9 Irvine Company customers disrupting their industries and changing the world
Innovation is contagious. Disruptive thinkers challenge and inspire one another, building off each other’s successes. By bringing together entrepreneurs, researchers and business leaders, Irvine Company workplaces intentionally foster dynamic “innovation clusters” that amplify this disruptive impact. We’re proud to be home to forward-thinking companies, including these nine that are redefining what’s possible for their industries and the world.
Sector: Marketing & Advertising
CEO: Warren Jolly
Workplace: Pacific Arts Plaza, Irvine, CA
Company Description: adQuadrant is an omni-channel digital marketing agency that takes a performance-driven approach to scaling marketing campaigns.
How are you changing the world?
By helping our clients bring their dreams to fruition with our digital marketing strategies.
Traits you most look for in new hires?
A positive attitude and ambitious character.
What is your leadership style?
We lead by example, encouraging employees to do what’s best for themselves and the company.
What is your communication style?
Complete transparency–the utmost honesty and openness.
Way you celebrate success?
As a team: we celebrate every victory together since we know that every single member of this team plays a part in our success.
Personal motto or favorite quote?
“If you’re not growing, you’re dying.”
Sector: Business Services
CEO: Mike Elich
Workplace: Silicon Valley Center, San Jose, CA
Company Description: BBSI combines the tools of human resource outsourcing with the insight typically found in management consulting to create a blueprint for better-run companies.
How are you changing the world?
We exist to improve the probability of success in small business.
What inspires you?
The risks business owners take every day as they work to build something without a playbook.
How do you encourage effective team collaboration?
By establishing a clear view to what we want to accomplish and creating catalysts to get extraordinary people to reach extraordinary heights.
Traits you most look for in new hires?
Curiosity. Business Acumen. Empathy for the business owner.
What is your leadership style?
To inspire, and to remove obstacles that would otherwise get in the way of extraordinary people.
Secret to bouncing back from adversity?
The ability to maintain a clear view of “due north,” discipline, and a great team of people working toward the same goals.
Sector: Music & Tech
CEO: Angel “AROCK” Castillo
Workplace: 101 W Broadway, San Diego, CA
Company Description: BPM Supreme is a leading music service for beginner and professional DJs delivering an extensive selection of new releases, exclusive versions, classics and genres ranging from hip-hop to rock with a user-friendly platform and a mobile app.
How are you changing the world?
We’re changing the way DJs discover music and providing individuals who are passionate about music and DJ culture the tools to grow their careers.
Where do you go to be creative?
Outdoors or somewhere with a view; a good workout or a swim can have the same effect.
Where do you feel most inspired in your workplace?
In a meeting room. Whether in a boardroom or my office, I feel the most inspired when I’m collaborating and discussing plans with my team.
What is your leadership style?
Very hands-on; we have great communication and things move fast when working as a team.
What is your mood going into 2020?
2020 is going to be a big year for BPM Supreme; I’m excited and motivated for things to come.
Sector: Technology
CEO: Daniel Sogorka
Workplace: UCI Research Park, Irvine, CA
Company Description: Cloudvirga is a digital mortgage point-of-sale software provider drastically improving the way people apply for, and loan officers process and approve, mortgage loans.
How are you changing the world?
Cloudvirga is disrupting the once-cumbersome, confusing and frustrating experience of applying for and closing on a mortgage loan, cutting the time it takes to close a mortgage loan in half.
What inspires you?
Working with talented, super-dedicated teams to tackle large problems leveraging technology.
How do you encourage effective team collaboration?
Defining the topic well and facilitating the discussion toward a clean outcome.
Traits you most look for in new hires?
A combination of passion, positivity and aptitude.
Secret to bouncing back from adversity?
Having a long view. As you gain experience you realize there will be many wins and losses along the way.
Personal motto or favorite quote?
“Most things I worry about, never happen anyway.” -Tom Petty
Sector: Healthcare/Bioengineering
CEO: Dr. John Pham
Workplace: UCI Research Park, Irvine, CA
Company Description: INBRACE provides a healthy, less painful and more efficient way to straighten teeth.
