CURTIS LANDHERR

Midwestern values are a touchstone in the life and career of Curtis Landherr, something he can draw on anywhere from Garmin International’s headquarters in Olathe to deal-cutting sessions at BMW’s corporate offices in Bavaria. “I am someone who has never forgotten that I grew up on a small farm in Iowa,” Landherr says. The values learned growing up there—“hard work, family, faith and community—have stayed with me since I left home,” says Landherr, 39 as of this writing. He is assistant general counsel for Garmin, where he’s been part of the company’s meteoric rise for the past six years. Before that, he was in-house counsel for a New Jersey company, earning a seat on its executive committee at the age of 31. When he made his way to this region, he quickly set out to make a difference outside the office, as well: He served on the board for Ronald McDonald House Charities for three years, including time as board director, and is currently a member of the planning committee for its charity golf tournament. He was also president of the Association of Corporate Counsel in 2007, and board director for the group from 2005 to 2009. He and his wife, Gretchen, have three children ages 3–10, and they call Olathe home.

ERIC LANGHORST

Business-world demands are often matters of the here and now. The final work product of an educator, says Eric Langhorst, may not be known for years. “I feel my most significant achievement is making an impact on the lives of the next generation,” he says. “That sounds cliché, but it is truly the reason that I chose to become a teacher.” And a darn good one, if you measure by accolades such as Missouri Teacher of the Year. He earned that honor for 2007–08, in part for his innovative use of technology in classes at South Valley Junior High in the Liberty schools. Speaking the language of today’s youth—with blogs, podcasts, digital “studycasts” and more—Langhorst, 38, has them absorbing history before they’re even aware they’re learning. He’s a bit of a techno-evangelist, too, exposing reluctant peers to tools that can help them do the same. His teacher-oriented “Speaking of History” blog has generated more than 1 million downloads. And he reaches out to the next generation of classroom instructors by teaching graduate-level courses in education at Park University. He and his wife, Jayme, are raising a pair of daughters in Liberty, where he also devotes time to serve as Webmaster for the Clay County Historical Society and sits on the museum’s board of directors.

TODD LASALA

High-profile commercial projects often spotlight developers, who are the running backs of that sector. The guys clearing paths for them? Lawyers. That must make Todd LaSala a Pro Bowl-caliber lineman. A partner at Stinson Morrison Hecker specializing in real estate and development, the 39-year-old LaSala has represented Wyandotte County’s Unified Government in development of the hugely successful Village West retail district, as well as the Schlitterbahn waterpark resort. He’s been involved with grittier projects, such as the massive BNSF intermodal facility planned for southwest Johnson County. “These projects are meaningful to me because they have the potential to, and sometimes do, change the landscape of the community,” LaSala says. Commercial realty came easily to him; his father, Carl, accounts for half of the LaSala-Sonnenberg Commercial Realty nameplate. But his work, the junior LaSala says, isn’t just about earning a living. He and his wife, Nancy, have a pair of preschool-age boys—one motivation for his service on the board of Friends of the Zoo and its building committee, among his other civic contributions. “I want very much to improve Kansas City for my sons,” he says, “through both my professional work and philanthropy.”

DAVID MANICA

This is the source of David Manica’s passion: “People don’t rally around the experience of going to a courthouse, a hospital, or a school,” he says. “But 60,000 will pour into a stadium excited to be there, all of them really living the thrill of that moment.” That’s why he’s devoted his architectural career to stadium design, providing those thrills for people around the world. In 13 years with the former HOK Sport Venue and Event in Kansas City, Manica sculpted a reputation in stadium design and learned to think big. At 39, he’s doing exactly that now with his own firm, Manica Architecture. Just three years old, the company has offices in Kansas City, London and Shanghai, and is tied in to stadium projects in China, Italy, South America, the Middle East and Europe. As a father of two—with third due later this month—the globe-trotting Manica relies on technology and the good graces of his wife, Noelle, to strengthen the family bonds. “I can use Skype on my iPhone with a WiFi connection, dial from anywhere in the world to home or cell through iCall VoiP App, and do video Skype calls from my laptop—all for free,” he says. “So I call home twice a day to wish everybody good morning and good night. No matter where I am.”