News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 73

OUTH LEI Celebrate the season If your church is planning Christmas Eve or Christmas Day services, here's a chance to share the news with your community. Fax the details to the News-Press at 334-0708 by Thursday at 5 p.m. Send the information to the attention of Mary Ann Husty. CAR-RT SORT OCCUPANT Special supplement to the News-Press VI d3 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1993 I oi a School builds dreams with space-age trades By FRANCES D. WILLIAMS News-Press staff writer Susan Kasper has a rather unusual job.

She's trying to sell a school. The amenities include a new, smartly designed building just off Pine Island Road in Cape Coral; a highly-motivated, technically trained staff; state-of-the-art classrooms; and land already available for expected expansion. Kasper, 45, is the director of bfflrjh SJ Sis! '3 UaS -V Aft I "It is a business and educational school of choice with focus on high-tech careers. And we really ARE dreammakers here." Proud of her project Kasper, who previously headed up business and industry services for the Lee County School Board, welcomes visitors with the warmth and excitement of someone showing off their new home. She's friendly and admittedly excited about going to work each morning because she truly loves what she's doing.

"All the furniture everything you see here was delivered in semi tractor-trailers, hoisted over the second floor railing by a forklift and put into place by my faculty, their spouses and their kids during four long, hard days," she boasted. "I've got a really good group here." The building is a work of art with glass brick walls, pastel colors and carefully kept planters complete with soft lighting for evening hours. There is roughly 66,000 square feet of classrooms and labs. It is a two-story structure with a courtyard. It is rotated 45 degrees so that solar loads are limited to only 25 percent of the building surface at any one time.

With the large number of computer classrooms, control of the sun's glare was essential. The building's exterior is off-white stucco, aluminium and blue-tinted glazing. Phil KriegofBurt HillPollock Krieg Architects, an architect and primary designer on the project, said it's definitely an unusual design for a school. "They didn't want it to feel like a school," he said. "They wanted it to look like an office building because students there are preparing for business-related careers." Krieg said more than 4,000 hours went into the project from initial design to construction completion.

"It's a project that we are extremely proud of," he said. "We had a $6 million budget and we were able to bring it in $600,000 under budget without taking anything away from the quality of the project." See SCHOOL 15 3 the new Lee County jVocationalHigh Tech Center pIorth an educational facility 'with a written purpose to students for the world of work by providing quality education delivered by a professional and caring staff in a positive learning environment." "All the players are in position," Kasper said, leaning back in a comfortable chair in her spacious new office. "Now all I have to do is sell the school to the community get the word out that we're here and open for business." The school was designed as an alternative omnts who can't or i ju't want to attend college but want a vocation. The curriculum runs the gamut from GED preparation to computer-aided drafting and design, from culinary arts to fashion Marketing, from health field-related classes to a three-year course in court reporting. There are 22 business courses and technology programs.

More than 350 computers are available for courses in high-tech skills. Medical classes aspiring surgical and electrocardiograph technicians are abuzz with activity. And In addition to structured programs on marketing, merchandising, finance and business management, there is the bonus of a fully equipped kitchen with executive chef Jack Elias, whose students serve up scrumptious and inexpensive lunches each day. There are both day and evening classes with vocations available for high-school graduates and those seeking to complete high school. There are currently about 380 students enrolled in day classes.

"In my dedication day speech Nov. 7, 1 referred to the school as a field of dreams," Kasper said. ABOUT THE SCHOOL Special to the News-Press SLEEK SCHOOLHOUSE: As it appears in the evening hours, the Lee County Voca-tionalHigh Tech Center North looks more like a contemporary office building a desired effect, according to primary designer Phil Krieg. for the next available class. Some specifics about the Lee County VocationalHigh Tech Center North, which serves Lee, Collier Charlotte, Hendry and Glades county students.

The school is located on Juanita Boulevard in Cape Coral, just north of the Pine Island Road intersection. For Information, call 574-4440. Pre-admission testing Is required for all day programs. For a testing appointment, call the phone number listed above. The testing fee is $10 cash.

Enrollment is on a first-come basis. Day students can enroll at any time. If the class is full, the student is put on a waiting list Classes meet five days a week, five or six hours per day. School hours are 8 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.

for five-hour students and 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for six-hour students. Financial assistance Is available for those who qualify. The school offers job-placement assistance with a more than 70-percent success ratio.

Pre-registration for evening programs is 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 20 through 23, and 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Jan.

3 through 6. Classes begin Jan. 10. Gift certificates (with a $25 minimum) are available for day or evening classes. i TaCiDinjgj oir of tasiinisss From his Sanibel office, this manager keeps his eye on big-time operations By SCOTT MARTELL News-Press staff writer PROFILE I WHO: Vincent Wolanin.

Vincent Wolanin leans back, his feet propped up besides his Zeos desktop computer, in his castle tower-like office facing the Gulf of Mexico. Always within reach is a palm-size computer with more than 9,000 phone numbers. Typical of successful Sanibel-Captiva businessmen, he wears shorts and a T-shirt The T-shirt promotes rocker Vince Neil, formerly of the rock band Motley Crue. Wolanin likes Vince Neil. After all, he's Wolanin's first big client in a new professional business management company, TopNotch Entertainment Corp.

TopNotch is just one of several companies Wolanin runs, including Bethlehem Construction, which primarily builds and leases commercial buildings in Albany, N.Y., but is also building the Chicos Corporate See MANAGER 15 WHAT: Recently started TopNotch Entertainment an affiliate of Wolanin Companies Ltd. I WHERE: World Corporate Headquarters are on Sanibel Island. NEWSWORTHY: The new company recently signed a contract with the City of Miami to throw a giant three-day 1995 Super Bowl party, the Supercollossal Show. I OTHER CONNECTIONS: Company manages rocker Vince Neil; will handle all activities of the Al Unser Race Team program in the 1994 Indianapolis 500. SCOTT MARTELL News-Press CASUAL COMMANDER: Vincent Wolanin wheels and deals out of his Sanibel office in a suit befitting island life..