Jonathan Gallagher, CEO and co-founder of Coastal Payroll is among the 2024 finalists for San Diego Business Journal CEO of the Year.
FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS AS A LEADER IN SAN DIEGO, JONATHAN WILL BE RECOGNIZED ALONGSIDE OTHER FINALISTS AT AN EVENT ON JULY 27 WHEN WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED. SEE ALL THE FINALISTS HERE.
Jonathan Gallagher, CEO of Coastal Payroll, co-founded the company with Craig Coleman in 2007. Their goal has always been to bring clients a more service-focused, personalized alternative to the national payroll companies.
Jonathan is more than a CEO. He is a culture champion and sales leader for the organization. He has led the team through consistent growth and shaped one of San Diego’s Best Places to Work (ranked for the past 10 consecutive years). Jonathan 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 17 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. That consistent and rapid growth has earned the team many accolades including 9consecutive years of the Inc 5000 fastest growing companies list.
A graduate of James Madison University, Jonathan started his career at ADP and Sallie Mae before launching Coastal Payroll in San Diego. His commitment to excellence and vision for a collaborative team making a positive impact on the lives of others has created a unique experience for both clients and employees alike at Coastal Payroll. Today with more than 150 employees, Jonathan continues to be actively involved in shaping Coastal’s employee experience. He personally conducts welcome onboarding for every new employee, consistently provides praise, motivation, and inspiration for the team at daily huddles, and even takes the time to read co-worker compliments during monthly State of the Union meetings. Besides being accessible to his employees, Jonathan is also a resource and familiar face for clients, joining calls and meetings to ensure that clients feel the full support of the company, and giving his attention and time to them when they need extra care.
Jonathan’s commitment to bettering the lives of others extends outside the office. He and his wife are active in fundraising for their children’s school; organized SpeakUp5K San Diego, the local branch of the SpeakUp5K; and give back wherever they can.
When he was chairman of the board of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of San Diego, Orange, and Imperial Counties, Jonathan oversaw the organization’s historic expansion into Arizona, making the chapter one of the largest in North America. He has also served on the executive committee of the board of directors of BBB Pacific Southwest.
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 1 to 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 to 100, standing apart in the industry – That’s the Coastal Difference.
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