M L Bud Warrick

In 1970, as the Vietnam War military buildup began to subside, M.L. (Bud) Warrick lost his electronic machinery manufacturing business during the defense downturn. More than two decades later, he is putting his lessons from failure to good use as a consultant trying to persuade defense subcontractors to find new non-defense markets for their products. "The situation was very similar to today, a devastation," said Warrick, 57, an animated fellow--a smoker who paces when he talks.

In 1970, as the Vietnam War military buildup began to subside, M.L. (Bud) Warrick lost his electronic machinery manufacturing business during the defense downturn. More than two decades later, he is putting his lessons from failure to good use as a consultant trying to persuade defense subcontractors to find new non-defense markets for their products. "The situation was very similar to today, a devastation," said Warrick, 57, an animated fellow--a smoker who paces when he talks.

Bruce Del Mar has experienced a lifetime of change. An aviation pioneer--he co-invented the pressurized airplane cabin--this Orange County inventor is credited with dozens of technological innovations. And at 81, Del Mar said, he is ready to undergo another conversion. The defense and medical equipment company that bears his name, Del Mar Avionics, is again shifting focus away from its military-contracting roots--this time to profit from the fast-moving compact disk manufacturing industry.