Gail Becker was beaming. And who could blame her? Caulipower, her cauliflower-based pizza crust company, had just been named the Business Journal’s fastest growing private company for 2019.

As she took the stage to accept her award in front of a packed house at Loews Hollywood Hotel, Becker’s contemporaries gave her the kind of reception you’d expect after learning her company had posted 18,000% growth — yes, you read that right — over the last three years.

Instead of basking in the glow, though, Becker turned the spotlight back on the business leaders in the room.

After her introduction by California Bank & Trust Senior Vice President Wayne Ward, Becker used her time at the podium to talk about what it means to be part of the L.A. business community, and about feeling supported, challenged, empowered and rewarded by the types of people who filled the Hollywood & Highland ballroom on a Monday night.

It was an uplifting moment and a strong affirmation that the L.A. business community is just that — a community. That sentiment was reinforced throughout the night as honorees made introductions, swapped stories and exchanged ideas across industry lines.

Too many names to mention here, of course, so you’ll want to check out our Fastest Growing Private Companies Special Report, which starts on page 16, but here are just some those who showed out: Julian Buckner and Brett Baer from Vesta Homes, Carlos Sajor and Ferdinand Patam from Integrity Cargo Solutions, Michael Kaplan from Miller Kaplan, and Joseph Mazza from RSM.

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A quick shoutout to Pink’s Hot Dogs, a fixture on the Los Angeles food landscape that’s marking 80 years in business. Richard Pink’s beloved enterprise staged a Chili Dogs for Charity event, selling dogs for 80 cents apiece for 80 minutes for eight days. All proceeds from the sales went directly to charities.