SFVBJ.com - The San Fernando Valley Business Journal presents SMALL BUSINESS ... · 2020. 7. 13. · 34 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL OCTOBER

The San Fernando Valley Business Journal presents

October 29, 2012 Advertising Supplement

SMALL BUSINESSLEADERSHIPAWARDS 2012

On October 17, the San Fernando Valley Business Journal hosted theSmall Business Leadership Awards at the Warner Center Marriott with 280 attendees.

29 45_sfvbj_small business_awards.qxp 10/24/2012 9:40 PM Page 29

30 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL OCTOBER 29, 2012

Publisher’s Letter

We’re proud to recognizeoutstanding achieve-ments by small business-es for their success,longevity, impact to the

communities they serve, innovation andleadership. As the backbone of commercethroughout the greater San FernandoValley region, they create amazing prod-ucts and provide outstanding services toconsumers and other businesses alike.

We designed this program to examinesmall businesses and pay tribute to theleaders running their organizations. Wereceived over 100 nominations and werethoroughly impressed with the successstories that were being told. The BusinessJournal had the daunting task of narrow-ing the list to just 35 Finalists to presentto our advisory committee.

At our Small Business LeadershipAwards luncheon, held on October 17th,we announced winners in seven awardcategories – Best Small Business with fewerthan 10 employees, Best Small Businesswith between 10 and 25 employees, BestSmall Business with more than 25employees, Most Impressive Fast-GrowingSmall Business, Small Business Leadership,

Small Business Leadership throughAdvocacy and our Small BusinessLongevity Award. Their impressive busi-ness success stories, along with our final-ists’ stories, are told within the pages ofthis special supplement to the SanFernando Valley Business Journal.

I want to thank the members of ouradvisory committee: James Hillman andSpencer Gould of BNY Mellon WealthManagement, Evelin Martinez of WellsFargo, David Rosso of Community Bank,Don St. Clair of Woodbury University, andKeith Todd Zimmet of Lewitt, Hackman,Shapiro, Marshall & Harlan.

Congratulations to each and every oneof our award nominees, finalists and hon-orees for their commitment to excellence,commitment to their employees and com-mitment to serving the San FernandoValley community.

Best regards,

Josh SchimmelsAssociate Publisher

ADVISORYCOMMITTEE

SPENCER GOULD

National Sales ManagerBNY Mellon WealthManagement

JAMES HILLMAN

Managing DirectorPortfolio Management -Southern CaliforniaBNY Mellon WealthManagement

EVELIN MARTINEZ

District ManagerWells Fargo

DAVID ROSSO

Senior Vice President Community Bank

DON ST. CLAIR

Vice President ofUniversity MarketingWoodbury University

KEITH TODD ZIMMET

Managing ShareholderLewitt, Hackman,Shapiro, Marshall &Harlan


OCTOBER 29, 2012 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL 31

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San Fernando Valley Business Journal’sSmall Business Leadership Awards Honorees

BEST SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (11 – 25 EMPLOYEES)

DAZADI.COM

FOUNDED by four basketball-loving brothers - Ari, Jason, Elan and Josh -in May of 2002, Dazadi.com began as a modest basketball hoop inter-net retailer. Born around the family dinner table and initially head-quartered in Ari’s small apartment, Dazadi.com now offers over 10,000products, an extremely high level of customer service, and some of the

finest home recreational goods brands in the world.Growing up, the boys loved playing basketball year-round and shared some

of their most memorable bonding experiences on the court. Quality familytime often meant an afternoon shooting hoops or taking in a game together.When Ari first conceived of selling hoops online, he envisioned a companythat would reflect this passion. Jason, then completing his last months as aMarine, found himself immediately thrilled by the idea and was the first tojoin Ari in his pursuit. They enlisted the help of talented youngest brotherJosh, then only a junior in high school, who designed and built the very firstwebsite, SuperDuperHoops.com.

Shortly after the launch of SuperDuperHoops.com, Elan left his position atNike to join the family business and expanded the company’s focus. With awidening selection, and the combined passion and expertise of its fourfounders, Dazadi.com took shape. The unique name (pronounced DAZZ-uh-dee) is a combination of the word “audacity,” meaning bold or daring and“tzadik,” the Hebrew word for a righteous person.

The Dazadi story continues to be about family. The company is still helmedby Jason, Elan and Josh. These days, Dazadi offers much more than just bas-ketball hoops and game tables. The growing company offers a selection ofproducts from bicycles to swimming pools, treadmills and jukeboxes. Thecompany’s goal, as it always has been, is to help make people’s yard, gameroom or family dinner table a place where great memories are shared.

