High Tide—
John Conover loves being in the water, and he loves the unique and healthy life he has invented for himself here in Encinitas for the past 35 years. He shares this inventiveness with many in the area, inspired by people who work at a business they enjoy, find time to play, and give back to the community in some way.
Low Tide—
Back in 1981, John saw a tide graph calendar which didn’t credit the beauty and excitement of the ocean at all. He envisioned the tides being graphed with wondrous ocean images and coverage of all coastal regions, so he started Tidelines Calendars to meet this need. His business has grown to 40 sales reps, and a partnership with real estate broker Peter Curry has expanded and stabilized the business. Tidelines now has many custom online calendar options, including creating a calendar with your own images and text and tide graphs for businesses and individuals. “I am inspired by doing something new and different that adds to the quality of life,” John shared.
Spring Tide—
John feels lucky that he “…always has some free time and has found unique places where I thought I could make a difference.” He is a founder of the first Surfrider Foundation chapter here in San Diego, and there are now over 60 SF chapters in the US. When beach sand losses became a problem in the late ‘80s, he started The ReSANDiego Project. This brought awareness to the issue, and helped motivate the government to fund sand replenishment to the tune of ten million dollars.
Neap Tide—
The philanthropy doesn’t end there. John was named the Paul Ecke Community Hero in 2009 for his service to the community and his fundraising efforts for Hand in Hand Schools in Israel. He wrote a letter to his mother thanking her for the wonderful life she had given him, and the emotional experience moved him to begin Family Connections, a program flourishing at La Costa Canyon High and other area schools.
Changing Tides—
Community involvement is the hallmark of the Conover family. Whether working for a non-profit that promotes safe voting procedures (wife Debbie) or working at Cardiff Seaside Market and Leucadia Pizzeria at the same time she attends Mira Costa (daughter McKenna), John Conover and his family are loving the “ebb and flow” of 92024.
Name: John Charles ConoverAge: 62 Profession: Publisher
Family: Debbie (wife) ; McKenna (daughter) 19; Bob (brother) 60; Jo Carol (sister)
Pets: cat named Mushi , dog named Diego