R S V P / ORANGE COUNTY : Henry Schielein Leaves Hawaii for Paradise

He’s back .

After being chief operating officer of the Grand Wailea Resort, Hawaii, for one year, Henry Schielein (former vice president of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Dana Point) has returned to Orange County to become president of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.

“Hawaii is beautiful, but when you live there, it’s like champagne and caviar every day,” Schielein said at the waterfront club on Tuesday. “You get tired of it. As beautiful as Maui is, it’s the same day after day.”

When Dave Wooten, president of International Bay Clubs Inc. (parent company of the Balboa Bay Club), called Schielein to ask him to recommend a presidential candidate for the club, Schielein told him he’d “think about it,” he said, chuckling at the memory.

He thought about it, all right. And before Wooten and club chairwoman Beverly Ray could say “please,” Schielein said “yes” to the position.

“This is a magnificent location,” said Schielein, eyeing the sun-dappled bay. “Where do you find something like this?”

The good news for the social-set--especially for those who fancy fine foods, wines and elegant parties--is that Schielein plans to help turn the club into a five-star resort after its $30-million expansion is complete in five years. (Watch for the Balboa Bay Club to become the Balboa Bay Club and Resort under Schielein’s tutelage.)

“The expansion includes a 150-room, deluxe boutique hotel,” Schielein said. That also means a huge, pavilion-style ballroom with a sweeping, poolside veranda--perfect for the alfresco parties favored by the coastline crowd.

“We’ll have a gourmet club, a wine festival, an epicurean society,” Schielein said. And, yes, his famous cigar smoker will become an annual event at the resort.

A gazebo, a spa and a luxurious presidential suite will also be part of the expansion.

“The gazebo at the Ritz-Carlton was lovely for weddings,” Schielein said. “And one will work beautifully here.

“We plan to take this famous club to new heights.”

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Billur Wallerich fills new post: Style-maven Billur Wallerich has been named director of community relations at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. As such, she will help coordinate the slew of charity events annually staged at the world-class retail center.

Talk about a coup. “Never underestimate your networking ability or your volunteer work,” said Wallerich on Tuesday.

Wallerich, who was formerly director of fashion and publicity for Neiman Marcus at Fashion Island Newport Beach, began her career in style and community relations in the late ‘70s when she volunteered to chair a fashion show for South Coast Repertory.

“I worked with Bullock’s on the show and loved doing it,” she said. She told the fashion director of Bullock’s to keep her in mind for future events. “I could see this was something I would enjoy doing on a regular basis,” Wallerich said.

Two years went by. Finally, she received a call. The fashion director of Bullock’s had been named fashion director of Saks Fifth Avenue. Would Wallerich like to be her assistant?

Indeed. She held that post for one year. And when the director left, Wallerich filled her shoes for nine years.

She went to Neiman Marcus in 1990, (and her work with the community caught the eye of mall mogul Henry Segerstrom, managing partner of C.J. Segerstrom & Sons--owner of South Coast Plaza.

Needless to say, Wallerich is ecstatic at the prospect of acting as liaison for the center’s community-related activities. “There is an ongoing evolution at the plaza,” she said. “And a tremendous growth. The store mix is fascinating. I am thrilled to be part of it.”