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PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2025
It won’t be long until someone born the year we introduced “20 in Their Twenties” will actually be eligible for consideration. Half of that cohort are still in high school and college, the rear vanguard of Generation Z. They’ll have a challenge on their hands living up to standards set by their generational predecessors, who are defined by a powerful dual mission: generating economic value alongside profound social impact. With Gen Z now fully commanding this demographic, their approach to business is inherently purpose-driven. As young executives and entrepreneurs, they hail from a diverse array of sectors, including fintech, AI, sustainable development, commercial realty and professional services. Their collective achievements dismantle the old notion that significant success requires decades of toil. With a vast runway ahead, this year’s honorees are not just the future; they are shaping the present, proving that ambition, when fused with purpose, needs no permission to begin.
Dara Alvarado, Lathrop GPM
Dara Alvarado knows that entrepreneurship—as defined by proactive leadership, strategic thinking and pursuit of meaningful impact—is not confined to being a business founder. Every day as an associate at Lathrop GPM, Alvarado, 28, strives to embrace complexity, drive innovation, and foster growth across industries and communities. “I have applied this mindset to high-value financial transactions, serving as lead associate on structured note issuances exceeding $5.93 billion,” she says. “These matters required sophisticated legal structuring, cross-jurisdictional coordination, and negotiation with institutional stakeholders.” Her practice spans institutional finance, mergers and acquisitions, and advising startups and nonprofit organizations. Outside of work, she’s had mayoral appointments to Visit KC and the Kansas City Regional Destination Development Foundation, and is on the board for the Hispanic Bar Association of Greater Kansas City.
Andrew Arbuckle, Stinson LLP
As a corporate finance attorney for Stinson LLP, 28-year-old Andrew Arbuckle translates complex legal challenges into strategic business advantages for his clients. His role extends beyond traditional legal analysis; he provides a holistic perspective on the interplay of legal, economic, and political factors to mitigate risk and empower clients to seize opportunities. This approach has yielded impressive achievements, with his portfolio exceeding $10 billion in aggregate value. His notable transactions include advising on a major stock-for-stock acquisition and securing approximately $2 billion in financing for a critical infrastructure firm. “The market,” he says, “ultimately tests success or failure: failing entrepreneurs incur losses that signal unproductive uses of resources, while successful ones earn profits proportional to the value their innovations deliver to society.” He’s also a trusted counselor to corporate boards and management, guiding them on high-stakes matters.
Parker Bednasek, Dentons
With a dedication to public service that began in law school, Parker Bednasek has shown he won’t shy away from a challenge. He was a driving force behind Bednasek v. Kobach, taking on the Secretary of State in Kansas in a key voting-rights case. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Kansas Law Review and received the Robert F. Bennett Award for public service. Now, the 29-year-old at Dentons has a significant commercial litigation and appellate practice. His achievements include drafting a U.S. Supreme Court brief on behalf of organizations supporting domestic violence survivors and contributing to major transactions, such as a $331 million bond offering for an energy client. He is a “go to” lawyer for complex constitutional issues. Beyond his practice, he volunteers as a moot court coach for KU’s law school and assists the Lawrence Humane Society, showing a commitment to both legal excellence and community impact.
Meagen Brake, Spring Venture Group
At 29, Meagen Brake is a dynamic director at Spring Venture Group and a dedicated working mother. She made history as the company’s youngest sales agent ever promoted to manager. Her empowering leadership is proven by her record of developing talent, having promoted five agents to manager and one manager to director. She built a sales powerhouse, with her team containing 19 of the company’s top 30 agents, including the current Agent of the Year. This success generated $60.9 million in revenue and an 82 percent team-engagement score. Her excellence was recognized with a 2024 Spotlight Award, and she was selected to host the company’s major leadership event. Brake also serves as the company’s representative in meetings with national insurance carriers.
