U Magazine, Summer 1990

"While minding the

barbecue on my patio one Sunday, I started thinking about how Sandicast is a lot like that barbecue. Once the coals are going, we may cook hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks or chicken - different things but all from the same coals. And when the coals begin to fizzle, maybe we need to bring in a few new ones. Occasionally, it may take a squirt ofsomething else to keep it going, but as long as we maintain that closeness, sup– port each other and work together, we can continue to cook, and to grow."

By Lisa Dennis Daly

Almost nlac yms ago, Sandy (Qualiato '66) Brue fanned the first sparks of that "barbecue, " raking a leap of faith into the world of business by sta rting her own company, Sandicast, which combines her God-given arrisric ralenr wirh her lifelong love of animals. Developing a line of intricately and , accurately derailed, hand-painted animal sculptures, Brue has built Sandicasr into a multi-million dollar corporation with 200 employees that sells its creations not only across the country, bur around the world. In rimes of declining values and currhroar, make-a-quick-buck business schemes, Brue's arrisric and corporate style is refreshingly classy. A careful , discreet chief executive, she applies techniques that are above reproach , from the way she carefully studies an animal in an attempt to capture its true spirit, to the methodical hand-cas ting process which

Brue, 45, cites several influences chat helped shape the successful, satisfied woman she has become. The youngest of four children, she credits her morher wirh teaching her "my mosr valuable lesso n, which is nor to give up. Thar's rhe key to success - to plan something our and keep at it, never accepr failure, cry new ways of reaching your goals, learn from your experience and keep go ing. " The artist/entrep re neur adds char her Catholic upbringing caughr her the value of self– denial and "having co do things because of propriety and tradition, yet lea rning ro enjoy rhem. " Alrhough Brue never completed college (she studied art at USD and San Diego Seate before leaving to marry and start a family), she recalls a special teacher, Rozetta Hill, who had a major impacr on her attitude. "When I was at rhe College for Women (USD), I cook mostly drawing classes and I did some fancy lerrering for the school. I was prerry good ar ir," Brue says. "I don 't chink it's

ensures faithful reproduction of her sculptures, to the way she rreacs her employees.

- SANDY BRUE, offering an analogy about the success ofher company

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12 U Magazine