Letter from the publisher.

Dear Readers:

We are pleased to present the San Fernando Valley Business Journal's "The 2005 Lists," which is a compilation of all the lists published in the Business Journal in 2004.

The lists that appear here are based on surveys and independent research that are published in each issue throughout the year. The task of gathering this data falls to our editorial department employees. Thank you to Editor Jason Schaff and his editorial team for their excellent work to compile these lists. We extend our appreciation to the employees of the production department led by Daniel Etcheverry for their hard work. We believe the lists published in this book give a good picture of the industries that move the Valley's economy and make news here.

There was a lot to write about in 2004. After several years and a lot of hard work by Valley business leaders, the Los Angeles City Council voted to implement business tax reform. The Orange Line Busway is well on its way to completion and the residential real estate market is still hot. The Business Journal is proud that we reported on these and other business issues well ahead of other media in the region.

Blue Cross of California, Grobstein Horwath & Company, LLP, Providence Health Systems and Woodbury University join us this year as book sponsors. We are continually grateful for their leadership and commitment to the San Fernando Valley business community. We also thank all the advertisers for their continued partnership and loyalty to make this publication an important resource tool for community and business leaders.