Mayah Cohen, Virtus
At 29, Mayah Cohen has achieved considerable success at Virtus, an employee benefits broker, by embracing an entrepreneurial mindset. Hired as an HR Generalist in 2019 with no prior experience, she taught herself the industry remotely. A pivotal moment came in 2020 when she was suddenly responsible for more than 20 clients after an acquisition. “I leaned into the challenge and figured things out on my own, excelling along the way,” she says. This drive led her to grow her personal book of business from under $50,000 to over $2 million in four years. She advanced rapidly, receiving three promotions that ultimately landed her in a VP role. In this position, she now oversees the Client Success team and a total book of business valued at $6 million, having built scalable departmental infrastructures, systems, and training programs from the ground up.
Jillian Colquitt, Flint Group
Jillian Colquitt, just 26, serves as vice president of corporate development for Flint Group, parent company of home-services enterprises nationwide. Her entrepreneurial spirit, shaped early by her experience running a marathon at 16, is defined by “discipline, grit, and an eye on the finish line,” she says. After a demanding stint in M&A investment banking, where she completed five transactions totaling $3 billion, she joined Flint Group at the age of 24. In her first year, she built the company’s inorganic growth playbook and M&A pipeline, stream-lined diligence systems, and cultivated relationships with hundreds of brokers and owners. Most notably, she led five acquisitions across five new geographies, adding over $62 million in revenue to the company. Her drive, she says, is ultimately rooted in her faith, family, and community in Kansas City.
Nicholas Crippen, Merrill Lynch
Looking for a promising young professional with the right tools in the servant-leadership kit? Meet Nick Crippen. He is a 29-year-old advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management with a mission to lead by example at the office, and to build community outside it. His approach, he says, is “to be nimble and resilient against rejection and failure. It is to be the face of your own brand, championing your work with pride and purpose.” He came to Merrill from American Century Investments, where he earned three promotions in 3-1/2 years and was selected to co-pilot a new program that yielded more than $22 million in sales in a year. At Merrill, he has built his practice and reputation, co-heading a wealth management team in Leawood. Service is a core value, raising funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters of KC, baking for Hospice House or packing for Harvesters.
Trey DeRousse, Newmark Zimmer
Trey DeRousse started a residential lawn and landscape company in high school and through college, serving 70 clients a week. Today, at 28, he’s cutting deals as a director at Newmark Zimmer, the commercial real-estate firm. “I have applied my entrepreneurial experience to my commercial real estate career and above all, continue to focus on providing unparalleled client service,” DeRousse says. Since joining Newmark Zimmer in 2019, he has been involved in more than 151 transactions with a combined value exceeding $82 million. Major deals include representing TruHome Solutions in a $6 million, 36,000-square-foot headquarters lease and assisting Arc of the Ozarks in the acquisition of a two-building campus representing a capital investment of $5 million. DeRousse, 28, attributes success to his “focus on providing unparalleled client service,” a principle honed by learning from industry leaders. He recently earned the prestigious CCIM designation in 2024.
Brandan Fitzgerald, Five Elms Capital
Brandan Fitzgerald is a vice president at the private-equity firm Five Elms Capital, where his journey began with a part-time role while he was still a senior at UMKC. He joined when the firm was a 20-person organization investing from a $150 million fund; it has since grown to 80 people managing a $1.1 billion fund, and he’s been an integral part of that growth. Fitzgerald, 28, has overseen investments of $318 million across nine software companies. He now manages a team that sources new investments and holds a board seat at five companies, while also serving as a board observer at four others. He immediately knew this was his dream job, stating, “No other role gave me an opportunity to start speaking to founders/CEOs who were experts of their domain at 22 years old while also combining the ability to go deep into financials of a business to decide if we should invest.”
Zach Gensky, Apollo Insurance Group
Zach Gensky, a junior partner at Apollo Insurance Group, earned that role through a rapid series of entrepreneurial achievements. He started at Apollo at age 21 with no prior connections or experience, driven by ambition alone. Now 27, Gensky defines entrepreneurship as “the ability to pursue and accomplish your dreams despite your circumstances.” His immediate success included being the top-selling agent in his first full year. Promoted to junior partner the following year, he took on leadership duties, including sales training and managing a key company relationship. This partnership led to the creation of a new product that has generated more than $5 million in revenue. Furthermore, Gensky recently tripled the sales production of the account-management team without adding staff. His sales performance has also been consistently exceptional, ranking in the firm’s Top 10 throughout his entire tenure.
