David Ackert President The Ackert Advisory Age 37 In getting his executive coaching practice off the ground, David Ackert faced a credibility problem with potential clients in that he did not have a business background or have any formal training. Getting past the suspicion required Ackert to believe in his own self-confidence and ability to say to give him a chance and provide his services on a small scale. “Once I was able to show that they became more engaged and more convinced that maybe there was something to this,” Ackert said. Today, the 37-year-old owns and operates The Ackert Advisory, a training and development company that works with professionals on programs to increase business, time management programs and executive coaching. The firm has offices in California and Washington, D.C. with plans to open a third office in New York. Starting the executive coaching practice and then expanding that into other areas was a way for Ackert to bring stability into his life. An actor by trade, Ackert described that life as feast or famine. Drawing on marketing experience he gained while working for a software company in the 1990s, Ackert started the coaching practice. He found, too, he could draw upon his acting background in helping executives overcome challenges in communicating effectively with their employees. “A lot of that came from my training in the theater,” Ackert said. “Showing empathy; understand another human’s being’s emotional state and being able to speak to that effectively.” Part of his success is that he’s never been shy to reach out for information from people older than himself who have more experience, said Ray Boyadjian, a friend of Ackert’s for five years. “He does have an interesting approach in that he does have his own advisory board to bring them to the table on a monthly basis to brainstorm on strategic ideas,” Boyadjian said. “In some respects he does the same thing for his clients. He forms advisory boards for them as well.” Outside of his business, Ackert is a co-founder of Voices in Harmony, an organization working with at-risk teens to build their confidence and communications skills; and serves on the executive committee of the Los Angeles chapter of the Boy Scouts of America. Mark R. Madler Richard I. Arshonsky Managing Partner Levinson Arshonsky & Kurtz LLP Age 39 When Richard I. Arshonsky decided on a career in law there was never any question that he would be a litigator. “I did a lot of acting in high school and college, so I like performing,” said the managing partner at Levinson Arshonsky & Kurtz LLP who was particularly fond of musical theater. A plan to practice entertainment law focused on the music industry brought Arshonsky to Los Angeles, where he graduated Loyola Law School and was a member of the Loyola Law Review. Eventually, though, he gravitated to real estate law. Arshonsky, who turns 40 in March, joined his current firm in 1997 and became managing partner when one of the firm’s original partners left and a reorganization was underway. “Not only was he the youngest achiever in the office, he was immediately named managing partner as well,” said Bob Levinson, a partner with the firm. “He’s the right type of take charge person that just gets everyone’s respect.” Arshonsky has been named California Super Lawyer in the 2007 List about to be announced by Law & Politics and Los Angeles Magazine next month. Levinson Arshonsky & Kurtz now has a total of nine attorneys, an of counsel and 18 total employees. Although much of Arshonsky’s practice revolves around such things as real property litigation, title insurance, foreclosures and purchase and sale agreements, some of his most memorable recent work was of an entirely different nature, involving a dispute between a client who boarded horses, and a client who was accused of stealing them. Although Arshonsky doesn’t spend much time thinking about his musical road not taken, he hasn’t given up his artistic pursuits entirely. Now, however, they mostly revolve around his children. For the past two years he has been active at an all-volunteer arts program called Meet the Masters at his children’s school. The volunteers hold discussion groups about different artists and the kids get an opportunity to do an arts project. Shelly Garcia Scott Barlow Vice President and General Counsel Valueclick Inc. Age: 37 At a growing in the competitive online industry it doesn’t hurt to have a good attorney in your corner. That’s where Scott Barlow comes in at ValueClick, Inc., the Westlake Village-based online marketer. “We’re in a nascent industry and there is new legislation coming out every month that is being talked about and considered,” Barlow said. A native of Florida who graduated law school in Ohio, Barlow came west when he got a job as a litigator with a San Francisco law firm. The partners of that firm started a company called Mediaplex, Inc., a firm specializing in digital advertising, customer relationship management, and agency management, and Barlow was named general counsel and secretary. ValueClick acquired Mediaplex in 2001, bringing Barlow to the company’s headquarters in the Valley. At the time of the acquisition, ValueClick had employed 250 people and brought in revenues of $60 million. Today, the company has 1,100 employees and revenues of $600 million. “The real challenge has been with the rapid growth and keeping that under control,” Barlow said. As general counsel, Barlow manages the litigation filed against the company, handles filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and keeps abreast of legislation that may affect how the company does business. What impresses Kevin Rosen, a Los Angeles attorney used as outside counsel by ValueClick, is the depth of Barlow’s judgment in dealing with legal issues. “I have witnessed Scott make difficult decisions after careful thought but then without hesitation or second-guessing,” Rosen said. Motivating Barlow to be the success that he is at such a young age is an enjoyment of the law and overseeing the legal matters facing ValueClick. Making the job easier is the staff of three attorneys and five paralegals working directly with Barlow. “Without all the good people, the department just wouldn’t be successful,” Barlow said. Alicia Bartley Land Use Attorney Gaines & Stacey, LLC Age 29 Hired onto Gaines & Stacey straight out of USC Law School, Alicia Bartley wasted no time putting what she learned into practice. “She is a really incredible young attorney doing some really important work in the community,” said Fred Gaines, a principal of Gaines & Stacey. As a member of the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council, Bartley advises on land use policies. She has offered her expertise to help bring order to the land use recommendation process used by the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council, with enough success to prompt interested inquiries from neighboring cities. Bartley was co-counsel with Gaines in overturning an ordinance for a Historical Preservation Overlay Zone in Windsor Square. The ordinance required homeowners in the zone to submit exterior modifications for approval by the HPOZ board. “She has incredible analytical and writing skills, and professional maturity beyond her years,” said Gaines. Bartley is constantly seeking opportunities to learn more about her own field by working with others. As part of a team of multi-disciplinary professionals brought together by the Urban Land Institute Youth Leader Program, Bartley is contributing her land use knowledge to redevelopment projects in South Central Los Angeles. Bartley found her passion for real estate law while working as a paralegal at Cox, Castle, and Nicholson before going to law school. Once she got into law school, Bartley went straight for courses in real estate. “Most of the law we learn in school is very theoretical, so real estate really appealed to me because it relates to our everyday lives,” she said. “It just makes so much sense.” Bartley sees the current wave of mixed use, pedestrian friendly developments as an answer to Los Angeles’ traffic problems. For her, the words Los Angeles and public transportation go well together. Amid her active involvement in her work and community, Bartley ran several half-marathons during the past year. What drives Bartley to be active is the sense that people have responsibility over their lives. “My parents taught us that our lives are the consequence of our actions,” she said. Elizabeth Hsing-Huei Chou Derek Berz Assistant Administrator Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Age 33 For Derek Berz, assistant administrator for Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, each morning is like prepping for a hair-raising, all-day sprint. “It’s like a 100-yard dash every day,” he said. Berz’s job has him in charge of more than 250 employees, including clinical lab, blood bank, radiology, nuclear medicine, pharmacy, food and nutrition services, ambulance transport, social services, trauma, case management, pulmonary function and radiation, to name a few. It’s a job full of challenges, but Berz, who was first hired three years ago as director of continuum of care after a stint at Glendale Memorial Hospital, has been credited with improving care for Medicare patients and reducing lengthy hospital stays. He also spearheaded a hospital reengineering plan that resulted in $6.4 million savings through department-specific plans and redesigned patient processing. Administrator Kerry Carmody said the successes have a lot to do with Berz’s eager and approachable personality. “He has a tremendous ability across all levels of the organization,” Carmody said. “He’s very team focused.” Berz said the key is finding an experienced team that wants to help improve the function of the hospital. “I’m not an expert. So in working with those areas, I help facilitate their