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sara jung Sara Jung believes in growing businesses. As a Managing Partner and President of The Astra Group, a human resource outsourcing company, Jung keeps the company running smoothly and efficiently and has built a strong reputation for integrity in the industry. Just 30, Jung has already made a major positive impact on The Astra Group’s growth during her five year tenure with the company. But for Jung, The Astra Group’s motto “Helping business do business” is more than a catchphrase; it’s a way of life. Acting on her belief that growing business helps to grow community, Jung regularly gives presentations for the Enterprise Center of Johnson County, a business incubator that has helped to create more than 600 jobs in the metro area over the past 10 years. She is a graduate of the Leadership St. Joseph Program, which has trained more than 600 community leaders over the past two decades. Jung takes the business of growing business seriously in both her professional and personal life. In addition to contributing to business growth in the community, Jung brought her work home to help with the successful launch of her husband’s start-up landscaping business, Horticultural Impressions. |
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james kirkland James Kirkland is a mover and a shaker. The 35-year-old attorney made the transition from private practice trial attorney to in-house associate general counsel for RED Development without missing a beat. Kirkland credits his success to respect, hard work and integrity combined with leadership and service. Kirkland’s energy is evidently contagious: In 2008 he successfully recruited participants for the first annual RED Development Duck Derby to benefit Children’s TLC, and he encourages his co-workers to volunteer with the national organization Kids Enjoy Exercise Now. Some of Kirkland’s co-workers have even become KEEN board members; Kirkland himself is a founding member, secretary and member of the board of directors for KEEN’s Kansas City chapter. Kirkland serves on the board of directors for Community LINC—and co-chaired two fundraisers for the organization—and he is the chair of the board of trustees for the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. “I have been able to use my attorney skills to impact issues facing Kansas City while teaching my children the importance of becoming involved in worth-while causes,” Kirkland says. Don’t expect him to slow down any time soon. |
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paul kushnir “I am living the American Dream,” says 35-year-old Paul Kushnir. Kushnir migrated with his family from the former USSR in 1980, but a humble beginning did not stop this entrepreneur from using his resources—namely a supportive family and good education—to their fullest advantage. Kushnir and his brother turned a business they started in their basement into the largest Sprint dealership in the nation. Now, as the CEO of Wireless Lifestyle, Kushnir employs more than 230 people at 45 locations. Through the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program, Kushnir continues improving his business and growing as an individual. In 2008, Wireless Lifestyle raised and donated more than $18,000 for Children’s Miracle Network, but Kush-nir’s community involvement does not end there. As a member of J-Lead, Kushnir encouraged young Jewish leaders to donate more than $36,000 to local causes in 2008, and while serving on the fundraising campaign for Synergy Service, Kushnir raised more than $7,000, partly by requesting his birthday partygoers contribute to the campaign in lieu of buying him gifts. “It is my professional and personal goal to be an active member of the community that has served me and my family so well,” Kushnir says. |
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