ALL-STAR LINEUP
To help those less fortunate, Ronnie Lott could do his fundraising part merely by lending his name to a celebrity golf tournament and going back to his business interests in car dealerships and asset management. He could, but he doesn’t know how to do merely his part. "I don’t want to walk away from my life feeling that I didn’t do enough," says Lott, a member of Pasadera Country Club in Monterey, California. He wasn’t just a professional football player. He was an NFL Hall of Fame defensive back. Not just a philanthropist, he’s the founder of the charitable organization All Stars Helping Kids. Since 1989, the organization has helped fund programs serving disadvantaged and seriously ill children in the San Francisco Bay Area, and has assisted the charitable efforts of individuals and corporations. It’s been, as Lott says, "a wonderful and rewarding experience," primarily because he continually meets people like himself, those willing to go the extra mile. "What I’m most pleased about is that we keep finding out there are a lot of all-stars in our community," Lott explains. "Meaning everybody can be an all-star in that they can contribute and find ways to be philanthropic, and we’ve allowed people who believe they need to be philanthropic to do so." — Steve Wilson

A CUP OF JOE
What happens in Vegas, we’re told, stays in Vegas. But Joe LaGumina is happy to see a lot of its coffee heading out of town. LaGumina, a member of Canyon Gate Country Club near Las Vegas, is a partner in the Original Las Vegas Coffee Co., a four-year-old firm with a plant "literally in view of Caesars Palace" that prides itself on roasting gourmet beans — some 30,000 pounds a month — in small batches. "We’re a niche operation," LaGumina says, "in the sense of creating blends to meet the special tastes of our customers, including Casino MonteLãgo in Lake Las Vegas." He explains that, while coffee is roasted in many places, the dry Las Vegas climate is ideal for roasting and storing coffee. Formerly vice president for design and construction for Caesars World, LaGumina retired in 1997 and has since learned a lot about coffee and its history. He’ll tell you, for example, that early popes condemned coffee as a tool of the devil and that the growth of coffee drinking in the United States dates back to the Boston Tea Party. "Imagine what the world might be like today," he wonders, "had the British been better at marketing?" — Dave Orman
Photography by Sampsel & Preston Photography

A SPORTING CHANCE
Like most people, David Gilbert is proud of where he lives. Unlike most of us, Gilbert has much to gain by expressing his love of his city to the rest of the world. He is president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, and, as such, he is responsible in part for selling prospective clients on the benefits of Cleveland. After six years at the helm of the organization, Gilbert has not yet achieved his goal of making Cleveland the nation’s foremost host of amateur sporting events and activities, but he and his staff have scored more than their share of victories. "By almost every measure, we’re much further ahead than any of us expected," says Gilbert, a member of The Club at Key Center. "We’ve been directly responsible for attracting and managing nearly 60 events in Cleveland with an economic impact of about $160 million for the community. We’ve attracted a lot of major events: the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four [in 2007], NBC Gravity Games, U.S. Olympic trials for boxing, U.S. Gymnastics Championships." All of these events also have attracted many first-time visitors. "Without exception, people who’ve never been to Cleveland love what they see," Gilbert says. "It’s very exciting to see people learn to appreciate the city." — Steve Wilson
Photography by Roger Mastroianni

IN GOOD FAITH
To some extent, University of San Diego president Mary Lyons owes her career to a convent. Lyons spent five years with the Sisters of St. Joseph in Orange, California, after high school — teaching school two of those years. "I have to credit the religious community that gave me that great education and formation," says Lyons, a member of San Diego’s University Club Atop Symphony Towers. "It was kind of my launching pad into higher education." Leaving the convent, Lyons, who grew up in a military family, entered U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School to help pay for her education and spent 25 years as a U.S. Naval Reserve Officer. After teaching rhetoric and homiletics in Berkeley, she became president of the California Maritime Academy and then the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. In 2003, Lyons accepted the presidency at the University of San Diego. She says its emphasis on liberal arts and sciences in a faith-based atmosphere appealed to her. "It has been a source of great joy for me to be in an environment where the educational philosophy includes the whole person," she says. Next up for Lyons: launching the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, an interdisciplinary graduate school at the university. — Janet Mefferd

