GILBERT FRANK AMELIO
Chairman, chief executive
Jazz Semiconductor Inc.,
Jazz Technologies Inc.
Born in New York, March 1, 1943
Lives in Corona del Mar
Longtime tech vet weighing options for contract chip maker.
In February, hired UBS to look at strategic alternatives. Goal: double in size to compete with bigger Asian rivals. Sale could be high on list. Acquisitions a long shot with Jazz’s stock at two-year low.
Working on turnaround. Cutting costs, some jobs. Narrowed 2007 operating loss to $33 million from $38 million year earlier. Sales last year down 2% to $208 million.
In 1983, ran what would become Jazz,Rockwell International’s chip arm. Steered unit to profitability after it lost money for nearly a decade.
In 1999, Rockwell spun off unit as Conexant. Three years later, Conexant split off Newport Beach chip factory as Jazz.
Jazz one of few to actually make chips in OC. Gained fame as head of National Semiconductor in 1991, then in 1996 as short-lived Apple chief executive. At National Semi, cut costs, returned to profitability. Joined Apple board in 1994. Left National to be Apple boss two years later. Ousted in boardroom coup in 1997, replaced by cofounder, current chief Steve Jobs (who Amelio brought back as an adviser).
Some Apple faithfuls critical of Amelio. Others defend his tenure. Other career stops include Bell Labs, Fairchild Semiconductor. With Apple alums Steve Wozniak, Ellen Hancock formed acquisition company in 2005 that ended up buying Jazz. Blank check company raised $173 million in 2006 public offering, paid $260 million for Jazz.
Big Apple native, grew up in Miami. Earned bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate in physics from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Director, AT & T.; Adviser to Malaysian prime minister, economic development group. Director, trustee, American Film Institute.
Gentlemanly, modest, thoughtful. Giver to GOP candidates. New Majority member.
Advisory board member, UC Irvine’s Center for Embedded Computer Systems. Longtime fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Recognized in 1996 by National Conference for Community and Justice for promoting prejudice-free society. Co-authored three books. Lectures frequently. Engineer. Holds 16 patents.
Air transport-rated jet pilot with 3,700 hours of flying time; doesn’t fly anymore.
Funky office decor: samurai sword, caricature drawing of Silicon Valley all-stars, including Jobs. Learning to master iPhone.
Wife, Charlene. Five children.
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Sarah Tolkoff
CRAIG RICHARD COONING
Vice president, general manager
Space and Intelligence Systems
Boeing Co.
Born 1951 in Orlando, Fla.
Lives in Rancho Palos Verdes
RICHARD DALE BAILY
Vice president, general manager
Combat Systems
Boeing Co.
Born 1957 in Ruislip, England
Lives in Huntington Beach
NANETTE MARIE BOUCHARD
Vice president, general manager
C3 Networks
Boeing Co.
Born in Cincinnati, Dec. 30, 1958
Lives in Glendale
GARY SHIGEO TOYAMA
Vice president, Southern California region
Boeing Integrated Systems, Boeing Co.
Born in Great Lakes, Ill., May 9, 1954
Lives in Orange
Four key local executives for Boeing, county’s fourth-largest employer. Three of them took current posts in February. First four-way entry for OC 50.
Cooning, top local executive, runs Space and Intelligence Systems based in Seal Beach.
In February took over from Howard Chambers, now deputy manager of 787 Dreamliner passenger jet program.
Cooning oversees 6,800 workers in five states, running company’s government, commercial satellite program that includes factory in El Segundo.
Served as No. 2 guy on program after retiring from Air Force as major general in 2005. Helped government buy satellites at Air Force.
Described as extremely intelligent, methodic, organized. Quiet demeanor, high ethical standards. Maintains strict exercise regimen.
Married, two grown sons. Father flew Boeing-made planes for Air Force in World War II, Korea.
Graduated from Auburn University in Alabama with bachelor’s in engineering. Business master’s from University of Alabama.
Baily heads up Combat Systems, developer of military communications networks.
Took over post in February, keeps office in Huntington Beach, another at Boeing defense headquarters in St. Louis.
Oversees 1,600 employees, two projects: Future Combat Systems, working on Army communications network; Future Rapid Effect System for Britain’s Ministry of Defense.
