Meet the 2024 Pacific Southwest honorees

Ming-I Huang is the CEO of Aracari Biosciences, Inc.

Aracari’s vascularized micro-organ and tumor models incorporate perfused human vasculature for the physiologic delivery of nutrients, drugs and immune cells to multiple tissue and tumor types. These powerful next-generation tools are accelerating development of immuno-oncological and other therapeutics for more optimal patient outcomes.

Joseph E. Payne is the President & CEO and Director of the Board of Arcturus Therapeutics.

Arcturus Therapeutics is a global messenger RNA medicines and vaccines company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutics for rare diseases and vaccines. We have proprietary technologies, validating partnerships, and an experienced team with deep expertise in delivery and RNA-based therapeutics.

Richard Yang is the CEO of Biolinq Incorporated.

Biolinq is a medtech company developing wearable biosensors designed to measure biomarkers just beneath the surface of the skin. With over a decade of technology development, Biolinq’s sensor platform leverages semiconductor manufacturing to etch tiny microneedles on a silicon chip that delivers a non-invasive experience with multi-analyte sensing capabilities and an initial application in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), a market that is expected to exceed $16B in revenues by 2030. Biolinq’s first product will be an intradermal glucose sensor with novel features including real-time feedback directly from the wearable device to keep users informed and inspired, even without a smartphone. By the year 2030, it is estimated that 578 million people will have diabetes worldwide with a growing demand for CGM technologies to reach more people 

Jake Brander is the President of Brander Group Inc.

Brander Group Inc. is a distinguished consultancy firm renowned for its expertise in network infrastructure, IT & cloud solutions. With a strong focus on professional consulting services & brokerage, Brander Group excels in designing, implementing, and optimizing network architectures tailored to meet the unique needs of businesses across various industries. 

Leveraging extensive experience and a deep understanding of technological advancements, the company delivers comprehensive solutions aimed at enhancing network performance, reliability, and security. From conducting thorough assessments with provider neutral engineers to devising strategic roadmaps, Brander Group empowers clients to reduce operating causes, avoid growth issues and maximize long-term network investments.

Doug Jackson is the President & CEO of CALI.

CALI empowers stunning home transformations with durable, high-value products that are easy to buy, install, and maintain. Guided by a coastal aesthetic and attitude, the omni-channel home improvement platform enables customers to design responsibly with eco-minded options.  

Based in San Diego, California, CALI's ever-expanding flooring collections include European oak, bamboo, eucalyptus, luxury vinyl plank, and waterproof laminate, in addition to composite decking, turf, bamboo fencing, bamboo plywood, and rugs -- all while delivering the industry’s best customer experience.     

Founded in 2004 and recognized as an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company for 13 consecutive years, CALI models how individuals, businesses, and communities can implement modern designs with structural strength and authentic coastal style. CaliFloors.com 

Tim Mobley is the President of Connext Global Solutions.

Connext provides tech enabled integrated services to support custom built remote teams.

Connext is a tech enabled staffing firm that provides integrated recruiting, employer of record, and consulting services for remote teams. We help small and mid-sized businesses build custom, dedicated support teams in both the Philippines and Colombia. Our mission is to enable client growth by creating the value of an offshore subsidiary at any scale. Our client teams range in size from 1-2 employees to 100 plus. We support functions such as accounting, customer service, healthcare support, back office, software development and more. 

Arvin Wijay is the CEO of Consolidated Analytics.

Consolidated Analytics is an end-to-end mortgage services platform that delivers value to clients in origination, servicing, and capital markets, from asset-level analysis to enterprise optimization. A leading provider of real estate valuation, risk management, and advisory services, our comprehensive suite of solutions encompasses due diligence, residential and commercial valuation, collateral risk assessment, and regulatory compliance, enabling our clients to stay ahead in today's dynamic market.

Ed Evans is the CEO of Consumer Cellular.

Consumer Cellular has more than four million customers nationwide and is a top-rated wireless provider that markets no-contract cell phones and service plans primarily to those 50-plus. Founded in 1995 on the belief that everyone should have affordable access to the safety and convenience of cellular service, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based company utilizes the nation’s largest voice and data network, which covers 99% of the U.S. population. Consumer Cellular’s wireless phones and plans are sold nationwide at leading retailers such as Target and Walmart, as well as direct-to-customers at ConsumerCellular.com and through the company’s 25 retail stores. Consumer Cellular provides exceptional customer service and has been named #1 in Customer Service among Wireless Value MVNOs by J.D. Power 16 Times in a Row. 

Russ Perry is the CEO of Design Pickle.

