Several local companies were honored for being the “best connected to their treasured customer base,” during the OC Trust Summit Thursday at California State University-Fullerton.
The event was sponsored by the Values Institute, a social entrepreneur think tank based at DGWB Advertising & Communications in Santa Ana, and the Center for Brand Values Communication and Research at CSUF.
The “Most Trusted” honorees were:
• Leader: Wing Lam, cofounder of Santa Ana-based Wahoo’s Fish Taco
• Dining brand: Irvine-based In-n-Out Burger Inc.
• Health Services brand: Orange-based Children’s Hospital of Orange County
• Retail brand: Cypress-based Vans Inc.
• Consumer Professional Services brand: Automobile Club of Southern California in Santa Ana
• Nonprofit brand: The Salvation Army Orange County
• Entertainment/Hospitality brand: Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park
• Higher Education brand: CSUF
The event also featured a keynote speech by Forbes magazine Publisher Rich Karlgaard.
Spotlighted brands were chosen from more than 200 Orange County-based companies via an online survey developed by the Values Institute and the CSUF center’s co-director Guohau Mark Wu.
Trust Summit awards also went to Cupertino-based Apple Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corp. in Kirkland, Wash., as companies from outside the area that have significant influence in Orange County. Apple was honored as the most trusted technology company and Costco took an award as most trusted general retail brand.
