Until Elaina Boudreau signed on as Public Relations Leader three years ago, the $8.2 billion General Electric's Employers Reinsurance Corporation had no such department. Boudreau has worked as the ERC's global spokesperson and built its community relations strategy. It has gone from having a little voice in the trade media to triple the amount of monthly positive media coverage. With Sprint until 2000, Boudreau was spokesperson for four of the company's lead consumer products and services.

Currently, Boudreau's attentions must be shared as she and husband Bryan prepare for the birth of their second child, due in August. She is happy to reorganize her schedule and shift personal goals toward family and non-profit work within the Greater Kansas City area, while maintaining communications counsel with the CEO at one of GE's businesses. Boudreau has applied her skills to help spread the word about such non-profit charitable endeavors as the American Heart Association Heart's Ball, the Mid-Continent Council of Girl Scouts "Take Our Daughters to Work Day," and the Westport Ballet Summer Series. "I am proud to be able to contribute in so many areas of life," she says.

Elected in November of 2002, Jason Brown serves as state representative for the 30th District in Platte County, encompassing parts of Buchanan and Platte counties. His partnership with the Northland began as the Platte City Public Works Director in 1998. While serving on the MARC Solid Waste Management District Committee, he implemented a curbside recycling program in the area. Brown has also suited up in a hard hat and military fatigues over the past five years: he still owns Brown Dog Fence & Construction, a small business he started just before the Army Reserves deployed him to Bosnia as a Civil Affairs Sergeant in 2000. Now heading to Jefferson City four days a week, Brown is a member of the Homeland Security & Veteran Affairs Committee as well as the Conservation and Natural Resources Committee.

He and his wife Rachelle, whom he met while attending Northwest Missouri State University, raise two children. Brown is the deacon at First Christian Church of Platte City. "I still continue to serve my community, state, and nation as a loyal and hardworking public servant," explains Brown--in many different uniforms.

Becoming a lawyer sounded "just great" to an adolescent Denise Drake on Career Day. What the years between have taught her is that determination, sacrifice and creative people-skills are necessary ingredients to keep and achieve one's goal. Drake took a job at Twentieth Century Investments right out of college, eager to start earning a living. She quickly climbed the corporate ladder, but felt something missing. One of her company's legal advisors and future colleauge at Spencer Fane Britt & Browne encouraged Drake to pursue the law profession. Recommitting herself to an old dream, she left her blossoming human resources career and went on to become first in her class at the University of Kansas Law School. Halfway through her third year, Drake gave birth to a son, who would attended classes with Mom.

Drake's recent successes include an early promotion to partner at Spencer Fane, where she works in the Labor & Employment Department. She is a dynamic speaker on legal issues in the workplace and provides continuing committee service to the American Bar Association's Labor & Employment Section. With two sons and three stepdaughters, Drake steps out of the office to attending their football games or theater productions.

Just as the selection process for this year's Forty Under Forty project concluded, there was a new honor to add to Randy Edges' bio--he was promoted to CEO and Vice Chairman of Citizen's Bank. Previously the Johnson County market president, Edge joined Citizen's in 1998 after serving Ernst & Young's management consulting group in St. Louis. Prior to that, Edge put his undergraduate aerodynamics degree to use as a senior product support engineer with BF Goodrich Aerospace. In this new role, he will remain active in Citizen's Kansas City market while working to grow the bank's presence throughout Southeast Kansas. Dean Mann, retiring CEO, is optimistic in passing his title on to Edge, saying, "Randy has proven himself a capable leader, manager and strategist, and I am confident that Citizen's will achieve new heights under his leadership."

Edge remains very active in the Washington University Alumni Kansas City Regional Cabinet. He and his wife Julie make their home in Mission Hills. The two have a pleasantly full life raising their three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son "with some grace and dignity" while both pursuing career aspirations.