Timing is crucial ... Super Bowl challenge ... Shooting for the stars ... Saving the animals.
Edited by Louis Marroquin
QUICK RESPONSE
Former ad man Rudy Siegel once helped get the word out for banks and fast food clients. These days, he helps procurement transplant coordinators get the word out when donor organs become available. As president of LDT Systems, Siegel helps develop wireless and wireline data communication systems for the health care industry. The company’s flagship product, Organ Transplant Response System (OTRS), facilitates the placement of human donor organs. “A Web-based system, it aids in reducing the time it takes to place the seven transplantable organs from 10 hours to two,” explains Siegel, a member of Cincinnati’s Bankers Club. Because donor organs are viable for transplant for only 12 to 36 hours, time is crucial. “Many lengthy, detailed phone calls were required to place an organ; now data goes to a Web site, reducing the actual phone time required to about three minutes.” OTRS was launched in Los Angeles, and the first case was a heart and liver transplant for a 4-month-old. “That was the most moving thing, from a professional experience, that I’ve ever experienced,” Siegel says. “That this system could save the life of a baby boy was just overwhelming.” In the past four years, OTRS has affected an additional 500 lives in the Los Angeles area. Buoyed by that success, LDT is working to apply the same lifesaving technology to other areas of medicine. And that, Siegel says, is a joy to advertise. — Mary Sue Lawrence
– Photography by Jim Callaway
BASKETS & BOWLS
Just six months after starting up a customized basket arrangement business, Cathy Webb just might have gotten the account of her career. Last fall, she was busily making special occasion baskets for her company, Novel Arrangements, when she got the call from a Super Bowl Committee representative. Would she be interested in and able to create about 30,000 baskets to be distributed during February’s Super Bowl week in Miami? Webb, who describes herself as someone who’s “always in somebody’s face talking about something,” never even considered “no” as an option. Instead, the member of West Palm Beach’s Governors Club immediately met with the committee to determine the specifics of the project. The gift baskets, which will be given to commentators, families of team members, various Super Bowl VIPs, and assorted others, will concentrate on Florida tourism. Though contents will vary depending on the recipient, most will include wine, chocolates, and various tickets and information for things to do in the Miami area. Webb got into the basket arrangements business as an avenue out of the medical profession, where she was an EKG tech and consultant. She started making baskets arranged around the theme of books as a fundraiser for a literacy group and through her Web site (www.novelarrangements.com) quickly developed a following. Graduation was a big season for her — with one basket including keys to a Jaguar for a lucky graduate. “I did a lot of research,” Webb says about initiating her business. “A lot of the baskets I saw looked a little junky. I wanted to do something more elegant and high-end. I do a lot of wine and gourmet themes. I do anything except flowers.” For now, she’s focused on scoring a touchdown with the Super Bowl Committee. And after that? Well, there’s Valentine’s Day to think about, she says. — Louis Marroquin
– Photography by Michael Price
STRAIGHT SHOOTER
Eddie Johnson, a television analyst for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, is one of many basketball commentators who decry the sport’s lost art of shooting among professional and college players. But unlike most of his colleagues, the former NBA player is doing something about it. His Jumpshot Club teaches the proper way to shoot a basketball through camps, clinics, and DVD and online instruction. “I’ve taught 8-year-old kids and 35-year-old men,” says Johnson, a member of Gainey Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. “Players realize that shooting is the most difficult thing to do in basketball, so they want every edge they can get.” Uniquely qualified to teach the subject, Johnson is regarded as one of the best shooters ever to play in the NBA. During a 17-year career that ended in 1999, he played for six teams (including the Suns, Sacramento Kings, and Houston Rockets) and won the Sixth Man of the Year Award in the 1988-89 season. He says poor shooting results from poor mechanics, so he prefers to catch players before they have developed bad habits. “I try to get kids when they’re young and get them refocused,” Johnson says. “I tell them, ‘If you can master this part of the game, then the other parts will come easy to you.’” — Steve Wilson
