Entrepreneurs

Dottie Martin has a kinship with Route 66. Her junior and senior high schools in Edwardsville, Ill., were right on the Mother Road. So when it was time for her to drive back to Seattle after her high school reunion, Martin took the long way home, traveling along what's left of America's first transcontinental highway. In San Bernardino County, a longtime wish came true as Martin pulled into the Wigwam Motel for a night in a tepee. "I had never slept in a wigwam," she said of her desire to soak up the nostalgia and kitsch of decades past.

Environmentally minded business professionals are increasingly finding one another -- and finding jobs -- at green-networking events. Tatjana Luethi landed a gig as an independent sales representative for a compostable-packaging company at such a meet-and-greet. Jodi Plaia found the first customer for her soon-to-be-launched business making organic dog treats. Drumming up business and capital is still a time-honored goal for business networking. But these networks purport to push the more noble agenda of saving the environment.

Every week, Alex Velez and Nikhil Arora collect 2,000 pounds of used coffee grounds from Peet's Coffee & Tea outlets near their UC Berkeley haunts and take them to a warehouse in Oakland. There, in a damp indoor farm, the college friends grow gourmet mushrooms that are sold at local Whole Foods Markets. Just a few months out of business school, they're on track to make more than $200,000 in their first year. The budding entrepreneurs' efforts were among 25 start-ups spotlighted during the third annual sustainable business conference hosted by L.A.-based Opportunity Green in partnership with UCLA's Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.

There weren't many people wanting to lick a buffalo chip until a couple of ski bums named Jamie Leeson and Todd Fortune came along. Now the two young entrepreneurs have fans across the entire West yearning for a taste of their Buffalo Chip gourmet ice cream. "It's definitely good stuff. I eat about three cones a day myself," said Fortune, a gangly Generation Xer.

Li Ning goofed around when a photographer asked him to perform a few moves in the gym. He giggled and said his arms ached on the rings, then burst out laughing before performing a few tumbles on a nearby mat. "I'm too old for this," he joked. "Maybe I should be taking a photo with a beer." It's been 12 years since the 33-year-old Li won six gymnastics medals--three gold, two silver and a bronze--in the L.A. Olympics. He quit competing eight years ago, which may explain why he's a bit rusty.

In 1898, John Schnepf of New York City took out a patent on an invention: a bicycle rigged with an electric motor to assist tired pedalers on hills and long rides. Schnepf referred to his device as an "Automobile." Nice try. Although there have been several other electric bikes produced over the decades, the concept has never caught on. But two companies headquartered in the San Fernando Valley are convinced that Schnepf was simply ahead of his time.

Eskimo Joe has come of age. The big-grinning mascot who debuted 21 years ago along with his namesake, Stillwater's famed hangout, is now more than just another logo. He has his own empire. "Vote Joe for President" buttons are making the rounds. Eskimo Joe's also has new prepaid telephone cards through MCI. Stillwater National Bank counts 1,168 Visas and MasterCards imprinted with the notoriously happy cartoon face.

With the Republican National Convention beginning here on Monday, downtown is aflutter--with red, white and blue welcome banners, huge inflatable elephants bobbing from hotel balconies and a palpable sense of anticipation, for the commercial as much as the political event. Restaurants in the heart of the historic Gaslamp Quarter, soon to be besieged with delegates and media, are advertising convention specials like "Elephant Stew."

Fred Hosseini has carved a profitable niche out of industrial upheavals. When some big banks merge, for example, Hosseini's AdImpact agency hires on to create signs--hundreds of them--for the new corporate entity. They range from the tiny logo on parking decals to 13-foot-high lettering atop high-rise banking headquarters.

When Juan Armando opened a clothing store on Rodeo Drive three years ago, he became the first African American retailer on the tony street. Now, Armando is the first entrepreneur to bring Beverly Hills to Hawthorne. Four months ago, Armando opened an antiques store, Armando's Home Collection, in the Hawthorne Plaza mall and soon will open Cafe Armando and Armando Sports.