expertise to help make improvements,” he said. “I’m trying to take the knowledge they have and facilitate that.” Still, that doesn’t mean it’s not challenging running a hospital. But, he said, “it won’t come about unless we all work together.” “California is very tough. But if I didn’t want to be in the 100-yard dash,” he said, “I’d move to Indiana.” Chris Coates Jeffrey A. Bobrosky Partner Good Swartz Brown & Berns LLP For Jeffrey A. Bobrosky, technical expertise is simply the price of entry. What he prefers to focus on is the responsibility for imparting that expertise to those coming up in the organization. A partner at Good Swartz Brown & Berns LLP, Bobrosky has made mentoring a key element of his job, and those he has worked with say that has distinguished Bobrosky beyond his considerable professional achievements. “His clients look to him as a trusted business advisor and his peers look to him as an expert resource,” said Scott M. Sachs, a partner at GSBB who works with Bobrosky. “The levels of respect that Jeff has earned are normally reserved for professionals with 20, 25 or 30 years of experience and are well into their 40s or 50s.” Bobrosky began his career at Ernst & Young, and over the 15 years he spent there, handled public, debt and equity offerings and financial statement auditing for public and private companies. Like most in the profession, his skills and temperament were well tested post-2000 when the regulatory environment for accounting changed dramatically. “He is such a calming influence in an environment that can be extremely hectic,” said Brian Ring, an audit partner at Ernst. “That kind of sets a tone for those people who work for him and above him. He makes the work environment enjoyable.” That reputation has helped not only to get the job done, but also to bring new clients into his current firm. “I got a call last night from a Big Four firm saying a client needs assistance with an acquisition and they wanted to refer them over to me,” said Bobrosky. “You have to have the technical ability, but you also have to have the interpersonal skills to work with anyone who’s involved in the transaction.” Bobrosky seems most proud of the work he does mentoring others, an effort that includes imparting his own philosophy about work-life balance. A member of the board of Temple Aliyah, he takes his daughter to school each day and never misses the important events in his kids’ lives. “I’ve been married for over six- and a-half-years, and have two young girls,” he said. “I do everything humanly possible to provide excellent client service, and at the same time I make sure I’m there for my family.” Raul Bocanegra Economic Development Deputy City Council District 7 Age 35 Spend a few minutes talking with Raul Bocanegra and this much is clear: he sure has his hands full. During the day, Bocanegra, 35, works in downtown L.A. as economic development deputy for City Council District 7, where he fields constituent concerns, attracts funds and addresses issues for the district, which includes the northeast corner of the Valley. While the seat is technically vacant ever since Alex Padilla stepped down to run for state Senate, the office is still open and being run by the city Chief Legislative Analyst which means Bocanegra still has his hands full running the day-to-day operations. At night and weekends, he also serves as chairman of the board of the San Fernando Valley Financial Development Corp., a program of the Valley Economic Development Center that runs community finance programs and administers the state Loan Guarantee Program, which provides businesses with loans and credit. Then, one night a week, the Pacoima native and resident finds time to teach introduction Latino studies courses at California State University in Long Beach. He also finds time to stay active with the Northeast San Fernando Valley Health Corp., Santa Rosa Church, North Valley YMCA and Pacoima Partners. It’s a busy schedule, but Bocanegra, who lost a friend to gang violence, said he’s driven to make changes and help young people stay out of trouble. “If somebody has a good job and has hope for the future, then you’re going to stay away from that type of activity,” he said. “That’s why economic development is so important. That attitude is also a reason many who are exposed to Bocanegra walk away impressed, said Valley Economic Development Center President Roberto Barragan. “He’s the best economic development deputy in City Hall,” he said. “He understands what needs to happen (and) how the city has to play a role.” Bocanegra said he plans to keep helping those that need it. “It’s all about what I feel passionate about, which is getting capital to businesses that are on the cusp,” he said. Beau Boeckmann Vice President Galpin Motors Age 36 Beau Boeckmann has been around cars since before he could walk. “I’ve grown up in this business my entire life,” he said. His dad, Bert, bought Galpin Motors in 1968 and for Beau, the North Hills auto dealer and mechanic shop was one part playground, one part classroom for most of his formative years. Today, Beau Boeckmann, 36, is a vice president of Galpin Automotive Group, supervising marketing and business development efforts and the day-to-day operations of the 1,250-employee dealership chain. But instead of following his dad’s path, Boeckmann has also blazed his own. His real passion in recent years has been the after market sector taking standard-issue cars and customizing them with a variety of eye popping accessories, paint schemes and audio systems. “Galpinizing,” as Boeckmann calls it, is the primary activity of Galpin Auto Sports, a new division Boeckmann started recently. He was also instrumental in drawing the attention of the MTV show “Pimp my Ride,” now shooting its fourth season at the dealership. The show has boosted Galpin’s already highly visible profile. “We’ve been doing a tremendous amount of growth over the last couple of years,” admitted Boeckmann, who also created a GAS clothing line. “There’s a lot of opportunity there.” That attention, fueled by Boeckmann, helps all dealers in the area, said Charlie Gill, executive director of the Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association. “We are at the heart of the customization movement, and Beau is at the heart of the customization movement,” he said. “It symbolizes Southern California’s love for our cars. That definitely gets people excited for new cars.” Boeckmann said he wouldn’t have it any other way. “Growing up in the business, it’s all I’ve ever known,” said Boeckmann, who also finds time to be active with the Boys & Girls Club of San Fernando Valley. “I work hard and it’s a lot of fun. It’s a great place to be.” Chris Coates Courtney Bourdas Henn Director of Marketing Fleming Entertainment Centers Age 37 Courtney Bourdas Henn started working at Northridge Skateland about the time she got her driver’s license. “I started out when I was 16 years old,” she said. “I thought it would a part-time job for a summer or two.” She ended up staying for the next two decades, working her way up through the ranks to manager at 19 and eventually to director of marketing for Skateland’s owner, Fleming Entertainment Centers, which also runs the Mountasia Family Fun Center and Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour & Restaurant in Santa Clarita. Aside from handling all of the company’s PR, she also prides herself on teaching younger workers the tricks of the trade how to work hard and gain respect. “I really love the high from helping people and teaching them the things that I know,” she said. For that reason, Bourdas Henn is also well known for her volunteer work, said Marc Emmer, chair of the Santa Clarita School and Business Alliance, where Henn also serves on the board. “She’s involved in so many community activities,” said Emmer, also president of the Valencia business advisory firm The SST Group. “She’s very energetic.” Among her involvements are the Santa Clarita Valley Business Group, Santa Clarita Chamber of Commerce, Santa Clarita Junior Chamber of Commerce, North Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce and Valley Industrial Association. She is also a strong advocate for safe driving, volunteering with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department branch in Santa Clarita and starting a program called “Stay Alive on the Drive.” Emmer praised Henn for her out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to problem solving. “She’s very creative,” he said, “and just has a great sense of community about her.” John Bwarie Deputy District Director City Councilman Greig Smith Age 27 In just 27 years, John Bwarie has quickly become one of the most visible city officials crisscrossing the Valley. As deputy district director for 12th District City Councilman Greig Smith, it’s not uncommon for Bwarie to show up at a half-dozen events in one day, from Chatsworth to Granada Hills to North Hollywood. He is also active with numerous community and business groups, including the San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center Advisory Board, Valley Leadership Institute and various chambers of commerce and neighborhood councils. Bwarie, who got his civic feet wet directing business outreach in the North Hollywood Community Redevelopment Area, also coordinates business development and outreach efforts for Smith’s office, which represents the northwestern portion of the Valley, including the Economic Roundtable and Business Council. He is also founding director and officer of the San Fernando Valley Jaycees, where he is the 2007 president-elect. All that activity leaves Bwarie busy nearly all hours of the day. “When I wake in the morning, I check the Blackberry to check what e-mails came in from 11 o’clock the night before from a community member,” he said. “If I can get to them before 9 a.m., it shows the