglica of Mag Instruments, Neal Baker of Baker's Drive-Thru, and Duane Roberts of Entrepreneurial Capital Corporation and owner of the Mission Inn.

Entrepreneurial finalists include:

Emerging

* Seth Neistadt, Axiom Media Inc. in Apple Valley

* Thomas Riggle, TR Design Group, Architecture in Riverside

* Antha Ward, Quick Caption Inc. in Riverside

Corporate

* Daniel Leigh, Corman Leigh Communities in Temecula

* Norman Morales, Vineyard Bank in Corona

* Mark Warmoth, Weekend Warrior Trailers Inc. in Perris

Technology

* Garner Holt, Garner Holt Productions in San Bernardino

* Montgomery Dill, GEM Power LLC in Redlands

* John James, GEM Power LLC in Redlands

* Robert Richards, GEM Power LLC in Redlands

* Elmer Thomas, Above the Limit Inc. in San Bernardino

Supporter

* Cindy Roth, Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce in Riverside

* Jeff Sceranka, Enterprise Funding Corporation in Redlands

General

* Mimi Barre, International Skin and Body Care in Redlands

* Carl Dameron, Dameron Communications in San Bernardino

* Hal Hays, Hal Hays Construction Inc. in Riverside

* Scott Willsea, PayCare Inc. in Riverside

Social

* Lynn Campbell, Visiting Nurse Association of the Inland Counties in Riverside

* Craig Lambdin, MFI Recovery in Riverside

* Mary E. Salvador, Volunteer Center of Riverside County in Riverside

Innovator

* Mike Tomas, Kiwi Indian Motorcycle Co. in Riverside

* Kusum Kavia, Combustion Associates Inc. in Corona

Family Business

* Robert Guy Nelson M.D., Citrus Valley Medical Associates Inc. in Norco

* Javier S. Vasquez, Miguel's Restaurant in Corona

* Rose Mary Faust, Faust Printing Inc. in Rancho Cucamonga

The winners will be selected by an independent panel of judges, including Amro Albanna, QMotions, Inc. (2005 Spirit Award recipient); Patricia Gagnier, Gagnier Construction Co. (2005 Spirit Award recipient); Alan H. Lewis, entrepreneurial coach, leadership trainer and motivational speaker; Sean Varner, Varner & Brandt LLP; and D. Linn Wiley, Citizens Business Bank.

The 4th Annual Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards program, presented by The Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) at Cal State San Bernardino, The Business Press and The Press-Enterprise Co. is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 15, at the Riverside Convention Center. Individual tickets are $85 per person and tables of 10 can be purchased for $750. For more information or to make reservations, call [phone] or visit www.inlandspiritawards.com

Commencing at 6 p.m., the gala includes dinner, entertainment and a silent auction benefiting the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Scholarship at Cal State San Bernardino.

About the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship

Located on the campus of Cal State San Bernardino, the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship was recently ranked fourth in the nation among graduate entrepreneurship by Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review. The entrepreneurship program seeks to instill the entrepreneurial spirit in students and provides them with practical skills, experience and preparation to take advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities in a wide variety of environments. For more information about IECE, visit http://iece.csusb.edu.

A limited number of press passes are available for the awards dinner. To reserve a pass, please call Hillary Williams at [phone] x23 or E-mail [e-mail].