SanLuisObispo.com: Top 20 Under 40

Julie Andrews-Scott - Founding manager, Avila Beach Fish and Farmers Market

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:48 PST

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.

A founding member of the Avila Beach Community Foundation, she has also served on the Avila Valley Advisory Council and the town’s business and civic associations. Part of a committee overseeing development of the Fossil Point/Indian Head Point area, she advocates building a Chumash healing center.

She moved to the beach town 12 years ago with her mother, Betty Andrews, and her husband, Darrin Scott. Finishing her master’s in nutrition at Cal Poly, she teaches health and wellness in a variety of local programs.

Jim Bergman - Assistant planner, city of Arroyo Grande

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:46 PST

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.

“Jim has made a substantial contribution through a number of important efforts and projects,” said City Manager Steven Adams, who nominated him.

Bergman coordinates programs ranging from Community Development Block Grants to agricultural conservation. He recently helped form the East Grand Avenue Merchants Association and is co-chairman of Arroyo Grande in Bloom, a volunteer beautification effort.

Bill Borgsmiller - President/CEO, Aviation Consultants Inc.

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:43 PST

Bill Borgsmiller, 31, has been passionate about flying all his life.

“My first flying lesson was when I was 7,” he said. “That was after two years of bugging my dad.”

Originally from Red Bluff, Calif., he earned a degree in aviation business from Embry-Riddel Aeronautical University in Arizona, then moved to San Luis Obispo in 1999 to start a jet charter service. As CEO of Aviation Consultants Inc., he manages 60 people, nine jets and ground support services for the commercial airlines at the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport.

Wes Burk - Owner, Patterson Realty

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:41 PST

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.

Originally from Lubbock, Texas, he and his wife, Stacy, spent a year “searching all over the country for the absolute best place to live,” which brought them to San Luis Obispo. Eventually, they settled in Garden Farms, Santa Margarita, where they raise daughters Delany, 6, and Harper, 1.

Elected chairman of the Santa Margarita Area Advisory Council, Burk is a former president of the San Luis Obispo Association of Realtors and chairman of the Central Coast Regional Multiple Listing Service. He helped organize the 2005 Housing Summit in Santa Barbara and serves on the board of the Workforce Housing Coalition. He holds a bachelor’s degree in information systems from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Cathy Cachu - Vice president/commercial banking officer, Rabobank, N.A.

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:39 PST

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.

“When I can help a business accomplish its goals, that motivates me to work even harder,” she said.

To illustrate her dedication, nominator Cindy Blankenburg of Signature Properties remembers Cachu spending vacation hours resolving a complex problem: “She commented while she was on hold, ‘This is why I didn’t want my customer to have to deal with this.’ ”

Carlos Castañeda - President, Mission Labor; partner, Castañeda & Sons Inc.

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:36 PST

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.

As president of Mission Labor Inc. and a partner at Castañeda & Sons Inc., where he works with his father, he provides labor for small and large agricultural operations from Paso Robles to Lompoc.

“I know what it is like when there is work one week and none the next,” he said. “I believe my duty to this community is providing steady work for several hundred families so they can keep food on their tables.”

Bret Colhouer - Owner/publisher, Tolosa Press

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:33 PST

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.

“I love this area. I think it attracts a certain type of person,” Colhouer said. “You have to get creative to live here.”

Originally from the Central Valley, he earned a degree in human development from Cal Poly and now lives in Morro Bay with his wife, Lani, and daughters Cheyanne, 13, and Lily, 9. He serves on the board of the YMCA of San Luis Obispo County, with The First Tee Central Coast, as head coach of San Luis Obispo High School’s varsity soccer team and with the Rotary Club of Arroyo Grande.

Craig Darnell - Certified financial planner, Blakeslee & Blakeslee

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:30 PST

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.

“I saw the need to create a central location where students can be connected with employers in the community,” he said, which led to the creation of Cuesta College Career Connections.

Originally from Grenada Hills, he moved to San Luis Obispo in 1992 when his father retired from the Los Angeles Police Department. His mother, Marilyn Darnell, lives in Avila Beach, and his brother is a captain in the Army. A member of the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo Daybreak, Darnell also supports ALPHA and Family Care Network.

Brandon Downing - Production manager, KSBY-TV

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:27 PST

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.

“Brandon is in charge of all aspects of our ‘on-air’ look, which is a large undertaking,” said news anchor Tony Cipolla, who nominated him. “When all hell is breaking loose — an earthquake, fire or flood — Brandon is literally the calm during the storm.”