dedication of the city,” Bwarie said. Alan D. Lewis II met Bwarie a few years ago and they worked together to create the Valley Jaycees chapter. He said Bwarie’s profile is poised for even more growth, either in the political and nonprofit sectors, or both, in coming years. “I have a lot of hope and faith in John,” he said. “He’ll do well.” Chris Coates Ray Calnan Owner Charity Alliance Realty Age 30 If there is any one quality that makes Ray Calnan stand out in the Valley business world it is a desire to give back to the community. At Charity Alliance Realty, Calnan contributes 10 percent of the firm’s commission to a charity of the client’s choice. At Gribin Kapadia & Associates., a Woodland Hills firm at which Calnan does commercial appraisals, he signed the staff up to take part in an American Cancer Society fundraiser. When not working at real estate, the 30-year-old teaches part time at his alma mater, California State University at Northridge despite being just beyond college age himself. “My tools can be used to help other people,” Calnan said. At the center of Calnan’s efforts to help others is his residential real estate firm, Charity Alliance Realty. With the real estate broker’s market being so competitive, Calnan said he needed to separate his firm from the pack and do something unique. So he combined his knowledge of real estate with the desire to give back to the community by opening an agency that donates a part of its commission to charity. That approach in the real estate field is unusual, said Shawn Sohi, a classmate of Calnan at CSUN and a co-worker at Gribin Kapadia & Associates. “It is creating a brand and niche market that some people may not be comfortable with but people who have some kind of social preference will embrace the idea of having the option of which charity to contribute,” Sohi said. An offshoot of the real estate business that Calnan is now getting off the ground is the Charity Alliance Network, a consortium of area businesses from industries that will donate a percentage of their profits to charity. Calnan also serves as vice president of individual development for the San Fernando Valley Chapter of the Jaycees Mark R. Madler Imran N. Chaudhry Regional Director, Operational Excellence Providence Health and Services At just 29, Imran N. Chaudhry is already the youngest regional director in the Providence Health and Services California region. More impressive, though, is that he’s credited with saving the organization a daunting $3 million in the San Fernando Valley service area in 2006. It was done by Chaudhry working with senior execs from St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank and Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills to improve efficiency and boost productivity. “Being in the Valley, the hospitals are busier. How can we make them more efficient and take more patients?” he said. Such techniques are old hat for Chaudhry, who is trained as an engineer and worked in a similar capacity for the electronics behemoth General Electric. There, he helped institute new, cost-cutting techniques. Efficiency improved and soon Chaudhry was being courted by companies that wanted to replicate the results. “This was also something that Providence wanted to do,” she said. Chaudhry was charged with creating a new team and an entirely new way of corporate thinking for Providence from scratch. “The key thing in the first couple of months was to show them some quick successes,” he said. It worked, said Dr. Myron Berdischewsky, chief medical officer of Southern California for Providence. “We’ve improved significantly in terms of the revenue cycle and the process of delivering care,” he said. ” Berdischewsky said he expects the improvements to keep coming and credits it to Chaudhry. “It was an interesting taking someone with an engineering background and applying his knowledge to the healthcare arena,” he said. “That was a risk on our part and it paid off.” Karen DeLeon Regional Sales Manager Blue Shield of California Age 32 If Karen DeLeon played professional baseball, her batting average would set all-time records. Since coming to the Woodland Hills office of Blue Shield of California three years ago, DeLeon, 32, has been the top sales representative in every position she has assumed. In 2005, she was No. 1 small group account manager in Southern California. Last year, she was in the top five in the state. The distinction has made DeLeon, currently a manager for individual, family and Medicare sales, a key player in the insurance provider’s arsenal, said Kellie Bernell, a regional sales manager for Blue Shield IFP and Medicare Supplement Sales in Woodland Hills. “She is really a star,” Bernell said. “Especially for someone her age.” DeLeon, who is also active with the American Heart Association, Alzheimer’s Association and Union Rescue Mission, said the key for a young professional is to acknowledge that one’s age plays a role in whether they are taken seriously by co-workers and clients. The way to get around that is to make sure you know your material inside and out. “I know my competitors and I know how to position any drawbacks, such as my age,” she said. “I know it.” Bernell said that’s what makes DeLeon thrive. “She’s successful because everything she goes for she gets,” Bernell said. “She’s just driven. That’s what it takes to be a good sales person.” Chris Coates Jennifer Eisenberg Marketing Director Westfield Fashion Square Age 28 Jennifer Eisenberg has been with Westfield for four years. In that short amount of time, she has been promoted to marketing director, worked at three different Westfield properties and has participated in the Grand Openings of Westfield Century City as well as Westfield Topanga. Along with creating marketing programs that help to increase Westfield’s tenant’s sales performances, Eisenberg has organized many community based programs at Westfield Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks. The one she is most proud of is the Westfield Walkers, which is a mall walking program. Eisenberg is actively involved with the annual Sherman Oaks Street Fair, the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Toy Drive, and the CANstruction exhibit in Los Angeles. She is also in charge of the annual Shop-For-A-Cause and Westfield Works Wonders program, which benefits 25 local schools. Eisenberg attributes her marketing success to the fact that she took an internship every summer starting her freshman year at the University of Arizona and kept in touch with the people she had come to know. “Having this experience helped me find my first job,” Eisenberg said. “I think my attention to detail, focus on building relationships and giving 110 percent in every project I work on has helped me accomplish so much at a young age,” adds Eisenberg. Personally, Eisenberg feels that her greatest accomplishments included graduating cum laude and being married for 2 and & #733; years to her high school sweetheart, David. Casey L. Knox Jeffrey Evans Principal Equis Age 38 The advice Jeffrey Evans imparts in order to be successful in the business world is that one must be willing to take risks. The Calabasas residents know about risk taking in that he moved out to California after finishing business school at Duke University to take a job with a salary significantly less than what he could have made at a Wall Street investment firm. That move led the 38-year-old on a path to operating million-dollar firms in the professional staffing industry. “Everybody I have ever seen be successful in business from an entrepreneurial standpoint was willing to say ‘I believe in what I’m doing, I know what I’m doing, and I’m going to take the risk,'” Evans said. The job Evans moved to California to take was with On Assignment, a professional staffing firm in Calabasas. In 1994, the company was “young and small” but in his five years there it grew in annual revenues from $35 million to $125 million. Leaving On Assignment to become president and COO at OnStaff was also a risk because he was on a track to move up the corporate ladder at On Assignment, Evans said. OnStaff’s revenues jumped from $5 million annually to more than $100 million in the four years of Evans’s tenure. OnStaff was later sold to Hall Kinion, which in turn was acquired by KForce in 2004. For the past two years, Evans has been a principle with Equis, another staffing firm, and dabbling in business-to-business loans through PDL Capital. The motivation pushing Evans along in his career path has been a desire to build and create. “I really enjoy seeing a business grow and what happens to the people involved with it when it grows,” Evans said. “Understanding the model of a business and the ability to expand it is really exciting for me.” Carrie Nebens, the president of Equis and who worked with Evans for five years at On Assignment, described him as positive, motivational and ahead of his years. Over the years, the pair maintained a professional relationship that led to her being brought on board at Equis. “I admire him in that he is a good community person,” Nebens said. “He is involved, he’s active and extends himself beyond work and knowing how to run a successful business.” Being an entrepreneur does allow Evans time to coach his three children’s baseball, soccer and basketball teams. “Someone once asked me what I do on the weekends and I said I move from one game to the next,” Evans said. Rory Ferlauto Senior Vice President Colliers International In the world of real estate, a broker never knows when they are going to get that magic phone call. That call, as described by Rory Ferlauto, is one in which a potential client calls seeking assistance from Colliers International, the firm for which she is a senior vice president. “The magic phone call is one when someone calls us and we can really be of help,” said the 37-year-old San Fernando