BEST SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (26+ EMPLOYEES)

JUNKYARD CAFÉ

THE Junkyard Café concept was developed over several years and hasthrived thanks to the founders’ combined restaurant experience.Tony Falato grew up in the restaurant business and has been amulti-unit operator in the Pizza industry, and Evelyn Loker hadbeen a multi-unit operator in the family dining industry.

The duo realized early on that many restaurants struggle due to limitationsand that their new venture had to be something flexible and eclectic. In 2008,the Junkyard Café was born. The Junkyard name, along with the owners’ pas-sion for flexibility and fun has freed the restaurant to prepare whatever isfresh, and change as the market changes, so that customers can always getwhat they want. One thing that is constant is that all the food is hand madeto order, including the bread — all baked on the premises. The portions aregood and the prices are reasonable, and the customers are made to feel athome and as friends of the employees and owners.

In keeping with the theme of flexibility and variety, Junkyard’s menu servesup virtually any kind of food its customers want. Daily specials range fromBBQ, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Asian and Italian to good old-fashionedAmerican. The menu today is about 25 pages packed with favorites – and thatdoesn’t even include the robust breakfast menu.

Last year, Junkyard Café closed its beloved original site because it was sim-ply too small to accommodate the restaurant’s growing fan base. The newJunkyard seats 250 guests and has a full, beautiful bar and a banquet facilitythat changes names to suit the event (on Mondays, it’s the “Mancave!”). Thebanquet room also seats 250 guests and has 2 full bars. Exactly seven daysafter the new location opened, the restaurant saw over 1200 guests in one day!That says a great deal about the quality of the food and the inviting atmos-phere of the Junkyard!

Evelyn Loker and Tony Falato of Junkyard Café

Jason Boyce of Dazadi.com




BEST SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (5 – 10 EMPLOYEES)

THE BETTER WORLD GROUP

THIRTEEN years ago, Wendy James realized that California had all of theadvocacy groups and like-minded business, political and citizen stake-holders to pass and ultimately to defend progressive environmentallaws and policies, but no one was helping to organize and harness thepower of bringing disparate groups together who were often working

on small pieces of a much more ambitious clean energy economy agenda. As a result, better-organized opponents of clean air and climate laws were

winning the day even though the vast majority of Californians supported thesepolicies and agendas. Furthermore, few were helping to bridge the dividebetween environmental advocates and business leaders who often shared thesame goals but weren’t communicating with each other effectively. James recog-nized that larger firms did not offer services to help groups to collaborate andcooperate and saw the need to create The Better World Group, a small, tight-knitfirm to fill this void and overcome these roadblocks for groups to work together.

As someone who had run Southern California Edison’s Electric VehicleTransportation Program, the Natural Gas Industry’s environmental outreach atthe American Gas Association in Washington, D.C., as well as a nationalHollywood-based environmental non-profit, James had the right experience tohelp bring critical stakeholders to effectively work together for a commonagenda. Taking a page from effective business trade groups, James realized thatthrough The Better World Group, she and her staff could help lead and coordi-nate non-profit environmental, health and consumer groups along with busi-ness and political leaders to create coalitions that could be much more effec-tive advocates together rather than separately.

Now The Better World Group helps conduct the choir of California’s broad,diverse and sometimes nontraditional environmental advocates to effectivelygarner Southern California and statewide political support for common senseenvironmental policies that could save money, grow the green economy andhelp protect California’s unique and threatened natural resources.

Wendy James of The Better World Group

Chase Business Banking

congratulates all of the nominees of the

Small Business Leadership Awards

Hebah A. Tahoun Vice President | Relationship Manager

818-461-6936 17107 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA 91316

Special Congratulations to the following nominees:

Film Photo Solutions

Chef Robert Catering, Inc.

Woodworking by Degree




BEST FAST-GROWING SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

EQUIS STAFFING

EQUIS has been in the top 20% of Inc. magazine’s Inc 5000 list of thefastest-growing companies in America two years in a row. Indeed,Equis’ success streak is showing no signs of stopping, having beennamed among the top staffing firms five years running by the SanFernando Valley Business Journal and recently certified by the

Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and the Women’s Business EnterpriseNational Council as a Women-Owned Business.

Equis is operating at a cutting-edge pace in the region, providing its clientswith service above and beyond client expectation. Equis caters to its clients’and candidates’ unique needs and delivers the best results to all parties.Clients and employees alike boast that there really is an “Equis difference,”and that is due in large part to its founder Carrie Nebens and her finely tunedear for listening to what clients’ and candidates’ requirements and strengthstruly are. It is this combination of attributes that allows Equis to provide excel-lent, broad results without losing the ability to cater to a variety of clientneeds with accuracy and efficiency—true “boutique” appeal.

