A Wealth of Talent
By Micaela Myers | December 09, 2011 9:58 AM
Cover shot by James Cant
Laguna Beach is stunning—the ocean, the mountains, the art scene, the charming cottages and modern mansions. But perhaps the town’s greatest asset is behind those doors.
“I think you could knock on almost any door in Laguna and find an interesting person who has very unique life experiences,” comments Mayor Toni Iseman. “We’re blessed with an abundance of talent.”
Indeed we are. As we present our list of the town’s most influential people, consider the enormous breadth of the selectees: from activists like author Arnold Hano, who helped de-segregate Laguna Beach’s barbershops when he moved here in the 1950s, co-founded Laguna Village and now spends his time working to aid the town’s homeless population; to businessmen like Firebrand Media’s own Allan Simon, who often buys up empty buildings and helps fill them with key businesses like Katsuya and Hurley—keeping the town vibrant and thriving.
To find out what drives those on our list to continue working to make the town the best it can be, we also asked each person, “What’s one thing you’d like to see change in Laguna?”
“The most powerful people in Laguna are the people that are getting up every morning and trying to make Laguna a better place for themselves and their community,” gallerist Peter Blake says.
In that spirit, our list of influential people includes entrepreneurs, activists, real estate gurus, educators, business leaders, art visionaries and more—people you’ve heard of, some only a few of you know, but all important parts of the Laguna Beach community.
Coming up with this list was no easy task. We asked the community for nominations, made lists of our own and met countless times to narrow it down. Even after all that, we realize there are many more people worthy of inclusion, so consider this part one. (Let us know whom you would like to see featured next year: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).)
“Without question, there are many others far more deserving of this interview than me,” says Derek Ostensen, president of the Laguna Canyon Foundation. “And I suppose that speaks to the fact that we all comprise part of the whole—this dynamic mix of artists, educators, civic leaders, agitators, businesses and so much more.”
That dynamic mix is far more inter-connected than first meets the eye. Virtually everyone on our list goes beyond their professional title to volunteer in the community—a wealth of talent working to make Laguna Beach the best place to live, work and dream.
To see the full article, check out the December/January issue of Laguna Beach Magazine, or watch for the digital version on lagunabeachmagazine.com. In the meantime, here are three bonus selectees.
The Paddler
Tommy Donnelly: owner of the Stand Up Paddle Co.
“Tommy Donnelly and his team built a brand around SUP in Laguna,” comments XS Energy’s David Vanderveen. That brand celebrates its two-year anniversary in April.
Photo by Kri Sado
“What brought me to opening up a store was just helping a friend and teaching him lessons in standup paddleboarding,” Tommy says. “And then everyone started asking where to get a board, and there was no place to buy a standup board, so I immediately saw the future of the sport.
“My goals are to open up more retail stores—at least two a year. We’re looking in Newport Beach now and San Diego and Malibu. And we’re launching our own brand of boards and full clothing line of practical paddling wear.”
SUP Co.’s influence on the community is also growing (beyond all those paddle lessons you see taking place just offshore).
“We work with Zero Trash in Laguna. We supply the boards too to people that need them. We go out in the ocean and we paddle around out there and pick up trash.” SUP Co. also donates boards to kids’ programs, such as the Mauli Ola Foundation for children with cystic fibrosis, and to Laguna Beach High School’s paddleboarding team.
One thing Tommy would like to see change in Laguna? “I would get the oceans cleaner, which we’re working on now. There’s a lot of trash out there floating around. On the streets, everything runs into the ocean. You can’t see it when you’re surfing or doing any other sport, but when you’re standing up and paddling, there’s a lot of trash out there.”
The Boogie Board Inventor
Tom Morey: of TomMorey.com
Tom was raised in Laguna Beach and took that creative spirit into his music and water-sports inventions, including the first boogie board. “My drive is artistic—not necessarily about canvas and paint,” he says, “but whatever you’re doing if you come out of Laguna, you’re going to have that artistic influence about it.”
After college, Tom found he had talent as a drummer and went on tour. “My time was split in between music and surfing, which became surfboard building.”
Photo by Tom Morey
He was living in Hawaii when his experimental prototypes led him to invent the modern-day boogie board. “My intentions were to build a super high-speed board for the biggest waves anybody would surf. I found this flexible closed-cell foam material called polyethylene foam, which I could use as the core material between my body and a fiberglass bottom that would be durable and skip along the bottom. … I created the prototype, and it didn’t work very well. It broke easily.”
But he was undeterred.
He’d seen foam blown into molds with a layer of paper going first. Tom grabbed some newspaper and tried this method for his board. It was a success, and the boogie board was born. “Incidentally the newspaper copy transferred to the foam shell, and that’s how I made the first one, which I still have,” he says.
Today, Tom still creates boards—surfboards these days, along with his business partner and Laguna Beach childhood friend, Chuck Herpick. He also performs with the Laguna Beach Jazz Quartet, which just released an album.
What’s one thing Tom would like to see change in Laguna? Too much dog poop and owners that don’t pick it all up.
The Family Broker
John Stanaland: broker and partner of HOM Real Estate Group
For John, real estate is a multi-generational family affair.
“My grandparents were originally developers in town,” he says. “They developed Portofino, Nyes, Balboa—all that area. I’ve been here my whole life. I’ve got three children I’ve raised in the community. It’s an amazing place to live. There’s no place like it—the people, the feel, the atmosphere, the quaintness.”
Photo by John Stanaland
John’s been in the real estate business his entire life and is now teaching his sons, Tyler and Trevor, the tricks of the trade. “My role in the community is being a father, husband and lifelong resident,” he says. Part of that role is also supporting important community organizations. “I’ve been a sponsor of Hearts of Montage, SchoolPower, Laguna Beach Police, breakfasts and awards. I’ve supported and sponsored Laguna Beach volleyball.”
What’s one thing John would like to see change in Laguna? “There is absolutely nothing I would change about Laguna. It’s paradise.”
To nominate people you’d like to see profiled in the future, e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
*Outtakes overheard:
Here are a few of the quotes that didn’t make it into the article…
-Karyn Phillipsen on her love of food: “If they cook monkey brains and the sauce is good, I’ll eat it.”
-Chris Keller on goals: “Personally, losing about 20 pounds …”
-Mark Christy on how he came to Laguna: “My dad had two attractive job offers, and it was a coin flip between Laguna and Lake Elsinore. Thank God for tails.”
-Sam Goldstein on things he’d like to see change in Laguna: “Our economy is based on parking meters, and yet we don’t have enough parking meters because we don’t have enough parking.”
-Paul Naudé on Laguna Beach: “I think it’s a cocoon in the middle of a madness so to speak.”
-Tom Morey on what he’d like to see change in Laguna: “It’s not healthy to have all that dog [feces]. That’s what bothers me most about Laguna.”
-Kelly Boyd on things we can’t print: “This is off the record, right?”