Cody Isabel, Mind, Brain, Body Lab
The entrepreneurial spirit of Ewing Kauffman lives on, and Cody Isabel is embracing that philosophy: “You should not choose to be a common company. It’s your right to be uncommon if you can.” At 29, he’s is the founder and CEO of Mind, Brain, Body Lab, a mental-health AI company whose services include counseling to help people recover from the trauma of failed relationships. His uncommon career trajectory began post-college at Sandler Training, where he broke records as the youngest associate to receive the “Heavy Hitter” award for securing more than $100k in business in consecutive quarters. He then founded CBA Intelligence, a manufacturing AI company, where he successfully raised $650,000 from investors. Though this venture ultimately failed, he says its technology and insights became the foundation for his current work. Mind Brain Body Lab aids survivors of abusive relationships, growing to more than 885,000 followers.
Ryan Klepper, Block Real Estate Services
He’s just 27, but already, Ryan Klepper plays a central role in high-stakes commercial realty at the region’s biggest firm in that space, Block Real Estate Services. He’s vice president of acquisitions there, and in his four-year career, he has significantly impacted the firm’s portfolio, participating in the acquisition and fundraising for nearly 1,200 residential units valued at more than $270 million, as well as $15.5 million in commercial property. Klepper attributes his rapid success to a balance of persistence, calculated action, and occasional overconfidence. He expresses profound professional satisfaction, noting, “I am grateful that at the age of 27 I can not only learn from some of the smartest people in my industry but get to be a part of the decision-making progress on multi-million-dollar real estate deals daily.” His work not only fulfills a personal passion but also creates substantial investment opportunities for numerous clients.
Sam Kulikov, Social Apex | KC Pioneers
At 29, Sam Kulikov is the founder of two mission-driven firms: Social Apex Media and KC Pioneers. Following a friend’s suicide at 18, he has blended career with community philanthropy. “It was important to me when I launched both businesses that I would instill the same passion for community engagement and philanthropy at the base level of the organizations so that I could make a difference year-round,” he says. Social Apex has provided $50,000 in donated marketing services over three years, creating pro bono campaigns for major non-profits and community efforts like the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and Boys & Girls Club. With KC Pioneers, the e-sports enterprise, he focuses on youth development by raising funds to build gaming and STEM facilities, hosting programming on esports and creating free, competitive events that offer scholarships. Through these ventures, he makes a significant and multifaceted impact on his community.
Alyssa Oddo, Citywide Facility Solutions
One of the youngest of this year’s honorees, 26-year-old Alyssa Oddo serves as COO at family-owned City Wide Facility Solutions, which is closing in on Top 100 status among American franchising companies. There, she defines entrepreneurship as “the ability to see opportunity where others see challenges.” She has achieved significant career milestones by spearheading a comprehensive redesign of sales compensation plans to aligned sales incentives with both company profitability and customer needs, fostering better team alignment and supporting long-term scalability. Recognizing that manual processes were a bottleneck, Oddo identified and implemented new technology solutions. These innovations directly increased productivity by reducing administrative time, boosting accountability, and creating real-time visibility and tracking mechanisms, she says.
Sophie Pupillo, Southwind
An entrepreneurial philosophy of “ownership, resilience, and creating opportunities” applies directly to Sophie Pupillo in her role as media services manager for fast-growing home-services company Southwind. She manages multi-million-dollar advertising budgets and optimizes campaigns across multiple brands to deliver significant financial results—more than $93 million in revenue from her portfolio in the last year. She manages approximately $4 million in ad spend and leads awareness marketing for 17 locations nationwide. Beyond driving revenue, Pupillo holds a strategic position, working directly with the CEO and president to shape Southwind’s future. She contributes to innovation by serving on a team launching a new AI training platform for frontline employees and on a branding committee to bolster the company’s community presence.