Design Pickle stands at the forefront of creative solutions, redefining the way brands scale their design needs. Founded with a vision to democratize graphic design, we've grown into a global powerhouse, offering seamless, high-quality design and creative services. Our subscription-based model ensures accessibility, efficiency, and scalability for businesses of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Beyond just delivering designs, Design Pickle's impact extends to empowering businesses to focus on their core competencies, while we handle their creative challenges. Our commitment to innovation is matched by our dedication to social impact. We not only contribute to the professional growth of our global team of designers but also engage in philanthropy and sustainability initiatives. Design Pickle is more than a service provider; we are a partner in growth, a catalyst for innovation, and a contributor to the creative community's vibrancy.

Rob Church is the Co-Founder & Co-CEO & Joshua Church is the Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Edge Theory Labs, Inc.

Our flagship product is The Edge Tub, which is a self-cooling, self-cleaning portable ice bath that has redefined the booming cold immersion industry. It is built from a military grade inflatable technology so it’s rigid when inflated, but packs away into a backpack when deflated. The all-in-one chiller can cool the water down to 37°F or heat it up to 104°F within a few hours while built-in filtration keeps the water clean without having to constantly drain and refill. We’ve built on the success of this flagship product to become a trusted, science-backed brand working with some of the top athletes in professional sports, CEOs, artists/musicians, and high performers across the world to help them get the edge. We are now growing into our next phase of growth - offering additional product lines like our mass-market entry level ice bath and our content-education app to make these practices more accessible to the broader community.

Matthew Thompson is the CEO & President of Endologix LLC.

Endologix LLC is a California-based, global medical device company dedicated to improving patients’ lives by providing innovative therapies for the interventional treatment of vascular disease. Endologix’s therapeutic portfolio includes a variety of products in various stages of development that are designed to treat diseases that currently have clinically relevant unmet needs. Endologix’s commercial products, including the AFX®2 Endovascular AAA System, ALTO® Abdominal Stent Graft System, and the DETOUR System, are designed to treat a range of vascular diseases, from abdominal aortic aneurysms to lower limb peripheral vascular disease. Endologix is wholly owned by Deerfield Management, an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information, and philanthropy. The company has offices and manufacturing sites in Irvine, Milpitas and Santa Rosa, California. To learn more about Endologix, please visit https://www.endologix.com/.

Sanjeev Aggarwal is the CEO of Everspin Technologies.

Headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, Everspin Technologies, Inc. is the worldwide leader in designing, manufacturing, and commercially shipping discrete and embedded Magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) and Spin-transfer Torque MRAM (STT-MRAM) into markets and applications where data persistence and integrity, low latency, and security are paramount. With over 120 Million MRAM and STT-MRAM products deployed in data center, cloud storage, energy, industrial, automotive, and transportation markets, Everspin has built the strongest and fastest growing foundation of MRAM users in the world.

Ron Dutt is the CEO of Flux Power.

Flux Power (NASDAQ: FLUX) designs, manufactures, and sells advanced lithium-ion energy storage solutions for electrification of a range of industrial and commercial sectors including material handling, airport ground support equipment (GSE), and stationary energy storage. Flux Power’s lithium-ion battery packs, including the proprietary battery management system (BMS) and telemetry, provide customers with a better performing, lower cost of ownership, and more environmentally friendly alternative, in many instances, to traditional lead acid and propane-based solutions. Lithium-ion battery packs reduce CO2 emissions and help improve sustainability and ESG metrics for fleets.

Tej Patel is the President & Co-Founder of Fluxergy.

Fluxergy is the first open platform for multimodal, point-of-care assay development and testing. Our goal is to make laboratory testing information more accessible, more affordable and more able to serve communities everywhere.

Christophe Schilling is the CEO of Genomatica, Inc.

Geno (Genomatica, Inc.) is harnessing biology to remake everyday products and accelerate the sustainable materials transition. In response to the urgent climate crisis, Geno is developing and scaling sustainable materials derived from plant- or waste-based feedstocks instead of fossil fuels. Geno’s technology, built over the last 20 years, now commercializes and scales sustainable alternatives to commonly used ingredients and materials across several industries including beauty, apparel, automotive, home and personal care, packaging and functional foods and beverages. Geno is partnering with world-leading brands including Aquafil, Asahi Kasei, lululemon, Unilever, Kao and L’Oréal.

Brian Rauso is the CEO & Co-Founder of Green Cheek Beer Co.

