JAMES H. JANNARD
Founder, chief executive
Red.com Inc., dba Red Digital Cinema
Camera Co., Irvine
Born in Alhambra
Age: 62
Lives in Spieden Island, Wash.; Nevada
WHY: Inventor, de-signer and founder of Oakley Inc. is among OC’s wealthiest thanks to $2.1 billion sale of company in 2007, now scoring gains with Red.com
HOW: Started Red in 2005, quickly became disruptive force in Hollywood. Debuted first model, Red One in 2007 for $17,500 at time when rivals cost more than $200,000. Red One was followed by Epic and Scarlet cameras. Bought Ren-Mar Studios in Hollywood in 2010, renamed Red Studios. List of films, TV shows and editorial credits continue to grow and include The Hobbit, Prometheus, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Amazing Spiderman, The Great Gatsby, Justify, Vogue and Esquire covers.
RECENT: Continues to push boundaries of industry standards. Announced slew of new products, product development in April. Dragon camera sensor upgrade for Epic, and eventually Scarlet ups ante with 6K resolution. 4K 3D projector to come on market this year, under $10,000. REDray player offering 4K playback also due out this year.
COMMUNITY: Pushed to manufacture cameras, other Red products locally. Employs more than 400, set to more than double by next year.
INTERESTS: Photography, cinematography, “seeing the future.”
PERSONAL: Dropped out of college to start Oakley in 1975 with $300. Sold motorcycle hand grips out of car. Moved on to making and selling goggles, then sunglasses. Built Foothill Ranch-based company into empire before sale to Luxottica SPA in Italy.
EDUCATION: Studied at University of Southern California.
FAMILY: Remarried, four children.
—Kari Hamanaka
JOHN KRAFCIK
President, chief executive
Hyundai Motor America Inc., Costa Mesa
Born in Southington, Connecticut
Age: 50
Lives in Coto de Caza
WHY: Leads OC’s lar-gest automaker, break-out automotive brand
HOW: First industry job as manufacturing engineer at New Uni-ted Motor Manufac-turing, joint venture of Toyota and Gener-al Motors, in Fremont. Went on to work at Ford in product development. Krafcik (pronounced Kraf-chek) joined Hyundai in 2004 as vice president of development and strategic planning. Named chief executive in 2008.
RECENT: 2011 sales up 20% from year earlier to 645,691 vehicles, second annual record in a row. Alabama assembly plant announced addition of third shift, will ramp up production of Sonata and Elantra sedans. Hyundai continues to garner attention of automotive press, consumers. Market share now about 5%. Recent awards include Elantra named 2012 North American Car of the Year; Azera named Best Bet by Cars.com; Accent and Azera named to WardsAuto.com’s 10 Best Interiors list; and Elantra named one of 10 Best Green Cars by Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com. 2012 Business Person of Year by Business Journal.
COMMUNITY: Hyundai Hope on Wheels has committed $10 million to Hyundai Cancer Institute at Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
INTERESTS: Music, running, “interesting cars.”
PERSONAL: Advisory councils at Univer-sity of California, Irvine, Reed College in Portland, Ore.
EDUCATION: Mechanical engineering de-gree from Stanford University; master’s degree in management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
FAMILY: Two children.
—Kari Hamanaka
RONALD M. SIMON
Founder, chairman
RSI Holding Corp., Newport Beach
Born in Los Angeles
Age: 77
Lives in Newport
Beach (Harbor Island)
WHY: Manufactur-ing mogul now turning his sights toward streamlined homebuilding.
HOW: Built fortune as cabinetmaker. Latest venture RSI, a top seller of household cabinets made in Anaheim, North Carolina, Kansas, Mexico. Manufacturing prowess has allowed RSI to keep production in North America, compete against rivals in Asia. Sold half of RSI to Onex in Canada in 2008. Deal valued RSI at $636 million.
RECENT: Started homebuilding division, which operates under The New House by RSI name, in 2009. The company’s goal: making home buying more affordable for buyers through a streamlined homebuilding process. Venture backed with $100 million in funding from Simon, builds easily assembled, affordable homes from components made in Mira Loma factory, assembled at project sites in a fraction of the time typical houses are built. Early projects seeing good sales, now eyeing infill program for homeowners in older area cities who want new homes to replace outdated ones.
COMMUNITY: Big philanthropist with wife Sandi. Simon Foundation for Education and Housing supports scholarships and housing for work force families. Awarded more than $15 million in scholarships since 2003. Also supports arts, healthcare.
INTERESTS: On boards of Pacific Sym-phony Orchestra, UC Irvine Merage School of Business. Chapman University trustee. Horatio Alger Award, 2005.
PERSONAL: RSI Home grew out of family business. Father started medicine cabinetmaker Perma-Bilt, convinced son to join business after college. Simon eventually took control, grew Perma-Bilt to be largest maker of medicine cabinets, vanities, marble countertops. Sold to an Australian company in 1987. Stayed on as Perma-Bilt director, came up with plan to compete with Asian manufacturers that was rejected by new owners. Used plan to start RSI. Perma-Bilt went out of business a few years later.
EDUCATION: Associate’s degree in engineering from Los Angeles City College.
FAMILY: Born in East Los Angeles to Russian mother, English father. Had paper route at age 9. Worked at father’s business as teen, earning $20 for entire summer’s work.
—Mark Mueller
