VEDC chief focuses on future

PROMOTING THE VALLEY: Diane Wirth says she has a passion for entrepreneurs.

By MONICA REICHL/The Valley Chronicle

Planning for the San Jacinto Valley's future requires the cooperation of numerous agencies. That's where Diane Wirth comes in.

Wirth is executive director of the Valley Economic Development Corp. and founder of The Solution Works.

“I'm really good at helping people get their projects to the next level,” Wirth said.

Her work at the VEDC is focused on promoting business development and job creation in the San Jacinto Valley.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: Diane Wirth points out the various industries served by the Valley Economic Development Corp. MONICA REICHL / The Valley Chronicle

For Wirth, it is about building opportunity for those in the Valley, as well as developing opportunities that bring people to the Valley.

Wirth says the San Jacinto Valley has largely untapped assets, such as the Ramona Bowl and the Western Center for Paleontology & Archaeology.

Wirth said it is important to market assets so people will “come here to do this because no one else has it.”

“Her vision for the future of Hemet - no one else has,” said Sean Weidman, who worked with Wirth to put together FACETS, an event that brought downtown Hemet businesses together with people of all ages.

“She'd said to see the small-business sector grow along with the big business,” Weidman added.

Weidman has worked with Wirth on other projects, including developing a skateboard park for the Valley and launching Inspire, a self-help solution for women who want to better themselves personally and professionally.

“She's five to 10 years ahead of her time. She's brought suggestions to the table that she has been criticized for,” Weidman said.

However, Wirth has had a number of successes, although not all of them visible to the average citizen.

Wirth includes among her milestones the creation of vacant land maps and the development of a commuter survey.

Wirth said their value is apparent when a company interested in moving to the area, for example, calls and asks about available land.

Instead of having to call Hemet and San Jacinto officials, she can refer to the map and give a response immediately.

Another of Wirth's successes was the Business Education Summit at the beginning of April.

Phil Pendley, superintendent of Hemet Unified School District, said Wirth was the driving force behind the event, which brought local businesses together with students from the Valley's high schools and continuation schools.

“The Business Education Summit has been a real positive addition to workforce development,” Pendley said.

For Wirth, it is about relevancy: “How is what is learned related to real life?”

Pendley said that the district would like to continue the summit and that he hopes Wirth will be a part of it.

“She's very organized, very efficient,” Pendley said.

Whatever the future holds for the VEDC, Wirth said she will continue to create economic opportunities.

As founder of The Solution Works, she considers herself an “innovation catalyst,” which is the title on her card.

The Solution Works' mission statement is to help organizations increase economic viability, train workforce skills, form strategic partnerships, and act as a referral service for entrepreneurs.

“I have a passion for entrepreneurers,” Wirth said.

The Solution Works does everything from grant research and writing to event planning to custom training.

“She is a driving force in Hemet and San Jacinto,” Weidman said. “Diane brings a lot of compassion, drive, inspiration, and dedication to what she does.”

“I talk to her and feel like I want to make a difference,” he added.

For information about the VEDC, visit www.vedc.com. For information about The Solution Works, visit www.tsworks.com.

VEDC Plans Business Education Summit

The Valley Economic Development Corporation (VEDC) in the San Jacinto Valley  is gearing up for a Business Education Summit that will connect up to 250 area high school students with over 50 local and regional business leaders.

The 2007 Business Education Summit will be "a great opportunity for our students to learn about local jobs and career opportunities in our Valley," said Diane Wirth, VEDC executive director. One hundred percent of ALL the business leaders who were involved in our first Business Summit last year said they would participate in 2007. This event is scheduled for Wednesday, April 4 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at West Valley High School.  

Businesses will set up exhibit materials on tables in the high school gymnasium and lead round table discussions with students. The purpose is to team up high school students with professionals in the student's field of interest. At the same time, the businesses will meet future employees. "It's a win-win situation," says Bobbie Christie, VEDC Chairwoman.

Details of the program include Fred Haise, a nationally recognized speaker, a luncheon and industry round table discussions with at least one table per industry. 

Industrial Projects: Supply Lags Behind in Hemet Area
INDUSTRIAL PROJECTS: An owner and a developer see growth in Hemet and San Jacinto in the future.

04:52 PM PST on Tuesday, December 12, 2006
By RODD CAYTON / The Press-Enterprise

There are numerous planned or recently completed industrial projects in the San Jacinto Valley, but one landowner says demand is still not being met, driving many companies originally interested in the area to Temecula or elsewhere.

Don Bender, president and chief executive of Tierra West Commercial Real Estate and Development, said Wednesday that users small and large and with various business needs have looked at property in Hemet and San Jacinto. They haven't always found what they were looking for and have continued searching, he guesses in Temecula or the Perris/Moreno Valley area.

Tierra West owns 19 acres near Hemet-Ryan Airport, subdivided into eight lots. Bender said he plans to spur development with a combination of speculative and build-to-suit sites, with about 500,000 square feet of industrial space. Tierra West will sell the lots, with developers improving the properties, he said, adding that grading and other preliminary work could begin "any day," Bender said.

