The San Diego Business Journal’s CEO of the Year Awards brought San Diego’s business leaders to the Hyatt Regency at Aventine on June 27 to celebrate excellence in leadership.
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The evening event honored 16 CEOs in all.
Full coverage is in the special section at the center of this issue.
Awards were presented to leaders of publicly traded and privately held companies. There were separate award categories for large, medium and small companies. Nonprofits as well as business nonprofits were honored.
Debra Rosen, the recently retired CEO of the North San Diego Business Chamber, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Rosen continues her work with the chamber as a member of its advisory board.
The Rising Star Award was presented to Elizabeth Fitzsimons, CEO of Episcopal Community Services.
Dave Brooke from MyPoint Credit Union won in the Business Nonprofit category, as did Rick Wilson of the San Diego Regional East County Chamber of Commerce.
Paul Baribault of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Carol M. Dedrich of Girl Scouts San Diego and Tad Seth Parzen of the Burnham Center for Community Advancement took awards in the Nonprofit Organization category.
Winners in the Small Company category were Juliet Correnti of Radeus Labs Inc., Jill Collins of Audacity Health and Peter Sibley of EdGate.
There were four winners in the Medium Company category: Eric Dube of Travere Therapeutics, Starr Edwards of Bitchin’ Sauce LLC; Gabriel Perez Krieb of Chosen Foods LLC and Julie Lowen of Children’s Paradise Preschool & Infant Centers.
Rounding out the honorees were winners from large companies: Douglas Bryant from QuidelOrtho and Neil Hattangadi of Cortica.
Some 135 companies nominated their chief executives for recognition.
Sponsorships Make Program Happen
PNC Bank was the Presenting Sponsor for the CEO of the Year Awards. City National Bank, an RBC company, was the Diamond Sponsor.
The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank returned as Charity Event Partner. The Trophy Sponsor was San Marcos Trophy & Engraving.
Judges for the event were Donna DeBerry, president and CEO of the County of San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce; Jessica N. Grounds, chief executive officer of Corporate Directors Forum; Lois Kohut, vice president and bank manager for City National Bank; Jason Paguio, president and CEO of the Asian Business Association of San Diego; Alan Prohaska, regional president and head of corporate banking for greater San Diego, PNC Bank, and Garry Ridge, chairman emeritus of WD-40 Company, and winner of the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Being a CEO is truly a calling because you are involved with your head, heart and hands,” said one of this year’s judges, Alan Prohaska, regional president and head of corporate banking for greater San Diego at PNC Bank. “The CEOs on this year’s list are impressive: they have created new opportunities, faced numerous challenges and thrived. They are inspiring leaders who are engaged with employees and investors and committed to the San Diego region.”
Several of those who came to the podium during the evening of June 27 event spoke of adapting business models to the unpredictable environment of COVID.
“This is a very talented group of nominees who have managed their companies through some of the most challenging economic dynamics of our time and have emerged stronger,” said program judge Lois Kohut, vice president and manager of City National Bank’s Downtown San Diego office. “City National couldn’t be more proud to be one of the premier sponsors of this year’s CEO Awards.”
Kimberly Layton, chief advancement and communications officer for the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, presented several of the winners, highlighting their innovation, connection to the wider community and the way they inspire their nonprofit’s various stakeholders.
In his remarks to the audience, winner Perez Krieb of Chosen Foods said he found it remarkable that two food companies were being honored in a city with such an emphasis on biotechnology. San Diego is a hub for natural food, the CEO said, making reference to Chosen Foods’ product, avocado oil.
Several used their time at the podium to advocate for community needs.
Kimberly Layton noted that the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank provides food for more than 500 nonprofit organizations. In addition, the food bank participates in 200 direct distributions per month. Many clients have jobs and homes but are unable to afford San Diego’s high cost of living, she said. The food bank also sees elderly people living on fixed incomes as well as members of the military.
“We are a very easy nonprofit to support, and I wouldn’t be a good chief advancement officer if I didn’t say that,” she added.
Carol Dedrich of Girl Scouts San Diego spoke of a recent Centers for Disease Control report that said three out of five girls were experiencing persistent sadness and hopelessness, and one in five girls were on the verge of committing suicide, or wanting to attempt suicide. “Startling statistics that are coming at us,” she said.
“What we do in Girl Scouts is we build around our young girls and young women a safety net, a safety net of encouragement, of mentoring and support.” This, she said, allows program participants to build courage, confidence and character. Individual volunteers support this effort, as does the business community.
Dedrich, like many others who accepted their trophies that evening, said their award belongs to all in their organization. View the awards ceremony here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwzDZ8c5-wg
Click Link Below To Read About Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Debra Rosen:
Debra Rosen Revitalized North San Diego Business Chamber
Click Link Below To Read About Rising Star Award Winner Elizabeth Fitzsimons:
Episcopal Community Services Meets Clients ‘Where They Are’
Click Link Below To Read About Business Nonprofits Award Winner David Brooke:
MyPoint Credit Union CEO Reaches Out to Diverse Communities
Click Link Below To Read About Business Nonprofits Winner Rick Wilson:
CEO Strengthens Chamber is San Diego’s East County
Click Link Below To Read About Nonprofits Winner Paul Baribault:
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Leader Has a Broad Mission
Click Link Below To Read About Nonprofits Winner Carol Dedrich:
CEO of Girl Scouts San Diego Enhances Programs
Click Link Below To Read About Nonprofits Winner Tad Seth Parzen:
Parzen Leads Successful Burnham Center Rollout
Click Link Below To Read About Small Company Winner Juliet Correnti:
Radeus Labs CEO Succeeds by Not Fearing Failure
Click Link Below To Read About Small Company Winner Jill Collins:
Collins Leads Brand Strategies in Health and Sciences
Click Link Below To Read About Small Company Winner Peter Sibley:
EdGate CEO Takes Lifelong Learning on a Journey
Click Link Below To Read About Medium Company Winner Eric Dube:
CEO Dedicated to Fighting Rare Diseases
Click Link Below To Read About Medium Company Winner Starr Edwards:
From Farmers Markets to International Markets
Click Link Below To Read About Medium Company Winner Julie Lowen:
Julie Lowen Has a Comprehensive Vision for Childcare
Click Link Below To Read About Medium Company Winner Gabriel Perez Krieb:
Matching Business Growth and Food Sustainability
Click Link Below To Read About Large Company Winner Douglas Bryant:
QuidelOrtho CEO Excels at Overcoming Challenges
Click Link Below To Read About Large Company Winner Neil Hattangadi:
Cortica CEO Expands Clinics Across 7 States
