One thing you can be sure about members of the OC500—they are familiar names to our readers, who have read about them over the years in the Business Journal.
For example, we’ve told the story about how Raymond Cohen thought up an idea for a medical device to treat incontinence a decade ago and now this year is selling Axonics for $3.7 billion.
Readers know how Bobby Azamian and his team invented a new medication to treat mites in eyes and how his company, Tars Pharmaceutical, has seen sales explode and its market cap now tops $1 billion.
People often ask how to get themselves or their bosses into the Business Journal’s annual list of the 500 most influential in Orange County.
To start with, I paraphrase what legendary Bond King Bill Gross wrote in a Leader Board for us earlier this year about the advice he received from a 75-year-old neighbor when he was trying to meet women for a date.
“Bill, you first have to say hello,” advised his neighbor.
So, say hello!
If we don’t know about you or your company, your chances have significantly declined to get onto the list.
Tell us news about your company. We’re interested in CEO changes, sales increases (or decreases), acquisitions, divestitures, building purchases and new innovations.
Return our phone calls. If I hear a PR person telling our reporters that the executive is too busy, well then, we’re too busy to include them in the OC500.
I know one company owner who sold his firm and granted only one interview—not to us.
Happy to say, I cannot remember who that owner is.
Give us tips on other newsmakers. If you recommend another business, you have vetted that company, and we appreciate the tip.
Appearance on the list every year isn’t a given. Talk to us every year.
Pay attention to our publication. I often receive phone calls for pitches on executives and companies. I ask the person pitching, usually a PR person, if the executive reads our publication.
“I’m sure he/she does” isn’t a satisfactory answer. The executive must be an avid reader. A person who doesn’t read it is just looking for publicity on the cheap.
And the PR person also must read our publication. When I hear an excuse like it’s behind a pay wall, I think, “This PR company is being paid thousands of dollars to pitch us and cannot afford a subscription? Does their client know how ill prepared they are?”
One of my techniques to spot someone who’s “all talk” is to ask what recent OCBJ articles they read. If they hem and haw, saying it’s been a few weeks and cannot come up with one, that person’s pitch just went down the drain.
Another tip—those who are on the list without a “quotable” in your bio means we haven’t spoken to you lately; we’d like to hear from you.
Also, I’ve read many of the responses spread throughout this book from OC500 themselves about things like their biggest accomplishments, their favorite books or great moments from the Olympics.
The amount of OC500 members paying attention to AI is staggering. By submitting your responses, I know you are in tune with the Orange County business community.
If you’ve read this far, you’ll have an edge on getting into the OC500.
To reach me, you can find my email below and on the penultimate page of every Orange County Business Journal.
I would say good luck. But to paraphrase Mae West, it takes more than luck to get into the OC500.
Peter J. Brennan
Editor-in-Chief
brennan@ocbj.com
