Jennifer Aniston
Category: Entertainers
Industry: Film
What Makes Her Haute: Six years after Friends’ series finale, Jennifer Aniston is still one of the hottest and Hautest actors in Hollywood, earning $27 million last year, according to Forbes. In 2005, Aniston became the first-ever GQ Woman of the Year. She has appeared on People’s annual list of “The Most Beautiful” every year since 1995.
Dan Bane
Category: Thinkers
Industry: Supermarkets
Company: Trader Joe’s
What Makes Him Haute: He is the chairman and CEO of Trader Joe’s, the alternative grocery store that despite its low-price mentality, managed to earn about $8 billion in sales last year. Bane started with the company in 1998 as the president of Trader Joe’s West and was promoted to CEO in 2001. He made the very smart decision to bring in Charles Shaw wine to the supermarket, which Trader Joe’s sells more than 13 million cases of each year.
Michael & Laura Beaudry
Category: Power Couples
Industries: Jewelry
Company: Michael Beaudry Jewelry
What Makes Them Haute: Mention the name Beaudry to any jewelry expert and the reaction will always be one of awe and praise. What started off as the design of a single diamond ring has flourished into the Michael Beaudry jewelry empire. Laura recently debuted her own jewelry collection, which features the same elegance and intricacy as her husband’s.
Steve Bing
Category: Thinkers
Industry: Film
Company: Shangri-La Entertainment
What Makes Him Haute: He’s a successful writer, director, producer, and financier. But where the real estate development heir really makes his mark is as one of the nation’s top donors to Democratic and progressive causes. His reported $49.5 million donation on behalf of Prop 87, the oil tax initiative, is believed to be a national record for individual spending on a ballot measure.
Ruth & Jake Bloom
Category: Power Couples
Industry: Arts and Law
Company: Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal LaViolette Feldman Schenkman and Goodman, LLP
What Makes Them Haute: He’s one of the most influential lawyers in the entertainment industry; she runs the Ruth Bloom Gallery in Santa Monica. Together, they have one of the largest collections of contemporary art in the country.
Scott Boras
Category: Thinkers
Industry: Sports
Company: Boras Corporation
What Makes Him Haute: He’s a former major league baseball player and is currently the owner and president of the Boras Corporation, a sports agency based in Newport Beach. His company represents about 175 MLB players, and Boras himself is credited with some of most famous record-setting contracts of all time, including Barry Bonds, Bernie Williams, and Alex Rodriguez.
Tom Brady & Gisele Bündchen
Category: Power Couples
Industry: Sports/Modeling
What Makes Them Haute: He’s been the star NFL quarterback of the New England Patriots since 2000 and has set the record for the most touchdown passes in a regular season (among many other feats). He recently signed a four-year $72 million contract with the Patriots, which makes him the highest-earning player in the league. She’s been ranked Forbes’ top-paid model in the world for the past three years, making more than $25 million last year alone and is currently the 16th richest woman in Hollywood. The Victoria’s Secret alum has recently starred in campaigns for brands like Versace, True Religion, Dolce & Gabanna, and Roberto Cavalli. The beautiful couple is currently building a 22,000-square-foot, $20 million mansion in Brentwood.
Donald Bren
Category: Billionaires
Industry: Real Estate
Company: Irvine Company
What Makes Him Haute: An American real estate mogul and chairman of the Irvine Company, Bren is the master builder/designer behind Orange County, where he developed half of Newport Beach. In March 2009, Bren made The Sunday Time’s “Green Rich List” for donating $20 million to UCSB’s School of Environmental Science. The conservationist has donated 50,000 acres of land to the O.C. to be used for parks, recreation, greenways, and preserves.
Eli & Edythe Broad
Category: Power Couples
Industry: Development/ Manufacturing
Company: Kaufman & Broad
What Makes Them Haute: Broad made his fortune with his real estate company, Kaufman & Broad, and then found financial company SunAmerica where he served as CEO. He is actively involved in revitalizing L.A.’s downtown area and is an avid supporter of enriching the city’s cultural life. The Broads created a family foundation in the 1960s as a way to support their charitable interests and causes. The Broad Foundations, which include The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and The Broad Art Foundation, have assets of $2.5 billion.
Kobe Bryant
Category: Athletes
Industry: Basketball
Company: L.A. Lakers
What Makes Him Haute: The All-World shooting guard for the Lakers will go down in history as one of the greatest players ever in the NBA. After earning back-to-back NBA Finals MVP, the now five-time NBA champ is looking to grab another title and MVP this season.
Ronald Burkle
Category: Billionaires
Industry: Investing
Company: Yucaipa Companies
What Makes Him Haute: He started his fortune by buying and selling supermarket chains and soon after created his private equity firm, Yucaipa, which invests in retail, manufacturing, and distribution. The company recently invested in the retail brand, American Apparel. The business billionaire is currently stuck in a heated dispute with Barnes & Noble, as he tries to increase his share from 19 percent to 37 percent.
Dr. Jerry Buss & Jeanie Buss
Category: Entrepreneurs
Industry: Sports
Company: L.A. Lakers
What Makes Him Haute: Under his ownership, the Lakers have won 10 NBA titles, made it to the finals 15 times, and won almost 70 percent of their games, making Buss the most successful owner amongst any professional sports league and the Lakers the most valuable franchise in the NBA. In 2010, Buss was finally inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. His daughter, Jeanie, is the executive vice president of business operations for the Lakers and girlfriend of Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson.
