John Snyder

An opportunity arose in 2002 for Snyder, 36, and a former associate with Bryan Cave, to join Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal to establish and chair the firm’s real estate practice in its Kansas City office. In just three years, Snyder now chairs a team of nine real estate lawyers that creates some of the largest imprints in the real estate market in the area. Some of the projects that Snyder’s team is involved in includes the HOK headquarters, the BMA Tower transaction, the Federal Reserve project and the Kirkwood Condominiums. Snyder graduated in the top 10 percent of his law school class and was on the KU Law Review. He is involved in various community and charitable activities, including the Johnson County Housing Coalition, Catholic Charities, Legal Aid for Western Missouri, the Salvation Army, Ronald McDonald House and the Cathedral Center for Faith & Work. Snyder feels “blessed” to have established his law career in his hometown, so close to his large family. He and his wife, Diane, have three daughters: Libby (13), Hannah (8) and Gretchen (5).

ClifF Stubbs

Stubbs, 39, is a Partner with McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips, P.A., specializing in defending workers’ compensation claims for insurance carriers and self-insured employers in Kansas and Missouri. He is an active member in the American Bar Association, and the Bar Associations for Missouri, Kansas and Wyandotte County. One of his most rewarding endeavors was to chair the Disaster Legal Services Project for the ABA and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) in 2000-01. The project provided pro bono legal services to disaster victims across the country. Stubbs would mobilize local networks of lawyers to help those in need of assistance. His term expired in August 2001, but when the terrorist attacks occurred in 2001, the framework that he had set in place was put into action, helping hundreds of families affected in the tragedies. When not working on legal matters or with his other charitable endeavors, Cliff “Big Dog” Stubbs enjoys life as a single dad, learning how to do ponytails, pigtails and French braids for Lauren (6) and playing “hootball” with son Will (3).

Jeff Wietharn

Wietharn, 37, an Attorney, Shareholder and Director for Coffman, DeFries & Northern, grew up in Overland Park, but moved to Topeka after law school to work for then-Chief Judge Mary Beck Briscoe. In addition to his growing law practice, he quickly immersed himself in his new hometown, serving the local bar association and the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce. He has been a member of the chamber since 1996 and currently serves as the director of the chamber. He previously served stints as vice chair of government relations, chair of Leadership Planning and Leadership Selection committees, member of the Policy Statement Review Committee, and member of the Fast Forward Committee. In recog-nition of his service, he received the 2003 Chamber Member of the Year Award. Wietharn has also served the Kansas Children’s Service League as a Director and on the board of Railroad Heritage, Inc. He and his wife, Susan, have two children: Mason (4) and Ian (19 months).

Angelo Trozzolo

As Vice President/Managing Director of Trozzolo Communications, Trozzolo, 30, leads the creative and account management teams comprising 14 people. Under his leadership, the company’s work has been recognized for excellence in business-to-business, not-for- profit, public affairs and business-to-consumer sectors. He may have just missed the fictitious “30 Under Thirty” nomination by three months, but don’t think he’s still “wet behind the ears.” He got his start in the communications industry as a 10-year old with his neighborhood newspaper, the Santa Fe Trailer. Never slowing down, he is the immediate past president of the Kansas City Chapter of the Business Marketing Association and currently serves on the international board of that organization. Steve Glorioso, Assistant to Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes, said, “I cannot think of another person who has the potential, the drive and the wherewithal to positively impact the greater Kansas City area, especially downtown, more than Angelo.” Trozzolo and his wife, Elisa, have two children: Sophia (3) and Pasquale (1).