James Brennan grew up in Rockaway Beach, N.Y. He came here to attend USD, and found he wanted the best of both places. Now he and his wife, Lauren, live near the ocean in north Pacific Beach, and he is CEO of two companies.

As head of Halcyon Co., he is involved in real estate development of all kinds. As CEO of 373 Group, he operates dining and entertainment sites.

Most visible are Side Bar and Ciros Pizza, opened in 2003 in the Gaslamp Quarter, and Stingaree, also in the Gaslamp Quarter, opened last year. Coming this year is The Witherby, a setting for private functions in the old Independent Order of Odd Fellows hall, also in the Gaslamp. “It’s named for Oliver Witherby, a former real estate baron and member of Odd Fellows,” says Brennan. Westside Bar in Pacific Beach will reopen as Margarita Rocks in October, and Universal will open in Hillcrest.

Brennan, 33, married a woman from his hometown. “I often say, ‘We grew up in the sand,’” he says. Their daughter, Brielle, is just a year old. Rounding out the family are Kenneth, a yellow lab, and Brooklyn, a black lab.

Brennan supports a long list of social and charitable organizations, mainly with his checkbook, he says. But he is seriously committed to Big Brothers. In addition to being a hands-on Big Brother for several years to a boy who now has moved, he established a Young Professionals Committee to raise money and recruit volunteers and he serves on the organization’s board.