Entrepreneurs across America - Cover Story

Entrepreneur, April, 1996 by Janean Chuna, Debra Phillips, Cynthia E. Grifin, Heather Page, Lynn Beresford, Holly Celeste Fisk, Charlotte Mulhern

Text by: Janean Chun, Debra Phillips, Cynthia E. Griffin, Heather Page, Lynn Beresford, Holly Celeste Fisk & Charlotte Mulhern

Research By: Stephanie Osowski, Lourdes Aguila & H.Jessica McCoy

There's an election on the horizon, which means you can't open a newspaper, turn on the television or walk past a newsstand without getting an eyeful or earful of some politician pontificating about the state of the union.

But while the men who would be president fill the airwaves with talk, millions of Americans are taking action. You'll meet 78 of them in the following pages-entrepreneurs who sell coffee, manufacture chocolate, decorate lampshades, create compeer models, design skis-in short, who run the small businesses that hold this country together.

So take a moment to turn off your television, turn down the radio and put aside the op-ed pages. Enjoy the peace and quiet as you join us in celebrating America's unsung heroes. After reading their stories, we think you'll agree the nation's in pretty good shape, after all.

TENNESSEE

Company: Davis-Kidd Booksellers Location: Nashville Business Began: 1980 Start-Up Cost: $225,000 1995 Sales: $16.5 million 1996 Projections: $20 million

Starting a bookstore together was an idea old college friends Thelma Kidd (left) and Karen Davis had toyed with for years. Yet when they were at last ready to begin their new chapter, the partners found that launching a business is no fairy tale (read: payroll, marketing, getting a loan). "We had to learn to do everything," says Kidd. "But we were willing to do whatever it took."

The friends, both 50, with backgrounds in counseling, proved business- savvy as well as book smart: They created a cozy atmosphere, encouraged lounging, and offered in-store cafes long before any of the big chains got a clue. Their reader-friendly store "has become a gathering place. It's where people spend time and meet their friends," says Davis. "It's not just about books; it's about being here."

For Davis and Kidd, the joy of owning a bookstore can't be expressed with mere words. "The most satisfying thing," says Kidd, "is to have an idea and then make it happen." And they worked happily ever after.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Company: Fanfare Enterprises Inc. Location: West Lebanon Business Began: 1982 Start-Up Cost: $12,000 1995 Sales: $18 million 1996 Projections: $20 million

What's in a name? Quite a lot, it seems, in Martin Singer's case. The 55- year-old entrepreneur (below) first lived up to his last name with a stint as a music teacher. He's followed that noteworthy endeavor with Fanfare Enterprises, a thriving mail order merchandiser of arts and entertainment products.

"It's become our lives," says Singer of the company he operates with wife Carolyn, 52. "Our children are grown now, so this is pretty much our child."

The Singers first became parents--of their company, that is--14 years ago. That was when Martin, who'd been thinking about starting an entertainment-related enterprise, happened upon an advertisement for The Music Stand, a small catalog with a circulation of just 5,000. Instead of purchasing products, however, the ambitious Singer purchased the 5-year- old business. And, after considerable fine-tuning, a 16-page black-and- white brochure evolved into a 100-page color catalog selling gifts and memorabilia related to the performing arts. Circulation is now almost 20 million.

And perhaps most appropriately, the Singers never changed their catalog's moniker. Guess they realize the value in a name.

COLORADO

Company: Volant Inc. Location: Wheat Ridge Business Began: 1989 Start-Up Cost: $1.4 million 1995 Sales: $10 million 1996 Projections: $14 million

What does it take to build a better ski? An Olympic skier, a scientist and a lot of determination.

When Bucky Kashiwa (far right), a scientist at New Mexico's Los Alamos National Laboratory, and his brother Hank, a former Olympic skier, came up with a ski made of steel rather than the traditional fiberglass or plastic, the ski world scoffed. So, after raising start-up funds in a limited partnership, Bucky, 44, and Hank, 46, went to work building the skis themselves.

Now there's no scoffing--just schussing. "[Steel] skis turn easy, hold well on hard snow and remain stable in straight running and turning," explains Hank.

After overcoming a few mishaps (their first product run fell apart due to ill-fitting parts), the skis are now sold at sporting goods stores in more than 20 countries. And their new product, a steel snowboard due out in December, is sure to turn heads on the slopes. Says Hank, "It looks so great, you just can't believe it."

DELAWARE

Company: Weber-Prianti Scenic Studio Location: Wilmington Business Began: 1986 Start-Up Cost: $1,000 1995 Sales: $1 million 1996 Projections: $2 million

No matter who the client is, Gary Prianti always causes a scene. But that's all in a day's work at the Weber-Prianti Scenic Studio.

Prianti, 42, owner of the theatrical, film and display scenery company, has been stealing the show for as long as he can remember. His first project was a production of "The Wizard of Oz" in the third grade, using kindergarteners as Munchkins.