Equis initially specialized in finance and accounting, but Nebens saw agrowing need from the company’s current and potential client base, so Equisexpanded into the fast-paced world of technology staffing. Since then, Equishas achieved outstanding return on its investment in staff, technology andmarketing. This vision to keep ahead of economic demands has been an inte-gral part of Equis’ successful formula.

Equis consistently provides clients with top consultation and service value.Nebens and her team’s staffing prowess is sought after not only by clients suchas Amgen, Farmers Insurance, Tiger Text and Disney, but by local publicationsfor Nebens’ take on events in the staffing industry. She knows and under-stands the pulse of our local economy and is looked to by many as a strongand accurate source for business guidance, which helps to explain the rapidand steady growth the company has enjoyed.

LONGEVITY AWARD

MIKE’S ROOFING & BUILDING, INC.

MIKE’S Roofing & Building has been serving the roofing andbuilding needs of the San Fernando Valley and beyond since1972. A true fairy-tale story, Mike Quiroga’s humble begin-nings from a one-man company with annual revenues of$10,000 to his current standing as an established leader in the

roofing industry have been about hard work, strong principles, and communi-ty service.

Raised in Bolivia, Quiroga immigrated to the United States in his earlytwenties when the university he was attending was closed down due to politi-cal turmoil. Shortly thereafter, the 25-year-old married father of two smallchildren started Mike’s Roofing from his tiny Van Nuys apartment whilestudying for his contractor’s license.

This year, as Mike’s Roofing and Building celebrates its 40-year anniversary,the organization has revenues in excess of $1.5 million and employs a full-time staff of 14. Of those 14 employees, eight have been with the companymore than 10 years, and six of those can claim 22 years or more service. Ifemployee longevity says anything about company management – and surelyit does – then clearly Quiroga and his company hit the mark where staff rela-tions are concerned.

Quiroga had a few simple rules about how to run the business right fromthe start. Pay all your bills, treat people the way you would like to be treated,and always play it straight and honest. These tenets are Quiroga’s benchmarkstill, and he has found ways to expand that model beyond the business andinto the community where he lives and works.

The company was honored with the 2012 National Roofing ContractorGolden Circle Award for a community project carried out for Valley Village.The company’s work with the Boy Scouts of America Explorers Post 780 pro-gram, where they teach at-risk youth about the roofing and constructionindustry, is another example of a good local business giving back to the com-munity. Perhaps finding that blend of giving back and simply doing greatwork is the recipe for Longevity!

Carrie Nebens of Equis Staffing

Mike Quiroga of Mike’s Roofing & Building






SMALL BUSINESS LEADER AWARD

MIKE THE PRINTER, INC.

MIKE the Printer, Inc., a leading local print shop with a remark-ably knowledgeable staff, is known by its clients for its organi-zational integrity and excellent deliverables. Those that utilizeMike the Printer’s services know that jobs are always done ontime, on budget, and the quality is always superb.

Mike Domash, the owner and official “Mike” in Mike the Printer, Inc., grewup in the printing industry. His stepfather ran a print shop for many years inthe San Fernando Valley, and it was from him that Domash learned the do’sand don’ts of running a successful business. Eventually his stepfather’s busi-ness closed, but in 1983, at the young age of 20, Domash became a print bro-ker and began selling printing on his own. He did well as a broker, but wantedto be more hands-on, and deliver to clients higher quality products and serv-ice, so he decided to purchase a black and white copier/printer, so that hecould run one of his largest customer’s jobs on his own. Seeing the value inowning his own equipment, Domash started a digital printing shop in 2000and has been purchasing state of the art equipment and growing the businessever since.

Today, Mike the Printer, Inc. has an incredible leadership staff made up ofthree senior staff members who each have more than two decades experiencehoning their craft, and it is the result of that combined experience thatenables them to offer valuable insight into client projects, thereby giving thecustomer options and suggestions they may not have envisioned, or evenknown existed on their own. This leadership role provided by Domash and histeam has influenced the quality of the products and services they are able tooffer, which allows for a more diverse and broad range of clients as well as adistinct advisory and leadership role in the Valley business community. Mikethe Printer has become something of local community leader and printinginstitution!

Mike Domash of Mike the Printer



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The rash of recent Chapter 9 filings in California is forging atrend that is likely to impact many struggling cities.

Municipal bankruptcies have been rare in the past. Yet, a number of California cities and towns are currently under close watch, along with troubled special districts. For those insearch of guidance into the complex issues surrounding cities in distress, resources have been non-existent. Until now.

Broke-Cities.com is exclusively focused on municipal bankruptcy in California. And, the growing community of those impacted by troubled municipal economies and the complex state and federal laws and regulations that govern cities in distress.

