PAUL BUNYON SHE'S NOT.

• Author: Wilson, Diona
• Position: Cari Allen of Log Furniture Inc. - Brief Article - Company Profile

In the Year 2000, a princess doesn't need a Prince Charming anymore -- she owns her own business. That's how it is for Cari Allen, who at 26, is a young president and chief executive officer of Log Furniture Inc. Only nine months ago, Allen was a private care provider for investment savvy patients. On a tip from a "fairy godmother" of sorts, she used stock market investments to buy out a floundering log furniture company. Almost overnight, it has become one of the leading log furniture producers in the nation.

Allen went from caregiver to CEO quickly. She checked out the business, put together her financing and located a vacant building at the Utah Industrial Depot in Tooele within a week. Much of the existing equipment came with the building, formerly used by the U.S. Army for packing flat stock. The company had only to purchase portable saws, drills and small tools. Log Furniture Inc. opened its doors in December 1999 with 30 items, and now offers over 130 items of log furniture, from king-sized canopy beds to ash trays and pencil holders. Its unique designs are attractively displayed on the cover of its Summer 2000 catalog with the Bonneville salt flats as a backdrop, and on its website at www.logfurnitureinc.com.

But even Cinderella needed a few friends to get to the ball, and Allen needed Mike Strand, a street-smart business owner, and Ed Davis, who came with the acquisition. With previous...