As the owner of Paradise Sportswear in Hawaii, Robert Hedin was nearly done in by Hurricane Iniki in

As the owner of Paradise Sportswear in Hawaii, Robert Hedin was nearly done in by Hurricane Iniki in 1992, which wiped out his first silk-screened and airbrushed T-shirt business. He tried again, but then Hawaii s red dirt started seeping into his warehouse and ruining his inventory. Finally, a friend suggested that he stop trying to fight Mother Nature. Hedin took the hint: He mortgaged his condo and began producing Red Dirt Shirts, all made with dye created from the troublesome local dirt. Bingo. Hedin s Red Dirt Sportswear designs are so popular, they re being snapped up by locals and tourists in Hedin s eight Paradise Sportswear retail outlets and in every Kmart on the islands. Hedin even added a new line, Lava Blues, made with real Hawaiian lava rock. “You can make 500 shirts with a bucket of dirt,” grins Hedin as he shows you around the operation on your first day. He s just a few years away from the usual retirement age, but he looks like a kid who s finally found the right playground. Recently, Hedin decided to capitulate to all the requests he s received from retail outlets on the mainland. Buyers kept coming to the islands on vacation, discovering Hedin s “natural” sportswear, and begging him to set up a deal. For a long time, his answer was no; he simply couldn t handle the extra work. But now he s hired you. As special sales representative, you ll help Hedin expand slowly into this new territory, starting with one store. Wholesaling to the local Kmarts is