Director, Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim.
Enjoys volleyball. Wife played for several years with Association of Volleyball Professionals.
Goes by Rick. Born in northwest London’s Ruislip while father was serving in Air Force.
Earned master’s in mechanical engineering from UCLA. Bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Colorado.
Previously ran Boeing’s C3 Networks in Huntington Beach.
Bouchard now oversees C3 Networks, 4,500 people in five states. Her program is working to integrate communications software for military.
Also overseeing move of more than 2,000 workers from closing Anaheim facility to Huntington Beach.
Highest-ranking female locally for Boeing. Previously was vice president of Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems Engineering.
Described as straightforward, logical. Member, Society of Women Engineers.
Goes by “Nan.” Has 13-year-old son. Husband teaches at Occidental College.
Graduated from Rice University in Texas with bachelor’s in chemical engineering.
Toyama, boss of Southern California facilities, employees. Reports to Cooning.
Oversees 30,000 workers in Southern California, including 10,000 in county. In charge of government relations, site administration, facilities, efficiency, community outreach.
Came into role in 2005.
Described as affable, friendly, unselfish.
Executive sponsor for several diversity groups at Boeing (Seal Beach Boeing Hispanic Employees Network, Asian American Professionals Association, Amelia Earhart Society, Mesa Boeing Black Employees Association).
On boards of California Chamber of Commerce, Performing Artscenter, Orange County Workforce Investment Board.
Lifetime bowler, 27 perfect games. By age 13, had average score of 170. Earned credentials to go pro at 18.
Car buff. Displays personal collection at local car shows benefiting charities.
Married 29 years to wife Sandy. Two grown daughters.
Earned bachelor’s in electrical engineering, business master’s from UC Irvine.
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Dan Beighley
JOHN F. COYNE
Chief executive, president
Western Digital Corp.
Born in Dublin, Ireland, age 57
Lives in Laguna Beach
Enjoying nice run in first full year at helm of disk drive maker.
Became chief executive last year after Arif Shakeel, who spent year on job after following longtime leader Matt Massengill. Predecessors remain as directors.
Stock up about 60% in past year amid steady drive prices, demand, supply. Posted most profits of any local pubic company last year at $700 million.
Steady going of past year could be fading with reports of price cuts by Western Digital, Hitachi to gain market share.
Overseeing big shift,more sales growth coming from laptop PCs, external storage devices for businesses, consumers.
Company more than doubled share of drives for laptop computers in past year. Analysts call feat “tremendous.” For first time, more than half of $6.7 billion in yearly sales comes from drives for notebook PCs, business storage, consumer electronics, branded drives sold at stores.
Drove Western Digital’s $1 billion 2007 buy of San Jose-based Komag, company’s biggest deal yet.
Company now makes almost an entire drive on its own. Buy stepped up competition with market leader Seagate.
Worked on integration of 2003 buy of disk parts maker Read-Rite.
Moving some production from one Malaysian plant to two others in country, cutting about 770 jobs.
Worldly Irishman. Western Digital vet. Joined in 1983 to start company’s circuit board operations in Ireland. Went on to oversee manufacturing in Irvine, board production worldwide.
Left to join circuit board maker SCI Systems, later tapped to run European operations of onetime Anaheim circuit board maker Data-Design Laboratories in early 1990s. Oversaw Data-Design plant in Northern Ireland.
Rejoined Western Digital in 1996, overseeing Malaysia operations. Handled consolidation of drive production there, closed 2,000-person Singapore plant in bid to save profits amid falling prices. In early 2000s, led expansion into Thailand, where bulk of production now is done.
Earned honorary title of datuk, given by king of Malaysia, while working for Western Digital’s operations in Southeast Asia.
Named president, COO in 2006. Senior VP, worldwide operations, 2000 to 2005.
Joined board of Pasadena’s Jacobs Engineering this year. Earned bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University College, Dublin.
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Sarah Tolkoff
DWIGHT WILLIAM DECKER
Chairman, Conexant Systems Inc.
Born in Brandon, Manitoba,
March 18, 1950
Lives in Newport Beach (Back Bay)
DAVID SCOTT MERCER
Chief executive, Conexant Systems Inc.