TECH TACTICS
Nothing ruins a business day quicker than a high-tech foul up. Drew Morrisroe has built a niche welcoming those headaches. As founder and president of CTN Solutions in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, Morrisroe’s company handles network infrastructure, application development, Web development services, and related expertise for small and mid-sized companies. The company’s trademark, "you run your business, we’ll worry about the technology" hits home for CTN’s clients, which typically have 10 to 300 computer users and no full-time IT staff. "We are trying to form a relationship and bond with clients similar to legal, financial, and accounting advisers," says Morrisroe, a member of Philadelphia’s Pyramid Club. "We want to be a player at the table when the client, owners, and managers make important strategic decisions." While the hardware and software might be less complicated today, Morrisroe says, the challenge for small businesses is to make sure the technology all works together and meets the security and remote access needs of a company without breaking the bank. Morrisroe recently was recognized with a "40 Under 40" award sponsored by the Philadelphia Business Journal, and CTN is a four-time recipient of the prestigious Philadelphia 100 award, as one of the region’s fastest-growing privately held companies. — Helen Bond
Photography by Bill Cramer

A LEG TO STAND ON
Thirty years ago, Dr. William Clancy gave athletes a leg up when he invented anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction — a procedure that now bears his name. Today, he remains one of the foremost authorities on knee ligament surgeries and recently was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the United States Sports Academy. "I didn’t see that one coming," says Clancy, a member of the Aspen Glen Club in Carbondale, Colorado. "It’s nice to be recognized for something that’s your career." Clancy has operated on numerous athletes, including Olympians Eric Heiden and Connie Carpenter, and NHL players Steve Yzerman and Chris Chelios. Athletes from the NFL, NBA, and World Cup Soccer have trusted him with their knees. He claims there’s no added pressure in operating on a world-class athlete. "I’ve done more than 5,000 procedures in 30 years, and the results are very predictable," he says. "If anything, [working on athletes] gives you a lot of confidence. If they can get back out there and have their knees hold up, you figure it’s going to do a good job for the average Joe." — Paula Felps
Photography by Jeffrey Aaronson/Network Aspen

CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN
What does a man need to look his best? Sure, a new suit might do the trick, but James Preston knows that looking good first requires making a good impression. "If you want to be well-dressed, even before you put on clothing, put on a smile," he says. That’s the idea behind Preston’s work at His Expressions Wardrobe Design, a clothing consultation business that helps men select a closet full of clothes that are both efficient and stylish. "We help men unclutter their wardrobe," says Preston, a member of Florida’s University Club of Jacksonville. Clients either come to the His Expressions showroom or meet Preston online or in person, where he assesses their wardrobes and makes suggestions, taking taste and lifestyle into consideration. His more than 1,000 clients can then custom-order each wardrobe piece, likely heeding Preston’s admonition that "every man should have a nice suit." Since leaving a national men’s clothing company to co-found His Expressions in 2000, Preston has undergone his own transformation, as well. "I got into the clothing business because I thought I could make a lot of money," he says. "Now, I’m in the clothing business because I want to make people smile." — Janet Mefferd

EXECUTIVE DECISION
Sometimes it’s lonely at the top. As founder of Chief Executive Forum (CEF), Larry Pollock brings together Detroit-area chief executives to discuss issues they face in business in a turf-less, competitor-free setting. The discussions are frank, objective, and confidential, dealing largely with the risks and challenges that "wake you up at 2 a.m.," says Pollock, a member of the Skyline Club near Detroit, which has served as a meeting spot for the group. Pollock facilitates two CEF groups, mostly from service and manufacturing sectors, with no more than 15 executives, who run small to mid-sized Detroit-area companies or divisions with annual sales between $2 million and $200 million. A third group, the CEO Exchange, offers the same opportunity to company heads, partners, or managers who run companies or divisions with annual sales between $200 million and $4 billion. Each group gathers for half a day, nine times a year. Pollock meets with each executive beforehand to set a personalized agenda. Issues are often diverse, but specific, tackling such topics as management succession, employee compensation, partnership troubles, balancing personal and professional obligations, or a common hot button — dealing with the Motor City’s changing economic climate. For many of these busy business people, the forum offers a much-needed sanity check. "These executives feel relieved to hear people tell it like it is," Pollock says. — Helen Bond
Photography by Santa Fabio

