Being an entrepreneur requires four dominant qualities, according to FivePoint Holdings LLC founder and Chairman Emeritus Emile Haddad, who delivered the keynote address at the 21st annual Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards ceremony on May 26.
Those qualities—vision, conviction, courage and perseverance—were on display at the Business Journal event, which honors area individuals who exemplify the American entrepreneurial spirit and contribute to Orange County’s business environment.
Nearly 300 people attended the ceremony at the Irvine Marriott. It was the second of six in-person Business Journal events scheduled for 2022.
5 Honorees
The events’ five honorees, selected from nearly 100 nominees, were:
• Stephen Thorne IV, founder and CEO of Irvine dental management services company Pacific Dental Services;
• Natalia Sephton, president and CEO of Orange-based aerospace manufacturer M&R Engineering;
• John Combs, founder and principal of Irvine-based property management firm RiverRock Real Estate Group;
• Dr. John Pham, founder of dental products maker InBrace; and
• Ramin Mousavi, CEO of Irvine medical technology firm CathWorks.
The EIE Award winners will be profiled in the June 6 print edition of the Business Journal.
Upcoming Events
The Business Journal’s next event is the Family-Owned Business Awards on June 2.
Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, president and CEO of ECOS, the Cypress-based maker of environmentally friendly cleaning products, is that event’s keynote speaker.
On Sept. 8, the Business Journal will host the Innovator of the Year Awards. The deadline to nominate individuals is June 29. Tony Smith, co-founder and CEO of Irvine-based software firm Restaurant365 is the keynote speaker.