For the latest updates and insightful commentary on municipal bankruptcy in California, turn to Broke-Cities.com.


SMALL BUSINESS LEADERSHIP THROUGH ADVOCACY AWARD

VALLEY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CENTER (VEDC)

VEDC has been operating for 36 years providing direct financial assis-tance, business services, entrepreneurial training and economicdevelopment in the San Fernando Valley. As the largest non-profitsmall business lender and Community Development FinancialInstitution (CDFI) in the metro Los Angeles area, VEDC serves more

than 7,000 small businesses annually with financing, training and direct businessassistance. VEDC has been instrumental in helping to create and retain 17,577new jobs and opening 1,611 new businesses.

Founded in 1976, VEDC originally began operation under the name Vitalize VanNuys to address the deterioration in the downtown Van Nuys Business District.During its first 10 years, VEDC forged long-term relationships in the community. In1989 the corporation changed their name to Valley Economic Development Centerto more accurately reflect the area served and their scope of activities.

VEDC strongly believes that a combination of technical assistance, access tocapital and partnerships with local workforce and business assistance agencies arecritical to entrepreneurial success. The success of small businesses and the cre-ation of jobs is the key ingredient in developing healthy and sustainable commu-nities.

The VEDC Business Services Division offers entrepreneurs the tools theyneed to succeed in business with the access to consulting and training to busi-ness owners and VEDC loan clients as part of an ongoing strategy not only tohelp people start a business but to assist them with capacity building and growthstrategies.

VEDC offers a core of business workshops and each year over 5,000 smallbusinesses access these services. The renowned Entrepreneur Training Program isan intensive 8-week business-training program for start-up and existing business-es. Alumni from this program have proven to have a higher success rate for busi-ness retention than the national average. VEDC has assisted more than 95,000businesses and graduated 2,907 individuals from the Entrepreneurial TrainingProgram. Well deserving of this year’s Leadership Advocacy Award, VEDC todayis something of a local business leader factory!

Roberto Barragan of VEDC



San Fernando Valley Business Journal’sSmall Business Leadership Awards Finalists

ASTEK WALLCOVERING INC.

Astek started in 1984 as a pure distribu-tion company servicing the ArchitecturalDesign Community. The NorthridgeEarthquake came and knocked the busi-ness on its back, but also prompted thecompany to bounce back with a new wayof doing its business. Astek got into abasic form of digital printing startingwith a small HP 60” and kept progressingas technology got better. Today the com-pany has 6 designers on staff with 6 largeformat printers offering the highest quali-ty print in commercial printing.

Astek works worldwide for featurefilms and television as well as for topdesign firms, producing goods for nation-al and worldwide retail stores. Astekworks with local universities with intern-ship programs from Art Center Pasadena,USC, AFI and Santa Monica Collegewhere the company provides job oppor-tunities to young local talent.

BLACKLINE SYSTEMS

BlackLine Systems, founded in 2001, isthe first and most experienced providerof enterprise software designed to auto-

mate and control the entire financialclose process. The first BlackLine modulewas developed when a client, FirstNational Bank of Nebraska, askedBlackLine for help managing its accountreconciliation process. Like many compa-nies, they were using spreadsheets tomanage thousands of reconciliationsevery month. In response, BlackLinedeveloped and marketed the first com-mercially available software designedspecifically for tracking and completingbalance sheet account reconciliations.

Headquartered in Los Angeles,BlackLine now boasts a staff based inmultiple U.S. locations and clientsaround the world. Many of the employ-ees have previously worked for BlackLineclients and joined BlackLine because theyhave a passion for the product and whatit can do for companies.

BUDDY’S ALL STARSSPORTING GOODS

Buddy’s All Stars, Inc. has been in busi-ness and growing since 1981. The pastthree decades have provided ups anddowns, but the specialty sporting goodscompany has continued to experience

positive growth since day one. Louis Tala-mantes co-founded the company withhis long time friend Buddy Gordon.

In 1990, Talamantes wanted to expandthe business into embellishing such assilk-screening and embroidery so hebought out Buddy’s interest in the busi-ness. He added a small silk-screeningdepartment and then a digitizer and acouple of embroidery machines. In theyears that followed, an additional 25 salesreps were hired and new locations wereopened in Lancaster and Phoenix. Plus,the company has expanded its produc-tion capacity to over five dozen embroi-dery machines and two dozen silk-screen-ing machines.