– Photography by Richard Petrillo
PET SAFETY
Jay Waddell’s company develops various kinds of plastic products, but its most talked about is a simple ramp that attaches to the side of a pool to prevent animals from drowning. “Around 10,000 animals and pets drown each year in pools,” Waddell says about the Skamper-Ramp, which has been featured on Good Morning America, Today, The Early Show, and the Animal Planet network. “Judging by the positive feedback we get from our customers, the Skamper-Ramp has already saved hundreds of pets and critters, from dogs to frogs.” The inventor, Tom Davis, asked Waddell, founder of Plastic Concepts & Innovations LLC, to help design the ramp after awaking one night to find an opossum flailing helplessly in his pool. “He also knew of a neighbor’s dog that could get in the pool but couldn’t get out because he couldn’t see the concrete steps,” explains Waddell, a member of the Harbour Club in Charleston, South Carolina. Waddell also quickly became an investor. The ramp has easy-grip holes and is white, because it’s the one color all animals are able to see. “We’re proud to be able to provide pet owners a safety device for their pets,” Waddell says. — Mary Sue Lawrence
- Photography by Jeff Dodge
LIFE IN THE ROCKIES
When Pam Johnson wants friends to call at her Cedar Ridge Ranch in Carbondale, Colorado, she provides two phone numbers — one for her home, one for the barn. These days, chances are better you’ll reach her at the “barn,” in reality an equine pleasure palace with 20 stalls, an indoor arena, and (if you believe one visiting trainer) even a horse ghost. “I am down there a lot,” she says with a smile, “caring for up to 50 horses — and the folks who board and train with us.” Running the 100-acre ranch, which teaches basic riding, cutting, reining, and roping, has become a labor of love for Johnson and husband Randy, members of Aspen Glen Club. They bought the ranch seven years ago after Pam left a 20-year career with Family Circle magazine in Chicago to spend more time with her young daughter. Today, the family enjoys Rocky Mountain life among horses, ducks, dogs, even some buffalo. They also enjoy training the folks from WindWalkers, an organization that supports individuals with disabilities. “We’re privileged to work with them,” says Pam, recalling the smile on the teenage girl — paralyzed from the waist down — who had a special saddle made so she could ride with only her hands. “It is a nice image to keep you going.” — Dave Orman
- Photography by Jackie Daly
GETTING THE WORD OUT
Millions of Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease, and many don’t yet know they have it. It’s LaVarne Burton’s job to reach out to all of them. As CEO of the American Kidney Fund, Burton heads up a charity that is the leading source of direct financial aid to chronic kidney-disease patients, distributing $63.5 million in grants to more than 62,000 patients last year alone. Now in its 35th year, the fund is marking its anniversary by increasing awareness of kidney disease to those most at risk of developing it, Burton says. “In a very, very significant number of cases, kidney failure is avoidable,” says Burton, a member of City Club of Washington. The fund and other Washington, D.C.-based groups have partnered to distribute wallet cards listing the risks for kidney disease, which include hypertension and diabetes. A recent PSA campaign also aims to screen and educate at-risk groups, such as minority communities, Burton says. “We are particularly interested and focused on reaching to those communities … to make sure that people understand that they are high-risk,” she says. For Burton, it’s a gratifying task. “It’s a great opportunity to tackle a very challenging issue.” — Janet Mefferd
- Photography by Katherine Lambert
ENERGY BOOSTER
Kaizer Talib doesn’t see himself as an activist; he’s just a guy who wants to save some energy. Talib, an architect who is a member of the Tower Club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has modified his home to use solar cells, a solar water heater, and special insulation to convert sunlight into energy. The final component is a 55-foot wind generator with 6-foot blades that produces enough electricity to power his 4,500-square-foot house. With the wind generator intact, his home will produce all of its own energy. “My goal is to make an impact that changes our culture so we begin to believe in alternative energy sources,” he says. “My house will be a laboratory to use new technology and show that it works.” The windmill didn’t go up without a fight; neighbors were concerned that the structure would be an eyesore, and other concerns ranged from noise to safety. But, ultimately, Talib proved the benefits were there. Having studied wind generators and alternative energy, he also is promoting the concept among his clients and expects to begin designing more homes based on what has worked for him. — Paula Felps