How are you changing the world?
INBRACE’s truly invisible braces, sitting unseen behind the teeth, help people feel confident in social settings while eliminating the hassles and stigma that come with plastic aligners or traditional braces.
Trait you most look for in new hires?
I look for those who lead in a way that inspires others to achieve great things.
Secret to bouncing back from adversity?
No one has all the answers, every business person fails, but true entrepreneurs embrace the lessons that failure brings, apply those lessons to move the company forward, and never give up.
What is your mood going into 2020?
Following a $45 million capital investment, our collective mood at INBRACE is one of excitement and optimism as we step into a year where we can genuinely disrupt our industry in a positive way!
Sector: Technology
CEO: Ray Grainger
Workplace: Discovery Park, Irvine, CA
Company Description: Mavenlink is the modern software platform that helps professional and marketing services organizations establish an operational system of record that facilitates their business lifecycle, including key capabilities like resource management, project management, collaboration, project accounting and business intelligence.
How are you changing the world?
Mavenlink transforms how services organizations work with distributed teams, contractors and clients around the globe, improving operational execution and driving improved financial performance.
What is your favorite workplace feature?
Melissa’s Café. We dedicated this in-office café experience to Melissa, our first employee.
How do you encourage effective team collaboration?
We have an open office environment with dozens of “Zoom Rooms” to facilitate collaboration across our various offices.
Secret to bouncing back from adversity?
A firm belief that with perseverance, you can prevail. Always having a few strong supporters who will be with you through thick and thin.
What is your mood going into 2020?
Optimistic about our momentum. We’ll be hiring over 100 people this year.
Disruptor who inspires you?
Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton.
Sector: Technology
CEO: Russ Garcia
Workplace: Discovery Park, Irvine, CA
Company Description: Menlo Micro is reimagining one of the most fundamental building blocks of electronic systems: the electronic switch.
How are you changing the world?
Menlo Micro’s Ideal Switch platform is a game changer for electronic systems, serving multiple industries, including next-generation 5G mobile networks, industrial IoT markets, battery management, home automation, electronic vehicles and medical instrumentation. Our technology will create an entirely new class of products with reduced size, weight, power and cost.
What is your favorite workplace feature?
We use the fitness center and the outdoor common space, hold barbecues and company picnics–everybody’s really happy to be here in Discovery Park.
Sector: Commercial Real Estate
CEO: Nelson Algaze
Workplace: The Launch, Irvine, CA
Company Description: SAA is an architectural design firm with expertise in workplace design. We work on projects diverse in character and budget, all promoting smart design, resourceful problem solving and guided successful business strategies.
How are you changing the world?
One employee at a time. We are directly impacting those around us every day through leadership, training and hands-on experience. That impact radiates to and through others they touch.
What is your favorite workplace feature?
Our culture! We’ve designed a space that allows our culture to grow organically from the core and strategically cultivate trigger points.
What is your leadership style?
Authentic and connected. All members of the SAA family, regardless of position, have direct access to each other and members of our leadership team for support in problem solving and collaboration opportunities, which removes barriers to success.
What is your communication style?
We encourage open dialogue about innovation and have a transparent process to implement those ideas throughout our company.
Sector: Marketing & Advertising
CEO: Paul Bresenden
Workplace: UCI Research Park, Irvine, CA
Company Description: 454 Creative is a sales and marketing agency hyper-focused on driving growth using a unique system of process, tools and technology that connect the dots between marketing and sales.
How are you changing the world?
We’re building marketing strategy and execution that puts more money back in a business owner’s pocket.
What inspires/motivates you?
I’m inspired by the sacrifice, risk and hard work of small-business owners, especially immigrants, who pour their hearts and souls into a meaningful business that builds a better future for themselves, their families and their community.
Traits you most look for in new hires?
We look for team members who are humble, hungry, smart and willing to invest in the team’s success above individual performance.
Secret to bouncing back from adversity?
Failure is a requirement of learning. Our objective is to fail fast and fail small. When we create a culture of embracing failure as a method of learning, we are able to grow and innovate in ways our competitors can’t.