Preview: Top Female Entrepreneurs

Women-owned businesses are “having a moment.” From coast to coast, more U.S. companies than ever before are running with female executives at the helm. Between 2007 and 2016, the number of women-owned businesses rose 45 percent to roughly 11.3 million, according to a report commissioned last year by American Express Co. Such firms make up nearly 40 percent of all businesses in the nation, and generate an estimated $1.6 trillion in revenue. Here in the greater Valley region, it’s apparent that the ladies have been breaking the mold for some time as leaders in industries dominated by men. Take Picore International Security, for example, the No. 4 firm on the Business Journal’s Women-Owned Businesses list (see page 15). Chief Executive Dr. Dana Picore founded the Calabasas company almost 20 years ago after her experience as an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department during the L.A. riots led her to recognize a need for a psychology-based approach to personal protection. After obtaining a doctorate in psychology, she set to work building a business that could fill the gap. Today she leads a 350-strong workforce; her company brought in revenues of $14 million last year, up from $10 million in 2015. Read the full story in the July 10 issue of the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.