petaluma
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Tim Choate Keeps Building the Rails Behind the Room
Before vacation rentals became a software arms race, Tim Choate saw the mess behind the booking button. His three-decade career is a study in making fragmented markets feel simple.
Barry Friedman
Barry Friedman is the President and CEO of Friedman's Home Improvement, a third-generation family-owned hardware and home improvement retailer based in Petaluma, California. Named CEO in 2013 by his father Bill Friedman, Barry has led the company through digital transformation, e-commerce expansion, and a new 72,000-square-foot distribution center, all while steering the business toward its 80th anniversary in 2026. Under his leadership, Friedman's operates four locations across Sonoma County with approximately 600 employees, and remains deeply embedded in the North Bay community through philanthropy and civic engagement.
Paul Schiefer
Paul Schiefer is the CEO of Amy's Kitchen, the family-founded organic frozen food maker in Petaluma, California. He started on the canning line as a high-school intern, then spent more than two decades inside the company - in IT, international, sustainability, government affairs and Chief of Staff - before being named President in 2023 and CEO in April 2026.
Pedro Toledo
Pedro Toledo is the CEO of Petaluma Health Center, a federally qualified health center serving more than 40,000 patients across Sonoma County and West Marin. The son of a Bracero-program farmworker, he holds degrees from Stanford, Cornell Law, and Georgetown, and was one of 14 Californians chosen for the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission.