Business Person of the Year

For the Business Person of the Year, the selection was made from a number of suggested candidates, based on a history of success in business and contributions to the community.

More specifically, the Chamber’s Business Person of the Year is to have qualities among the following characteristics.

  • Is a member of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce
  • Owns or is part of a Newport Business or a company doing business in Newport Beach
  • Successful business person
  • Affiliated with other leaders in business
  • Involved in philanthropic activities
  • Supporter of local community activities
  • Serves as a role model for other business persons

2024 Newport Beach Business Persons of the Year

Eagle Four Partners is a Newport Beach, CA-based private equity group specializing in strategic hospitality, golf, lifestyle residential, and sports entertainment investments. Founded in 1996, Eagle Four has participated as the lead equity investor in more than $3 billion of transactions including most recently the acquisition of the Pendry Newport Beach, formerly the Fashion Island Hotel. Eagle Four’s current real estate asset portfolio consists of other notable Newport Beach properties including VEA Newport Beach, Balboa Bay Resort & Club and Newport Beach Country Club, along with other independent and branded hotels and resorts in California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, and Hawaii. Eagle Four’s expertise includes building strategic partnerships, being good stewards of assets, aggressive asset management, and creative deal structuring all with the goal of generating substantial value. Eagle Four Partners takes seriously the call to share the fruits of their labor within the community. It is the reason they support local charities and regional not-for-profit groups making a profound difference in the lives of others. Most recently, a $25 million contribution to Hoag Hospital Foundation by the Martin/Pickup families facilitated the creation of the CareMar Recovery Center. This new addiction treatment facility will be unlike any other in Orange County, offering both residential and outpatient services for individuals struggling with alcohol and substance use disorders.

Kevin Martin

Kevin Martin

Kevin Martin is a founding partner with Eagle Four Partners and a private equity investor specializing in hotel and golf investments, operations strategy and asset management. He specializes in business expansion and development, sales and marketing, and club operations focusing on restructuring and enhancing to maximize value. Kevin is CEO of Newport Beach Country Club, which hosts the PGA’s Hoag Classic, and President of Balboa Bay Resort and Club. He is a member of the PGA of America and serves on numerous corporate and non-profit boards. He resides with his family in Newport Beach and enjoys golf, fishing, boating, beach volleyball and ranch life. Most recently, Kevin hosted the 2nd Annual Newport Beach Volleyball Invitational, an event series that has brought beach volleyball to Newport Beach for the first time and raised funds for Orange County youth sports programs.

Kory Kramer

Evoto

Kory Kramer is a Partner with Newport Beach based Eagle Four Partners. Kory specializes in hospitality and other real estate investment activities including acquisition and disposition of hotel properties, development and construction, financing, asset management, strategy and investor relations. He has led over $3 billion of real estate asset transactions including most recently the acquisition of the former Fashion Island Hotel recently repositioned as Pendry Newport Beach and the Newport Beach Marriott recently repositioned as VEA Newport Beach while also obtaining entitlements for the now under development Ritz-Carlton Residences Newport Beach. Kory is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School and received both his BA and MA degrees from Boston College. Kory served as a former Planning Commissioner for the City of Newport Beach and enjoys his family, the beach and boating, politics, AFC Bournemouth soccer, charities and traveling.

Rick Weiner

Rick 2024

Rick Weiner is a partner with Eagle Four Partners and serves as its general counsel focusing on acquisitions, dispositions, development financing, asset management, risk management, legal matters, and investor relations. Rick also structures joint ventures with equity partners, collaborates on investment strategy and contributes to the group’s acquisition and portfolio management. He is a practicing attorney licensed in both California and Nevada specializing in tax, advanced estate planning, and complex corporate and real estate transactions. Rick graduated from Arizona State University Law School and received his BA from UCLA. He is also licensed in California as a CPA and real estate broker. He is the president of The Law Offices of Rick S. Weiner P.C. advising notable high net-worth clients.

Todd Pickup

Todd Pickup

Todd Pickup is a partner with Eagle Four Partners specializing in public securities, private corporate investments, private portfolio management and hospitality assets. A seasoned investment strategist, Todd is a graduate of the University of Southern California and currently serves on the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County. Prior to Eagle Four, he was an associate at several boutique investment firms. Todd also serves as a principal in Plus Four Management, LLC supervising several private equity funds. Todd resides with his family in Newport Beach, CA and enjoys golfing, USC football, AFC Bournemouth, and the Vegas Golden Knights.

Joe Moody

Moody, Joe

Joe Moody is a partner at Eagle Four and its financial officer overseeing all reporting and investment analytics. A private equity investor and CPA specializing in portfolio asset management and underwriting of complex transactions, Joe is a graduate of the University of Southern California and holds a MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Prior to Eagle Four, he was an accountant at Ernst & Young and then an investment banker at Security Pacific National Bank and several boutique firms specializing in structuring management-led leveraged buyouts. Joe also serves as a principal in Plus Four Management, LLC supervising several private equity funds. Joe resides in Newport Beach with his wife where he is an avid golfer and USC enthusiast.

Newport Beach Business Person of the Year Recipients

2023 – Robert D. Olson

2022 – Mario Marovic

2019 – Jim Walker