Valley native. Selling real estate is in her blood, said Ferlauto, whose father and stepfather were both real estate brokers. At Collier’s, she works with both individual owners of apartment buildings and with institutional owners and that gives a variety during the work day. Earlier in her career, Ferlauto said she had focused on leasing space to companies but that was not the good fit investment sales turned out to be. “I felt there was no ownership there,” Ferlauto said. “In investment sales you are working with some important decisions and the decision makers. It’s a lot more gratifying.” Her track record includes sales of more than $690 million of apartment properties comprised of more than 3,700 units within 85 transactions. A recent transaction was the Grand Villas, a 104-unit apartment project in Sherman Oaks that sold for $24.5 million. Ferlauto’s contribution to the investment sales team is that of client development and much of her business is repeat business, said Don Hudson, a co-worker at Collier’s. “Rory is one of those who have a long list of people who can’t wait to work with her again,” Hudson said. Mark R. Madler Yelena Gazal Owner Gazal Consulting Bookkeeping Age 31 Yelena Gazal created Gazal Consulting Bookkeeping after she was laid off when she was four months pregnant. She decided that having a child and working for someone just would not be possible for her anymore. Gazal decided to turn it into a positive action of starting her own business and wanted to create her own flexible schedule as well as play an active role in her young daughter’s life. Gazal began her business as a QuickBooks consultant as well as assisting businesses all over the San Fernando Valley so that they can get a better handle on their finances. The clients she now has include non-profits, service providers, wholesale distributors, retail shops, and Internet retailers. Over the last five years, Gazal Consulting Bookkeeping has gone from a company with only two clients to a company with more than 50 clients. Gazal has doubled the amount of clients of Gazal each year since it started. Because of her training at QuickBooks, Yelena has shown her clients how to manage their own bookkeeping. She also shows the women she works with, as well as her female clients, how to manage a successful professional life as well as finding a balance with their personal family lives. Along with the time she spends with her business and her family, Yelena has also found the time to help non-profits learn how to spend more time on meeting their missions and less time bookkeeping. This month, Yelena will become one of only several hundred people nation wide to earn an Advance QuickBooks certification. This year, she also plans on earning her CPA, which she has been studying for during the building of her business. Lesa Glucroft President Tulip Boutique Inc. Lesa Glucroft was an entertainment lawyer until 2001 when she left her position at EMI Records because she was subjected to a “post 9/11 downsizing.” Even though she had no experience or background with skin care products, she decided that passion was all she needed and started Tulip Boutique Inc. She had used lotions and face creams her whole life and noticed that there was a void that needed to be filled. So she created products that would be able to fill that void. Since the beginning of Calabasas-based Tulip Boutique, revenues have jumped. “We have multiple avenues of distribution including web, gift boutique, mass merchant, specialty retailers, catalog, etc ,” Glucroft said. In 2005, Lesa was awarded the Emerging Woman Business Owner award that was given to her by the Ventura County Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. In 2006, Tulip Boutique signed a license with the United States Secret Service Uniform Division Benefit Fund, which allowed Tulip to sell products that bear the Presidential Seal. That was the first time that such a licensing had ever been issued. The first line under the license is 1600 for Men, which has received amazing reviews. A portion of the sales of 1600 for Men goes to support worthy nationwide charities. “I would like to see 1600 for Men and/or our other brands become an internationally recognized brand name,” said Glucroft of how she expects Tulip to expand. Glucroft blames her success on her “determination, vision, hard work, creativity, and the willingness to take a great financial risk.” She says that her husband, Robert, her son, and her family and “good friends” are there for her when she needs them and support her in all of her endeavors. Casey L. Knox Louis Hamel Partner King, King, Alleman & Jensen Growing up in a family of medical professionals, dinner time for Louis Hamel was always an interesting affair. “My father would use a steak to imitate a beating heart,” he said. As charming as that may have been, Hamel instead managed to take after his grandfather, a CPA. Hamel joined the accounting firm of King, King, Alleman & Jensen in 1997, not long after graduating from Cal State Northridge, and remembers the interview process as nerve-wracking. “I was a shy kid in college,” he said. Hamel was recently named a partner of the Burbank-based firm at the age of 32. His responsibilities as a partner include marketing, and he is credited with overseeing the firm’s website and putting out the quarterly newsletter. As the youngest partner, his youth is an asset when recruiting and retaining new employees. “He gives a better understanding of what kind of things concern the younger staff members,” said firm partner Dennis King. Hamel is a natural at building on the firm’s culture of creating relationships. “We consider ourselves more as advisors and confidantes,” said Hamel. “A lot of our clients have family owned businesses, and for a lot of people it is their life and there is a lot of emotional investment tied up with it.” Firm partner Mike Wilford attributes Hamel’s ability to create and build relationships to the sense of trust that he engenders in people. “CPAs need to have that sense of trustworthiness,” said Wilford, “and I think he is sincere, which is something that you can’t fake.” Hamel spends about 10-15 hours a week as a volunteer in the community. He is the treasurer of Night Basketball and Books, a Pasadena-based mentoring program for at-risk youth, and the Burbank Jaycees. Through the Jaycees, Hamel works with several nonprofit programs that include Relay for Life, Mervyn’s Child Spree, and the Burbank Block Party. Hamel also provides free or discounted tax planning and financial advice to Valley organizations, such as the East San Fernando Valley Medical Auxiliary. Brett Howard President Howard & Mills Inc. Age 37 Brett Howard always does the math. He attributes his company’s success to the accountability he and his business partner, Geoff Mills, bring to the real estate and development business. “We run our numbers pretty conservatively. We are very close to the numbers that we get at the end, he said, referring to the projections necessary when you are buying and selling real estate. “We’re pretty darn close to what we anticipated,” he said. Howard & Mills has grown into a national real estate investment and development company, guiding investors in the areas of development, acquisitions and dispositions, leasing and other transactions. Professionalism is in Howard’s blood. His father is an attorney, and his mother, Mary Lou Howard, has made the news as the first female elected to city council and later, as mayor of Burbank. Before there was Howard & Mills Inc., the two principals were already working together in opening and heading a Century 21 investment office in Granada Hills. They earned their stripes there, consistently staying in the top 10 rankings in the company, receiving accolades and getting invited for speaking engagements. In the end, just earning credibility was not enough. It was time to take the math and do something with it. He and Mills proceeded to open a company of their own. “When you work in real estate, you work for yourself. You can’t blame the company for not making money the sky’s the limit,” Howard said. The Howard & Mills partners started out in 1999 with residential real estate, working 16-18 hour days, but steadily built up to commercial and industrial properties. In seven years, they were focusing largely on the complex niche market of shopping center real estate. “We take a vacancy, turn it around, and put a new face on it,” Howard said. Howard & Mills has closed more than $6 billion in transactions and overseen the acquisition, disposition and development of more than 475 shopping centers across the country since it incorporated. “What sets them apart is, first of all, they’re very ambitious and they’re very knowledgeable and they work as a unit together,” said Farzad Khalili, CEO of California Plaza Buildings, an investor who frequently works with the company. These days Howard & Mills is working with big name brands like Best Buy, Costco, Starbucks and Wells Fargo and brightening up bedroom communities with their malls across 34 of the 50 states. With all of the non-stop commotion in Howard’s life, he is now looking forward to building a different kind of wealth finally slowing down enough to get married recently. He now lives in his hometown of Burbank with his wife Alessandra and stepdaughter Taylor. He is looking forward to focusing on and building a family as his next goal. Elizabeth Hsing-Huei Chou Brendan Huffman President Valley Industry & Commerce Association Even before being named president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association last April, Brendan Huffman had one heck of a resume. For four years, he was the head lobbyist and director of public policy at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and racked up terms on the L.A. Business Tax Advisory Committee and Small & Local Business Advisory