- Photography by Michael Price
SHE’S A MORNING PERSON
Leslie Bohl Jones knows there are advantages to waking up at 2:45 a.m. every day. For one thing, she enjoys a thriving career at San Antonio’s News 4 WOAI-TV as both morning news anchor and host of the San Antonio Living lifestyle program. What’s more, she’s finished in time to pick up her two daughters from school. “It really works for what I want to do with my life, and that’s to spend as much time with my children as possible,” says Bohl Jones, a member of Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club. “I go from being professional to being Mom.” A native of San Antonio, Bohl Jones started her career as a TV reporter in Lubbock, Texas, eventually ending up at a station in Fort Myers, Florida. In 1996, after having her first child, Bohl Jones and her husband decided to move back to Texas. Her role as WOAI-TV’s morning news anchor feeds her reporter side from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., she says, while her creative side comes out from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on San Antonio Living. — Janet Mefferd
- Photography by Randal Ford
ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE
After 20 years of working on Wall Street, Jim Tousignant was ready for a new climate and a new destination. So he moved to Florida and founded Ultimate Resort, a company that offers individual and corporate members access to an array of luxury vacation homes in premier locations, without the limitations of the time-share concept. “This really appeals to today’s generation who want lots of choices,” says Tousignant, a member of Citrus Club in Orlando, Florida. “They’re adventurers. They love to explore new destinations.” The company started in 2005 with six locations, each with an estimated value of $2 million, and members select plans that include up to 42 days of yearly travel. Current locations include residences in Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Florida, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and New York City. Each destination offers luxury amenities such as concierge service, pre-stocked groceries, and plasma televisions. Ultimate Resort’s goal, Tousignant says, is to be the best value for the money. Members also vote on future residence locations, which are expected to number 14 this year and 100 by 2012. “I don’t care whether I add Tuscany or London,” Tousignant says. “I really care that my customers get what they want. My job is to help our members discover the sweet part of life.” — Janet Mefferd
- Photography by Riku+Anna
TIME TO REFLECT
In this more, better, faster world of ours, career engineer Randy Siegel contends we have lost the art of introspection. Siegel, founder of PowerHouse Communications and a member of the City Club of Washington, D.C., encourages executives to create a personal mission statement. Be known for something unique, says Siegel, whose firm also has offices in Atlanta and Asheville, North Carolina. “Take some time for introspection to be clear about who we are, what we want, and what we stand for,” Siegel says. “That is when we get grounded and stand in our own person, when we take time to listen to ourselves intuitively.” Touting the four P’s of personhood, purpose, persona, and presence, Siegel bases his career development outlook on his product marketing background and expertise, combined with sociology and psychology principles. Uncovering what truly makes you tick, he says, allows you to authentically maximize likability, credibility, and authority — three hallmarks of what he calls “high-voltage communicators.” For some, that might mean a career change. When you seek an environment that reflects who you are, he says, you’re likely to reconnect to your passion. “Find your passion and you’ll find your power,” Siegel says. — Helen Bond
- Photography by Rex Fly
CYCLING IN OZ