A former Cuesta College student who studied broadcasting under Bob Hartwig, Downing has taught broadcasting at the community college for seven years and serves on the Broadcasting Department’s advisory committee. He has family roots in Cambria, where his grandfather built a cabin during the Depression.

Rob Garcia - Owner/financial planner, Rob Garcia Wealth Management

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:01 PST

Financial planner Rob Garcia, 36, and his staff manage more than $80 million in assets through Rob Garcia Wealth Management, an LPL Financial affiliate.

With offices in San Luis Obispo and Templeton, he is “one of those rare people that can balance his career, community service and family life successfully,” said his wife, Deborah Donnelly. “He is a great role model for young professionals.”

From the Sacramento area, Garcia earned a Cal Poly business degree and worked for what is now the nation’s fourth-largest brokerage firm before starting his own company. He enjoys “helping others and watching them achieve their goals.”

Ben Greenaway - Former program director, KVEC

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:58 PST

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.

Now the former program director for KVEC radio station is in India, selected by The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange program. In the fall, Greenaway hosted an Indian dentist who visited through the program, which promotes an understanding of foreign cultures and economies.

“In a small way, it adds to that goal of promoting peace in the world,” Greenaway said.

Terrance Harris - Admissions officer, Cal Poly Admissions Office

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:53 PST

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.

“I had great teachers and great mentors throughout my life,” Harris said. “I wanted to have an opportunity to mentor others.”

Originally from San Luis Obispo, he’s the head varsity boy’s basketball coach at Mission College Preparatory, where he also played basketball as a student. He earned a degree in psychology at Cal Poly, then a master’s in educational administration.

Peter K. Kardel - Founding CEO/CTO, Clever Ducks

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:50 PST

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.

As chief executive officer and chief technology officer, Kardel heads its 12-person team. He “is the archetypical ‘Live Here — Succeed Here’ business founder,” said attorney Tom Lebens, who nominated him.

A “pragmatic environmentalist” who maintains company bikes, Kardel donates office space to the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition. When not mountain biking, Kardel works with the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, The Endowment for the Advancement of Children, Big Buddies and other local groups.

Bradley Kyker - Advising resource specialist, Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:48 PST

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.

“Diversity is really important to me in the work I do in higher education,” said Kyker, who’s developing a scholarship program to promote diversity and leadership in the college.

He coordinates the Cuesta College Agricultural Technology Program and has spoken regionally on Native American student retention.

Robert Miller - Principal engineer and vice president, Wallace Group & Fluid Resource Management

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:56 PST

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.

Miller also helped form sister company Fluid Resource Management and serves as vice president of both firms.

“Even under the most pressing, controversial or difficult of situations, he remains poised, collected and respectful,” Wallace said.

David Mitchell - Professor, Cal Poly Physics Department

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:42 PST

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.

“There’s not really a good research observatory nearby,” said Mitchell, who collects data at the Lick Observatory in San Jose.

With collaborators in Germany, he has uncovered seven new planets in this galaxy.

Maureen Raynaud - Managing partner, Dolphin Bay Hotel & Residences

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:40 PST

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.

A Central Coast native, Raynaud “is passionate about encouraging her team to be better leaders both in and outside of work,” said employee Terry Henlin.

Raynaud, in turn, credits her staff for her success. “To be a good leader, you have to empower your team,” she said. “I find people who are talented and do a far better job than I ever could.”

Rebecca Remmenga - Co-owner, Alapay Cellars Inc.

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:37 PST

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.

Then she met Scott Remmenga, who was looking for someone to help him sell 500 cases of wine. Their business partnership turned romantic, and after opening a tasting room in April 2002, they married.

“She has been instrumental in building a business from the ground up and can easily adapt to the many ‘hats’ that are required,” her husband said.

Bryan Sarlitt - Founding CEO, TechXpress Inc.

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:35 PST

When Bryan Sarlitt, 29, started TechXpress, he brokered the services of full- and part-time technical contractors from a room in his own home.

Since 1999, TechXpress has grown into a 7,000-square-foot Broad Street office with 40 full-time employees to offer support, training, Web site development and marketing.

“I have this real thirst for experience and growth that always keeps me on the move,” Sarlitt said. His awards include a U.S. Small Business Administration Entrepreneur of the Year recognition.

Kris Vardas - Senior planner, Rincon Consultants

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:33 PST

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.

“He is articulate, an independent thinker and is exemplary to young adults who may be thinking about public service,” said Mayor Mary Ann Reiss, who nominated him.

An East Bay area native, he studied environmental policy/planning at the University of California at Davis and later earned a master’s in business administration at California State University, Sacramento. He worked for state agencies, including the California Department of Water Resources, before joining Padre Associates Inc. in San Luis Obispo five years ago.