In case you’ve been in a post-holiday siesta or simply water-logged, you’re already aware that four of our six cities in Southwest California have women mayors this year, joining six other cities throughout the Inland Empire. Media outlets have had a field day dubbing our area ‘Estrogen Alley’ and talking about ‘Women Taking Charge’. But the fact is that in most cases our mayors are not elected to that post, they’re simply chosen by their fellow council members, typically in a set rotation schedule. As Lake Elsinore Mayor Melissa Melendez characterized the situation, “… it’s not some staged take-over, it’s just a unique set of circumstances. It’s more indicative of the fact that women in general are getting more involved in the political process, being elected to city councils in greater numbers and being elevated to this position with more frequency than we’ve seen in the past.”
Indeed while some, including Murrieta Mayor Kelly Bennett and Wildomar’s Bridgette Moore are serving their first term on the council, Temecula had Mayor Pat Birdsall as far back as 1992 (& 1997) and Mary Ann Edwards in 2009. Canyon Lake’s Nancy Horton follows Mary Craton into the seat and Corona Mayor Karen Spiegel served that city previously in 2006.
The Valley Business Journal recently spoke with some of these women about the job and what they plan to bring to the business community and economic development during their tenure. The overwhelming response was that Southwest California cities are ‘Open For Business’.
Mayor of one of Southwest California’s newest cities, Wildomar, Bridgette Moore said their new City Manager Frank Oviedo has been tasked with economic development and growth as a priority. According to Moore, Wildomar has more undeveloped land that many of their neighboring cities along with a real need for business growth in the area. “We recently surveyed our citizens and found that bringing restaurants to the city was first on a lot of lists. We are also encouraging other retail partners, technology firms and medical manufacturers to locate here not just for the tax revenue but to serve the needs of our residents.” …and a hotel. Moore’s Arizona family had to stay in another city when they came over to attend her inaugural meeting. “Yes, a hotel would be very welcomed here.”
“We’ve also reduced some of our developer fees in line with WRCOG recommendation and we’re streamlining our application and permitting process so there’s no surprises and no delays. You’ll find a real ‘make it happen’ attitude in Wildomar. If it’s a good business, it’s good for Wildomar.”
Lake Elsinore Mayor Melissa Melendez emphasizes the unique attraction of the lake to their community. They currently have a very aggressive specific plan to develop the area around Diamond Stadium and another marina and resort plan for further up the lake. “Unfortunately those plans are on hold right now due to the economy but they’re still solidly in place.”
“We need jobs for our residents right now – that’s our priority. We love the Costco’s and Target’s, our auto dealers have been terrific but we need an Abbott, somebody with hundreds of jobs to keep our people off the freeways to Orange County every day.” To accomplish that, the city has worked with a corporate recruiter to introduce Lake Elsinore to prospective businesses.
The Mayor is also instituting monthly ‘Coffee with the Mayor’ meetings. One series will be in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce focusing on existing businesses – what they need to succeed and grow and how the city can help. Another series will join city staff and planners with developers and prospective business targets to talk about planning issue, fee structures and what the city can do to make Lake Elsinore a more attractive destination.
“I know we compete, to a degree, with the established master plan communities like Temecula, Murrieta and Corona,” says Melendez, “but we can all work together. We share more than boundaries, we share goals and we share our successes throughout the region. Lake Elsinore is a very different city than it was just 10 or 15 years ago. I would encourage businesses to take a second look at us through new eyes.”
In nearly 20 years as a city, Kelly Bennett is the first women to be elected to the Murrieta city council, thus its first Mayor as well, although she hesitates to put much significance to that. “It simply allows me the opportunity to represent my city in what for me, is extraordinarily important – the attraction and support of viable businesses in the city.”
“I have the opportunity to work very closely with several great groups that help us get the word out including City Staff, including Economic Development Director, Bruce Coleman, the Chamber of Commerce, the EDC and WRCOG. We also attend conferences like the ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers) and the World Trade Center, San Diego, a group that positions San Diego and regional businesses for international recognition and global market success.’
Bennett noted that Murrieta is focused on three objectives: manufacturing, including nourishing ‘green’ companies; expanding education opportunities, including establishing a local 4 year under-graduate curriculum; and health care. The new physician-owned-Loma Linda healthcare campus, under construction in North Murrieta, is an endangered species under the current federal healthcare proposal. Yet we desperately need medical services and the professional and ancillary jobs it will create.
The City is also aggressive in creating outreach programs for businesses. Their Broker Work Group regularly attracts 100 or more local commercial and residential Brokers, developers and planners to its meetings. The City recently introduced the Business Roundtable and Visionary Workshops to solicit comments on the new general plan review.
“One thing I’m particularly excited about is the potential under AB 811, the Energy Efficiency for Cities and Counties Act. We are developing a program to attract green tech manufacturers providing energy efficient/cost effective products for our homeowners. You’ll be hearing a lot more about that this year.”
While the mayors readily acknowledge they don’t have any ‘special powers’, they do get to conduct council meetings, sign mountains of paperwork, spend a lot more time on the job, and generally be the public face of city government at numerous events throughout the region and state. One mayor I spoke to was picking up children from school while another was grabbing late evening dinner at a local (healthy) drive-thru. As with any mayor, male or female, there’s a delicate balance.
Our mayors are also united in hoping the state recovers soon, without ‘borrowing’ any more city cash. They are all facing constrained budgets while maintaining services. They are similarly committed to bringing jobs to the region, to retain and grow our existing business base and to keep more of our citizens off the freeway. And they all have a huge ‘Open House’ sign in front of their cities.
Southwest California appears to be off to a good beginning for our second decade, and in capable hands.