Committee. Before that, the Los Angeles native and Studio City resident was a senior account executive at the L.A. environmental consulting firm PS Enterprises after stints with state Assemblymembers Burt Margolin and Wally Knox. These days, Huffman, 36, plays down his successes, but admits that hard work, good timing and “positioning myself to be lucky when things come along” made it all possible. “It’s also really listening to more experienced people,” he said. At VICA, he has instituted several key changes both behind the scenes and out front at the business advocacy and lobbying group since assuming his post last April. He changed, for example, VICA’s decision-making process and investment structure but also worked to boost the group’s profile, taking positions on the proposed $1 billion housing bond last fall and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s stalled bid to partially take over control of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The technique has worked. “We’ve significantly increased our attention at City Hall and in Sacramento,” Huffman said. “It’s making VICA more of a value-added investment for our members.” David Adelman, a partner in the law firm Greenberg & Bass who also serves on the VICA board, said Huffman has breathed new life into the organization. “He’s trying to really expand VICA’s exposure to a lot more businesses in the Valley,” Adelman observed. “In that way, he’s been able to really move VICA way ahead of the position it’s been in the past.” Adelman said Huffman’s age doesn’t get in his way of being taken seriously. “Whatever Brendan may lack in age, he makes up for in the ideas he puts forth,” he said. “He seems to be one really skilled at consensus building.” Mike Jordan Vice President ESP Computer Services Inc., Age 39 No one goes to college to become a circulation director of a newspaper or magazine. It’s a career that one learns on the job, as Mike Jordan found out in his 15 years on both the publishing and vendor sides When Jordan left Petersen Publishing in 1996 to take over as circulation director of the Los Angeles Business Journal and the then-new San Fernando Valley Business Journal he figured that he already knew 80 percent of what that new job entailed. “Young and eager and a quick learner I figured the other 20 percent wasn’t going to be hard to step in and figure out,” Jordan said. Jordan felt the same way when he left the business journals to take a position with ESP Computer Services, Inc., a North Hollywood subscription fulfillment business. ESP stores subscriber data bases for its clients and handles 100 different publications, including the Los Angeles Business Journal and San Fernando Valley Business Journal. Jordan started as director of operations for ESP in 2003 and last year was named vice president and co-owner. He manages a 40-employee department for the firm. If Jordan were to be described in a few words it would be an absolute star, said Matt Toledo, publisher of the Los Angeles Business Journal. “It does not surprise me that he went on to be a vice president and co-owner at ESP,” Toledo said. Jordan has been active with the Western Fulfillment Management Association for nine years and is a past president of the organization. His involvement led to speaking roles at circulation events and conferences. With large publishing organizations such as Petersen becoming fewer on the West Coast, Jordan sees the role of the WFMA as one of providing education and training for the circulation industry. “For the people who get involved with it and realize that they love it they need a place to go where they can learn from people who have done it before,” Jordan said. “It’s my way of giving back.” Michael G. Kaplan Partner Miller, Kaplan, Arase & Co. LLP Age 36 Have you heard the one about the guy who walks into his accountant’s office with a shoebox full of receipts? Most accountants grin and fix it. Michael Kaplan made it his life’s work. During a three-year stint doing audit, tax and consulting work at Ernst & Young’s entertainment division, 36-year-old Kaplan got a taste for helping entertainment types organize their finances. He looked around for another firm where he could focus on business management services, and he got several offers. But he ultimately chose Miller, Kaplan, Arase & Co. LLP for the opportunity to create a business management practice at the firm. “At Ernst & Young I was able to do both audit and tax consulting for big film and TV companies as well as work directly with talent,” Kaplan said. “I really enjoyed it, and I wanted to help these people who are so focused on their creative side that they don’t always focus on their financial side.” Since he joined Miller, Kaplan in 1996, the firm’s practice has grown six-fold with a handful of employees now devoted to business management. The Kaplan in the firm’s name is actually Michael Kaplan’s dad, but when it came to joining the business, it was the younger Kaplan’s expertise, not his connections that sealed the deal. “He was able to develop his own personal relationships and was able to bring something to the table,” said Raul Castillo, executive director of the Patrons Association of Los Angeles Valley College who has worked with Kaplan on a number of charitable endeavors. “It’s a relationship building thing and Michael is just one of those guys. He’s funny, but he’s also pretty dynamic. He’s a guy that can lure you in a really interesting conversation, and I think that quality translates to the relationships he builds with his clientele.” Kaplan, who made partner at the age of 32, has become something of an expert in his field, and regularly accepts speaking engagements on the topic of investments and taxes from CPA and entertainment related groups like the Director’s Guild. “When you work with the companies themselves and understand the ins and outs, it gives you a better idea of the big picture,” Kaplan said. “It’s not like I’m just managing their money. When they get involved in partnerships and joint ventures, I know the ins and outs and I can look at it from a business perspective.” His ultimate goal, Kaplan said, is to help people to live the life they really wish to live, something that carries over into his charitable endeavors also. Kaplan sits on the board of directors at Adat Ari El Temple, working on projects like the group’s endowment fund and charity golf tournament and he is involved in fundraising for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Shelly Garcia Leslie Kaz President and Chief Operating Officer Syndicated Insurance Agency Leslie Kaz was an account manager at GNW-Evergreen Insurance in Encino a few years ago when he and a co-worker decided they wanted to start their own agency. “At that time, we wanted more out of it,” he said. “We made the decision to open our own.” So, with a nest egg set aside, Kaz in May 2004 co-founded Syndicated Insurance Services in Tarzana. While it was a gamble, Kaz from the beginning had a simple business plan of cultivating long-term relationships to build a client list. The formula has netted big results: the company has grown 110 percent from 2004 to 2005. Kaz thinks he knows why. “It’s because of us,” he said. “Insurance is still a relationship-based business. And you have to build that relationship. It’s about developing trust. Such trust helped convince Pam Branner, president and CEO of the Northridge telecommunications provider HB Distributors, to change her company’s 20-year insurance broker to Syndicated. She said it was clear Kaz could deliver a better service. “It’s not something I do often,” she said, “but I was very impressed with their professionalism.” Branner expects Kaz to keep up the good work. “I find him to be a very forward-thinking young man,” she said. “He has vision and clarity and has made an amazing start.” Kaz, who is also secretary of the boards of directors for the San Fernando Valley Jaycees and North Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, said he plans to keep expanding through acquisitions and new clients. “What happens next is we grow bigger,” he said. “If it’s not broke don’t fix it.” Chris Coates Alan D. Lewis II Partner Xnergy LLC At 24, Alan D. Lewis II found himself in the late-1990s the CEO of a successful dot.com start-up, making good money in a growing industry. “That was pretty good,” he said, “until the dot.com bubble burst and I lost everything.” Lewis ended up “swallowing my pride” and moved back with his parents in Santa Clarita, recovered from the losses and started a new company, DotCom Ventures, which he sold in 2000 for a profit. What should have been a traumatic experience, Lewis said, instead turned out to be an education in how to rebound from setbacks. “You see the opportunity and go after it,” he said. The humbling experience helped him gain the skills to create a string of successful businesses. His latest company, the Stonecutter Group, a management and finance-consulting firm based in Santa Clarita, last year was sold to Xnergy, a Century City-based investment-banking firm. Today, Lewis, 31, is in charge of operations and corporate finance and is credited with doubling the firm’s business last year. “Alan is a big picture thinker who is able to identify and assess multiple opportunities, synergize them and create value,” said Nia Stefany, the firm’s managing partner. But Lewis’ most significant accomplishments may be in the nonprofit sector. He is active with dozens of boards, community groups and business organizations, from the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce to the Mid-Valley YMCA. In 2004, he co-founded Student Enterprise Partners, a nonprofit for aspiring young businesspeople, and helped create the San Fernando Valley chapter of the Jaycees in 2006, serving as its founding president. Todd Masters President and Founder MastersFX Inc. Age 39 To make a