These Wall Street associates made a left turn and wound up on the West Coast. Wall Street Associates manages approximately $1.5 billion of assets on behalf of retail, institutional, and tax-exempt investors. The firm focuses on the stocks of growing micro-, small-, and mid-cap companies in the US; investments in the retail, health care, technology, and durable goods sectors represent the majority of its assets under management. Wall Street Associates was formed in 1987 from the spinoff of California First Bank's investment advisor subsidiary and is now owned by its employees.