40 professionals who are leaders in their industries

San Fernando Valley Business Journal, August 16, 2004

JUSTIN ALDI

CEO, First Security Lending

Age 29

WHEN Justin Aldi and his best friend from high school, Ronnie Da Motta, decided to start a mortgage loan company, each had about $1,000 to chip in of what was "essentially our life savings," Aldi said.

Back in 1998, the pair set up shop at Aldi's home, made the dining room into an office and hired six telemarketers.

Since then, their business has done pretty well--to the tune of $450 million well. That was the amount of loans processed by their Burbank-based First Security Lending, which has also grown in employees from 2 in 1998 to 90 in 2004.

"Our goal (is) to eventually become a landmark in the local community," Aldi said.

The recipe to success, according to him, is very basic.

"Honesty contributed to our success, dedication to our clients and good old-fashioned hard work," Aldi said.

When Aldi is not working, he enjoys his hobbies--sports and collecting British cars. He was turned on to the cars because his first car was an "old Triumph (and) it grew from there."

Vicki Robledo, a Burbank homeowner, is a fan of Justin's. She bought her first house in Burbank with a loan from First Security and is now in the process of refinancing for the third time to do an add-on to the house.

"Justin is one of those people that age doesn't matter," Robledo said of Aldi, who is 29. "He lives and breathes this stuff. I'm constantly recommending (First Security)."

--Slav Kandyba

JOSH BARINSTEIN

President, Red Frog Inc.

Age 38

IF Josh Barinstein wasn't an advertising executive, he might be a computer programmer--or a musician.

Those are the worlds Barinstein has lived in during his 38 years and he seems to use the skills he gained from all of them.

But the advertising executive part of him, specifically the focused businessman, is mostly in control these days.

Barinstein co-founded and owns Red Frog Inc., a Newbury Park-based multimedia advertising and marketing firm that in less than a decade has managed to capture some high-profile clients that go to the company for its innovative approach to the industry.

"If you give people enough time and treat them right, they will come back for more," says Barinstein about his approach to business.

Red Frog develops and implements advertising and marketing campaigns that use technology in concert with traditional methods to help build brand awareness.

The firm deals with everything from direct response and e-mail advertising campaigns to e-commerce sites and CD-ROM presentations. Clients such as Amgen, the Independent Film Channel and large publishers such as McGraw Hill, Prentice Hall and Delmar Learning have signed on.

Creativity abounds at Red Frog. For instance, the company created for Amgen a realistic online calculator for use by doctors on the Internet and created an e-campaign to boost subscription to the Independent Film Channel's IFCRant.

Born in Israel, Barinstein's family moved to Argentina when he was 2 until eventually moving to the U.S. when he was 11.

Barinstein had studied computer science and engineering at UCLA where he loved computer programming, a passion he developed while he was in junior high school.

While at UCLA, he was the lead singer of a rock band called In Sync, believe it or not. The group routinely played the Sunset Strip.

But computers were his real love and he eventually worked for Tekelec as a software engineer. While there, he went back to school at California State University Northridge and studied music composition.

But he eventually returned to technology as a profession and Barinstein and his wife Cecilia started Red Frog out of their home--which was not air conditioned--in 1996. He knew computers and she knew graphic design so the couple figured if they combined their skills they could create an effective multimedia company.

--Jason Schaff

JOHN BAUMANN

Treasurer, Semtech Corp.

Age 36

The "wunderkind" seems to fit as a description of John Baumann.

At all of 25 years of age in 1994, Baumann became the treasurer of a publicly traded company, Camarillo-based Semtech Corp., a semiconductor manufacturer.

"It was somewhat of an honor to be 25 and be an officer of a public company--albeit a small one" at the time," Baumann said.

When he joined the company in 1994, its stock was worth cents per share--now it's more than $15 per share. Not to mention, Baumann has a lot of cash to manage.

"We've got $280 million in cash that I manage," he said, adding Semtech was the fourth bestperforming company on NASDAQ in the 1990s.

At 36, the Loyola Marymount University alumnus is one of the longest-tenured officers at the company, having been there a decade. While working full-time at Semtech, Baumann completed an MBA at Pepperdine University and received an accounting certificate from University of California, Santa Barbara.

Baumann said he acts as the company's spokesman and talks with Wall Street analysts on a regular basis.

When he's not at work, Baumann spends time with his wife and two children. "Family is important to me. I like to fish and play golf and spend time with family and friends," he said.