career in special effects in Hollywood, Todd Masters showed a lot of persistence. Starting as a youngster in Seattle where he made his own short films with animated models and doing similar work after moving to Los Angeles, the persistence to excel in effects for movies and television led Masters to form his own company in 1987. MastersFX, with locations in Arleta and Vancouver, British Columbia, has done the effects for “Snakes on a Plane,” “Touristas,” “White Chicks,” and “One Hour Photo.” “We really try to mix mediums, evolve with technology and try to be leaders of a very weird part of the industry rather than the people who follow,” Masters said. The work done by Masters and his staff is not much different from what he had done as a child except with bigger tools. The company has found success in being diverse in how it approaches making its effects. After all, Masters said, they are called special effects and meant to be unique and make people go, Wow. “It requires us to invent new stuff every time we go out,” Masters said. “We have a very interesting staff that loves what they do.” The Arleta location employs 15 people while 6 staff members work in Vancouver. Numbering among the influences on Masters’ work and career are effects heavyweights Ray Harryhausen, Rick Baker, and Rob Bottin. Even with the wide-spread use of computers to create effects, Masters said his firm has a practical side in creating effects that can be brought to a set for the filmmaker to know what they are dealing with. Mark R. Madler Steve Mehta Mediation Attorney Mediation Offices of Steven Mehta Steve Mehta worked for several years as a trial attorney and litigator, but these days he no longer takes sides. Since starting his own mediation firm in 2002, Mehta has actively promoted mediation as an alternative to traditional court proceedings. His experience in litigation has led him to see mediation as a more effective tool for addressing emotionally charged cases. He mediates in a variety of cases, that include personal injury, elder abuse, medical malpractice, and employment law. In 2004, his work won him the Lawyer of the Year award given by the State Bar of California for a Solo and Small Firm. While the objective of traditional court proceeding is to determine a guilty party, Mehta finds that most disputes that come to court really require a mediator who could reach across emotional impasses. “People just want a resolution, but they don’t always know how to get there,” he said. What Mehta finds useful about the mediation process is that it leaves the decision of responsibility up to the disputants themselves, rather than on 12 strangers and one judge, Mehta said. “It helps if you let people understand that their view is not the only one out there,” he said. In recent years he has been a constant in shaping the growth of mediation, frequently lecturing on the subject at state bar conventions and writing articles about mediation techniques. “He’s got a reputation for being positive and creative, and as a up and coming mediator in Southern California he has had a great deal of success in a short amount of time,” said fellow mediator Gig Kyriacou. Geoff Mills CEO Age 31 Geoff Mills lives his life the way many people dream of living it. At 10 years old, Mills started a landscaping business around town, with 19 people under him. He later also started a custom car stereo company, and at 17 he got his real estate license. “I’ve basically never worked for anyone. I have always worked for myself,” said Mills. In his first year as a real estate agent, Mills was so successful that he was asked to give speeches at seminars to packed crowds. By the age of 19 he had earned $118,000 in real estate commissions. The same style that gave him his early edge is very much in evidence today, those who work with Mills say. “They’re friendly with other investors, and basically they create an atmosphere that makes it very comfortable to work with them,” said Farzad Khalili, CEO of California Plaza Buildings. “And they’re honest.” With partner Brett Howard, Mills has built Howard & Mills into a national commercial real estate investment and development company, closing more than $6 billion in deals since the firm’s inception in 1999. Howard & Mills guides its investor groups in the areas of development, acquisition and disposition, leasing and other transactions. The duo is now talking of adding a property management department to their company, as well as taking their niche position in the shopping center market to the next level. “We’re handling malls in the $20-$60 million range at the moment,” he said. “We are looking to get into the higher range and compete with all the REITs.” When Mills was eight, his father had already retired after investing in real estate. But now that he is near his father’s age at retirement, Mills does not see retirement around the corner, at least not yet. Asked if he had any influences in his life, Mills responds that he didn’t see any need for them. “I went out and did what I’m going to do,” said Mills. Mills and his wife Kristin are relatively new parents with 2-year-old Parker Jameson and 2-month old Tanner Jonathan. They live in Calabasas. -Elizabeth Hsing-Huei Chou Bruce Munster Vice President UBS Financial Services Private Wealth Advisor Bruce Munster’s intensely entrepreneurial and idea-driven spirit could be seen in his early jobs. He got his first job mowing lawns at 13, following it up with jobs at a nursury, a manufacturing factory, an auto mechanic shop, and a construction site. In 1995, he made websites for local businesses, and even sold gift baskets made by his wife in order to support both his family and his education at Cornell University. By 22, Munster was already managing a 50 person insurance agency. Finally, Munster was recruited to Paine Webber, which was later bought and renamed as UBS Financial Services. His career as an investment broker officially began in 2000, right before the sobering dot-com crash. “We’re very conservative. We use various hedge funds and structured products to manage risk in our client portfolios,” said Munster. Munster takes care to understand what his clients want, while in turn communicating clearly with the client. “People hire us because we have a process that very clearly let’s them understand what we do.” Munster said. He added that he feels fortunate to have “some of the smartest and most successful business people” he’s ever met trust him and his team with their money. “We haven’t let them down since,” he said. Munster is part of a three person team at UBS that includes John Orcutt and Mark Fasano. He is particularly proud of his team’s efforts. They lead the firm in alternative investment structured products in the United States. The team advises on $1.25 billion, with $900 million held at UBS. “Bruce and his team are growing at a rate that is one of the highest in the Western Division,” said David Fahey, Director and Branch Manager of UBS. All in all, Munster has achieved major feats in his six short years at UBS. He ranks 144th out of the 8,000 financial advisors in the firm, and has achieved the exclusive Chairman’s Club at an especially early stage of his career. He has been invited to appear on UBS online training modules that introduce structured derivative products. Elizabeth Hsing-Huei Chou Marnie Nemcoff Vice President of Marketing Matadors Community Credit Union Marnie Nemcoff was 24 when she was hired as a corporate communications officer for Coast Federal Bank. It was a challenging job; made worse by the fact her age hurt her credibility. “People didn’t take me seriously,” Nemcoff recalled. But Nemcoff stayed at it and over time won her superiors and co-workers over. “It was through my work and my work ethic and my personality,” she said. These days, Nemcoff, now 36, still impresses her co-workers, this time as the one-woman marketing department for Matadors Community Credit Union, which has branches in Chatsworth and Northridge. She came on board in 2003 as vice president of marketing, but she’s really in charge of everything from media planning and public relations to graphic designer and product developer. Among her achievements so far is creating the Kids Club Savings and a senior benefits programs, winning three National Marketing Awards along the way, and an auto loan promotion credited with bringing in more than $2 million in new loans. Nemcoff, who has a two-year-old son and lives in Chatsworth, is also an ambassador for the North Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce and serves on the advisory board for California JumpStart, a children’s literacy group. Bob Stoneham, who serves on the board of directors for Matadors, said Nemcoff’s attention to detail has been an important trait in her building attention for the credit union. “She’s a very careful listener,” he said. “She’s instrumental in getting the message out there in the community.” Chris Coates Christian Payne President Kellogg & Andelson Accountancy Corp. Before he even hit 30, Christian Payne had raised millions for startups during the dot-com bubble, formed his own company and engineered a merger of that firm with Kellogg & Andelson Accountancy Corp. Each juncture was not so much a career ladder as it was the prospect of a new opportunity. “What I’m really fascinated by is taking a very traditional business that is fairly complex and figuring out how to change it in a way that it becomes very simple and scalable and turns into something new and novel,” he said. Payne joined K & A; in 2003 for that very reason. The accounting industry was undergoing rapid change as a result of Sarbanes-Oxley legislation and, while he concedes that he didn’t know exactly what the future would bring at the time, he felt certain that the changes would bring new business prospects. “Taking a lesson from the investment banking playbook, if you