Orange County Business Journal

What Orange County Business Journal does

Orange County Business Journal (OCBJ), founded in 1978 and headquartered at 18500 Von Karman Ave., Ste. 150 in Irvine, California, is a privately held weekly business publication covering Orange County's companies, industries, and businesspeople. The publication is part of a network of regional business journals that includes Los Angeles Business Journal, San Diego Business Journal, and Inside the Valley (San Fernando Valley Business Journal). It delivers content across print, digital (ocbj.com), email newsletters, and social media channels, with a subscriber base of more than 15,000 and a combined weekly audience exceeding 61,000 readers.

The core product is a weekly print and digital newspaper supported by an extensive ecosystem of branded offerings: ranked weekly lists, the OC500 Directory of Influence, OC's Wealthiest, the annual Book of Lists, custom content supplements, a Marketplace classifieds directory, On the Move personnel announcements, The Luxury Gallery real estate feature, and daily e-news updates. A signature events portfolio including Women In Business Awards, Innovator of the Year, General Counsel Awards, CFO of the Year, Excellence in Entrepreneurship, and Family-Owned Business Awards functions both as community engagement and as a high-margin sponsorship channel. The underlying technology stack is a digital publishing platform with website CMS, email newsletter delivery, and online subscription management with PCI DSS-compliant payment processing.

The business operates a hybrid revenue model anchored on two streams: recurring subscriptions priced at approximately $99 per year (~$1.90/week) and advertising revenue across print display, digital banner, targeted email blasts, sponsored/custom content, and event sponsorships (Platinum/Gold/Silver tiers). Its customer base is segmented across C-level executives, business owners and entrepreneurs, and investors/decision-makers operating in Orange County's real estate, finance, healthcare, tech, and professional services industries. Leadership consists of Publisher Richard Reisman, Editor-in-Chief Peter Brennan, VP/Associate Publisher Laura Garrett, and VP of Accounting & Administration Luis Martinez, with a staff in the 51–100 employee range.

Name

Orange County Business Journal

Legal name

Orange County Business Journal

Website

https://ocbj.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Orange County Business Journal is a privately held weekly business publication serving Orange County, California, delivering print and digital news coverage, ranked lists, custom content, and signature awards events to over 15,000 subscribers and 61,000 weekly readers in the regional business community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Business News Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312), Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers (MPAJADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB), Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• Business news publishing
• Weekly newspaper subscription
• Event sponsorship programs
• Business directory lists
• Regional business journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: Weekly print and digital subscription providing in-depth coverage of Orange County business news, special features including OC's Wealthiest, Top Priced Home Sales, Giving Guide, OC500, Charity Event Guide, Best Places to Work, and the annual Book of Lists.
2. Advertising: Display advertising, digital advertising (banner ads, targeted email blasts, custom content), event sponsorships, and marketplace advertising. The journal serves as a trusted source for local business news, providing brand credibility by association.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Orange County Business Journal is a weekly business news publication that delivers in-depth coverage of Orange County companies, industries, and businesspeople through print and digital formats. Its offerings include the core weekly newspaper, annual Book of Lists, OC500 Directory of Influence, signature awards events, custom content supplements, classified marketplace advertising, and daily email newsletters. Revenue is generated through paid subscriptions, display/digital advertising, event sponsorships, and sponsored editorial content.