CAL NET TECHNOLOGY GROUP

Cal Net Technology Group was foundedin 1995 and has been providing small-to-midsize organizations in SouthernCalifornia with technology consultingand IT services ever since. When clientschoose Cal Net Technology Group, theydon’t simply hire a single IT professional;they gain an insourced IT department.Cal Net Technology Group deploysongoing IT services and technology proj-

ects to help companies communicateeffectively and protect their critical datawhile saving time and money. Its signa-ture services, TECManage andCoManage, give clients cost-effectiveoptions to manage all or part of their ITfunctions, with specialized resources attheir disposal, getting IT projects donequickly and efficiently.

In just the past four months, CalNet’s staff has grown 15% and the com-pany’s revenue has grown close to 40%,year to date.

CHEF ROBERT MOTION PICTURE& TELEVISION CATERING

Ray Bidenost, formerly a successful entre-preneur that had started a balloon com-pany, was ready for his next challengeand wanted to once again do thingsright. He has since been the guiding forcein founding Chef Robert Catering, Inc.His business acumen, strength of will anddirection prompted he and his partner,Chef Robert, to take the plunge and formChef Roberts Catering, Inc.

Since then, CRC has become and con-tinues to be an industry leader in cater-ing – with a particular strength in the

The terrific assemblage of small businesses in the Valley makes it challenging to select just seven honorees. In our eyes – each finalistis a winner – bringing entrepreneurial spirit to our overall business landscape in the Valley. Congratulations to all our finalists listed below!



motion picture and television industries.The company employs a methodical sys-tem that is tried and true. They will mir-ror clients’ production schedules, andthen will put in numerous additionalhours on top of that in order to acquire,prepare, and serve up the finest andfreshest foods.

CLOUD CREEK SYSTEMS INC.

Cloud Creek Systems Inc. (CCS) wasformed by Bryan Coville, and like manytech companies in the mid nineties,began in a spare bedroom aboveCoville’s Thousand Oaks garage. Whatstarted as a one-man database servicesoperation has grown into what is now aleader in the ultra competitive fastpaced world of information manage-ment and information technology (IT)sales and service.

Unconventional and innovative think-ing has landed Coville and CCS what isnow regarded as the leading team ofOracle Database experts in the WesternUS! Today CCS has a technology leader-ship team made up of individuals thatcame from operations management,teaching, programming, and even farm-ing. From application software buildingon the Pick database, to programming forearly web based service sites, to nowbeing a leader in Oracle technology salesand services, it has been quite a journeyfor Coville and his organization.

CRAZY INKJETS

Crazy Inkjets is an innovative organiza-tion that has taken the idea of recyclingtoner and ink cartridges throughout theSan Fernando Valley and Los Angelesareas and made a profitable business.The company pays each customer $2 forOEM spent cartridges and $1 for recycledspent cartridges. Then, a remanufactur-ing process takes place in a local facilityin Canoga Park. So that affordable car-tridges can be sold to the public andlocal business in the San Fernando Valleyand beyond.

Not only is this an innovative businessmodel, it also supports green industry ini-tiatives by recycling toner cartridges sothey don’t end up discarded into landfills.

FILM SOLUTIONS, INC.

In the short time that Film Solutions hasbeen in business, the company haschanged the way its industry handles cer-tain aspect of asset management for stillphotography. Basically, in five shortyears, Film Solutions, led by its CEO,Kevin Matossian, has essentially eliminat-ed the wasteful printing of images anddocuments and replaced them withsecure, online access solutions.

This is an extremely cost effective ben-efit to the entertainment industry andhas a dramatic impact on our environ-ment and natural resource supply.

JMPR PUBLIC RELATIONS

JMPR is widely known as an independ-ently owned, fast-paced, results-orientedPR agency with 35 years of experience

representing iconic brands. It drives pub-lic opinion with targeted campaigns anddelivers consistent results, securing themost influential coverage for its clients.Its employees are assertive and proactive.The history of JMPR is an impressiveseries of successful collaborations be-tween the agency and its clients. The rollcall of more than 500 client names is anenviable list of some of the most recog-nized brands in the automotive andlifestyle industries. Included in JMPR’s

history are many clients whose relation-ships have lasted ten, twenty, or eventhirty years.

JMPR has a reputation for creativity,professionalism and integrity and its suc-cesses have led many to work with thecompany in an effort to change or buildthe public perception of their companies.

JPR COMMUNICATIONS

JPR Communications has built a niche

specialty and focus on data storagecompanies. While most communica-tions agencies that specialize in high-tech cover a broad variety, JPR’sunique focus leads to exceptional rela-tionships with media that cover themarket. JPR positions its client compa-nies as being at the forefront in tech-nology innovation, securing extremelypositive press coverage and awards for

Small BusinessLeadership Awards Finalists

Continued on page 40


them. JPR has also found a nichepositioning its growing companies tobe acquisition targets for large datastorage companies, with acquisitionsto date totaling more than $3.5 bil-lion. This year, three JPR clients havebeen acquired already, with the latestbeing acquired by IBM.

