FRANCISCO MORALES
CO-FOUNDER / EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN
5.11 INC.
WHY: Co-founder and executive chairman of tactical apparel and gear maker 5.11 Inc. headquartered in Costa Mesa with $533M in sales in 2024. Appointed CEO in 2018 by parent company Compass Diversified and helped 5.11 expand from 40 to 124 retail stores.
IN THE NEWS: In January 2024, concluded his five-year tenure as CEO and took on the role as exec chair of the board; is said to continue working on corporate and product strategy and remains “a significant shareholder”.
NOTABLE: 2023 recipient of Business Journal Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award. Holds more than six design and functional patents for some of 5.11’s products.
IN HIS WORDS: “OC is a very special place that offers everything an entrepreneur would want, from a strong business community to talented employees to great weather with beautiful ocean and mountains. A lot of my success is because I have worked with amazing people… I’m also an immigrant who knew that to get ahead, I had to work hard and smart. I live in America, and in particular, Orange County. I’m happy and fortunate to be here.”