Call it 10%—that’s about the turnover rate for this year’s OC 50, the Business Journal’s annual inventory of influence.
This year’s list includes six new members, just more than 10% of the allotted slots. It also includes several entries that include two people, which means there are 53 individuals listed altogether.
The newcomers reflect various aspects of Orange County’s multifaceted business landscape, with everything from virtual reality to the very real worlds of cars and groceries.
It’s largely a nod to the growth of service industries here.
OC’s auto industry—which handles mostly sales and marketing for overseas companies with U.S. headquarters here—is now represented on the list by Byung Mo Ahn. His recent promotion to group vice chair with responsibility for Irvine-based Kia Motors America Inc. seems to be a signal from South Korea that Ahn’s star is on the rise.
Miguel Gonzalez Reynoso is another list newcomer. He’s the older of two brothers who run the family-owned Northgate Gonzalez Markets, which is headquartered in Anaheim. The chain targets the fast-growing Latino-American population, and it’s up to about $700 million in annual sales.
Ed Fuller, chief executive of the Orange County Visitors Association, has gained notice over the past year for stirring a new sensibility into the hotel and tourism industry here. Bob Olson of Irvine-based R.D. Olson Development combines a long-standing tradition of real estate as a basis for influence with the growing importance of tourism as he continues to find opportunities to build hotels.
Ingrid Otero-Smart checks in as a newcomer who also has ties to the Latino-American market as head of advertising agency Casanova Pendrill in Costa Mesa. The agency has landed big accounts from the heart of Corporate America over the past year, bolstering its standing as a leader among OC ad shops in the Latino-American and general markets.
Then there’s Palmer Luckey, the virtual reality whiz who founded Oculus VR in Irvine and this year struck a $2 billion deal to sell the company to Facebook Inc.
The newcomers fill spots left open mainly by shakeups at a few OC-based companies over the past year, when:
n John Krafcik parted ways with Hyundai Motor America Inc. in Fountain Valley.
n Paul Naudé cut ties with apparel maker Billabong USA in Irvine after a failed bid to buy its Australia-based parent.
n Paul Folino and Jim McCluney resigned as chairman and chief executive, respectively, from networking gear maker Emulex Corp.
Another of the openings came with the decision by University of California-Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake to resign his post for the top job at Ohio State University (see related story, page 6).
That’s an overview of the 10% or so who account for the newcomers and departures on this year’s list.
The balance of the entries—44 covering 47 individuals and accounting for more than 90% of the list—offer their own clues to OC’s business landscape. Real estate is still a prime generator of OC 50ers, for example (see breakdown in OC 50’s By the Numbers, page 31). And each racked up some new accomplishments over the past year, while all have earned a place of merit in the business community here.
