northern-california
(6)
NorCal Cannabis Company
NorCal Cannabis Company is a vertically integrated, seed-to-sale cannabis operator based in Northern California. Founded in 2014, it grew out of the region's long, pre-legalization cannabis culture into a licensed holding company spanning cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, a portfolio of consumer brands, and retail dispensaries. The company scaled revenue from roughly $2M to over $70M in a few years and raised more than $50M in capital, positioning itself as one of California's more compliant, operationally mature cannabis businesses.
California Drywall Co.
California Drywall Co. is one of the largest wall-and-ceiling specialty contractors in the United States, building interiors and exteriors across Northern California since 1946. From its San Jose base it delivers drywall, lath and plaster, metal framing, cold-formed steel engineering, fireproofing, acoustical ceilings, rainscreens and prefabricated wall panels for landmark projects including Apple Park, Levi's Stadium, SFO Terminal 2 and major hospitals. In August 2023 it became a 100% employee-owned company through an ESOP, putting equity in the hands of its roughly 700 team members.
Marshall Doney
Marshall L. Doney is the President and CEO of AAA Mountain West Group, the federation arm serving more than 6.8 million members across Northern California, Nevada and Utah. A 40-year AAA lifer who started in 1984 as an assistant manager at AAA Wisconsin, he climbed through strategy, marketing and automotive services before running the national office for nine years. He took the Mountain West top job permanently on July 2, 2024.
Kevin O'Riordan
Kevin O'Riordan is President and CEO of Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company, the 117-year-old, employee-owned San Francisco general contractor behind a generation of California's most photographed buildings. He took the top job on April 1, 2025 after four decades in the trade and five years running the Northern California region. In the same window he was elected 2025 President of the Construction Employers' Association.
Paul Gutierrez
Paul Gutierrez is President and Chief Executive Officer of California Drywall Co., the San Jose-based specialty contractor that ranks among the largest wall-and-ceiling firms in the United States. In August 2023, he led the company's transition from third-generation family ownership to a 100% employee stock ownership plan, a structural rewrite of a 77-year-old business with roughly 700 employees.
Brian Sharp
Brian Sharp is the CEO of Time Doctor, a workforce analytics platform trusted by over 10,000 organizations globally. A 27-year veteran of building and rebuilding companies, Sharp started his first business at 22 after spinning records as a DJ at 14, and has since navigated every stage of company-building - from bootstrapped startups to $100M+ enterprises. Appointed CEO in February 2026, he champions a philosophy he calls 'Help & Hustle': the belief that high performance and personal happiness are not a tradeoff. He hosts the podcast 'High Performance Happiness' and runs a course called 'Burnout to Balance' for remote leaders.