Chris Clark

Despite not even being old enough to rent a car in California at the time he started his business a few years ago, Chris Clark has done something in late 2011 and early 2012 many California business owners would love to boast: He added enough employees to triple his staff.

At just 27, Clark is chief executive officer at Shaper Studios, a retail surfboard manufacturing company under the umbrella of the Surfing Is My Religion label, founded by Clark in 2007.