Age 56, born in Worthington, Minn.
Lives in Los Altos
Decker longtime leader turned chairman. Mercer thrust into chief executive’s spot earlier this month.
Decker semi-retired, spending time at moderate GOP group New Majority, tech booster group Octane. Chairman, San Jose-based trade group Fabless Semiconductor Association.
Mercer replaced Dan Artusi, chief executive for past nine months, said to have been ousted by board. Artusi reportedly clashed with directors over pace, scope of restructuring. Cut some 700 jobs in U.S., India and China, reined in expenses, halted investment in chip businesses that weren’t profitable or growing. Operations broke even in December quarter.
Wall Street disappointed with Artusi’s departure.
Mercer a Conexant director since 2003, will continue to have seat on board. Didn’t pick up Artusi’s former president title, which went to worldwide sales VP Christian Scherp.
Has challenge on hands fixing Conexant, which analysts say needs to slim down, narrow product focus. Company makes chips for networking, fax modems, set-top boxes, video, audio. Yearly sales of about $800 million.
Chairman, Adaptec, where Mercer served as chief executive for a few months in 2005. Director, Palm, Polycom, Smart Modular Technologies.
Spent eight years starting in late 1990s at Western Digital, including as executive VP, CFO. Financial stints at TeraLogic, Dell, LSI.
Started career as accountant with what’s now PricewaterhouseCoopers. Accounting bachelor’s, Cal Poly Pomona.
Collects sports cars, art.
Decker taking second stab at retirement. Previously led company as chip arm of then-defense contractor Rockwell. Led 1999 spinoff. Rode tech boom, crash.
Tried to step back earlier this decade. Returned in 2005 after botched combination with New Jersey’s GlobespanVirata in 2004.
Reworked company earlier this decade, selling off businesses, spinning off Mindspeed Technologies, wireless chip unit as Skyworks Solutions. Chip plant split off as Jazz Semiconductor.
Big donor, particularly to UC Irvine. Member, former chair, UCI Chief Executive Roundtable, recruited 20-plus members.
Helped start Laguna Beach’s Okapi Venture Capital, which raised $30 million to fund startups. Has tried to boost startups in OC through tech advisory group Octane, where he’s a driving force.
Political affairs chair for New Majority. With wife, given to President Bush, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Campbell, Ed Royce, fellow OC 50er Loretta Sanchez.
This year contributed to Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney.
Grew up in rural Canada. Received bachelor’s in physics, math from McGill University in Montreal. Doctorate in applied math from Caltech. Math prof at North Carolina State, Raleigh, from 1978 to 1984. Later joined TeleBit in Silicon Valley.
Director, Pacific Life, local startup Newport Media, Mindspeed, BCD Semiconductor in Shanghai. Stepped down as chairman of Skyworks Solutions, had held post since 2002.
Wife Silla, two children.
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Sarah Tolkoff
HARSHAD K. “H.K.” DESAI
Chairman, chief executive
QLogic Corp.
Born in Abrama, Gujarat, India,
March 13, 1946
Lives in Laguna Beach
No longer sharing spotlight. Year ago, tapped IBM’s Jeff Benck as hand-picked successor. He proved a hit with Wall Street, analysts, but abruptly left in March as president, chief operating officer. He, Desai, board couldn’t come to terms on succession timing.
Desai now back in sole command of maker of data storage networking chips, circuit boards, switches. Has led company since 1994 spinoff from Emulex, now a key rival. Held lead in cross-county rivalry in host bus adapters, piece of profitable electronics for data storage networks. Two companies dominate market.
QLogic counts HP, IBM, Fujitsu, Sun Microsystems, Hitachi as customers. Working on new fibre channel over Ethernet technology, fueling speculation of possible Cisco Systems buyout. Company has close ties to Cisco.
Last year stepped down as chairman of Irvine networking device maker Lantronix, where he helped straighten out finances, corporate practices starting in 2002.
Regularly pitches QLogic to investors on investment conference circuit. Nearing 14th year as QLogic chief executive. Still engineer at heart.
