Southern California’s Fastest-Growing Companies and $1.52 Billion in Top Gifts Lead the 2026 November Magazine
From fastest-growing companies and top gifts to OC’s mega-campus land grab and a landmark legal deal, get the full November rundown.
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Dear Readers,
Welcome to the November 2026 edition of Business by LA Times Studios. This issue celebrates growth and giving: both the fast-moving companies reshaping Southern California’s economy and the philanthropy and nonprofits that help keep the region strong.
Our cover story profiles Mission Craft Cocktails, Orange County’s fastest-growing company in 2026. Co-founders Marcin Malyszko and Amit Singh started with a few home-tested recipes and a promise to fund a meal at a local food bank for every bottle sold; along the way, they’ve helped fund more than 1.6 million meals. Their story shows how a mission-driven brand can win over shoppers who are drinking less but drinking better.
More Highlights From This Issue
- Fastest-Growing Companies: Our annual rankings of the fastest-growing private companies in Los Angeles and Orange counties, led by Sipsy and Mission Craft Cocktails. Top leaders explain, in their own words, what’s driving their growth and what they expect in 2027.
- Southern California Gives: Southern California institutions received $1.52 billion across the region’s top 50 gifts this year. The largest was a $200-million commitment to USC for AI-driven innovation. Our Giving Back section also profiles local nonprofits feeding families, aiding the unhoused and opening doors for kids.
- The Death of the Traditional HQ: Inside Orange County’s mega-campus land grab, from Broadcom’s $325-million purchase of its Irvine R&D campus to Anduril’s growing footprint in Costa Mesa and Santa Ana.
- A Landmark Legal Deal: Wood Smith Henning & Berman’s roughly $700-million private equity transaction with Charlesbank Capital Partners may be the largest of its kind in the U.S. legal industry, and it could change how California law firms grow.
- Commercial Real Estate Update: See the latest numbers from Southern California’s CRE landscape.
Whether you’re scaling a fast-growing company, rethinking your real estate footprint or deciding where your giving can do the most good, we hope this edition offers useful perspective for the year ahead.
