As part of the celebration, the Greater Irvine Chamber's June 11 Celebrate Irvine & Mid-Year Economic Calibration brought together professionals from across the region for an engaging and informative afternoon of connection, economic insights, and community recognition, featuring dynamic speakers and the introduction of the Chamber's 2026 business award honorees.
Meet the 2026 Honorees!
- Business of the Year: Hoag
- Global Business of the Year: CTC Global Corp
- Innovative Business of the Year: Albertson's Distribution Center
- Innovative Business of the Year: Field AI
- Non-Profit of the Year: RAD Camp
- Visionary Leader of the Year: Annette M. Walker, President, City of Hope Orange County
- Executive of the Year: Sid Ramani, General Manager, Hyatt Regency Irvine
- Innovator of the Year: RJ Scaringe, Founder & CEO, Rivian
- Entrepreneur of the Year: EcoMetricx
- Community Impact: Acorns
The awards were presented during the program by Greater Irvine Chamber President & CEO Dave Coffaro City of Irvine Mayor Larry Agran.
In addition to recognizing the organizations and leaders making a meaningful impact across Irvine, the program celebrated recipients of scholarships awarded through the Irvine Forward Foundation (IFF), reflecting a shared investment in the next generation of talent, leadership, and community advancement. Scholarships were presented by IFF Director Joan Webb and IFF Chair Bruce Greenberg.
John Colvin Memorial Scholarship recipients:
- Steve Salinas, UC Irvine
- Adam Tiomkin, Woodbridge High School
- Tara Witsoe, Portola High School
Lt. Col. Thomas U. Wall Memorial Scholarship recipient:
- Ruben Villamil, Irvine Valley College
David Bahnsen provided a mid-year economic outlook examing key trends shaping the remainder of 2026. He is the founder, managing partner, and chief investment officer of The Bahnsen Group, and frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business, and other national media outlets, and author of several best-selling books on economics and investing.
A panel discussion featuring regional leaders who shared perspectives on succeeding in a rapidly evolving business environment. Panelists were Pete Carmichael, assistant city manager for the City of Irvine; Scott Fox, CEO of OCStartupCouncil.org; Shelley M. Hoss, CEO of the Orange County Community Foundation; and Dr. Ian O. Williamson, dean of the Paul Merage School of Business at University of California, Irvine.
Presenting Sponsor JSX, the premium hop-on jet service operating from dedicated hangars at John Wayne Airport, generously provided two travel vouchers, each valid for two roundtrip flights, that were awarded to two lucky attendees, Andrea Hanigan from Hoag and Patrick Thomas from Cityside Fiber.
Organizations that joined JSX in presenting the Greater Irvine Chamber 2026 Celebrate Irvine at the Hilton Irvine/Orange County Airport are Leadership Sponsor City of Hope Orange County; Corporate Sponsors Concordia University Irvine, Hoag Health, Orange County Soccer Club, WeShare; Business Sponsor UC Irvine; and Community Partner The Office of Orange County Supervisor Donald P. Wagner and the City of Irvine.