In San Jacinto, Laguna Hills-based DBN Development LLC is putting together an 80,000-square-foot small industrial project, President Steve Delson said. The company will pitch the project as a way for small business owners to reduce their commute times and save on rentals.

Delson said his company is making the move in anticipation of significant population growth in Hemet and San Jacinto over the next few years. He said the project will consist of spec buildings, which would expedite the construction process.

The project will include six to eight sections of 4,000 square feet or more, Delson said. DBN anticipates an early-2008 completion date for the project's first phase.

Those projects are samples of the industrial activity in the San Jacinto Valley, said Diane Wirth, executive director of the Valley Economic Development Corp., which she said acts as a "matchmaker" for business attraction.

Other projects include expansions at Edelbrock Foundry and Agri-Empire. The former National Scent site is available, she said, as well as several acres of Riverside County-owned land near Hemet's west end.

Wirth agreed that the area could be developed faster. Among the things the economic development corporation looks for is balance between the area's number of jobs and its population, Wirth said.

"You want somebody in there right away, but there has to be a match," she said.

Reach Rodd Cayton at 951-368-9412 or rcayton@PE.com

Study: Jobs Depend on Industry
SAN JACINTO VALLEY: A consultant says the area needs to attract small manufacturing firms.

10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, August 30, 2006
By HERBERT ATIENZA / The Press-Enterprise

The San Jacinto Valley should try to attract and nurture small manufacturing industries to boost jobs and diversify the area's economic base, a new study says.

A Target Industry Study, commissioned by Hemet-based Valley Economic Development Corp., looks at the types of industries that would fit well in the San Jacinto Valley.
Among the industries that could prosper include specialty food products, tool and medical equipment, fabricated metals, and recreational vehicles, the study found.
Industries it said the valley should prepare for include bio industries, paper products, arts and entertainment, and business services.

"What it really comes down to is that (the San Jacinto Valley) will be most attractive to small manufacturers and those who already have a presence in areas like Los Angeles," said Audrey Taylor, president of Chabin Concepts Inc., a Chico-based economic-development consulting firm that conducted the study.

Taylor presented the study's findings this week to employers, business owners, local officials and others in the valley.

She said the Hemet-San Jacinto area offers a number of pluses, including a large work force and a relatively affordable cost of living, which could be attractive to businesses with 50 or fewer workers or those based in nearby urban regions that are looking to expand.

The study found the San Jacinto Valley is relatively less developed economically compared with others parts of Southern California, or even other parts of Riverside County, but it offers lower costs and fewer regulatory constraints and urban ills found in more developed parts of Southern California.

The study said the valley could begin attracting industries that it could host now, but if it were to try to bring in other types of businesses, such as bio industries, it would have to make improvements to its infrastructure, including accelerating development of larger sites for business.

Jeff Ballinger, chairman of the Valley Economic Development Corp.'s board, said the recommendations could help community leaders make decisions that could help enhance economic development.

"We can all sit around and guess what we think we would want to see in the valley, but it's useful to get an objective, third-party outsider to tell us the industries that would fit best with our valley," said Ballinger, whose group works to promote economic development in the San Jacinto Valley.

Diane Wirth, the development corporation's executive director, said the $30,000 study would be used to develop marketing efforts to attract selected industries.

She said the study is available by request, through the corporation's Web site, vedc.com.

Reach Herbert Atienza at 951-763-3464 or hatienza@PE.com

Franchises battle for spots amid shifting demographics

11:23 PM PST on Saturday, December 24, 2005
By HERBERT ATIENZA / The Press-Enterprise

HEMET - When Applebee's was looking to expand a few years ago, executive Jim O'Keefe considered a number of cities that could host the latest addition to the popular casual dining restaurant chain.

Among those considered, a small city named Hemet kept scoring high on criteria such as growth, demographics, transportation and household income.

A year-and-a half later, the newest Applebee's opened on Florida Avenue in Hemet, a location that O'Keefe said has become one of the chain's most profitable.

A look at Hemet, 10 miles from its core: Population 147,494 Growth 2000-05: 14.18% Median Household Income: $33,935 Average Household Income: $44,865 $50,000+ Households: 31.6% Median Family Income: $41,611 Aver. Family Income: $51,866 $50,000+ Families: 40% Source: City of Hemet

For years, Hemet struggled to attract nationally recognized shops and restaurants. Now, they are clamoring to get in.

Apart from Applebee's, familiar names such as Chili's, Cold Stone Creamery, Petco, Panda Express, Mimi's Café, LA Fitness and Johnny Carino's are coming or have recently opened. A fifth and sixth Starbucks are in the works, a new Hampton Inn has opened, and a new Office Depot, PetSmart, and Marshalls are under construction.

The retail boom has brought big changes.

Long known as a retirement haven, Hemet remains a destination for seniors. But they are now being joined by families and younger people attracted by more reasonable housing costs. They are powering a local economy that in fiscal year 2004-05 had total sales exceeding $1 billion, officials said.