The staff at JPR is not only technologysavvy, but creative and aggressive when itcomes to getting the most media expo-

sure possible. These days that includesweb, print and social media.

MAINTCO CORPORATION

Founded by Abe and Inna Tuler in 1994,Maintco Corp has grown from being asmall maintenance company to what it istoday, a multifaceted resource for today’scommercial business. The company nowspecializes in multiple site project and

equipment rollouts. From single equip-ment installations to complete remodels,Maintco can be involved from site sur-veys, plan and layout development toexecution of the project. Using its inter-nal proprietary operations software sys-tem (MDN), Maintco can also assist inwarranty management if needed.

In short, Maintco has soared into thenew millennium with the right tools,skills and knowledge and has managed

to not only hold its ground in this vol-atile economy but to grow and expandas well!

MARKETING MAVEN PUBLIC RELATIONS

Marketing Maven Public Relations hasswept the San Fernando Valley as one ofthe premier marketing agencies. Thisaccomplishment is amplified by the factthat the firm was launched only threeyears ago (by Lindsey Carnett). Since2009, Carnett has worked her companyup to a top ten position among Top PRFirms in the Tri-county. This oncehome-based company remains small buttrue to its employees and clients. Beingsmall allows Carnett and her employeesto focus on her clients and their needs.

With her goals in hand, Carnett tooka leap of faith in 2009 and resignedfrom her PR job to start MarketingMaven Public Relations. She wanted tomanage a company that reflects herexpertise and passion for the marketingindustry with a primary focus on life-style and consumer clients. Little didshe know how quickly her companywould grow!

MISSION CITY ORTHODONTICS

Mission City Orthodontics has beenserving the community of San Fernandoand the surrounding area for over thirtyyears. The thriving orthodontics practice,founded by Dr. Eric Babayan, has a sim-ple, yet ambitious goal – to give people alifetime of beautiful smiles and healthybites. Board certified orthodontist Dr.Babayan is a leader in his field as hestays on top of the latest techniques &innovations.

The business was founded in the early1980’s and despite the recent challengesto the economy, has maintained a steadyinflux of patients, largely due to the trustit has built in thecommunity. The prac-tice maintains a staff of educated andmotivated people who work well as ateam to provide the best service (with asmile, of course) to patients.

MUSTANG MARKETING

Before founding Mustang Marketing,Scott Harris sold print advertising inmagazines for clients. He quickly discov-ered that his least favorite part of the jobwas, in fact, what he was being paidfor—selling advertising. He loved speak-ing with his clients about their market-ing campaigns and goals, and havingstrategic discussions about how to makethe most out of their new products orcampaigns. He would even suggest, onoccasion, that they would be betterserved than simply advertising in a par-ticular magazine.

That was, clearly, counterintuitive toHarris’ job at the time, but proved to bethe kind of out-of-the-box thinking thatgave him the idea of starting his ownmarketing firm in 1986. Since then,Mustang has become a marketingagency leader with long-term clientele.In addition to celebrating its 25th



Continued from page 39

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NORTHSTAR MOVING COMPANY

As co-founder and CEO of NorthStarMoving Company, Ram Katalan is livingthe American dream. Born in Israel,where he attended a military boardingschool and served in the Israeli specialforces, Katalan came to the U.S. whenhe was 22 years old. He started as amover at a New York based movingcompany and worked his way up frommover to team leader, and then opera-tions manager. A mover since 1986,Katalan decided he wanted to start hisown moving company. With littlemoney in his pocket, Katalan venturedto the west coast where he then co-founded NorthStar Moving in 1994.

Since it was founded in 1994, thecompany has grown from 2 employees to200 employees and has grown 20,000%.Thanks in part to innovative green initia-tives that not only serve customers, butalso preserve our planet’s natural re-sources; NorthStar stands out as a greenbusiness and groundbreaker in that realmas well.

OFFICEXPRESS

OfficeXpress began in 2003 simply as atoner selling business. Placing orders oneday and then personally fulfilling anddelivering those orders the next day wasone simple expression of the company’scommitment to its customers – a com-mitment that remains strong to this day– even with the company’s growing listof capabilities and services. What startedas a “just toner” business grew to “tonerand paper” to what is now a capability tosupply every supply need in the office orwarehouse.

Maintaining customer loyalty andcommitment to service even during suchan evolution of services and success is ahallmark of the business – largely due tothe work ethic of founder MichaelBushman. Bushman had his humblebeginnings working with his father in thescrap metal business in Chatsworth. Hardwork, dedication and the persistence togo after every penny are what led him tohis current success with OfficeXpress.

