Craig Coleman, President and Co-Founder of Coastal Payroll, is among the 2024 finalists for San Diego Business Journal CFO of the Year.

For his contributions as a leader in San Diego, Craig will be recognized alongside 27 other finalists at an event on March 14 when winners will be announced. See all the finalists here.

Craig Coleman, CFO and President of Coastal Payroll co-founded the company with Jonathan Gallagher in 2007. Their goal has always been to bring clients a more service-focused, personalized alternative to the national payroll companies.

As Coastal Payroll’s Operations and Finance leader, Craig focuses on building and maintaining a culture of operational excellence, world class customer service and consistently aggressive goal setting. Craig has helped guide Coastal Payroll to become the largest independent payroll provider in the West, and one of the largest in the U.S. In the 16 years he has been co-leading Coastal, the company has seen average revenue growth of 20% annually, even during the pandemic when many companies were faced with financial and staffing challenges.

Beyond the books, Craig prioritizes Coastal’s people and culture. He communicates and collaborates with the entire team of more than 150 Coastal employees working across 14 states. He regularly shares state-of-the-business updates to ensure the entire organization has an understanding of and appreciation for growth goals and progress - including how each person at the company contributes to that progress.

Craig manages an internal finance team of talented professionals, and also continues to actively contribute to new business development and the introduction of expanded service offerings in the best interest of their clients.

A graduate of James Madison University, Craig has spent his career at the intersection of service and finance. He began his career at Ernst & Young in Washington D.C. and San Diego, before shifting gears and launching Coastal Payroll. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and served five years on the board of Independent Payroll Providers Association (IPPA).

Craig believes doing the right thing and leading with integrity don’t start and stop in one part of your life. Craig is an avid golfer and enjoys the great outdoors year-round in sunny San Diego. He is a father of two and spends much of his free time involved in coaching youth sports.

Craig has a deep understanding that payroll and human capital management services are integrated into the lives and families of every business owner served and their employees. By putting Coastal in a position of value-led leadership, small businesses are empowered to make the best decisions possible for those they employ. Helping businesses and families not only survive but also build regardless of the market conditions is a goal Craig envisions for every client earned and retained.

Coastal Payroll is a San Diego-based provider of human capital management (HCM) solutions serving clients from Coast to Coast. The team provides industry-leading human resources solutions with a personal touch you won’t find anywhere else. Coastal is more than payroll, helping clients with human resources, benefits administration, time and attendance, compliance, and strategic growth. With scalable solutions to support organizations from 1to 10,000+ employees nationwide, Coastal Payroll has a reputation for service. The Coastal Net Promoter Score (NPS) falls in the 70s on a range from -100 to100, standing apart in the industry – That’s the Coastal Difference.