Green Cheek Beer Company was founded by two long-time friends who share a common love for craft beer and the community it creates. Brian Rauso and Evan Price opened the doors to the Orange location on June 20th, 2017 with a single employee on staff and the dream of creating an environment that felt as if you were sitting on your friends porch sharing good conversation and good beer. Six years, four locations, a pandemic, and One Hundred plus employees later, that dream has developed into a reality. Currently, Green Cheek Beer Co has four locations in both Orange and San Diego Counties. The original taproom & brewery in Orange, a brewery & restaurant in the Tribeca area of Costa Mesa, a beachfront restaurant with a rooftop bar and drive thru in Sunset Beach and the newest location being  a brewery, restaurant and events center in Oceanside, CA. These are strategically placed locations allowing Green Cheek to serve many different communities within Southern California.

Kevin Bassalleck is the Co-Founder of Gridworks, Inc.

Gridworks brings agility, innovation and expertise to turnkey solar and energy storage EPC. We design and build high-performance, reliable systems that optimize installation efficiency. Gridworks approaches challenges from all sides in order to find successful solutions to transition to clean sustainable energy. In addition, Gridworks provides comprehensive support services on EPC projects we build for our clients in New Mexico from 24/7 remote monitoring and control, to preventive and corrective maintenance in the field. 

Steven Carroll is the CEO & Steven Nicholson is the Chairman of Kelso Industries LLC.

Kelso Industries is a collection of market-leading companies and their leaders providing comprehensive HVAC, mechanical, refrigeration, and plumbing services. Kelso serves industrial, commercial, and institutional clients including Fortune 500 companies and some of the largest, most respected companies throughout the United States.

Susan Kim is the CEO of Kopari Beauty.

Based in sunny San Diego, Kopari is an award-winning clean beauty brand that creates luxurious & efficacious products by combining high-performance actives and nature's best ingredients, bringing consumers moments of paradise. Consciously and intentionally clean, Kopari Beauty products are naturally effective and backed by clinical results to provide glowing, nourished, protected skin from head to toe.  

Kevin Lind is the President & CEO of Longboard Pharmaceuticals.

Longboard Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel, transformative medicines for neurological diseases. Longboard is working to advance a portfolio of centrally acting product candidates designed to be highly selective for specific G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Longboard’s small molecule product candidates are based on more than 20 years of GPCR research. Longboard plans to advance bexicaserin (LP352), an oral, centrally acting 5-hydroxytryptamine 2C (5-HT2C) receptor superagonist, with no observed impact on 5-HT2B and 5-HT2A receptor subtypes, into a global Phase 3 program. Longboard recently reported positive topline data from a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial (the PACIFIC Study) evaluating bexicaserin in participants ages 12 to 65 years old with Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies (DEEs), including Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome and other DEEs. Longboard is also evaluating LP659, an oral, centrally acting, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor subtypes 1 and 5 modulator, which is in development for the potential treatment of rare neuroinflammatory conditions. Longboard is conducting a Phase 1 single-ascending dose (SAD) clinical trial for LP659.

Josh E. Hartmann is the CEO of NexMetro Communities.

NexMetro brings an innovative leased home lifestyle to renters by choice seeking the best of both worlds: carefree living with the privacy of a luxury single-family home. No mortgage. No maintenance. No shared walls.

Founded in 2012, NexMetro Communities is the nation’s leading developer of build-to-rent new home communities in the Sunbelt. Our Class-A, leased home developments are strategically located in submarkets of large, growing metropolitan areas. NexMetro brings an innovative leased home lifestyle to renters by choice seeking the best of both worlds: carefree living with the privacy of a luxury single-family home. No mortgage. No maintenance. No shared walls.

Marketed under the name Avilla Homes, our rental home neighborhoods have redefined traditional multifamily living with the company’s to-date activity of more than 55 projects representing 9,400+ homes across the nation.

As the proven leader in the BTR space, NexMetro offers a luxury leased lifestyle to people who want more than what the traditional housing market has had to offer. The company fills a high-demand niche by blending upscale, single-family appeal with apartment convenience. A lifestyle that Rents Like an Apartment. Lives Like a Home.

Chris Karkenny is the CEO of NVISION Eye Centers.

NVISION is one of the nation's leading providers of ophthalmic physician services. Headquartered in Aliso Viejo, CA, NVISION operates over 90 locations. NVISION is an innovative leader in ophthalmology, with a patient first commitment. Eye Care is delivered using the latest clinical and surgical technology by the most talented and experienced surgeons in the industry.

Jennifer Barnes is the CEO of Optima Office.