have a large, established industry that goes through a sudden, violent regulatory change, there’s going to be a ton of opportunity,” Payne said. That opportunity turned out to be the establishment of an outsourcing accounting service, among the first of its kind for smaller accounting firms. Kellogg & Andelson’s sister company in Pune, India, has grown from a tiny operation of about five workers to 60 employees and now handles the simpler accounting tasks for most of about 1,000 of the firm’s clients. “I got the thing started, but then I’m usually the guy who takes off for another project, and he took it and made it into something,” said Jim Walters, chairman of K & A.; “He’s pretty quick on his feet. And once it’s done, he doesn’t leave it alone. He stays on it, and manages it very tightly.” Much of the infrastructure for K & A;’s outsourcing came from Payne’s experience at Catalyst Business Systems, which he launched after starting his career as an investment banker. “I kept noticing that every time we would raise money for a company, the first thing they would do is spend money on consultants,” Payne recalled. “The proverbial entrepreneurial light bulb went off.” Catalyst was formed to provide a variety of domestically outsourced back-end services from human resources to information technology management to companies that were too busy managing The Street and their product development to deal with the day to day issues of running a business. Neither he nor Walters have ever paid much attention to Payne’s young age. Walters says he made partner at 28, and had no compunction about entrusting the project to Payne as a result. Kevin Rex Partner Lewitt, Hackman, Shapiro, Marshall & Harlan Kevin Rex wasn’t even out of Loyola Law School before he landed his first job as a clerk with the Encino law firm Lewitt, Hackman, Shapiro, Marshall & Harlan. “By the end of that summer, they offered me a job,” Rex said. Soon, the Encino native was practicing business law and by 2002 was named a partner a record for the firm. “Everything sort of moved very quickly. It was fate,” he said. Rex, 35, credits that quick ascension to the 30-year-old firm’s friendly environment a rarity in what is often seen as a cutthroat industry. “It’s been one of those things where they’ve always seen the talent. I think that’s why I became a partner as soon as I did,” he said. “I clicked with everybody. This is my family.” Sue Bendavid-Arbiv, another partner at the firm, was one of those that saw talent in Rex early on. “He has all the elements of what it takes to be a good lawyer: he’s smart; he does good work; he knows how to market; he knows how to network; he knows how to be on a team,” she said. “I think he’s going to continue growing and being the great lawyer.” Rex, who is focusing mainly on general corporate and business law, is also active with the San Fernando Valley Bar Association and Van Nuys Self Help Legal Access Center. At the firm, Rex is working to make sure new clients keep rolling in. “My goal is to continue to grow the business,” he said. “I’d like to be bigger and better than we are but still have that family.” Keith Russ Director Ernst & Young Age 39 Keith Russ is known for his perfect plays. “Timing is everything,” he said. “It has to be the right person, at the right time, and at the right place.” Russ is not a star football player though he was once offered a scholarship so much as he is one of Ernst & Young’s most highly regarded leaders. One of Russ’ first projects when he was recruited 10 years ago as a client service coordinator, was to win over a major Woodland Hills-based health care company. This company has since become one of Ernst & Young’s major global accounts, and Russ has continued to expand the firm’s presence in the health sciences market by 12 percent to 18 percent per year. At 33, Russ, who is a non-CPA employee, was promoted to director, which is equivalent to being made a partner of the firm. His success is credited to his highly organized and conscientious approach to his job. “Say what you’re going to do, and do what you say,” said Russ. As a result Russ has commanded an unusual amount of respect and trust from his colleagues and superiors. “Keith does things only one way. He does things right,” said Doug Obenshain, a partner at Ernst & Young partner. Not only does he play well on the field, his staff leadership is considered a model of the firm’s business ideals, said Obenshain. Russ draws his leadership techniques from his experiences as captain of his high school football team, which from what he displays at the firm could be considered the very definition of team-oriented. “Keith is a strong supporter of Ernst & Young’s people initiatives, promoting flexible schedules, diversity and inclusiveness,” said Obenshain. Born and raised in Aurora, Illinois, Russ turned down a football scholarship to go to a college closer to home. For someone who is so good at doing his job, he continues to be strongly rooted in his family even today. He and his wife, Laura, have three children, Ryan, 14, Austin, 10, and Lauren, 6. “They contribute to my success. They understand the long hours, and what it takes,” said Russ. In his free time, Russ manages to also coach two youth teams, the Santa Clarita Hoosiers and the Southern California Sidewinders. And in typical fashion, he has led both teams to notable victories the Hoosiers to a 2004 ARC Winter League victory, and the Sidewinders to a bid for the 2006 Triple Crown World Series in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Tony Safoian President and CEO SADA Systems If the parents of Tony Safoian had their way their son would have been a doctor. Instead, the 27-year-old heads up a growing information technology consulting and development company SADA Systems based in North Hollywood, is active in charity work, and the current president of the Universal City/North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. “I think they are okay with my decision now,” Safoian said of his getting into the technology field. Safoian founded SADA Systems in 2000 as a companion business to one operated by his mother who designed websites. The two companies merged in 2003 and Safoian’s mother handles human resources and finances for SADA. Safoian left a job with an online discount ticket broker to start SADA Systems. When making the switch, other job offers appeared that would have paid more than what he earned at his start-up. “There were sacrifices but I liked being in control of my destiny,” Safoian said. “I wanted to do something different. I wanted to change how technology and services operate.” The one thing that Safoian said he lacked as he got SADA off the ground was a mentor, an experienced business person to give guidance and advice. Instead, Safoian learned from his own mistakes, testing out ideas that didn’t always work. One idea that did take off was offering managed IT services for a flat fee. “Just now it is catching on among other IT solutions providers,” Safoian said. “This flat fee recurring revenue model has been the financial base of this company.” Safoian also uses the firm’s expertise to help others. In September, SADA Systems donated computers, printers and other equipment to be sent to schools in areas of Louisiana damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The company also contributed free web development projects for the USC/Los Angeles County Violence Intervention Program and the Painted Turtle Project. Gloria Victor Gold, the vice president of the UCNH Chamber, said she was blown away by someone who was so young but still generous of his time and services of his company. Safoian doesn’t just talk about helping the community but shows it by taking action, Gold said. “He joined the chamber and immediately volunteered for everything and updated our communications systems and build a website that really works for the members,” Gold said. “With every opportunity he’s had if he saw a need he jumped in to fill it.” Raffi Sarkissian Senior Vice President Bank of America Age 31 Bank of America’s top loan underwriter Raffi Sarkissian is focused. As the son of small business owners, he stays true to his roots by serving the $30 million and under commercial real estate loan borrowers. “I love making people’s dreams real,” said Sarkissian, “No one’s going to appreciate what you do more than the person with the business down the street.” What began as a summer job as a teller in 1993 has led to a career for Sarkissian. At 27, he became the bank’s youngest Senior Vice President, and he has been ranked number one nationally in credit production for Bank of America for the past five years. His name has come to strike fear into his competitors, while commercial brokers all across the San Fernando Valley seek out Sarkissian for his creativity, credibility, and knowledge. Scott Caswell, Senior Vice President at Delphi Business Properties, credits Sarkissian’s success to his ability to give his customers the knowledge and confidence to leverage for a loan. “He pulls off some incredible loans with my clients,” said Caswell. “Raffi makes the process of securing a loan much easier and clearer than do other parties.” Sarkissian said that he is able to pull off loans for his clients because he enjoys the creative aspect of structuring his loans to suit his clients. Also known for his long work hours, Sarkissian’s colleagues are hoping that he would take more time out for vacations after getting married in 2005. Sarkissian is also actively involved in creating a community for commercial brokers, and he is known for bringing people together at the social events that he throws. He also recently set up informational seminars for commercial brokers around town. “I did this to help brokers out, teach them about tax analysis, and to help them earn credibility,” Sarkissian said. Born in Beirut, Lebanon and