UNWITTING COLLECTOR
Despite having several collections, world traveler and former oil executive Richard Nelson does not consider himself a collector. "When you live in a place, it just seems natural to become interested in its people and culture," says the member of Aspen Glen Club in Carbondale, Colorado. "I’ve never really tried to ‘collect’ anything. I just become fascinated in a subject and I want to have one of these objects to study and hold. Then I become interested in another one. On it goes, until I end up with what I suppose you could call a collection." While working in the Middle East in the ’70s and ’80s, he became captivated with antique Asian edged weapons. A dozen, mostly daggers and sabers that date to the 18th century, now ornament his library. "These weapons would set a tribal chief or village leader apart from his peers," Nelson explains. Some have blades hammered from meteorite iron; one has a hilt made of a mammoth tooth fossil. Nelson and his wife, Barbara, also lived in Sydney, Singapore, Kuwait, and London during his well-traveled career. Along the way, they began collecting early world maps — the oldest dates to 1561. "We tried to find maps of the countries in which we’ve lived," he says. Now retired, Nelson’s most recent collection of 40 bamboo fly rods, which dates to the 1920s, was picked up a little closer to home, mostly in Colorado. He adds to his collections if the opportunity arises, though these days his tastes seem to have tamed: "We’ve become interested in art," he says. — Mary Sue Lawrence
Photography by Jeffrey Aaronson/Network Aspen

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Carl Cooper has a passion for his work. "I live it, breathe it, do it all the time, everywhere," says the chief diversity officer for Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP, a 900-plus-member law firm with offices throughout the United States and in London. "While corporations have had diversity officers for about 20 to 30 years, law firms are just starting to develop this type of role," explains Cooper, a member of the Rivers Club in Pittsburgh. The job charges him with promoting, achieving, and maintaining a diverse workforce at the firm. "In other words, any associate who comes through the door, who has the goal and the commitment, can make partner in eight to nine years," Cooper says. "Content of character is the measure in the end. That’s what I’m trying to ensure." During his three years on the job, Cooper has increased the number of female lawyers by 30 percent, doubled the number of female partners, nearly doubled the number of minority lawyers, and tripled the number of minority partners at the firm. He has instituted a formal mentoring program, a coaching program, and other safety nets to boost retention. "This is the essence of the American experience," Cooper says. "I get a chance to make the ‘Equal Opportunity For All’ slogan a reality." — Mary Sue Lawrence

AN ASSIST FROM HOUSTON
After Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Houston became a safe haven for thousands of evacuees. Their arrival offered Josie Ochoa a new opportunity to help children. Ochoa is president of the Assistance League of Houston, which provides free school uniforms to children who require them in the Houston and Spring Branch independent school districts in Texas. The organization planned to clothe 2,700 students this year through its Operation School Bell program, but it tacked on 500 more just for the New Orleans children who stayed in Houston. "I think the hardest part is seeing how these children have been displaced," says Ochoa, a member of Hearthstone Country Club. "They’ve lost everything." Katrina evacuees also benefited from the Assistance League’s thrift shop, which drew many donations just for them, Ochoa says. With 232 members, the Assistance League offers scholarships and a puppet troupe that performs in schools. Ochoa, who is retired as a public relations representative with Shell Oil Co., says she gets more from volunteering than she gives. "I feel like I’m helping children in the best way that I can, and that’s having them in clean clothes," she says. "That motivates them to stay in school, and maybe that helps them with their self-esteem." — Janet Mefferd
Photography by Pam Francis

IN SKORT SUPPLY
Jackie and J.J. Sorrenti are indebted to a particular Nike skort. After a size-2 customer walked into their golf specialty shop and bought out the item, the couple, who own Gals On and Off the Green in Pittsburgh, ordered plenty of the style to last through the summer. So when pro golfer Michelle Wie, also a size 2 and also a fan of the skort, needed one for the U.S. Women’s Open, Nike — which had run out — called the Sorrentis. "Gals On and Off the Green was the only shop in the country that had the skort that Michelle wanted!" Jackie says. "We were thrilled to send it to her, and ecstatic to see her wearing it on TV." The golf shop is a second career for the Sorrentis, members of Diamond Run Golf Club in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. As a former software product manager and a weekend golfer, Jackie zeroed in on the need for an upscale, full-service women’s golf boutique that offered more sizes and choices than traditional pro shops. The Sorrentis are now expanding the current store and opening a second store this spring. And the legendary skort? "We have a giant order in for next season!" — Mary Sue Lawrence
Photography by Michael Ray