Optima Office is a 100% woman-owned business founded by Jennifer Barnes in 2018. Optima Office provides Outsourced Accounting, Fractional CFO services, and Human Resources Support. We serve 300+ companies, working both onsite and remotely. Our team can scale up or down with our clients' changing needs. Optima Office emphasizes employee retention for consistent service, valuing reliability, kindness, efficiency, and strong communication skills. Optima's motto is "Happy Staff = Happy Clients."

Don Steiner is the CEO of Profit Recovery Partners.

Profit Recovery Partners, LLC (PRP) develops, implements, and manages cost reduction solutions for Fortune 1,000 companies, law firms, private equity firms, and private companies throughout North America. Its industry experience and more than $7.9 billion in annual managed spend, as well as its program for ongoing support and verification, drive PRP’s continued commitment to award-winning service. PRP’s spend management, supplier management, and procurement strategies have resulted in more than $9.5 billion in client savings. To learn more, visit www.prpllc.com or call 877-484-7776.

Josh Snow is the Founder & CEO of Snow Cosmetics LLC.

SNOW is an industry pioneer & leader, redefining the oral care experience with groundbreaking technology & unwavering commitment to excellence. After bootstrapping the first $100 Million in sales, SNOW now boasts millions of followers on social media and tens of thousands of five-star reviews across its award winning line of innovative oral care products. 

SNOW has transformed millions of smiles (over 5 million followers) by offering a comprehensive range of premium oral care solutions. SNOW is also the highest rated brand in the industry on TrustPilot and the BBB with almost a decade of delivering superior results. With a relentless focus on R&D, SNOW continuously sets new standards for efficacy, safety, and convenience, cementing its reputation as the go-to choice for consumers. Josh is a patented inventor & the brand boasts multiple "world firsts" in oral care, all designed in AZ. Products can now be found at Nordstrom, CVS, Saks, Amazon, Neiman Marcus, Target, and soon: Costco.

Tammy Cooper is the CEO, CFO & Chairwoman of Technologent.

Technologent is a women-owned, WBENC-certified and global provider of Information Technology solutions and services for Fortune 1000 companies. With our internationally recognized technical and sales team and well-established partnerships between the most cutting-edge technology brands, Technologent powers your business through a combination of foundational IT pillars: Hybrid Cloud & Infrastructure, Digital Automation, Cybersecurity and Data Management. Together with Service Provider Solutions, Financial Services, Professional Services and our people, we’re paving the way for your business operations with advanced problem-solving that isn't just reactive, but forward-thinking and future-proof.

Brett Turner is the Founder & CEO of Trovata.

Trovata, the fintech platform partnering with the world’s largest banks, is making it easy for businesses to automate cash & liquidity management. Trovata manages $100B in daily cash flow trusted by companies like Block, Etsy, Draft Kings, SONOS, Eventbrite, and Krispy Kreme. Trovata has the largest corporate bank API library in the world that transforms data distribution, connecting 50+ enterprise banks and 2,000+ business banks globally for real-time cash visibility. Trovata empowers finance and treasury professionals with an API-first, AI-powered platform that revolutionizes tedious manual workflows. Today, most of these teams are bogged down by reporting in Excel, or using an archaic treasury management system from the '90s. Our platform delivers the automation capabilities and seamless user experience these departments have been craving. With our direct connections to banks, our platform serves as a single source of truth for their company's cash data and reporting. Our mission is to provide an intuitive end-to-end solution to help drive more strategic business decisions with real-time cash insights. Trovata is the best, all-in-one, cost-efficient fintech platform that is transforming the financial industry.

Juliana Elstad is the CEO of Vibrato Medical.

Vibrato Medical is a VC-backed clinical-stage medical device company. We use ultrasound as a therapy for non-invasive treatment of Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia, advanced stage of Peripheral Arterial Disease. This vascular disease with only invasive and costly standard treatments today represents $1B+ opportunity. Our feasibility study has demonstrated statistically significant results without any serious adverse events and was presented at VIVA and American Heart Association conferences in late 2023. Vibrato’s team and investors represent life sciences veterans who have successfully brought new therapies to the market and created over $1B in shareholder value.

Louis Basile is the Founder & CEO of Wildflower.

The first Wildflower location opened in 1996 in Scottsdale. Wildflower is one of the only fast casual restaurants in the country that successfully executes breakfast, lunch and dinner. Wildflower serves soups, salads and sandwiches all day and adds pasta at dinner. For breakfast, Wildflower serves a variety of items highlighted by the breakfast sandwiches and pancakes. Wildflower bakes its own world class artisan bread that ties the whole menu together. The company has grown to 16 restaurants and also runs a large wholesale business delivering bread to over 200 restaurants throughout the state of Arizona.