Local business owner receives state honor

Andrew Glazer

COSTA MESA -- The manufacturer of one of the planet’s most obscure

devices was recently named California Small Business Person of the Year

by a federal agency.

The U.S. Small Business Administration awarded David Cline, 56, the honor

for starting a program that encourages high school students to go to

college.

Cline is president of Balboa Instruments, Inc., a locally based

manufacturer of a waterproof, chlorine-safe, floating controller of spa

temperatures, jet flow and water-massage speeds.

“He really puts himself and the resources of the entire company into the

community,” said Ed Fawcett, president of the Costa Mesa Chamber of

Commerce, who nominated Cline.

The program gives students from Estancia and Costa Mesa high schools

exposure to the day-to-day operations of the company, which employs more

than 200 people.

“By giving students an opportunity to interact with individuals from each

department, I think they’ll see a reason to go to college,” Cline said.

It begins each year with 40 students taking a tour of the company’s

sales, manufacturing and accounting departments. Human resources manager

Kathleen Pearson interviews each of the students, treating them as if

they were applying for a professional position.

She selects 20 students -- “kids who are seriously interested in

business, but maybe a little iffy about completing high school” -- to

spend four hours a week shadowing employees in the department.

Cline gives the students a complex hypothetical business problem to solve

after they finish spending six weeks at the company.

“It’s three pages long -- not easy,” said Ann Piercy, a career counselor

at Estancia High School, who oversees the program. “And it helps them

learn teamwork and problem solving.”

Using Powerpoint -- a slide display software program -- the students

present their solution to Cline, a team of company executives, the

principals of each school and their classmates.

“I hate talking in front of people,” said Elizabeth Bennett, 17, a senior

at Estancia who completed the program. “But I’m interested in overseas

sales and this gave me a first look at what I’d be doing in one of those

positions.”

Cline is one of 53 small business owners the U.S. Small Business

Administration will consider for the National Business Person of the

Year.