LINK TO LUXURY
Thanks to Thomas Sheahan, luxury shopping is just a click away. "My business partner, Paul Mays, came up with the concept of a Web site that offered nothing but luxury items," says Sheahan, a member of the Skyline Club near Detroit. "My specialization is in building businesses, so we developed it together." They created ForMillionairesOnly.com, a site that offers high-end shoppers a connection to fine merchandise from around the world. Select businesses are invited to join, and Sheahan says the site emphasizes the very best in luxury goods. Categories on the site include luxury mobility (automobiles, yachts, and aircraft); art, fashion, and jewelry; prestigious living; entertainment; and gourmet delicacies. Since each featured business pays to participate, there is no cost for the consumer to participate. Clients can browse for anything from floral arrangements to Aston Martins. "The name came from the vision that we developed around the type of material the site should have," Sheahan explains. "We look at the segments of the market and how each piece fits in with our clientele. Then we find the best items that will attract the affluent buyer." — Paula Felps
Photography by Santa Fabio

GOLF AT WARTIME
In his first golf book, John Strege took a fortuitous look at the future through a young phenom he had followed since the lad was 14 years old. Tiger — a last name wasn’t necessary — was published only weeks after a stunning 12-stroke win in the ’97 Masters Tournament, allowing Strege, a senior writer for Golf World magazine and a contributor to Golf Digest, to add "best-selling author" to his résumé. His most recent book, When War Played Through, looks at the past — specifically, at the state of golf during World War II, when golf balls became so scarce it took a bottle of good whiskey to buy four of them. Strege, a member of Shadowridge Country Club in Vista, California, had read about French efforts during the war to keep prized wines out of German hands. "So I got to wondering what happened with golf during World War II," he explains. "I started finding some fascinating information, like cows grazing at Augusta National to help meet food quotas and guys building golf courses in POW camps." It took Strege two years to research and write the book, which mingles the names of Snead, Nelson, and Hogan with those of Eisenhower, Crosby, and Hope in an illuminating turn on the game’s history. — Dave Orman
Photography by Tim Mantoani

… SHORT TAKES …
Actor John O’Hurley did more than dance his way into America’s heart when he won the Dancing With the Stars dance-off against soap star Kelly Monaco. He donated his winning check for $126,000 to Golfers Against Cancer, the organization started by several members of the Clubs of Kingwood near Houston. The money will benefit specific cancer research projects in O’Hurley’s name at GAC institutions around the country. O’Hurley also recently beat Annika Sorenstam, Kurt Russell, and Branford Marsalis in the CBS Celebrity Golf Challenge, to raise $50,000 for GAC (his birdie on No. 17 raised an additional $250,000 for cancer research). Through his involvement in a variety of charity events, Hurley has contributed $426,000 to date to GAC. Now that’s some fancy footwork. … A cooking demonstration by celebrity chef Marvin Woods, host of Turner South’s Home Plate, helped the Atlanta Society and the One Ninety One Club raise $17,600 to benefit Camp Sunshine’s programs for children with cancer. Sponsors for the event included Whole Foods Market, Turner South, Turner (a TimeWarner Co.), AirTran Airways, SunTrust, BellSouth, Southern Company, United Distributors, and Trinchero Family Estate Wines. Following each demonstration, Chef Marvin visited with members at their tables and signed autographs while food was being served. … Golf Digest selected 98-year-old Canyon Crest Country Club member Esther Swanland as the "best oldest golfer looking for a game." According to the magazine, her clubs are always at the ready, in the trunk of her car. … Member Carla Davis, 2006 chair of the Silicon Valley chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, presented Silicon Valley Capital Club general manager Michael Comerate with a Leadership Award for his support of women business owners. The award was presented at the annual NAWBO Awards Dinner, which this year had the theme of "Celebrating Women at the Top." … The beautiful new fountain on the No. 5 hole of the Dallas Trophy Club’s Hogan Course was donated by members Greg and Judy Ryback in memory of their parents. … Mary and Sherri Vogel kept it all in the family when they became Woodside Plantation’s first mother/daughter club champions. Daughter Sherri earned the title of "Club Champion" at the South Carolina club, while Mom Mary was named "Super Senior Club Champion." … Several Carolina Hurricane hockey players lent their golf talents to help make Devil’s Ridge Golf Club’s inaugural "Charity Golf Classic" a success. The tournament raised $26,000 for the Prostate Cancer Coalition of North Carolina. … More than 50 priests and 60 members gathered for a dinner at the Boston College Club to honor retired priests of the city’s Regina Cleri House.