Keith Thye, who’s been creating motorcycle memories for more than 40 years, added a few more last fall with a 9,000-mile cycle adventure through the Australian Outback. His penchant for long-range motorcycling began in 1963, when he left college in Oregon (“I needed a sabbatical”) and headed for South America. “I’ve been riding ever since,” says Thye (pronounced TIE), president of the Ride West BMW motorcycle dealership in Seattle and a member of the Columbia Tower Club. “We saw eastern Australia,” he says about visiting his daughter Carolyn there early in 2005, “but she insisted we see the other four-fifths of the country — on motorcycles.” Carolyn, Thye’s brother Gary, and a friend joined him on a 30-day journey with “zillions” of highlights, including getting up close and personal with Ayers Rock, traveling the Great Ocean Road, and meeting lots of friendly people. “There’s a real connection riding a motorcycle,” notes Thye, who rode a $20,000 dazzler (BMW’s “luxury touring” K1200 LT) with such features as cruise control, a six-disk CD changer, heated handgrips, and ABS brakes. “You don’t just see the countryside, you experience it,” he explains in a polite, you-can’t-understand-it-if-you-haven’t-done-it manner. “If it’s hot, you’re hot. If it’s cold, you’re cold. There’s just nothing like the freedom of the open road.” — Dave Orman
- Photography by Thomas Barwick
BREAKFAST CLUB
Imagine being surprised with a jaunty painting of yourself breakfasting with your club friends. That’s what happened to the 28 fellow members and three employee partners who spend mornings with Dianna Larson at the “joiners table” at the Harbour Club in Charleston, South Carolina. Larson, who studied art in France, is vice president of sales and operations for Imaging Arts Gallery. Although she hadn’t painted in 30 years, a heart attack nudged her back to the craft. So for two weeks, after long daily breakfasts at the club, Larson stole away to paint another one or two of her table companions on canvas. When she unveiled her whimsical depiction at a club happy hour, “They all went wild,” says the bubbly Larson. Her humorous, caricature-like interpretation features the signature colors, accessories, and hairstyles of the members. “You know immediately who they are, though I made them all a little younger and a little thinner — and they were happy about that,” she says with a laugh. Each coffee mug is painted with the club name and logo, and each plate includes the exact food that member eats for breakfast. The original hangs in the club, and has already inspired two new members. “I just didn’t want to forget those moments or those friends,” Larson says. — Mary Sue Lawrence
- Photography by Jeff Dodge
HIS HERITAGE ‘CAME A-CALLING’
The image might be a bit harsh for American sensitivities, but Cuban-born Edgar Uria will tell you that, in his native land, “baby boys are born with a cigar in one hand and a baseball mitt on the other.” Uria, who left Cuba as a baby himself, re-established the family’s La Habana Cigar Co. in 2003, and you can bet there’s still a cigar in his hand on most Wednesday nights when he shares his company’s smokes with fellow members at the Center Club in Costa Mesa, California. Why cigars? As Uria puts it, his family heritage “came a-calling” when he left a comfy corporate job, returned to Cuba to apprentice under his grandfather (who learned the craft from his father and at 85 still heads sales and marketing for a Cuban cigar firm), and then used his life savings to purchase a cigar plantation and factory in Nicaragua. “This is what we do,” adds Uria, comparing it to people from other cultures who open restaurants using recipes passed on from their grandmothers. For now, La Habana (“We don’t sell tradition, we are tradition”) remains a niche player, producing 100,000 cigars a year. Still enough, you understand, for a lot of baby boys. — Dave Orman
- Photography by Thomas Alleman
IN THE NEWS
As a co-owner of the Tampa Bay Woman Newspaper, Sally Anne Dishong uses the power of her publishing base to help other women succeed. No social and fashion scene here. With topics such as “Succeeding in Business with ESP,” “Writing for Emotional Balance,” and “Mother Leads Best,” Dishong aims to entertain and educate women in the community without the “fluff.” The publication, which reaches about 200,000 readers, is part of a national network of 19 educational women’s newspapers designed to “provide readers with an alternative source of information, connections, and entertainment for the higher-educated, higher-disposable-income woman,” says Dishong, a member of Centre Club in Tampa, Florida. To succeed as an expert in your field, Dishong espouses (and encourages her local editorial contributors to pursue) the four pillars of promotion: being published; public speaking; participating in promotional, networking, and educational events; and giving back as a passionate philanthropist. With a background in information technology, corporate training, and staff development expertise, Dishong has the networking down pat. She is the club’s incoming chairperson of the Executive Women’s Committee and uses the club as a business base. — Helen Bond
