Business

  • Dean Biersch

    Dean Biersch

    Brewery executive

    This Gordon Biersch Brewing Company co-founder has taken his love of beer to wine country with his latest venture, Hopmonk Tavern.

  • Barry Braverman

    Barry Braverman

    Theme park designer

    Life 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.

  • Gregory Fischbach

    Video game executive

    Video 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.

  • Stephen Gillett

    Technology and business leader

    This former Starbucks CIO put his MBA to use as executive vice president and COO of Symantec.

  • Photo of Andreas Glocker

    Andreas Glocker

    Tech executive

    After 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.

  • Mohan Gyani

    Mohan Gyani

    Telecommunications executive

    He 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.

  • Charles Hall

    Charles Hall

    Inventor

    When 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.

  • Kishore Kriplani

    Kishore Kripalani

    Restaurateur

    His 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.

  • Chris Larsen

    Chris Larsen

    Chairman and CEO

    In 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.

  • Paula LeDuc

    Paula LeDuc

    Business and community leader

    After 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.

  • Tom Lehner

    Tom Lehner

    Automaker executive

    This 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.

  • Yvonne Lembi-Detert

    Yvonne Lembi-Detert

    Hotel owner

    This 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.

  • Stephen Lincoln

    Stephen Lincoln

    Bakery owner/fitness instructor/actor

    The 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.

  • Gilman Louie

    Gilman Louie

    Partner, Alsop Louie Partners

    He 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.

  • Andrew Ly

    Andrew Ly

    CEO

    The 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.

  • Photo of Kermit Lynch

    Kermit Lynch

    Wine merchant

    Saveur 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.

  • George Marcus

    George Marcus

    Real estate broker

    The founder of the Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokerage Company has remained closely connected to his alma mater.

  • Manny Mashouf

    Manny Mashouf

    Clothing retailer

    He founded bebe Inc. clothing line, the worldwide brand associated with chic, avant garde, sophisticated women including some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

  • Susan RoAne

    Susan RoAne

    Best-selling author, keynote speaker

    She 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.

  • Jeff Sand

    Jeff Sand

    Industrial designer

    In 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.

  • Stephen Wolf

    Stephen M. Wolf

    Airline executive

    Businessweek 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.