Was engineering manager at Unisys in Mission Viejo for 10 years before joining QLogic in 1990 as engineering director. Left QLogic in 1995 to become VP at Western Digital. Lured back as interim chief after abrupt exit of then boss Mel Gable. Board said to have come around to Desai’s way of thinking. Post made permanent in 1996.
Earlier stints at NCR, Sperry Univac, Addressograph-Multigraph.
Master’s in electrical engineering from University of California, Berkeley.
Style is decidedly techie, egalitarian, no frills, occasionally raucous. Company meetings likened to big family at Thanksgiving.
Corporate governance wonk. Named 2002 Director of the Year by Forum for Corporate Directors. Member, UCI Chief Executive Roundtable. Charter member, Southern California chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs.
Registered Democrat, calls himself fiscally conservative, socially liberal. Moderate GOP group New Majority has tried to poach him.
Likes golf. Wife Anjanna, former medical technologist at Mission Hospital. Two grown children. Son Ankur Harshad Desai, analyst at a New York hedge fund, married in 2006 in Hindu ceremony in New Jersey. Had separate, lavish wedding in California, featured on TLC show “Extreme Weddings.”
Daughter, Sapna Desai, second-year law student at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
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Sarah Tolkoff
PAUL FRANCIS FOLINO
Executive chairman
Emulex Corp.
Born in Seattle, Jan. 23, 1945
Lives in Coto de Caza
JAMES M. McCLUNEY
Chief executive, president
Emulex Corp.
Born Glasgow, Scotland, June 1951
Lives in Laguna Niguel
McCluney making good on bid to diversify company. Emulex’s offerings now include routers, switches, controllers, software along with mainstay host bus adapters for data networks.
Seeing some market share gains for host bus adapters. Landed more than a dozen design wins, two with heavyweights Sun Microsystems, IBM.
Rival of Aliso Viejo’s QLogic.
Folino, arguably county’s most engaged executive in cultural, educational, political activities, passed reins in 2006 in planned transition.
McCluney was president, chief operating officer since 2003. Worked with Folino on transition since coming aboard when his company, Vixel, was bought by Emulex in 2003.
Before running Vixel, held executive posts at Silicon Valley startup Ridge Technologies, Digital Equipment, Apple.
Was at 1997 meeting during turbulent resignation of fellow OC 50er, then Apple chief executive Gil Amelio. McCluney stayed on under current chief Steve Jobs before leaving later that year.
Adept at acquisitions. Played key role in 2006 buys of Aarohi Communications, Sierra Logic.
Soft-spoken Scotsman known for humor, humility. Brought own management style to Emulex. Runs company as “balanced democracy,” which gives him “diverse” perspective. Welcomes cordial disagreement among team.
British citizen, holds U.S. green card.
Wants a billion in yearly sales for Emulex by end of decade, up from $500 million now.
In February won CEO of the Year award from trade group Technology Council of Southern California.
Big on education giving: donated $1.5 million last year to engineering school at UC Irvine for Emulex endowed chair in electrical engineering, computer science.
Bachelor’s in business from Glasgow’s University of Strath-clyde.
Wife Vivian on Pacific Symphony board of counselors, advisory group to symphony’s directors. Two grown children. Likes Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, walking, cycling, reading, live music, theater.
Folino grew company into dominant supplier of electronics for data storage networks. Chief executive from 1993 to 2006. Moved company to bigger Costa Mesa campus in 2003.
Key member, past chairman of moderate Republican group New Majority. Close friend, adviser to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Was state finance co-chair for Rudy Giuliani presidential bid.
Big fundraiser: has helped raise more than $10 million for governor, mostly from New Majority members. VIP at state of state speeches. Along with American Sterling’s Larry Dodge, recently agreed to cover $3 million in California Republican Party debt.
Top OC philanthropist. Heavily involved in Performing Artscenter as board member, former chair. Led South Coast Repertory growth, theater named for him. Vice chairman of Chapman University’s board, heads fundraising for Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Also supports Cal State Fullerton.
Director, Commercial Bank of California, Microsemi, Solarflare Communications, Aristos Logic.
Born into modest Seattle home. Lived in public housing. Neither parent finished high school. Put himself through graduate school while working at Boeing. Graduated cum laude with bachelor’s from Central Washington State University. Received business master’s from Seattle University.