As they pushed a shopping cart for some last-minute Christmas shopping at Wal-Mart Supercenter in Hemet, Dan and Sandra Puleo agreed they like the changes.

"You see increased varieties of places to shop, including some of the bigger retail stores," said Dan Puleo, who added the city still could use a bigger mall and a major electronics store such as Best Buy or Circuit City.

Hemet officials are seeing double-digit increases in sales-tax revenues, which they use to pay for everything from improved roads to more police and fire protection. CheckWidthImage(1,850,300); DeeAnn Bradley / The Press-Enterprise Commercial broker Brian Bielatowicz, of Lee & Associates, was involved in bringing a number of businesses to Hemet. He said Hemet is becoming a more prominent location for businesses because of the city's changing demographics.

In the fiscal year ending June 30, Hemet's sales tax revenue was more than $10 million, compared with $7.3 million in 2002, city figures show.
Hemet offered a mix of potential customers, from retirees to families, said O'Keefe, senior real estate manager for the Overland Park, Kan.-based Applebee's International Inc.

Brian Bielatowicz, a commercial broker who has helped bring businesses such as Starbucks, Panda Express, Quiznos Sub and Chuck E. Cheese's, said Hemet is assuming a more-prominent standing among decision makers in the national retail community due to its changing demographics.

"It's really taken fire," said Bielatowicz, vice-president of Lee & Associates, a commercial real-estate service out of the Temecula Valley.

He said retailers move in to find themselves pioneers in a rapidly growing market that has tremendous pent-up demand.
Redlands-based economist John Husing said the exodus to Hemet made the difference.

"It's called rooftops," he said. "Those companies go where families are moving. In Hemet's case, as the population increases, it's also getting younger and with more buying power."

He said the San Jacinto Valley is now the edge of Southern California's housing growth that began in the San Fernando Valley in the late 1940s; worked its way to the Alhambra and Claremont areas in the 1960s; spread to Orange County in the 1970s; and landed in parts of the Inland region in the 1980s.

More Younger Residents

A look at the changing face of Hemet:

Population: About 147,494 people now reside within a 10-mile radius from Hemet's core, up from 129,177 in 2000, city figures show. City officials say more than 27,000 homes are approved in Hemet and neighboring San Jacinto, in addition to more than 3,000 under construction. City estimates predict that 167,000 people will live within the radius by 2010.

Age: The average age has dropped to 38.1 from 44.7 in 2000. Household size has gone up to 2.52 from 2.26 in 2000.
Income: Per-capita income for residents who live within five miles of the city core is up to $17,445, from $16,226 based on 2000 U.S. Census figures. Median household income for the same area is up 24 percent in the same period, to $33,363.

Education: About 44 percent of residents have some college education, up 2 percent over 2000 U.S Census figures of 42.5 percent.
Hemet's Senior Assistant City Manager Duane Baker said the demographic changes are irresistible to retailers.

"They want a population where they know they will get customers," he said.

In Hemet, much of the growth is occurring along Florida Avenue and Sanderson Avenue, which some say is becoming the new commercial hub for the city. Clustered in the area are the new Wal-Mart Supercenter, The Home Depot, Lowe's, Regal Cinemas, Big 5 Sporting Goods, Target, and Ross Dress for Less.

Baker attributes this to the available land and growth of residential development in western Hemet.

Growth Side Effects
Like every silver lining, however, there are challenges.

Traffic always follows the rows of new homes, said Husing, who added that good planning is essential to prevent gridlock.

Diane Wirth, executive director of Valley Economic Development Corp., said retail growth is good for the city, but should be balanced by more professional jobs.

Many are moving to Hemet for affordable homes but have long commutes to work. As homes become more expensive, people working in retail would not be able to afford them, she said.

Baker said the city recognizes that a stable economy could not be dependent on retail growth.

He said Hemet has a healthy overall employment rate, and the city will update its general plan to create a map that would address future traffic issues as well as retail, commercial and industrial development.

"The goal is to create as balanced a community as we can," he said.

Reach Herbert Atienza at (951) 763-3464 or hatienza@pe.com

Inaugural FACETS event hits downtown Hemet
By MONICA REICHL/The Valley Chronicle

Downtown will be the center of an event Sept. 21 bringing together all "facets" of the Valley.

FACETS - which stands for Families, Artists, Commerce, Educators, Teens and Tots and Seniors - will combine the best of commerce, art and entertainment.

"It's all the people who make up the community," said Diane Wirth of the Valley Economic Development Corp., which is putting on the event.

FACETS is scheduled from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in downtown Hemet and is free. There will be three music stages and one dance and performance stage.

On the music stage, bands will include the award-winning Hemet High School Jazz Band, IntoSubmission and other local bluegrass and easy-rock bands.

The dance stage, at Hemet City Hall, will feature a sampling of dances from the Ramona Bowl Repertory Theatre's upcoming production of "Oklahoma!" as well as dances by Diamond Valley Dancers and DarMar Dancers.

