His field, their dreams: Man builds diamond for area youths
The middle-of-nowhere diamond in the still-wild outskirts of North Bend was created by a wealthy Sammamish couple who say they plan to invite groups of inner-city and at-risk kids, along with athletic teams and church youth groups, to play on their private "Field of Dreams."
It took a little more than a year for Brad and Leslie Wolgamott — with the help of about 100 volunteer laborers — to ready the baseball diamond, a rock-climbing wall, a rope bridge and a trout pond on their 80-acre estate.
Last weekend, more than 400 people attended the official opening of Duncan Yards, named after the man who mentored Brad Wolgamott on his way to becoming a multimillionaire.
From the chalked foul lines to the centerfield wall 210 feet from home plate, the baseball diamond — built with about $80,000 in materials — meets all Little League Baseball specifications for ballplayers up to age 12. The field is part of Brad Wolgamott's vision of creating "an empowering environment" for young people.
Leaning against the chain-link fence that separates the home-team bench from the first-base line, Wolgamott last week took in the sight of freshly laid sod and the terraced lawns created for spectators.
"I've always been a big dreamer, and when I found this piece of property, I knew right away it was the place I wanted to raise my family," said Wolgamott, who plans to build three houses — one for his family, one for his parents and one for his wife's parents — on the estate.
"It's a good place for kids, not just my kids, but kids from the community. Self-image is built or destroyed in our youth — and I wanna build 'em."
After graduating from Edmonds High School, Wolgamott — who turned 39 yesterday — had a series of construction and landscaping jobs.
Then, on his way to go skiing, he met Brad Duncan at an Issaquah gas station. Duncan agreed to teach Wolgamott how to build his own sales business.
In 1987, the Wolgamotts started selling Amway products. The company, which eventually sold its North American operations, later evolved into Quixtar, an online mall that pays franchise owners such as the Wolgamotts for every person they refer to the site.
The Wolgamotts were so successful that both were able to retire 10 years ago.
Now Brad Wolgamott is in demand as a motivational speaker who has traveled to Japan, South Korea, Russia and numerous U.S. cities to share his story.
"I'm just a blue-collar guy who worked hard, helped a lot of people make money and made a lot of money myself," he said. "Now, I think I have a responsibility — instead of hiding away and hoarding my money — to give it back."
The couple, who have four children, are annual donors to the Ronald McDonald House and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Through the Northwest Dream Team, an organization they started nine years ago, the Wolgamotts give money to local organizations helping at-risk youths and to orphanages in the Philippines.
"When kids get to a certain age, 7 or 8 years old, they lose that sparkle in their eye and stop believing they can be a baseball star or a superhero," said Tom Gollatz, a longtime friend and business associate who helped build the field.
Many people got involved with building the ballfield because of the Wolgamotts' desire to create a place where children could be encouraged and nurtured to dream big and believe in themselves, Gollatz said.
"Brad's character, it's one of serving people," he said.
"Instead of buying cars and houses and hiding in the woods someplace, he decided to take his money and put it back into people."
Sara Jean Green: 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletimes.com.