Huge sports fan. Likes golf, has season tickets to Lakers, Clippers, Ducks, Angels. Seattle Seahawks fan. Wife Daranne, grown daughter, Courtney.
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Sarah Tolkoff
HENRY A. SAMUELI
Chairman, chief technical officer
Broadcom Corp.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Sept. 20, 1954
Lives in Corona del Mar
SCOTT ALAN McGREGOR
Chief executive, president
Broadcom Corp.
Born in St. Louis, Oct. 10, 1956
Lives in San Juan Capistrano
Tag team at county’s dominant tech company.
Samueli sole remaining founder, technology chief at chipmaker. McGregor starting fourth year as chief executive, third in company’s history.
Dealing with chip downturn; analysts worried about tough year ahead, tighter profits. Once OC’s most valuable company, now distant second to drug maker Allergan after 50% stock drop since fall.
Issue of backdated stock options coming to a head. Former human resources executive Nancy Tullos charged, settled with federal prosecutors earlier this year.
Cofounder, former chief executive Henry Nicholas, Samueli named by prosecutors as “unindicted potential co-conspirators” in Tullos’ plea deal.
Indictment of Nicholas, who Broadcom blamed for backdating in internal probe, likely. According to reports, prosecutors looking into roles of Samueli, general counsel David Dull.
Last week company settled SEC civil charges by paying $12 million fine. Last year Broadcom took charges of $2.2 billion to past earnings to fix misdated options, more than any of 150 or so companies investigated.
Options issue predates McGregor. He oversaw big courtroom victories against San Diego-based rival Qualcomm. Juries favored Broadcom in long-running series of patent suits, awarded $20 million in damages. Scored a royalty deal with Verizon Wireless after federal trade group banned importation of some Qualcomm chips.
McGregor temporarily taken over wireless chip unit while seeking replacement after longtime VP Yossi Cohen left for top spot at another chipmaker.
Big wireless push: goal of doubling market share to 10% by 2009. Company getting comfy at new, sleek headquarters near UC Irvine. Has stylish cafeteria, modeled after Google’s.
Former Philips chip exec, McGregor continued to refocus company on consumer electronics. Apple iPhone, Nintendo’s Wii have Broadcom chips.
Thoughtful, calculating. Likes spending time outdoors, with wife, two kids. Animated, personable. Excited to talk about electronics. Writes blog for workers.
Says key to keeping employees happy is providing startup-like excitement. Most company sites have sports facilities,basketball, hockey.
Formerly headed Philips Semiconductors (what’s now NXP Semiconductors). Lengthy background in software. Stints with Santa Cruz Operation, Micro-soft, Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center. Also worked at Digital Equipment.
Samueli, engineer, former UCLA professor, oversees research.
Turned down chief executive job upon Nicholas’ 2003 exit to stay focused on research.
Worked at PairGain, TRW in 1980s. Started Broadcom in 1991. Recruited best engineering students to work at company while at UCLA.
Bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate in electrical engineering from UCLA. Described as engineering genius. In 2005, he, wife Susan bought Anaheim Ducks hockey team from Walt Disney for about $70 million. Team was 2007 Stanley Cup winner. Lost in playoffs this year. Packed crowds at home games.
Also owns company that runs Honda Center, home to Ducks. Hockey helps manage stress, Samueli says. Born in hockey-crazy Buffalo, called himself “lousy skater.”
Philanthropic billionaire. Gave $30 million to UCLA. Almost same amount to UCI. Both universities named engineering schools after him. Had big hand in moving Broadcom HQ to University Research Park alongside UCI, recruits engineers from school.
Performing Artscenter, Ocean Institute, Jewish Federation of OC, Shoah Foundation, University Synagogue also beneficiaries.
Dabbles in politics. Gives primarily to Republicans, some Democrats. Parents, Aaron, Sala, were Holocaust survivors from Poland. Met after war. Came to America in the 1950s, moved to California. Family ran liquor store on Whittier Boulevard, where Samueli worked as teen.
Understated, moderate. Likes hiking, basketball, skiing. Wife Susan big supporter of alternative medicine; UCI’s Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine named for her. Three children.