- Photography by Christopher Stickney
FATHERLY ADVICE
Alon Bee started out writing letters of advice to his children — and ended up writing them a book. Bee’s 100 Reminders For My Kids Before They Leave Home was born in 2004 out of a desire to share some parting wisdom with his daughter and son as they graduated from high school and college, respectively. “I knew there were things they already knew, but I just wanted to tell them one more time,” says Bee, a banker and board chairman of the University Club of Jackson in Mississippi. With nuggets on love, friendship, and finances, the book’s homespun wisdom soon became popular with Bee’s friends and some Mississippi bookstores, which started to carry it. In the wake of his wife’s untimely death after the book’s publication, he says, one entry stands out for the family: “Accidents and tragedy can happen, so don’t assume your family and friends will always be there.” Book proceeds go toward two scholarships Bee set up in honor of his wife and his father. As for what his daughter and son do with his advice, Bee has high hopes. “I feel like I have done all that I can do to help shape their souls, and it’s their beginning.” — Janet Mefferd
- Photography by Harold Head
FOLK TALES
Andrew Dietz has loved art all his life, so it made sense that it would become the topic of his first book. The Last Folk Hero: A True Story of Race and Art, Power and Profit is a narrative non-fiction book set in a world of art and intrigue. Dietz, a member of One Ninety One Club in Atlanta, spent four years researching and writing the book before releasing it last year. The idea for the book came when Dietz met Bill Arnett, a controversial art dealer who worked diligently to bring the talent of poor African-American artists into the mainstream community. Arnett’s story became the focal point of Dietz’s book, which unravels what Dietz calls “a tale of ego, obsession, betrayal, and exploitation in the contemporary art world.” The Last Folk Hero offers a vivid history lesson in African-American art, while at the same time telling a completely contemporary story that unfolds in the 1990s and continues to the present day. “I love a good story where truth is stranger than fiction, and this book has that,” Dietz explains. “This book is filled with heroes — and they’re all real. That’s what makes it so amazing.” — Paula Felps
MANNERS MATTER
Judy Neal is demonstrating how to use one’s thumb to balance a wine glass, appetizer plate, and napkin in the left hand, thereby leaving the right one available for handshakes. Having built a successful career out of targeting at-risk youth behaviors, these days Neal chooses to focus on yet another behavior: a lack of manners and social skills. It’s that important, says the former director of a state agency that worked to prevent juvenile delinquency. “If I have a mantra, it’s ‘Good etiquette opens the door to a better future for anyone.’” A member of Eagle’s Landing Country Club in Stockbridge, Georgia, Neal now teaches business etiquette classes in corporate settings and at the YMCA and other nonprofits. Her top tips? Introductions: Fully introduce people, even in casual settings. Honor the most important person by introducing him or her first. Conversations: Provide what Neal calls “clues,” or conversation starters, such as where you’re from, why you’re there. Table manners: At banquets, remember all liquids are to one’s right; all food is to one’s left. Handshakes: Be firm and confident; don’t crush, pat, or hug. Men can be apprehensive about shaking a woman’s hand, so she should extend her hand first. “In the working world, you have to be prepared for anything, and social skills are a huge part of that,” Neal advises. — Mary Sue Lawrence
SEE BETTER, PLAY BETTER
