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Name: Ed Tilley.
Title: President, CEO, co-founder.
Company: Adventure Associates Inc. in El Cerrito. Designs and conducts customized team building and organizational effectiveness workshops, usually with an experiential component - using ropes courses, climbing and sailing.
2000 revenue: $1.4 million.
Number of employees: 8 full-time; 40 seasonal.
Year founded: 1991.
Source of startup capital: Credit cards.
Background: Graduated from San Francisco State with a B.A. in recreational leisure studies; worked at various outdoor companies.
Age: 43.
Residence: Berkeley.
Web site: www.adventureassoc.com.
BIG PICTURE
Reason for starting business: I wanted to work with people, teach them and be in the outdoors quite a bit. I knew I had to be self-employed - it's in my blood. And I knew this business would be financially successful.
Choice of name: We felt like it was a good match because our slogan is "Work is an adventure - be prepared."
Hardest part of the decision: My wife and I started a bicycle tour business, thinking that was the way we wanted to go, but then found out that we wanted to teach more. The hardest part was leaving that business...