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Sarah Tolkoff
VINCENT “VINNY” COBURN SMITH JR.
Chairman, chief executive
Quest Software Inc.
Born in Baltimore, Feb. 8, 1964
Lives in Newport Beach
Heads county’s largest publicly traded software maker. Buys small software companies left and right. Maker of software for monitoring other business software bought nine companies since 2005.
“It’s fun to go and spend $100 million a year” buying companies, he says.
Most recently bought remaining 25% Quest didn’t already own of Vizioncore, Buffalo Grove, Ill.-based software maker.
Emerged this year from long-running options probe. Quest took charges to past earnings of about $137 million for grants from 1998 to 2005. Restatement bill second highest in OC, albeit distant second to Broadcom.
SEC could sue company, Smith, another employee, two former chief financial officers over options issue. Quest’s own options probe delayed quarterly results for better part of year, caused concern among investors. Reporting now back on track. Prospects look good as Quest pushes into growth markets, what’s known as virtualization.
Started at Oracle after graduating from University of Delaware in 1986. Degree in computer science, minor in economics. Played rugby. Landed Oracle job thanks to contact in economics department. Worked at Oracle from 1987 to 1992 in sales management positions.
In 1992 started San Francisco-based Patrol Software with Oracle colleague.
Sold it to BMC Software in 1994. Served as BMC’s director of open systems, managing sales operations.
Unassuming, often-smiling leader. Known to wear jeans, cap in office. Likes to be called “Vinnie.” Said to be aggressive, a salesman. Invested in Quest in 1995. Left life on Colorado ski slopes to take over as chief executive from Quest cofounder David Doyle.
Still plays investor. Owns a few restaurants, real estate ventures. Says he likes to invest in different things. Active stock trader. Got visit some months ago from Prince Andrew Windsor, Duke of York, during 10-day U.S. trade mission. Smith often on ski slopes, likes to surf. Said to be a devoted dad to his two kids,canceled business meetings to watch them perform at school.
Started Quest Charity Fund program in 2006. Makes contributions to nominated nonprofits selected by Quest employees worldwide.
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Sarah Tolkoff
GREGORY MARK EMILE SPIERKEL
Chief executive
Ingram Micro Inc.
Born in Sept- & #206;les, Quebec,
Jan. 27, 1957
Lives in Laguna Hills
On hunt for more profits at largest distributor of tech products. Since 2005, has run OC’s largest company by sales. Calls himself “leader of leaders.” Says tech products distributor, with $35 billion in yearly sales, “largest organization in the U.S. that no one has ever heard of.”
Moving beyond Ingram’s traditional “pick, pack and ship” distribution model. Adding services, staffing, marketing, tech support, management of warranties.
Goal: $40 billion in revenue by 2010. Chillier near-term outlook on concerns about companies slowing spending.
Lots of acquisitions. In June, paid $98 million for Scottsdale-based DBL Distributing, which distributes consumer electronics accessories to stores. In March bought VPN Dynamics, provider of products, training to keep networks secure. Also got VPN’s 49% stake in distributor Securematics.
Played key part in Ingram’s $530 million buy in 2004 of Australia’s Tech Pacific, largest deal in company history. Was behind 2005’s $120 million buy of home electronics company Avad. Also key in 1997’s buy of Singapore’s Electronic Resources.
Joined in 1997 as senior vice president, Ingram Micro Asia-Pacific. Was president of Ingram Micro Europe. Most recently was worldwide president, responsible for global divisions with focus on Europe, Asia.
In low-profit business, drills frugality into workers. Turns off heat on winter weekends. Dons jacket for chilly Monday mornings.
Canadian. Reserved, unpretentious, quick with smile. Prior to Ingram, spent 11 years at Canada’s Mitel, maker of phone systems, software, electronics. Got start at Bell Canada, working on one of first e-mail systems in 1979.
Holds business master’s from Georgetown University, bachelor’s from Carleton University, Ottawa. Attended Advanced Manufacturing Program at Insead business school in France.
Said to be open to other opinions. Regularly spends time with customers.
Named among top innovative executives last year by trade industry magazine Computer Reseller News. Director, Bellevue, Wash.-based truck maker Paccar.
