Bill Ruckelshauss varied career as a consultant, PepsiCo executive and Silicon Valley investment banker prepared him well for the task of taking InfoSpace, a survivor of the dot-com bust, and reinventing it as Blucora, which now has a diverse portfolio of online companies with estimated 2013 revenues of $477 million, more than double its 2011…

During his 15-year tenure as president, Bob Donegan has doubled sales at Ivars, the Seattle-based seafood outlet that celebrated its 75th birthday in August. The company now has 850 year-round employees and sales of close to $80 million annually. As chair of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and a member of the design committee…

Born in China and educated at some of that nations top universities, Joe Wang has become adept at managing the American way. He has turned around several companies, including WatchGuard, a provider of internet security solutions and network security appliances, which he has transformed since taking over as CEO six years ago. EARLY DAYS: I…

In 1994, Windermere founder John Jacobi brought his son-in-law, Geoff Wood, into the company to help run the rapidly growing business. Wood, CEO since 1999, works with his wife, Jill Jacobi Wood, and his brother-in-law, John OB Jacobi, to run Windermere, which includes 297 offices and 5,723 real estate agents across the western United States…

In January, Philip Mezey became CEO of Itron, a company with $2.4 billion in sales last year. Mezey, who has a background in history and software, is intent on transforming the Spokane-area maker of smart meters into a technology-intensive business with an expertise in smart grids and smart cities. EDUCATION: I studied history at the…

This month, Chris Schmidt takes the helm of Moss Adams, an enterprise with 2,000 employees and record revenues last year of $343 million. The company is the largest accounting firm in Washington and Oregon and among the largest in California and Arizona. It also has offices in New Mexico and Kansas. EARLY YEARS: I grew…

As head of a sprawling medical institution with a $3.2 billion budget and a strong, globally respected presence in medical education, health service and research, Paul Ramsey has navigated rapid changes in the way medicine is researched, taught and delivered. YOUTH: I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My father was a CPA at American Standard,…

YOUTH: I was born in Oregon but came to Seattle when I was 4. My dad was the city manager of Mountlake Terrace for over 25 years. I was the numbers guy in the family. I went to ODea High School, then the University of Notre Dame, where I was a walk-on on the football…

EARLY YEARS: I grew up outside Chicago, where my father was a corporate lawyer. He loved the law, and was a huge participant in civic lifevery involved in United Way. My mother was on the board of Planned Parenthood for years. My parents were both Republicans in the days when Republicans were centrists, like Dan…

The Norway-born executive achieved national prominence earlier this year when he appeared on an episode of CBS’s Undercover Boss, taking on tough assignments like hauling fish on board a catcher-processor in the Bering Sea and cleaning fish guts from equipment at a processing factory in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Bodal is no stranger to hard work….

YOUTH: My dad was born and raised in Washington state. He was a longshoreman and a staunch union supporter. In the famous 1934 dock strike, the bloodiest strike on the West Coast, he was on the tough-guy squad that threw scabs off the ships. He got beat up. My mothers father was a coal miner….