Product overview

Orange County Business Journal is a weekly business news publication providing comprehensive coverage of Orange County's companies, industries, and businesspeople through both print and digital formats. The core offering is the weekly newspaper, supported by an ecosystem of named products including ranked lists (Weekly Lists, OC500, OC's Wealthiest), an annual Book of Lists, custom content supplements (MS & MBA Guide, Healthcare Guide), signature awards events (Women In Business, Innovator of the Year, General Counsel, CFO of the Year), On the Move personnel announcements, a business marketplace directory, daily email newsletters, and luxury real estate coverage. The publication reaches over 15,000 subscribers with a weekly audience of 61,000, and operates multiple advertising sales channels including print, digital, email, and event sponsorships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Weekly Print & Digital Business Newspaper A weekly business news publication delivered in print and digital formats covering Orange County companies, industries, and businesspeople for executives, business owners, and investors.
• Book of Lists An annual compilation and business directory of Orange County's top-ranked companies across industries, sold as a standalone reference product.
• OC500 Directory of Influence An annual directory feature highlighting the most influential business figures and leaders in Orange County.
• Signature Events & Awards Programs Award and recognition event programs (Women In Business, Innovator of the Year, General Counsel, CFO of the Year, Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Family-Owned Business) with tiered sponsorship levels (Platinum, Gold, Silver) for business marketers and community leaders.
• Custom Content & Sponsored Supplements Sponsored and custom editorial content including special reports and industry guides such as MS & MBA Guide and Healthcare Guide, sold to advertisers as branded supplements.
• OCBJ Marketplace & Classified Advertising A classified advertising marketplace section in the publication and website featuring office space, real estate, businesses for sale, employment opportunities, and professional services listings.
• The Luxury Gallery A special real estate editorial and advertising feature highlighting luxury property listings and high-end real estate market coverage in Orange County.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Los Angeles Business JournalminorOthersSister publication under the same ownership/parent company, providing business journalism coverage for the Los Angeles market.
• San Diego Business JournalminorOthersSister publication providing business journalism coverage for the San Diego market.
• Inside the ValleyminorOthersSister publication (San Fernando Valley Business Journal) providing coverage of the San Fernando Valley market.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Los Angeles Business Journal: Sister regional weekly business publication covering the Los Angeles market under the same parent organization. Closest comparable in format, audience (C-suite executives), and product mix (weekly paper, Book of Lists analog, signature events).
• San Diego Business Journal: Sister weekly business publication serving San Diego, also under the same parent organization. Identical GTM (subscription + advertising + events), product structure (ranked lists, awards events), and target persona (regional C-suite).
• Inside the Valley (San Fernando Valley Business Journal): Sister publication covering the San Fernando Valley market, run by the same parent. Hyper-comparable in regional business journalism model, audience, and revenue mix.
• Crain's New York Business: Long-running weekly regional business publication covering New York City. Closest analog outside the OCBJ family — same product (weekly print + digital + events), same audience (C-suite and business owners), same revenue mix (subs + ads + events).
• Crain's Chicago Business: Crain's flagship regional business title serving the Chicago metro. Same weekly business journal format, same executive audience, same ranked-list and events monetization model.
• Boston Business Journal: American City Business Journals (ACBJ) regional weekly covering the Boston market. Same weekly print + digital + Book of Lists + events product set; directly comparable in scale, pricing, and audience.
• San Francisco Business Times: ACBJ regional weekly covering the San Francisco Bay Area. Closely comparable to OCBJ in audience (executives and business owners), product mix, and event-driven sponsorship model, in an even more tech-heavy market.
• Dallas Business Journal: ACBJ regional weekly serving the Dallas-Fort Worth market. Identical weekly business journal product structure, ranked-list franchise, and signature events sponsorship model as OCBJ.
• Phoenix Business Journal: ACBJ regional weekly serving Phoenix. Comparable in audience (C-suite executives, business owners), revenue mix (subs + ads + events + Book of Lists), and Southern/Western U.S. growth-market profile.

Emerging players

• Axios: Digital-first business and policy news brand with growing local/Pro subscription products (Axios Pro, Axios Local). Targets the same executive audience OCBJ serves, with a tech-led, lower-cost content model that pressures regional incumbents' digital pricing power.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OCBizJournal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCw4oUCN7DGEdfEKeFo1ocGA/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/OrangeCountyBusinessJournal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orange-county-business-journal
• Instagraminstagram.com/ocbizjournal

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Orange County Business Journal