Seniors on Stage will perform comedy and variety acts.

The featured guest will be Paul Gilman, director of "Ocean Odyssey," which won the Digiquest Jury Award at the Riverside International Film Festival and was the "Best of Fest" at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Gilman will begin his program at 6 p.m. in the Hemet Theatre on Florida Avenue. His film will be shown with Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times."

There will also be a scavenger hunt, featuring about 50 downtown stores and 50 VEDC investor businesses and nonprofit organization booths. The hunt offers a chance to win pizza and other prizes, including gift baskets, gift certificates and discounts from downtown businesses, canoe lessons, a television set and a trip to Baja Mexico.

"This (event) is very different for us," said Wirth, who added that the event will show that "there is business, there is vitality (in the Valley)."

Depending on the success of FACETS, Wirth said that she would like to see it become, at the least, an annual event. However, she added, ideally it would occur monthly on a smaller scale.

To get involved or for information, visit VEDC at www.vedc.com, call Susan Hauser, VEDC administrative assistant, at 652-7688, or call the Downtown Hemet Business Association at 766-8207.

Report: Better jobs a priority
SAN JACINTO VALLEY: The residents surveyed said retaining a small-town feel was not as important.

11:18 PM PDT on Saturday, July 9, 2005
By ADAM C. HARTMANN / The Press-Enterprise

HEMET - A majority of San Jacinto Valley commuters in a recent survey said adding more local job opportunities was more important than keeping the Valley's small-town environment.

The telephone survey of 400 commuters and 200 noncommuters between 18 and 64 years of age was commissioned in March by the Valley Economic Development Corporation. It was presented at Thursday's group meeting.
Drive Time A survey of 400 commuters and 200 noncommuters in the San Jacinto Valley indicated: Generally, higher-income commuters had longer commutes than lower-income commuters. The average commute time to work was 52 minutes About 85 percent of commuters and 82 percent of noncommuters were satisfied with the San Jacinto Valley as a place to live. About 13 percent of commuters worked in Temecula, 10 percent in Riverside and 6 percent in Perris.
Two-thirds of survey participants felt the San Jacinto Valley should offer better-paying jobs so they could work closer to home, the survey indicates. By contrast, about 28 percent of respondents felt the Valley should retain its small-town character, even at the expense of longer commutes.

The survey also indicated that the higher a commuter's income, the longer their commute was likely to be. About 70 percent of commuters making more than $75,000 annually had an average commute to work of more than 40 minutes, while 61 percent of those with annual incomes less than $25,000 had a commute of less than 40 minutes, the survey indicates.

Higher incomes mean longer commutes because the San Jacinto Valley does not generally possess high-paying businesses, such as high-tech and medical-technology firms, said Diane Wirth, executive director of the organization.

She faulted city and county leaders for building roads before bringing in jobs, suggesting some road money could better be used for job growth. Roads encourage residents to head outside the Valley for jobs, Wirth said.

One commuter who looked elsewhere for work is Anne Hallberg, an accounting technician with the Riverside County Transportation Commission who worked for the city of San Jacinto for 13 years. She said she would have liked to work closer to home, but the transit commission offered her a better professional opportunity.

Hallberg said her commute from San Jacinto to Riverside is about 40 minutes each way, though it stretched to more than an hour while Gilman Springs Road was under construction. While Hallberg's commute is manageable, several of her commuting partners wish they worked closer to home, she said.

Bob Weidemann, a bank manager in Palm Desert, commutes 60 miles each way from Hemet and has done so for nearly 18 years. Living in a commuter society such as Southern California's means "we live where we want to live (but) work where we have to work," he said.

Weidemann said he is on his third car, adding that the hour-long commute shows how much he wants to live in Hemet.

"I know every inch of Interstate 10," Weidemann said.
Reach Adam C. Hartmann at (951) 763-3455 or ahartmann@pe.com

Rapid Growth Predicted
HEMET: Figures for the valley show that a rise in population is happening, city records show.

12:03 AM PDT on Sunday, April 24, 2005
By HERBERT ATIENZA / The Press-Enterprise

HEMET - Hemet and the San Jacinto Valley are in the beginning stages of massive population growth that could transform the now rustic valley into a booming area such as Corona or Rancho Cucamonga, an Inland economist said.

Hemet is now in a unique position to set plans and policies that could guide how the valley will look in the next two decades, said Redlands-based economist John Husing.

Husing will speak before the Hemet City Council on Tuesday to give his assessment of economic forces affecting the valley and share his ideas on how to best prepare for them. He will also talk about results of a recent county study looking into demand for office space in Riverside County.

"I've watched this pattern happen throughout Southern California," Husing said by phone. "What's in store for (Hemet and the San Jacinto Valley) is rapid population growth."

Growth figures for the valley show that the rise in population is happening.

About 147,494 people now reside within a 10-mile radius from Hemet's core, up from 129,177 in 2000, city figures show. City estimates predict that about 167,000 people will live within the radius by 2010.

Some business owners say the valley's growth already presents opportunities.