 

Family controlled businesses account for some 35% of Fortune 500 companies, generate half of the domestic gross national product and supply 60% of the country’s employment. Why then, are they so fragile? Why do they have less than a 30% chance of surviving from one generation to the next? More importantly, how do they beat the odds?
Most small businesses survive five years or less; most will never see their 10 year anniversary. Going into business has huge risks as it is, just imagine how those risks impact you if you are involved in a family business as well.
Some of the world’s largest corporations are family-controlled, such as Walmart, In and Out Burger and Ford Motor. They, along with smaller, local family businesses such as Robinson Printing or Davis Family Insurance or Murrieta Day Spa, face similar challenges in keeping their doors open. According to Pepperdine University Professors Michael J. Conway, JD, and Stephen J. Baumgartner, MSc(Econ), there are three major pitfalls that challenge family run businesses.
First of all, many family-run businesses fail to “Put it in Writing”. This is the most common error many make. The terms of the business agreement needs to be written down, even by using a lawyer, if needed. The adage, “good fences make good neighbors” can be used here metaphorically. Put expectations down in writing; write down the policies and goals, outline how to handle employees and what responsibility is whose.
DeeDee Girouard and her husband Richie have owned and operated Pro Auto Collision in Temecula for 12 years; they’ve been working together for over 25. “It’s so important to have all the your policies written down,” she said. “If anything happened to me or my husband, our son would have to know what to do. You have to have all your ‘T’s crossed and ‘I’s dotted.”
Secondly, if disputes arise, too many family members revert to household behavior. In other words, they start a fight or complain to others, “He hit me first!” Remember this is a business, not a household, no matter who is working there.
Marco works with his father and brother at Jeweler By Design in Murrieta. He says the key to working together is trust. “We have to have a strong faith in each other, or else it wouldn’t work,” he said. Their custom-made jewelry business has been operating over 30 years and they hope to see it continue for several more generations.
Craig Davis and his wife Kathy, have owned and operated Davis Family Insurance for 20 years. He says one way he and Kathy keep the business going is that they have the same goals and work on them together. They also take time for family events with their children and don’t give up on their dreams. They met in the business and have kept their business life and home life intertwined ever since.
The reason some family businesses don’t make it past the first or second generation is the lack of planning for the future and answering questions such as, What happens in the event of a divorce? What if one of the owners passes away? What do we do if an owner wants to be bought out? These exit-strategies need to be determined well in advance, usually along with everything else that is put in writing at the beginning of the endeavor.
This year Murrieta Day Spa will celebrate their 21st year in business. “We are very fortunate that we all have the same goals for the business,” said Monique Suraci, the daughter of the spa’s founders on why their business has survived the test of time. “I love working with my mom. We’re just so lucky that we work well together. And my son said that this summer he wants to start working here, even if it’s just folding towels in housekeeping! Hey, we all start somewhere.”
Dan and Myra Pettus love working together and although they have adult children, “They don’t want the business,” Dan said. Their photography business has grown over the past 12 years in operation, and they have signed on young photographers to carry on the tradition but, Dan says, “I’m happy to see my kids fulfilled in their own careers.”
A local example of longevity is Robinsons Printing which is now training the fifth generation worker in the business. Started by Joseph Robinson in 1924, the family this summer brought in the great-great-grandsons of Joe to start learning the business. According to Lori Robinson, the key to keeping the business going is the desire to see their customers succeed. This “outward” looking focus helps keep everyone on track and determined to succeed.
The key to working together as a family, said Dee Dee, is to have quality time, even at work. “We all have our own space, we always have something to talk about and when we lock the door here, we stop conducting business. Period.”
Our thanks to these companies for contributing to this article:
Robinson Printing, 296-0300
Pro Auto Collision, 296-3373
Dan Pettus Photography, 693-0500
Jeweler By Design Custom, 677-5566
Davis Family Insurance, 699-1776
Murrieta Day Spa, 677-8111

Tucked away in Southern California Temecula Valley Wine Country, you’ll find a new golden treasure. Dean Thomas has just accepted the position of Executive Chef at South Coast Winery Resort & Spa. But his name is no stranger to those in the culinary circuits. He was most recently at the Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino in San Diego, California, where he founded Barona Culinary Institute to train associates at various levels including management, hourly and American Culinary Federation (ACF) Apprenticeship Program. Chef Thomas is also a board member of the San Diego Chapter of the ACF, an ACF Certified Executive Chef and a Certified Culinary Educator.
A native of the Midwest and the Chicagoland area, Chef Thomas began his career in the hospitality industry as a young dishwasher for an Italian chef who took him under his wing. He studied culinary arts at Joliet Junior College and soon moved on to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina where he gained experience at many of the plantation developments. He took a sabbatical in pastries working for Chef Kurt Buchi at the Intercontinental Resort and soon became the Outlet Chef for the Carolina Café at the Westin Hilton Head 5-Diamond Resort.  He then moved on to Westin La Paloma Resort’s Country Club in Tucson, Arizona where he served as Executive Chef. During the course of his time there, he took a sabbatical at Caneel Bay Rock Resort on St. John, United States Virgin Islands. Chef Thomas later served as Executive Sous Chef at the Essex Campus of the New England Culinary Institute, where he developed new generations of young talent for nearly nine years.
Chef Thomas is truly accomplished in culinary circles and has numerous ACF medallions in his portfolio. Among the many culinary awards and competitions he’s won during the course of his professional career are the Pork Recipe Grand Prize in 1993; in 1994, he was named Champion of the Arizona Taste of Elegance and competed at the National Taste of Elegance held in Chicago.
He and his family reside in Southern California, not far from South Coast Winery Resort & Spa.