EL SEGUNDO HERALD September 20, 2018 Page 15
Champions of Business from front page
Patricia Peterson, mother of Wpromote CEO Michael Mothner, accepts the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Comerica’s Morgan Rector. Beyond Meat CFO Mark Nelson accepts the Big Idea Award from Mayor Drew Boyles.
as a “diverse economic powerhouse” that is a
two-time winner of the most business-friendly
city award. Keahi also singled out the new
hospitality and tourism branding campaign with
the tagline, “El Segundo: Start Here.” He went
on to explain that El Segundo “didn’t want to
be lumped in” with its so-called Silicon Beach
community neighbors, but preferred its own
singular identity. “I feel the strategy has paid
off,” Keahi said.
Lakers President, Business Operations Tim
Harris served as the emcee of the event. He is
also an EDAC member and referred to the group’s
efforts glowingly. “There could not be a more
worthwhile endeavor,” he said. Wednesday
night’s keynote speaker was Los Angeles Times
Executive Editor Norman Pearlstine. The newspaper
moved its headquarters from Downtown
Los Angeles to El Segundo this year after the
purchase by Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong –whose
groundbreaking cancer institute is also here in
town. The renowned entrepreneur additionally
plans to construct a 200,000-square foot e-sports
venue in El Segundo, Voss announced during
the event. In introducing Buss to accept her
2018 Champion of Business award, Soon-Shiong
-- who won last year’s honor and is also a
minority Lakers owner -- pledged an upcoming
championship for the team that recently signed
superstar forward LeBron James.
Noting that she is uncomfortable as a public
speaker and would rather leave that duty to
Harris, Buss’ remarks were very brief. “Thank
you for making us feel so connected to our
community,” she said to the audience. She also
offered a response to Soon-Shiong. “About
championships… I can’t make any promises,
but I believe in Magic [Johnson, the Lakers
president] and that’s who’s leading us.”
In an earlier interview with Buss, she spoke
about what the award means to her personally
as well as the Lakers’ presence in El Segundo.
“I am humbled by it and I feel that the Lakers
fit into this community --- that we’re part of the
fabric that makes El Segundo special… because
it’s a world-renowned city,” she said. “People
are familiar [with El Segundo], just like they’re
familiar with the team, but there’s something
about us that is very family and close-knit.”
Buss also praised City staff in their dealings
El Segundo Economic Development Manager Barbara Voss and EDAC Chair Al Keahi address the crowd at the 2018 El Segundo Champions of Business Celebration.
New Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong presents the 2018 El Segundo Champion of Business honor to Los Angeles
Lakers CEO Jeanie Buss.
with her and the team. “It was such a pleasure
to work with the City in terms of getting all
the approval processes. This is a city that understands
and appreciates businesses that are
growing and they support you in what you’re
trying to do. That makes my job much easier.”
Buss also predicted that the Lakers’ involvement
in town will grow. “We play all of our G
League games here -- the South Bay Lakers,”
she said of the UCLA Health Training Center.
“This is a place for us to interact with the
community. I assume as time goes on, there’ll
be more opportunities for us to do that. That’s
why it was important for us to have a place
where we could bring the team in…”
In addition to Buss, the City recognized two
local businesses that rose to the forefront in
innovation and growth. The Big Idea Award
went to Beyond Meat, which in just a few
years has expanded its research and development
operations in El Segundo and built its
employee base to 100. The company’s goal is
to reinvent the way protein is consumed in the
world by producing plant-based burgers and
sausages that are virtually indistinguishable
from their meat counterparts.
CEO Michael Mothner of WPromote, which
has shown up on several annual fastest growing
private companies lists, came away with the
Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Founded in a
dorm room in the early 2000s, the firm is now
one of the top online marketing outfits in the
country with eight offices and 350 employees.
Its motto: “Make Mondays suck less.”
At the evening’s close, Chevron El Segundo
Refinery General Manager Henry Kusch presented
Voss and the City with a $125,000 grant
towards continuing economic development efforts.
Speaking to Chevron’s generosity, with
over $1 million contributed to the campaign
over the past six years, Keahi said, “We had
no money to brand the City. Who came forth?
Chevron. They believed in us.”
Keahi also expressed his heartfelt gratitude
to Buss, the Lakers and other major brands
that have embraced El Segundo and helped
make it one of Southern California’s most
thriving cities when the town was viewed as
“insignificant” just a few years back. “You
don’t know how that makes us feel,” he said. •
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