"I've definitely seen the expansion," said Estella Baxter, owner of Sofa City and Bed Center in Hemet. She said the growth has been good for her business, as new homes get filled with furnishings.

"It's been good for everyone," she said.

Husing said he sees Hemet and the San Jacinto Valley in the first of a three-step process that has led to rapid urbanization of many Southern California communities.

Step one: Rapid population growth brought on by the availability of land and fairly affordable housing.

Step two: Growth in blue-collar jobs, such as those in manufacturing and the service industry.

Step three: Growth in the number of upscale homes being built in the community. "Once the process starts, it never stops," Husing said.

"It happened in Corona, which is in phase three now, as well as in Norco and Rancho Cucamonga."

He said a challenge for the city would be setting aside land for industrial, business and commercial purposes to provide jobs for the new residents who are pouring into the area.

Diane Wirth, executive director of Valley Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit group working to support the valley's business community, said San Jacinto Valley officials should heed lessons from other communities.

"We're following the trends, and it's important for us to learn from those trends," Wirth said. "The advantage right now is we still have the land."

Hemet Senior Assistant City Manager Duane Baker said Husing's insights would be useful as city leaders determine the future for Hemet. He said Husing is receiving $1,000 for the presentation.

He said Husing is a consultant for a company that Hemet hired to work on updating the city's general plan. Baker said it has been more than a decade since the city adopted its general plan, which guides how the city will look in the future.

Updating the plan could take 18 months, Baker said.

Reach Herbert Atienza at (951) 763-3464 or hatienza@pe.com

Wirth Promotes Jobs in the Valley
MEETING: The director says officials should work to attract a variety of firms to the valley

11:55 PM PST on Thursday, January 27, 2005 

By JACK KATZANEK / The Press-Enterprise 

HEMET - The San Jacinto Valley is known as a place that attracts residents who like a clean and quiet life in a smaller city. But that doesn't mean they don't also need to work for a living. The Valley Economic Development Corp. recognizes that residents in Hemet and San Jacinto will not find enough opportunities to work in their own communities.

That's why the group will look at ways to grow jobs in the coming year, the group's executive director said Thursday.

Diane Wirth, who took over the position about 13 months ago, said she'd like to see a summit between business and education leaders, a financial forum in May and possibly a bus tour for executives looking for sites. She also proposed a centralized "telework" site where people on computers can work rather than commute to far-flung offices.

Wirth, speaking at the economic development group's annual meeting Thursday at the Hemet Library, said she'd like to adjust some of the perceptions about the area. She said it shouldn't be difficult, given all the business activity in Riverside County and Hemet's growth spurt.

"It's important because people don't know where we're located and people don't know what we do," Wirth said.

Now, 60 percent of the valley's workers commute 15 miles or more, Wirth said.

"If we're adding homes and encouraging people to go out of town to work, we're not doing our best work," Wirth told a group of more than 100 business and civic leaders. "People from outside the area say 'The valley's great -- now tell us about the work force.' "

The area does not have the advantage of freeway access, but building on what is already in Hemet and San Jacinto is a key. Hemet, once famous for its banks, could try and generate jobs in the financial fields. The area has activity in the tourism and aviation industries.

With Valley Health System having a large presence in Hemet and many more families than before, medical providers would be a good bet. Wirth said medical device employers could be targeted because many valley residents are already commuting to those kinds of jobs in the Interstate 15 corridor.

The area has already proven to be economically viable on the consumer side. Councilwoman Lori VanArsdale told the group the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Hemet, which had once been targeted by lawsuit, topped all the stores in the country in sales right after it opened late last year.

"We've been discovered, and we're finally getting the sales tax we're due," VanArsdale said.

Hemet Finance Manager William Pattison said the city expects to collect up to $1.1 million in sales tax revenue from the new Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Reach Jack Katzanek at (951) 368-9553 or at jkatzanek@pe.com 
Staff writer Herbert Atienza contributed to this report.

Famous Boat Designer to Open Hemet Plant

By JONATHAN SHIKES / The Press-Enterprise
10:52 PM PST on Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Pioneering boat designer Art Carlson and his family, who have been building high-performance, high-speed boats for almost 50 years, plan to open a manufacturing plant in Hemet to produce a 22-foot bass fishing boat.

Carlson has been designing boats for other companies since the mid-1980s, but decided it was time to start making boats again himself, said his son John Carlson, 46, who will be the vice-president of the new firm.

"We have a unique and unusual design we have developed and that we are more comfortable manufacturing ourselves," Carlson said. The bass boat will combine safety with the traits Carlson is most known for: speed and performance.

The company chose Hemet because John Carlson, who is also a pastor at Oasis Valley Church in Hemet, lives there with his sons, who both want to part of the business. "Our customers are literally worldwide, so our location doesn't matter," he said.

