OC METRO Honors "Hot 25" Shaping Orange County

November 11, 2009 6:24 PM EST

Elected Officials, Musicians, Entrepreneurs, Top Executives and Outdoor Enthusiasts Celebrated at OC METRO's 20th Anniversary of The Hot 25 List

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- On Tuesday, November 10, 2009, OC METRO magazine honored and celebrated the Hot 25 people of 2009 shaping Orange County business, philanthropy, entertainment and the arts at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach. More than 350 guests gathered at the Island Hotel to celebrate OC METRO's 20th anniversary of the popular Hot 25 list.

OC METRO magazine, along with the Title Sponsor, Irvine BMW and VIP Sponsor, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, The Waltos Group, honored individuals who have raised the bar and are making a mark in Orange County. Some of the Hot 25 honored Tuesday night included: Henrik Fisker, the co-founder and CEO of Fisker Automotive; Sean Collins, President and Chief Forecaster, Surfline; Luke Allen, Producer of O.C. Music Awards and Owner of Gemini Studios; Sukhee Kang, Mayor of Irvine; Mike Gillespie, Head Coach of UCI baseball team; Hugh Hewitt, host of nationally syndicated "The Hugh Hewitt Show" and Sheryl Bourgeois, Executive VP of Advancement of Chapman University. All 2009 Hot 25 honorees:

    --  Tina Aldatz, President and Founder, Foot Petals
    --  Toby Bost, CEO and Chairman of the Board, La Jolla Group and O'Neill
        Clothing
    --  Kevin Boylan and T.K. Pillan, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, The Veggie Grill
    --  Glenn Gray, Chief Executive Officer, Sunwest Bank
    --  Wayne Gross, Litigation Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig
    --  Janet Hamada, Owner, ShopModerne.com
    --  Tallia Hart, President and CEO, Irvine Chamber of Commerce
    --  Dr. Jason Knight, Medical Director, CHOC Emergency Services Transport
        Team
    --  Amelia & Florent Marneau, Restaurateurs, Marche Moderne
    --  Tim McFerran, Vice President, Maloof Skateboarding
    --  Julie Miller-Phipps, Senior Vice President and Executive Director,
        Kaiser Permanente, Orange County
    --  Steve Nichols, Partner, Rutan & Tucker
    --  Anil Puri, Dean, Mihaylo College of Business and Economics, Cal State
        Fullerton
    --  Pretend City Children's Museum (entire leadership team that opened the
        museum)
    --  Michael Ruane, Executive Director, Children and Families Commission of
        Orange County
    --  Bill Sanderson, Senior Vice President of Finance, Golden State Foods
    --  Carl St. Clair, Music Director, Pacific Symphony
    --  Phil Willms, Founder and Owner, Wet Okole Hawaii Inc.

Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, The Waltos Group, has sponsored OC METRO's Hot 25 event for the past seven years and Bob Waltos, Waltos Group's Managing Partner presented OC METRO's Quiet Achiever award to Joe Ames who leads Orange County Business Council's Latino Educational Attainment initiative that works closely with Latino families and entire communities to teach parents how to navigate school systems, the importance of homework and ways to participate in their children's education.

"The Hot 25 is really about people who are making a difference in Orange County," said Waltos. "All of you here tonight are doing just this and your hard work is recognized and applauded," added Waltos.

Since 1990, OC METRO magazine, the flagship magazine of Churm Media, has highlighted and honored 25 individuals each year who are making headlines in one of the fastest-growing and most diverse counties in Southern California. The 2009 issue is titled "The Hot 25 Platinum" marking 20 years of the Hot 25 list.

More than 150 nominations are submitted each year for the Hot 25 list and an awards committee evaluates the submissions to narrow the list down to the top 25 having the biggest on Orange County business, education, philanthropy, the arts and more.

"The Hot 25 has become a tradition with a special issue of OC METRO magazine and an event that celebrates the strengths and diversity of Orange County as one of the premier and most dynamic marketplaces and communities in the country," said Steve Churm, publisher and owner of OC METRO. "This year celebrated our 20th anniversary of the list and we are already looking forward to 2010's list."

Additional sponsors of the 2009 OC METRO Hot 25 event include:

Gold: Verizon 4G Wireless and Kaiser Permanente

Silver: Rutan & Tucker LLP, Wahoo's Fish Taco, Archstone, University of California Irvine, California State University Fullerton, Time Warner Cable Business Class and the District at Tustin Legacy.

Bronze: Goodwill of Orange County, GoldenComm and Citizens Business Bank.

Event partners for the Hot 25 event include: the Island Hotel Newport Beach, 24 Carrots Catering and Events, Blue Angel Vodka, Spa Gregorie's, RipeOrange, Color Digit and Take One Productions. Stay tuned to OC METRO for more post coverage of the event.

OC METRO

Since 1990, OC METRO has been the primary source of business news and information in Orange County. With a readership of over 261,000 professionals and executives, OC METRO is highly respected by vast audiences for its in-depth reporting and stylish writing. Every month, at more than 1,100 locations throughout Orange County, OC METRO delivers the news active Orange County business people need to be successful and kept up to date. www.ocmetro.com

    Source: OC METRO

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