PARKER BROWN, INC.

Parker Brown, Inc. is a full service generalcontracting firm and is a holder of a Stateof California Real Estate License. The com-pany’s personnel enjoy excellent relation-ships with building department officialsand have the experience and knowledge towork through the various building regula-tions. A project is taken from commence-ment to completion quickly to maximizethe income potential to building owners.

Particularly unique is the company’slaser-sharp focus on customer satisfaction– to the extent that its repeat business isthe bulk of its clientele. Another qualitythat separates Parker Brown from the restis that it keeps the expertise in-house. Itsinternal staff covers every discipline inconstruction. They don’t have to call a

lot of sub-contractors. They get the workdone themselves in most cases.

PRODUCTIVITY PR

Incorporated and privately owned byTracey Rosen, Productivity PR, Inc. is afull-service public relations and market-ing communications firm based inWoodland Hills that specializes in repre-senting small businesses. The firm is

committed to each client, regardless ofthe company’s size or budget, by deliver-ing high-profile media campaigns andintegrated marketing communicationsthat build consumer and industry aware-ness, generate third-party credibility, andcan increase retail and online sales as wellas create distribution opportunities.

With more than 15 years of directexperience in public relations and mediacommunications, the firm has represent-

ed some of the country’s most innovativebusinesses and consumer products/servic-es and believes it is essential to respond tothe constantly changing social, economicand political climates as they affect con-sumer trends and influence the media.

SGB/NIA

In 2010, as many of its competitors chose



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to sit cautiously and ride out the eco-nomic storm, commercial broker, SGBwent out and formed a union withNorthridge Insurance Agency (which cov-ered individual lines of insurance.) Thenotion of joining together two powerfulindependent brokers created a power-house agency that is projected to increaserevenue by nearly 50 percent in 2012.

In 2012, as competitors began toemerge from their hiding places, SGB-NIAembarked on a new endeavor, becomingsole distributor for the California SmallManufacturers Trust. The CSMT is a sim-ple concept. The Small ManufacturersInstitute is a non-profit group that gath-ers members – a number of manufactur-ing companies – that promotes the needsof its members. SMI members can jointhe CSMT, which leverages the size oftheir total membership to obtain betterhealth insurance rates and coverage.

STAY GREEN INC.

Operating from the garage of theirhome in the San Fernando Valley,Richard and Charlene Angelo launchedStay Green Inc. in 1970 with one truck,a handful of residential customers, anda vision for providing the best land-scape services anywhere. Today, that

same passion for quality and serviceinfuses everything that is done at StayGreen Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Clarita, thecompany now has more than 300employees working in five divisions –Landscape Maintenance, Plant HealthCare, Tree Care, Water ManagementServices, and Landscape Design/BuildServices. The company serves clientsthroughout Southern California, andexercises positive environmental stew-ardship through its SustainabilityPractices, which are applied across allservice lines to help customers protectthe environment as well as the bottomline. Stay Green Inc. is recognized as aleading provider of high-quality land-scape services, having achieved a 95percent customer retention rate, alongwith receiving the industry’s most pres-tigious awards.

SULTRA

From custom temperatures for individ-ual hair types to tools that menddamaged hair and defend healthyhair as you style, Sultra’s heat-stylingtools provide the quality required forthe broadest array of hairstyles. SultraDryers feature ionic and ceramic

infrared generators that dry hair incred-ibly fast. Sultra styling irons andBombshell Rod Curling Irons featureJapanese Kyocera Ceramic HeaterTechnology – ideal for color-treated hairand fastest heat up and recovery avail-able.

Company founder Dana Story hasbeen in the professional business of hairfor over 25 years. He knows what his cus-tomers need and knows his industry asfew others do. His target buyers trust himand have worked with him in the past.Major buyers such as Sephora and BSG(owned by Sally’s Beauty) are among hisclose relationships. Hairstyles may comeand go, but Sultra’s styling tools are cer-tainly here to stay.

SWAY-A-WAY, INC.

Sway-A-Way, Inc. is a California corpora-tion that has been in business for morethan 24 years. Its products are sold underthe name SWAY-A-WAY, and RACERUN-NER. The name SWAY-A-WAY is a regis-tered trademark and is well known in theperformance suspension business as aquality manufacturer of innovative sus-pension products. Sway-A-Way operatesfrom an 8,400 square foot manufacturingfacility located in Santa Clarita, and a

15,300 square foot manufacturing, salesand engineering facility in Chatsworth.The company employs 24 team membersand is led by Brian Skipper.