Hemet City Manager Steve Temple said the city plans to sell the Carlson's three acres near the corner of Tanya and Sanderson avenues.
They will begin by building a 15,000-square-foot showroom and manufacturing facility, which could be finished by the fall, Carlson said.
Eventually, the firm could expand the building, employ 50 to 100 people and produce a 33-foot ocean-going boat in addition to the bass boat, Carlson said. "Our goal is to make 50 boats a month. Hopefully we won't get much bigger than that."

The company, which does not have an official name yet, will work out of interim facilities in Hemet until its building is completed, Carlson said.
Its arrival in Hemet is "a positive" for several reasons, said Diane Wirth, the director of the Valley Economic Development Corp.

It fits in with the organization's goal of attracting recreation-themed firms to complement the area's outdoor attractions, such as Diamond Valley Lake and Mt. San Jacinto State Park, and it will provide "high-quality jobs," she said.

Carlson said speed limits at Diamond Valley Lake prevent the company from testing its boats - which are built for speed - there.

Art Carlson, 74, founded his first company, Carlson High Performance Boats, in 1956 and merged its operations with Glastron Boats, a Texas firm, in 1969.

"They really industrialized the art of boat building and became the pioneers of mass producing fiberglass boats," said Bob Brown, the owner of Media Direction, an advertising agency that represents the Southern California Marine Association.

At one time, Glastron/Carlson was the largest boat builder in the world with plants in Anaheim and in Austin, Texas, producing up to 100 boats a day, Brown said.

Carlson's boats became known for cutting-edge styling, innovative design ideas and performance, Brown said. They were featured in the Batman television series and in several James Bond movies, as well as other programs and films.

Although Carlson left the company shortly before it was acquired in 1987 by Genmar Industries, a Minnesota boat maker, he continued to design boats for them.

Today, "Glastron/Carlson still has a lot of following. A lot of people still own them, and some are classics that are sought after by collectors," Brown said. "I think people will be intrigued about seeing what kinds of designs they come up with next."

Pioneering boat designer Art Carlson and his family, who have been building high-performance, high-speed boats for almost 50 years, plan to open a manufacturing plant in Hemet to produce a 22-foot bass fishing boat.

Carlson has been designing boats for other companies since the mid-1980s, but decided it was time to start making boats again himself, said his son John Carlson, 46, who will be the vice-president of the new firm.

"We have a unique and unusual design we have developed and that we are more comfortable manufacturing ourselves," Carlson said. The bass boat will combine safety with the traits Carlson is most known for: speed and performance.

The company chose Hemet because John Carlson, who is also a pastor at Oasis Valley Church in Hemet, lives there with his sons, who both want to part of the business. "Our customers are literally worldwide, so our location doesn't matter," he said.

Hemet City Manager Steve Temple said the city plans to sell the Carlson's three acres near the corner of Tanya and Sanderson avenues.
They will begin by building a 15,000-square-foot showroom and manufacturing facility, which could be finished by the fall, Carlson said.
Eventually, the firm could expand the building, employ 50 to 100 people and produce a 33-foot ocean-going boat in addition to the bass boat, Carlson said. "Our goal is to make 50 boats a month. Hopefully we won't get much bigger than that."

The company, which does not have an official name yet, will work out of interim facilities in Hemet until its building is completed, Carlson said.
Its arrival in Hemet is "a positive" for several reasons, said Diane Wirth, the director of the Valley Economic Development Corp.
It fits in with the organization's goal of attracting recreation-themed firms to complement the area's outdoor attractions, such as Diamond Valley Lake and Mt. San Jacinto State Park, and it will provide "high-quality jobs," she said.

Carlson said speed limits at Diamond Valley Lake prevent the company from testing its boats - which are built for speed - there.
Art Carlson, 74, founded his first company, Carlson High Performance Boats, in 1956 and merged its operations with Glastron Boats, a Texas firm, in 1969.

"They really industrialized the art of boat building and became the pioneers of mass producing fiberglass boats," said Bob Brown, the owner of Media Direction, an advertising agency that represents the Southern California Marine Association.

At one time, Glastron/Carlson was the largest boat builder in the world with plants in Anaheim and in Austin, Texas, producing up to 100 boats a day, Brown said.

Carlson's boats became known for cutting-edge styling, innovative design ideas and performance, Brown said. They were featured in the Batman television series and in several James Bond movies, as well as other programs and films.

Although Carlson left the company shortly before it was acquired in 1987 by Genmar Industries, a Minnesota boat maker, he continued to design boats for them.

Today, "Glastron/Carlson still has a lot of following. A lot of people still own them, and some are classics that are sought after by collectors," Brown said. "I think people will be intrigued about seeing what kinds of designs they come up with next."

Local Democracy Advocate Reaches Out Abroad

For Release June 18, 2001

Changing the world is tall order. But that hasn’t stopped one local entrepreneur from doing her best to positively influence governments and people around the world. Diane Wirth, President of The Solution Works, Inc., has just returned from Vilnius, the picturesque capital of Lithuania, where she participated in the second WoMen and Democracy Conference, an international gathering of government leaders, social advocates, and business experts aimed at integrating women into all areas of society.

