CEO, TOWER SEMICONDUCTOR
WHY: Helms chipmaker, which has domestic operations at large plant in Newport Beach.
IN THE NEWS: Company in February announced agreement to be purchased for $5.4B by Intel of Santa Clara. The two companies said it could take a year for the deal to close.
NOTABLE: Tower is Orange County’s second-largest chipmaker with an estimated local workforce of 800 people. Long-term future for plant near Jamboree Road in doubt.
QUOTABLE: “The man who took Tower from broke to billions,” Israeli financial news site Globes said of Ellwanger.
