Sanford P. Paris | 77 | Owner, Paris Industrial Parks, Van Nuys How many hours a week do you work? Oh, I would say 20. But when it’s your own business you are always on in a sense. I used to put my home telephone number on my business card so we were always available to negotiate. Why not retire? Two reasons. One is I enjoy being involved. We like the people we deal with. The second reason is that in our business it’s pretty hard tax-wise to sell out and go sailing. We are in it for the duration. Does your spouse want you to retire? If she had her druthers, I think the answer would be yes. Best part of working past 70? Being involved. A couple of doctor friends retired to the desert. Another was an art director. He retired some years ago. My other friends who are attorneys, same age, are still involved. They may work less or they may not take on heavy cases, but they are still working. Worst? Probably the energy level. And some things get old. Some of the negotiations get old. Are you up-to-date on technology? Do you use email, cell phones or social networking? To a degree I do. I use email. I still prefer faxes. I don’t carry a smart phone. What advice would you give to people who want to work past 65? I would say don’t quit. I would say work smarter. Rather than fight each and every battle, pick your battles. It’s getting other people to fight your battles to keep your blood pressure down. Find people you like to work with. What’s the secret to staying healthy and active? I don’t exercise. The only way to stay healthy is to watch your weight and don’t smoke, don’t over drink. Be a mentor. It keeps you young. It keeps you involved. You can pass on all the things you learned to somebody. Let them make their own mistakes but not the ones that you made. How has your work routine changed? The business is still the same business. I still work through lunch. We still eat at our desks. I come in a little bit later because of the traffic. I can still be reached by phone. I take off earlier. What do you miss most about being young? I don’t think of myself as old other than looking in the mirror. We are still doing the things we were doing at 35 and 40. I don’t have the energy to go to all the meetings I used to go to. But I am still on the board of the CSUN Foundation. I am on the Southwestern Law School Board of Directors. I am still involved and that is what keeps you young. What do you see for your future? We are continually revamping buildings, remodeling. The world changes too fast and, yes, we try to keep up. – Laurence Darmiento