The U.S. Department of State asked Ms. Wirth to represent the country as part of a 43-member delegation and to chair the Women and Entrepreneurship workshop. The event drew approximately 600 attendees and each workshop was chaired by one of twelve countries.

A natural choice for the assignment, Ms. Wirth also participated in the follow-up conference held in Tallinn, Estonia in 2000. She’s given testimony on Capital Hill on behalf of families, women, and business issues, and currently serves as a board director of the Women’s Business Institute. Even the business she started in 1987, The Solution Works, focuses on helping people achieve maximum benefit from technology. Organizations such as the Frederick Jaycees, the Entrepreneur Council of Frederick County, and the Chamber of Commerce of Frederick County have all benefited from her efforts over the years.

"The WoMen and Democracy Conference was an amazing opportunity for all the participants," says Wirth. "Not only was it a great cultural exchange, with all different languages being spoken, the people who attended got a chance to interact, learn about what has worked and what hasn’t, connect with resources and really get down to business creating a solid foundation for change in their respective countries."

The Women and Entrepreneurship workshop focused on mentoring and networking. Through presentations, video, live testimonies from mentors and protégés who participated in the Northern Europe – U.S. Business Mentoring Program, and small group discussions, attendees from Baltic countries gained valuable insight on how to create a solid foundation for their own Mentor Programs.

Other workshops spanned a broad array of pertinent topics, including: Developing Leadership Skills, Media Promoting Gender Equality, Crossing Borders against trafficking in Women, Men Promoting Gender Equality, Social Partners Promoting Gender Equality in Working Life; Young Women and Men: New Challenges, Economic and Labor Policy from a Gender Perspective.

Ms. Wirth has mentored two clients in Lithuania for one year, and continues to assist them in growing their business. "Initially we sat down together and made a plan of all the things they wanted to work on for their business, things like marketing and networking."

Through their conversations, Wirth was often struck by how different the business environment was in a country where free enterprise is still a relatively emerging concept. "They have special challenges. One of my protégés owns a café. But, in a village of 2,000 people where there is no organized tourism and people don’t have a lot of money to eat out as often as we do here, she’ll need to find innovative ways to create her own opportunities. People there are not familiar with discount coupons or 2-for-1 specials. It’s all an alien concept. What they do have is a lot of pride in their businesses and products."

Wirth continues, "They are highly motivated. As an example, Internet and telephone service is very expensive over there, yet my protégé signed up so she could have access to greater resources. That shows how much commitment they have to successfully growing a business." Mentors and protégés regularly correspond via fax or e-mail. At the conference, ten computers were donated for protégés to use and 20 mentors were matched with a pool of 41 protégés. Wirth also took on a third international mentoring relationship.

Among the impressive list of dignitaries to participate in conference were Connie Evans, President and CEO of the Women's Self-Employment Project, Chicago; The Honorable Jacquelyne Weatherspoon, Member New Hampshire House of Representatives; and Eileen Hoffman, Director of Special Projects, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (DC). Fellow delegate, the Honorable John Tefft, U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania, was particularly pleased with the outcome of the workshops and expressed his interest in being informed of the progress of the mentoring relationships. The President of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus, formally welcomed participants to the event. Ms. Vaira Vyke-Freiberga, President of Latvia, was the keynote speaker.

"Being a part of this conference was awesome. Not only because I had an opportunity to use my skills and to help people make their own lives better, but because of the individual relationships I’ve made," says Wirth. She smiles widely recalling the striking landscape and diverse architecture of a region rich with thousands of years of history. "I have a client in the town of Klaipeda and spent a night there. I walked along the boardwalk and got to see the sunset over the Baltic Sea. That was really neat."

Learning to speak Russian is next on the agenda for Wirth. She has a mutual agreement with a local Ukrainian woman who is learning English and citizenship test skills from Wirth. "I think it’s important that we all do the best we can within our sphere of influence to make the world a better place. I’ve been privileged to have this unique opportunity to do just that."

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Frederick Business Owner Diane M. Wirth Mentors Lithuanian Women

For Release October 17, 2000

The path leading to Lithuania’s economic prosperity is passing through Frederick.

A local businesswoman, Diane M. Wirth, is mentoring two Lithuanian businesswomen on how to advance their companies.

And in the process, Ms. Wirth said she’s learning a bit herself.

"It’s really a cultural exchange. I get to learn a lot about different cultures and history," she said. "I can see similarities and differences in how businesses are, what the questions are, and many of them line up with where U.S. businesses are."

Lithuania is about the size of West Virginia. In 1990, it was the first of the Soviet republics to declare independence. Three years later, Soviet troops withdrew. Since then, the country has been trying to integrate its economy into the global marketplace. Part of that effort has included the U.S.-Nordic-Baltic-Russian Mentoring Initiative for Women, a conference held in June in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. About 20 mentors from the United States, Iceland, and Finland were pared with about 40 women from countries in the region, including Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

Ms. Wirth is president of The Solution Works, a local computer training company. She said she was selected to participate by the U.S. State Department, through her work with the Women’s Business Institute in Taneytown.

