Business
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Dean Biersch
Brewery executiveThis Gordon Biersch Brewing Company co-founder has taken his love of beer to wine country with his latest venture, Hopmonk Tavern.
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Barry Braverman
Theme park designerLife after SF State has been an excellent adventure for this teaching-credential recipient. He was the lead designer for California Adventure, one of Disney's newest theme parks.
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Gregory Fischbach
Video game executiveVideo games were a slam-dunk for this one-time president of RCA Records International. He went on to start Acclaim Entertainment, Inc., the company responsible for bringing the top-selling "NBA Jam" to market.
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Stephen Gillett
Technology and business leaderThis former Starbucks CIO put his MBA to use as executive vice president and COO of Symantec.
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Andreas Glocker
Tech executiveAfter graduating with a degree in computer science, he founded Bay Area ISP Sirius Connections, top-rated for three years running before he sold it and founded Fastmetrics.
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Mohan Gyani
Telecommunications executiveHe set out to become a petroleum engineer but found his true calling in the business world. He played a key role in the IPO of AT&T Wireless and went on to serve as president and CEO of the company's Wireless Mobility Group.
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Charles Hall
InventorWhen his master's project idea for a Jell-O chair flopped, he came up with the idea for a water-filled vinyl mattress. Still popular today, the waterbed is an indelible icon of the '70s.
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Kishore Kripalani
RestaurateurHis new MBA in hand, he opened the Bay Area's first Gaylord India Restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. The top-rated restaurant now has locations worldwide.
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Chris Larsen
Chairman and CEOIn 1993 this E-Loan co-founder was instrumental in passing California's strong consumer financial privacy law. Today he is CEO of another online lender, Prosper.com, and online payment protocol innovator Ripple Labs.
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Paula LeDuc
Business and community leaderAfter earning a master's degree in special education, she taught cooking classes at the Living Skills Center for the Visually Impaired before launching a second career, as head of Paula LeDuc Fine Catering.
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Tom Lehner
Automaker executiveThis political science grad, once chief of staff for a U.S. senator, says diverse backgrounds and competing interests at SF State prepared him for politics and public service. Today he's vice president of public policy at the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association.
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Yvonne Lembi-Detert
Hotel ownerThis owner of Personality Hotels on Union Square shocked her marketing professor in the 1970s by inviting a major developer mentioned in her textbook to speak to her class.
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Stephen Lincoln
Bakery owner/fitness instructor/actorThe high-protein/low-carb cookies and brownies produced at his New York-based Protein Bakery are healthful as well as tasty, say fans including Oprah Winfrey.
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Gilman Louie
Partner, Alsop Louie PartnersHe was still finishing his bachelor's degree when he founded a successful computer-game company responsible for some of the biggest games on the market. Today, as a technology venture capitalist, he is helping other promising entrepreneurs develop their ideas.
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Andrew Ly
CEOThe head of the thriving Sugar Bowl Bakery sharpened his business acumen at SF State, where he got a great education and met his future wife, Cindy, when the two were assigned to work together on a class project.
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Kermit Lynch
Wine merchantSaveur magazine named this English major among its 100 favorite food-related people in the United States. His popular Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant is located in Berkeley.
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George Marcus
Real estate brokerThe founder of the Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokerage Company has remained closely connected to his alma mater.
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Manny Mashouf
Clothing retailerHe founded bebe Inc. clothing line, the worldwide brand associated with chic, avant garde, sophisticated women including some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
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Susan RoAne
Best-selling author, keynote speakerShe learned from forward-thinking faculty like Dr. George Hallowitz before writing books such as "How to Work a Room," which has sold more than a million copies.
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Jeff Sand
Industrial designerIn 1994, this industrial design major co-founded Switch Snowboard Bindings, the first company to sell step-in binding for snowboards. His work has since led to more than 12 utility and design patents.
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Stephen M. Wolf
Airline executiveBusinessweek credited this SF State grad with helping pull U.S. Airways out of a nosedive after he came on board as CEO in 1996. He went on to become chairman of R. R. Donnelley & Sons, a commercial printing company.