Finding the climbing equipment of that era not up to his standards, he attempted to create superior gear.

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No more so than Anheuser-Busch (nyse: BUD - news - people ) or Black Diamond, a leading maker of rock-climbing equipment.

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They don't normally involve mountains or climbing equipment, but an appearance at a store, a hotel and an airport, with the cycle repeated the next day.

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As for toys and educational materials, Lakeshore Learning Materials offers one of the broadest selections--books, toys, paints, tricycles, climbing equipment and more--at decent prices, says Michael Olenick, president of Child Care Resource Center, a child care facility located in Van Nuys, Calif.

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Designed by ROMA Design Group, of San Francisco, the playground will have climbing structures, swings and other play equipment for children ages 2 to 12, and it will be surrounded by bushes and other landscaping, along with a fence.

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The resulting equipment was hugely respected in the climbing community.

WSJ: Patagonia's Founder is America's Most Unlikely Business Guru

Actually, I spent more than 20 years working in corporate America climbing the proverbial career ladder in the predominantly male-dominated medical equipment industry (I never worked in government or education).

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