"What this does is expand our exposure to international marketing," she said.

One of Ms. Wirth’s protégés is Rosita Karalaitiene, who runs a family-owned café and gift shop. For 2001, Ms. Karalaitiene plans to add a hotel, Ms. Wirth said. With a background in bookkeeping and accounting, Ms. Karalaitiene wants to learn more about computers, marketing, and management, Ms. Wirth said. So the two drew up an agreement that for the next year, Ms. Wirth would help her find the information she needs.

The country is lacking in technology infrastructure, Ms. Wirth said. Things taken for granted in the United States like discount coupons and two-for-one deals are unfamiliar to them, she said. "All of that is new for them to digest," she said.

Ms. Wirth is helping Ms. Karalaitiene learn about partnering with travel agents and bus tours to help bring customers to her café.

Her other protégé is Gertruda Gedviliene, the general director of a credit card company with 29 employees. Ms. Gedviliene’s goal is to make her card common throughout the Baltics. To do so, she wants to build partnerships with other companies. With Ms. Wirth’s help, she has created a connection with Mondex International, a subsidiary of Mastercard.

The mentoring involves about 10 hours a month. "We e-mail each other at least once a week," Ms. Wirth said.

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Diane M. Wirth Participates in US-NORDIC-BALTIC-RUSSIAN Mentoring Initiative for Women

For Release June 21, 2000

Diane M. Wirth, President of The Solution Works, Inc. and Board Secretary of the Women’s Business Institute has been selected as one of the ten women in the USA to participate in the U.S.-Nordic-Baltic-Russian Mentoring Initiative for Women. This program is a result of the Women and Democracy conference held in Iceland in October 1999. The U.S. Department of State through the "Vital Voices" program and the Northern Europe Initiative (NEI) is trying to fulfill the pledge of the U.S. government to support women’s political and economic access in Russia, Nordic, and Baltic states.

The conference was held from June 18-20 in Tallinn, Estonia to discuss business challenges and opportunities in the region and to launch the mentoring process. Ms. Wirth presented Roles and Expectations of Mentors and Clients at this program.

The goal of this mentoring project is to bring businesswomen from Northern Europe and the U.S. together to share knowledge and experience and to expand women’s businesses. Mentors and clients will have the opportunity to interact before selecting a partner for this year-long program. Access the Northern Europe Initiative online for more information.

In supporting the Women’s Business Institutes’ mission of empowering women to start or expand their business, Ms. Wirth provides one-on-one, e-mail and telephone business counseling to women starting or expanding businesses in Maryland. Ms. Wirth also teaches technology courses and entrepreneur courses to business people. Most recently, Ms. Wirth testified before the Subcommittee on Government Programs and Oversight on Capitol Hill to identify areas where the government could be of more assistance to small and women-owned businesses.

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Key Emphasis Areas of Panel Testimonies on
June 8, 2000 to the Subcommittee on
Government Programs and Oversight of the Committee
on Small Business United States House of Representatives

For Release June 8, 2000

Access to resources – 1) Although resources are available, many entrepreneurs do not know to how use the Internet, or if they do, they are not familiar, nor comfortable in searching for information. As I counsel entrepreneurs I demonstrate sites to locate business license information, patents and trademarks, statistical and demographic data necessary for them to learn about their industry. Many owners have not been to auction sites, or know of them, to search for equipment and supplies for their business. 2) There is a lack of mentors and support for new or expanding businesses, and there is a surplus of protégés. Many organizations offer mentor programs by matching a mentor with a protégé, but lack the training on expectations and a continual commitment to the program.

The government needs to make a concerted effort to: market the web sites and make the information visibly available at public places, include information in government mailers, distribute information to civic and entrepreneurial organizations, and create a readily available pool of mentors with their specialties and skills and/or offer mentors some incentive for full participation.

Training and Education: Many women-owned businesses fail because of lack of training and education. Women need to have experiences to develop creativity, confidence, sales and marketing. 1) Practical skills and learning to solve problems, human resource development, learning to ask questions, maximizing networking opportunities, determining fee structures for services are just some of the topics which need to be addressed. 2) Web site development, maintenance and marketing the site is an issue for small businesses. Many believe that the cost, security and difficulties in implementing and maintaining commerce sites need to be addressed. 3) Many women are not comfortable working with numbers which is especially pertinent to operating a business. They have difficulty calculating start-up costs, estimating monthly expenses, forecasting sales and understanding and developing cash flows.

The government needs to develop affordable workshops and make them accessible to women, assisting in marketing the workshops, provide forums like the Women’s Business Institute’s Entrepreneur Workshop, so successful entrepreneurs can share their business ownership experience with those interested in starting a business, and provide small grants for the purpose of either establishing a web site or to increase the marketability of the site for small businesses.

Access to capital: There are myths about grants and special programs for women and minorities. If grants are available, list the sources, focus areas, qualifications, etc., and continue special programs geared towards women entrepreneurs and make them readily accessible and understandable.

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