Why do so many golfers seem to wear their sunglasses atop their heads? Scott Berg knows why: Regular sunglasses often can’t handle the light and distance extremes that golfers face out on the course. That’s why Berg, president of PeakVision Sports, sells sunglasses with a patented Dual Zone lens that enhances vision and eliminates distortion. The upper, gray lens eliminates overhead glare and helps distance perception, while the lower, amber lens helps golfers see the green more clearly, says Berg, a member of Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate in Overland Park, Kansas. “We put two colors in the lenses in order to balance the light extremes,” he says. With 11 frame styles and more than 25,000 pairs sold in the company’s two years, the sunglasses are winning raves from both PGA and Champions Tour professionals. PeakVision Sports also has launched the “See Better — Play Better” program, offering its sunglasses in golf tournament gift bags. Major League Baseball even purchased the eyewear for its umpires last year. “The most common response I get is, ‘Wow!’” Berg says about people who try the sunglasses for the first time. “It’s nice to know that my odds of having a satisfied customer are very high.” — Janet Mefferd
… SHORT TAKES …
In memoriam: The golf world mourns the passing of legend Byron Nelson. Among his lifetime of accomplishments, Nelson designed the course at Timarron Country Club in Texas. … After 40 years of service, maître d’ Harold Street, 78, bids farewell to the Nashville City Club. When Street started working at the club in 1967, membership dues were $5 a month, says membership director Joyce Marshall. In 2002, he was made an honorary life member. Best wishes! … The Pinehurst Resort names Ron Crow its chairman of the 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship. Last held at Pinehurst in 1962, the championship returns Aug. 18-24, 2008. “We’re tremendously excited about hosting the U.S. Amateur in two years, and I can’t think of a better qualified person to head up the organization of it than Ron Crow,” says Pinehurst president Donald Padgett. “Ron’s experience, knowledge, and leadership have been invaluable to Pinehurst over the last seven years.” … In other Pinehurst news, the resort receives the 2007 President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. … Five pats on the back for Barton Creek Resort & Spa. The Texas resort receives accolades from Audubon International, the World Travel Awards, Successful Meetings magazine, Wine Spectator magazine, and Meetings & Conventions magazine. This is the ninth consecutive year that readers of Successful Meetings award Barton Creek the Pinnacle award as one of the best meeting venues in the Southwest. Audubon grants recertification to the resort’s three golf course, allowing it to retain the designation of “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.” Wine Spectator recognizes the Hill Country Dining Room as a destination for wine lovers, and Meetings & Conventions presents the resort with the Gold Key Award for its meeting facilities and guest services. … Gleneagles Country Club member Chad Campbell unveils the Pro Team Golf League, a competitive team league made up solely of touring pro golfers. For more information, visit www.ptgl.com ... The Shadowridge Country Club women’s golf team endures the summer’s 100-degree heat and all competition to emerge Southern California champs. The team consists of Kay Alford, Liz Breza, Margaret Cypher, Lynn Dahl-Kundin, Terrie Foote, Elsie Giordani, Leslie Greathose, Nancy Hackert, Lek Hawthorne, Debbie Jaffe, Jo Johnson, Yuna Kang, Vicky Leptien, Carol Miller, E.B. Mun, Daeng Suangtho, and co-captains Emily Benincasa and Carol Thompson. … The Women’s Golf Association at Canyon Creek Country Club shows appreciation of the Texas club’s staff by providing holiday gifts for children of employees. ... Nina Mikhailenko, artist and Columbia Tower Club member, picks up the Washington Thoroughbred Publication Award for her painting Another Race at the Equine Art Show at Emerald Downs. The painting also was featured on the cover of Washington Thoroughbred magazine. … After a nine-year drought, Silver Lake Country Club member Pat Milton wins her eighth career Women’s Akron District Golf Association title in Ohio. … U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte demonstrates his gold-medal moves in Florida for the Haile Plantation Golf & Country Club youth swim team. … Charity in Texas: The Clubs of Kingwood’s 11th annual charity tennis tournament raises $33,000 for Northeast Hospice Services, while the Club at Falcon Point’s Rally for a Cure golf event allocates $7,200 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. … California’s Granite Bay Golf Club hosts the most players (155) during the 2006 ESPN National Golf Challenge qualifiers and secures two Super Bowl tickets. … Recently published: Florida Centre Club member Ingrid Landis-Davis weaves a tale of war, love, and racism in her novel Short Side of the Triangle. Silicon Valley Capital Club member Mary Tomasi-Dubois reveals The Mariner’s Secret in her new time-travel novel for young readers. …