raised in Greece, Sarkissian came to the United States in 1987. The English accent that he picked up in British schools has since worn off, and what remains is often mistaken for a vaguely East Coast accent. Elizabeth Hsing-Huei Chou Chris Schauble Anchor/Reporter KNBC-TV Age 36 While attending college in Colorado, Chris Schauble majored in political science until a professor suggested that he pursue broadcast journalism instead. That suggestion led Schauble to KNBC-TV in Burbank where he has anchored the early morning “Today in L.A.” newscasts. It is a fitting place for Schauble who admits to always having a passion for news. “When I am not involved in it, I am watching it,” Schauble said. “If you’re passionate about your profession that can go a long way.” Since graduating from college in 1991, Schauble’s career path took him to television stations in increasingly larger markets until landing at KNBC in 2001 in the nation’s second largest television market. Los Angeles can be a tough city to cover news in because there are so many outlets and so many street reporters and anchors who have worked in the city for so long. The other news people tend to keep the newcomers at arm’s length until they have proven themselves, Schauble said. “You prove you belong by breaking big news,” he added. In 2004, Schauble won a local Emmy Award for Best Serious News Report, and was part of an NBC-4 team to win three Radio and Television News Association Golden Mike Awards. Outside the newsroom, Schauble is involved with Rowell Foster Children Positive Plan, an organization providing support and encouragement for foster children through the performing arts and athletics. What impresses him about Schauble is that he’s very busy yet still takes time for other people, said long-time friend Robert Idavia. “To find someone of his caliber who is noteworthy and in this town a celebrity and it doesn’t go to his head, that’s very cool,” Idavia said. Mark R. Madler Ken Striplin Assistant City Manager City of Santa Clarita Age 33 Ken Striplin turned what would have been a one-semester internship with the city of Santa Clarita into an 11-year career. He started with the city as a graduate student at California State University Northridge looking for a learning opportunity. Today, he’s assistant city manager and personnel officer, second in line to running the daily operations of the city. Aside from dealing with human resources, budgets and intergovernmental issues, Striplin also helped the city become a new state enterprise zone, along with implementing key measures to attract more businesses to the area. He’s one of the reasons Santa Clarita has become one of the most business friendly cities in the region, said Santa Clarita City Manager Kenneth R. Pulskamp. “He understands what is good for the business community is good for the city,” he said. Striplin, who also holds a doctorate in organizational leadership from Pepperdine University, credits his success to good mentors and diligence on his part. “I’ve gotten some good opportunities,” he said. “Every opportunity I’ve maximized and worked hard.” Striplin said age hasn’t been an issue with co-workers because many watched him grow up and move up the city ladder. “Because I’ve been here for the past 11 years, I’ve had the opportunity to create some relationships,” said Striplin, who is also active with the Santa Clarita Valley YMCA and Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Children’s Cancer. Pulskamp said that attitude makes Striplin poised for even more accomplishments. “I think our future is in very capable hands with young people like Ken Striplin on the rise,” he said. “He personifies all that’s good with the up-and-coming generation.” Chris Coates Dena Taylor National Sales Manager Bobrick Dena Taylor is one of those great American success stories. Taylor, who grew up in Watts, started out at 17 as a mail clerk for Bobrick, a manufacturing company for washroom accessories. She now finds herself, 22 years later, as the national sales manager for accounts that generate over $100 million in sales. Her current position puts her along with other executives ranked just below the company president. Since transferring to the sales department 12 years ago, Taylor has helped double the size of the company. This is a company that according to the Vice President of Sales Chet Webb’s estimation makes up 40 percent of the commercial washroom equipment used in commercial and office buildings in the U.S. For her first eight years working at the company, Taylor did well at the company as a mail clerk, and then as a member of the customer service team. But it wasn’t until she asked to be transferred to sales that she really got noticed. Webb, who had just joined the company, was cooking up some new sales ideas, but there didn’t seem to be anyone qualified enough to implement them. He admits to being skeptical when Taylor first walked into his office requesting to join his department. As it turned out, Taylor broke the company’s sales records in her first two years of working in sales. “Dena is a very dynamic person. Not only is she open and quick to learn, she took what I taught her and added new stuff to it,” said Webb. As a woman, Taylor faced some challenges in the male dominated field of sales. She also did not possess a college degree when she first started in sales. As a result, she had to work extra hard to prove that she belongs in the field. “I certainly had to earn credibility and respect,” she said. At the same time, Taylor sees her colleagues at Bobrick as her second family. While studying to get her college degree from Woodbury University, from which she later graduated Magna Cum Laude, Taylor felt completely comfortable going to her boss to ask for advice on a paper she was writing. While Taylor is considering getting an MBA, she admits that she is completely happy in her current position. “I define success as spending everyday doing everything that I love to do. Everyday here is so much fun,” she said. Currently, Taylor travels around North America 12-15 days out of the month. She has been married for 17 years, and during her successful rise through the company she also managed to find time to have two kids, now ages 13 and 6. Additionally she leads a local Girl Scout troop and actively participates in the PTA. Margita Thompson Vice President of Communications Health Net Inc. Age 39 Margita Thompson may be new to the Valley, but that doesn’t mean she’s not someone to watch. She took over this month as vice president of communications for the Woodland Hills managed health care provider Health Net Inc. after a four-year stint as press secretary for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is the latest in a string of high-profile positions that has included being: an aide to Pete Wilson, first in Washington, D.C., and later in Sacramento; a campaign leader for the Bush-Quayle and Bush-Cheney campaigns and L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan’s failed gubernatorial bid; a spokeswoman for Lynn Cheney, the vice president’s wife, and a number of tech groups, including the National Venture Capital Association; and a producer of “Larry King Live.” Thompson said her thick resume may be a factor of the “itinerant lifestyle” of someone in politics. “It’s not a permanent job,” she said. But Thompson also said she’s consistently tried to make those around her feel comfortable and confident in what she’s doing. “I try to make people feel positive about being associated with me,” she said. “Some much of life is about relationships.” David Olson, a spokesman for Health Net of California, said that outlook was one of the reasons the company hired her. “She’s just got a great combination of skills and attributes,” he said. “Plus, she’s an accomplished professional and very bright. We couldn’t be happier.” Dr. Juan Vargas Family Medicine Physician Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center Age 34 Dr. Juan Vargas has always wanted to give back to his community. As a family medicine physician for the past five years at Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center, Vargas, 35, spends a great deal of time and energy educating his largely Latino and Spanish-speaking patients about health issues such as obesity and diabetes. It can be overwhelming, Vargas said, but that doesn’t deter him from helping. “There’s so many different skills involved. It can be challenging. But I have a lot of support here,” he said. Vargas said he likes to see the results when he helps patients. “One of the reasons I like it here is we have an opportunity to do more family medicine,” he said. Vargas has also taken to the airwaves, talking about health issues in Spanish-language media including La Opinion and KMEX-TV. He also appeared on a national television broadcast produced by Univision that featured successful Spanish-speaking professionals encouraging young Latinos to consider a career in medicine. “It’s good for the community. It’s stuff that everyone will benefit from,” he said. Those that work with Vargas have taken notice. “Dr. Vargas has a special affinity for Spanish-speaking patients and has dedicated himself to the special needs of the Latino community,” said Dr. Virginia Ambrosini, area medical director for the Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center. “We continue to receive very positive feedback from his patients regarding the personal way he communicates with and cares for each of them.” As for the future, Vargas said he wants to continue delivering quality care while also working to keep people informed about their health, possibly in an academic setting. “I’ve always wanted to teach,” he said. “I don’t know full time, but its something I’m definitely interested in.” “Every now and then you get to reach people,” Vargas said later. “And that’s really fulfilling.” Chris Coates