Skipper first started working for Sway-A-Way in 1978 as a mechanical engineerjust out of CSUN. He eagerly added moreproducts and innovations to help thecompany grow. Revenues increased from$500,000 to more than $2 million. In1985, Skipper became part owner. Sway-A-Way has since become a well-knownname in the high performance VW mar-ket and in off road buggies business.

TRANSIT SYSTEMS, INC.

Maurice Vanegas, an engineering gradu-ate from UCLA, founded Transit systemsin 1991, starting with only two buses.The company evolved from being a sim-ple transportation company for schoolsand organizations into a 55-bus, fullaccess control, technology, fuel produc-ing and entertainment company, andthere is no sign that it will be slowingdown any time soon!

Indeed, Transit Systems has becomean ever-present presence in the SanFernando Valley transportation indus-try. Among their recognizable contri-




butions is the Hollywood Bowl shuttleand local school system field trip trans-portation vehicles. Transit Systems hasused alternative fuels and saved energylong before these elements had becomefashionable. Vanegas has even createdbio-diesel out of used vegetable oil, hasresearched extracting oil lipids out ofsalt water algae strains, built his ownac induction electric car, and has cur-rently finished the installation of alarge CNG plant capable of fueling 500buses in one day.

VALLEY RECYCLING

Valley Recycling has been in existencesince 1979. The well-intentioned butpoorly run company had a history ofmultiple bankruptcies. Sepand Samzadeh,Valley Recycling’s current CEO, joined thecompany in 2001. He brought a great dealof vision and new direction to the organi-zation. By knocking on doors, ValleyRecycling slowly started gaining momen-tum providing recycling and environmen-tal services to local companies.

Through a grassroots campaign anddeveloping the culture of the company,Valley Recycling has grown to not onlycatering to the public, its original purpose,

but to many Fortune 500 companies.Back in 2001, not too many compa-

nies provided comprehensive recyclingservices. Driven by Sam Samzadeh’svision, Valley Recycling began its com-prehensive recycling services campaignand it has become a remarkable success.The mission, vision, culture and grass-roots campaigns still continue, and ValleyRecycling has begun a new trend drivingcompanies towards zero waste.

VETERINARY HEALTHCARECENTER

Dr. David Beltran received hisDoctorate of Veterinary Medicine fromthe University of California-Davis in1984, and practiced as an associateduntil purchasing The Bella MontereyAnimal Hospital in 1987. At that time,the practice was operated out of an old1000 sq. ft. house. He worked the prac-tice as a solo practitioner for the first 5years. As the business continued togrow, he hired another associate doctorand continued to expand the hoursand services.

In 2004, Dr. Beltran purchased theempty lot next to the practice, and in2006 he bought the lot on the other side.In 2007 he began construction of a new,

state of the art facility for the practice,which is now known as VeterinaryHealthcare Center. The huge renovationhas made this practice one of the premieranimal hospitals in the greater LosAngeles area.

WESTERN COMPUTER

Western Computer was started by TomBardos in 1986 when he acquired theassets of a computer company that borethe name Western Computer — and thecompany has been known as WesternComputer or WCI since the acquisition.Today, Western Computer is a MicrosoftGold partner and provides clients ofevery size with turnkey consulting, pro-gramming, installation and training forERP, CRM, supply chain managementand business intelligence. Western’s cus-tomers encompass mid-range companiesto large enterprises, in the manufacturingand distribution channels, as well as nar-row vertical markets.

Western’s expertise lies not only itsknowledge of the latest technology avail-able, but most importantly, in how to tai-lor hardware and software solutions tobest meet the needs of the clients busi-ness. This means servicing every needcustomers may have in order to stream-

line processes, fuel productivity, deliverrobust business intelligence, and connectemployees, customers and partners acrossa global marketplace.

WOODWORKING BY DEGREE INC.

Woodworking By Degree Inc. is a finequality precision woodworking companyfounded and run by its president,Eduardo Pabon. The company’s dedica-tion to customer service and qualitycraftsmanship is at the hearty of every-thing it does. Pabon credits his ownupbringing as the reason for his and hiscompany’s work ethic and says that onething he learned from his father was totreat all people with respect – whetherthe person n question is a floor sweeperor a CEO. Perhaps that is why all theemployees at Woodworking by Degreeare loyal and hard workers, most of themhaving worked for the company for 10years or more.

The company’s main goal is to give itsclients the best service and high qualityproducts, providing them with all thetime, resources, attention and dedicationrequired for the best possible result andlevel of client satisfaction.



Small Business Leadership AwardsAt the Event

Over 280 attendees were at the 2012 San Fernando Valley Small Business Leadership Awards event, held at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills.


SFVBJ.com - The San Fernando Valley Business Journal presents SMALL BUSINESS ... · 2020. 7. 13. · 34 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL OCTOBER

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