Passion breeds success.
That's the message communicated by the 20 young leaders honored through The Tribune's third annual Top 20 under 40 Award. Each was asked to give advice on how best to make a difference in their community and profession.
This year's winners were selected from 91 nominations, evaluated based on a strong commitment to their chosen fields and to community service. A panel of six judges from the Economic Vitality Corp. of San Luis Obispo County selected the winners.
On behalf of The Tribune, we would like to congratulate the winners and thank everyone who made this year's competition a success.
— Business Editor Julie Lynem
Nutritionist Julie Andrews-Scott, 38, has been active in Avila Beach’s redevelopment. Founder and manager of the 4-year-old Avila Beach Fish and Farmers Market, she assists similar markets forming in other communities.
Jim Bergman, 39, has become a key figure in his adopted home of Arroyo Grande. An assistant planner for the city, he’s become its liaison with the business community.
Bill Borgsmiller, 31, has been passionate about flying all his life.
Wes Burk, 38, purchased Patterson Realty in June 2007 after eight years as a broker with The Real Estate Group of San Luis Obispo. Burk encourages collaboration among his agents — each specializing in areas such as accounting, marketing or law — hoping the team approach better serves each client.
Nipomo native Cathy Cachu, 38, started working at Mid-State Bank right out of high school. Today, she’s vice president and commercial banking officer for Rabobank, N.A., which bought Mid-State Bank & Trust in 2007. A part-time teller in college, she graduated from Cal Poly in 1992 with a finance degree and also holds a commercial lending degree from Western Banking School.
The child of a farm worker, Carlos Castañeda, 30, is motivated by the sacrifices made by his parents, Carlos Adan and Mercedes Castañeda, and the work ethic they instilled.
The co-owner of Tolosa Press, Bret Colhouer, 38, publishes the Coast News, SLO City News and the Bay News. For the past three years, he’s also co-owned Simply Clear Marketing Inc., a promotions company that organizes the San Luis Obispo Home Show twice a year, has started a Health and Fitness Expo and operates Web sites for both industries — all aimed to connect local businesses and clients.
Financial planner Craig Darnell, 27, and his assistants at Blakeslee & Blakeslee manage $125 million in assets. He interned at the firm while studying global strategy law and economics at Cal Poly, then purchased his Blakeslee & Blakeslee practice at age 22. He was president of the Associated Students of Cuesta College as a student there.
Brandon Downing, 30, began working at KSBY nine years ago as a production assistant. Now as news production manager, he oversees 15 employees and directs newscasts, special coverage, remote broadcasts and promotions for the television station.
Financial planner Rob Garcia, 36, and his staff manage more than $80 million in assets through Rob Garcia Wealth Management, an LPL Financial affiliate.
Broadcaster Ben Greenaway, 27, enjoys learning about other cultures. In junior high, his family moved from Atascadero to Austria for three years. As an international business student at Cal Poly, he studied in Germany for two years. There he met his wife, Meike.
As an admissions officer at Cal Poly for four years, Terrance Harris, 26, has helped coordinate statewide outreach and recruiting programs for the university that give “at-risk” students and those from underrepresented communities a chance to visit the campus and learn about the opportunities for them at Cal Poly.
Growing up in San Luis Obispo, Peter K. Kardel, 39, discovered his passion for technology while working at his father’s law office. His “one-man show” providing technical support to local firms eventually grew into Computer Network Services and is now called Clever Ducks, after a Danish term of endearment.
Advising specialist Bradley Kyker, 39, supports about 4,000 students and faculty in Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences. Since 2003, he has trained faculty and peer advisers while counseling students with more complex issues.
Principal engineer Robert Miller, 36, established Wallace Group’s Water Resources Department in 1998, just four years after graduating from Cal Poly’s engineering program. It became a central part of the company’s practice and allowed expansion to Baja California, said nominator John Wallace.
A specialist in observational astronomy, professor David Mitchell, 31, is working to establish a minor in the subject at Cal Poly. He is also working on funding to build a new observatory in the area to benefit both students and the public.
The managing partner of Dolphin Bay Hotel & Residences in Shell Beach, Maureen Raynaud, 34, oversees 185 employees. The 70-unit property includes a few homes, luxury hotel units ranging from 900 to 2,000 square feet, the Lido Restaurant and a spa.
Alapay Cellars Inc. co-owner Rebecca Remmenga turned 40 on Jan. 8. She moved to Avila Beach in 2001 to “slow down,” trading her career as a hip hop radio station sales manager in Fresno for a job baking pies at Avila Valley Barn.
When Bryan Sarlitt, 29, started TechXpress, he brokered the services of full- and part-time technical contractors from a room in his own home.
Pismo Beach councilman Kris Vardas, 39, became interested in water quality and planning in eighth grade when he worked on a research vessel in the San Joaquin River Delta. Now he’s a senior planner specializing in water resources for Rincon Consultants Inc. in San Luis Obispo.
