Dick Gochnauer - Co-founder, CEO Leadership Alliance, Orange County

Dick Gochnauer is an amazingly busy guy. He is the co-founder of the CEO Leadership Alliance of Orange County, which he and Doug Wilson created to become the clear venue for leaders of Orange County’s largest companies to collaborate on the most strategic issues facing the county.  They are working together with the goals to build both a competitive ecosystem and higher quality of life for this region.  Their mission is “to create a thriving OC for us all” and I think everyone here in Orange County can support that mission.

Dick has also been involved on a national level with the Center for Higher Ambition Leadership, where he is a board member.  He and they believe that the best-run, best-performing companies are those that do more than just maximize shareholder value - they value improving outcomes for all stakeholders.

Dick walked the walk as a leader of both large public and private companies. He is the former CEO, President, and COO of United Stationers, Inc, in Chicago. Prior to that he was the President and COO for Golden State Foods Corporation here in Orange County. He currently serves on the board of directors for several companies, including Golden State Foods, AmerisourceBergen and UGI Corporation. Dick is also a trustee of Rush University Medical Center and a lead director at a startup, Vodori.

He is a great example of an innovative and values-driven Orange County leader, and it was such a pleasure to have him on Accelerate OC.