Parents came from Luxembourg to Canada. Colorful family. Uncle founded Cirque du Soleil. Father a jack-of-all-trades, owned newspaper, TV station, worked at airline, dabbled in construction. Mother was linguist who spoke seven languages.
Played hockey, curling until age 17. Says he wasn’t NHL material. Worked in iron ore mines, doing number of duties including driving giant mining trucks. Lived abroad most of professional life, including in Hong Kong, Singapore, England, Belgium.
Two boys, 10, 13. Both have triple citizenship: Canada, U.S., U.K. Wife Rhiannon, “a good Welsh name.”
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Sarah Tolkoff
JOHN TU
President
Kingston Technology Co.
Born in Chongquing, China,
Aug. 21, 1941
Lives in Rolling Hills
DAVID SUN
Chief operating officer,
vice president
Kingston Technology Co.
Born in Tai-Chung, Taiwan, Oct. 12, 1951
Lives in Irvine
Memory kings coming off biggest year yet, led by climbing sales of consumer gear.
2003 move into flash memory for consumer electronics paying off: now 20% of company’s sales, which hit $4.5 billion last year, up 22% from 2006.
Kingston largest maker of memory products for computers, networking gear, consumer gadgets. Also county’s second-largest private company (after Pacific Life Insurance), largest minority-owned company.
Buys memory chips from Asian, European suppliers, assembles on circuit boards or as flash cards. Upping consumer push with cards that go into computers, cameras, phones.
Kingston employs about 900 local workers, 4,000 worldwide.
Workers describe style of Sun, Tu as patriarchy: “We have two guys at the top of the company who make sure we all behave and play nice,” one says.
Founders foster open culture, not big on titles. Not micromanagers, don’t obsess on worker performance, productivity stats. Like to step back, let people do their jobs.
Not big on corporate culture,no reserved parking, corner offices, glitzy conference rooms.
Shanghai plant opened three years ago, running at capacity. Churns out 5 million boards loaded with memory chips monthly. Other plants in Malaysia, Taiwan.
Opposite personas. Sun lively, unconventional operations man. Tu, funny, soft-spoken public face. No clear No. 2 to Sun-Tu team.
Famous for handing out $100 million in bonuses to workers after selling 80% of Kingston to Softbank in 1990s. Duo bought back Kingston in 1999 for fraction of what Softbank paid.
Weathered tough times. During 2001 downturn, cut some benefits, bonuses halted, laid off workers for first time. Yearly sales fell below $1 billion during slump.
Sun, Tu started Camintonn in garage in early 1980s. Became division VPs when former computer maker AST Research bought Camintonn. Left to start Kingston in 1987 after losing millions in stock market crash.
Tu’s family fled China for Taiwan in 1949. Sent to Germany as a kid to live with uncle who owned a Chinese restaurant.
Loves Elvis. Heads own band, JT and California Dreamin’ Band. Tu plays drums.
Generous. UC Irvine cancer diagnostic center named for him, friend Tom Yuen, AST cofounder. (Investor in Yuen’s stem cell startup PrimeGen Biotech.)
Was businessman benefactor portrayed in 2007 movie “Freedom Writers” about real-life teacher who motivates at-risk teens.
Earned electrical engineering degree from Technische Hochschule Darmstadt in Germany. Came to U.S. in 1972. Collects cars. Married, two children. Sun came from Taiwan in 1977, was chief engineer at Alpha Micro Systems in Costa Mesa, 1978 to 1982. Electrical engineering degree from Taiwan’s Ta-Tung Institute of Technology.
Married, two children. Avid golfer.
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Sarah Tolkoff
HONORABLE MENTION:
L. GEORGE KLAUS, THOMAS KELLY
Chairman; chief executive
Epicor Software Corp.
STEPHEN MARLOW
Executive vice president
Toshiba America Electronic
Components Inc.
J. MICHAEL POCOCK
Senior vice president, general manager
Cisco-Linksys LLC
SAFI QURESHEY
Chairman, chief executive
Quartics Inc.
SUE SWENSON
Chief executive, president
Sage Software Inc.
WILLIAM WANG
Chief executive
Vizio Inc.