James Pyle, Freedom 3 Capital
James Pyle, 29, is as a senior associate at Freedom 3 Capital, one of the KC area’s largest private equity firms. With more than seven years of experience in private equity and investment banking, he has already closed more than $200 million in investments and contributed to managing a portfolio exceeding $1 billion in assets. A core tenet of his professional philosophy is the power of inquisitive analysis, believing that asking the right questions is paramount. “In a world where it pays to have an open mind,” he says, “I challenge myself and my team to view each opportunity as a chance to learn, as that will be the North Star in determining whether a company has differentiated or defensible competitive advantages.” While not a business owner in the traditional sense, Pyle defines his entrepreneurial contribution through his integrity and reputation, asserting that his word, bond, and the reputation built through each interaction are fundamental to the growth of his team and firm.
Sowmya Ragothaman, 1898 & Co.
By championing innovation for her clients as a renewable-energy consultant, Sowmya Ragothaman at 27 has already built a distinguished career at 1898 & Co., a subsidiary of Burns & Mc-Donnell. Her entrepreneurial spirit was nationally recognized in 2021 when her green hydrogen business plan won the firm’s internal Energy IGNITE competition, propelling her into a leadership role within the decarbonization group. She now leads multidisciplinary teams to help electric utilities execute billion-dollar investment decisions, achieving remarkable results. Her team’s novel, cost-effective contracting solutions saved one utility $500 million in capital expenditures. Her passion for innovation also extends to internal tools; she pioneered a database and customer insight reports, planning for a 20 percent efficiency gain. “To me, she says, “entrepreneurship means chasing innovation for my clients.”
Joseph Scott, Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual’s Joey Scott has transformed a single-client practice into a team of six, serving more than 550 clients across 37 states, sustaining a 20-25 percent compound annual growth rate. He made history as the first intern to hold the financial adviser title and later earned national recognition as the No. 1 College Unit director, leading his Kansas City interns to a first-place finish. Those results place him among the top 2 percent of advisors nationwide, with three qualifications for the elite Lives Leader Summit. In 2024, Forbes named him one of Missouri’s Best in State Financial Security Professionals, ranked 17th statewide. He also co-founded Priority Wealth Partners and other ventures. Scott emphasizes that “Entrepreneurship is not only about financial results but about multiplying opportunity, influence, and impact for clients, colleagues, and community.”
Trey Taylor, Lockton
At global brokerage Lockton, Trey Taylor specializes in designing large casualty-insurance placement for multi-billion-dollar companies, helping reduce risk, manage costs, and foster long-term resilience. He’s rapidly built a distinguished career, advancing from associate program to his current role as an assistant vice president, overseeing over $2.5 million in revenue. Taylor credits Lockton’s “Uncommonly Independent” culture for his success, stating it empowers him to “think like a business owner, making client-first decisions … without the constraints of bureaucracy.” That approach involves challenging the status quo in an industry slow to adapt. Academically, he has earned an MBA and ARM and is nearing completion of his CPCU. Outside the office, he helps develop talent as a PACE Facilitator and recruiting ambassador, and supports various non-profits causes.
Tripp Walsworth, Walsworth Printing
A technological transformation is under way at Walsworth Publishing, and the tip of the spear for that is Tripp Walsworth, 28, the family-owned company’s director of AI and automation. His entrepreneurial approach introduced AI and automation to the manufacturing-focused business for the first time. This involved developing a use policy, conducting widespread “AI 101” training across five Midwest locations, and mapping high-impact work flows. His efforts have resulted in more than 150 team members actively using ChatGPT and the implementation of no-code automation tools. Despite challenges, he has successfully launched five live robotic process automations, redirecting more than 3,000 hours of repetitive work. He emphasizes that the goals extend beyond automation, stating, “it’s about empowering teams with new skills, faster work flows and scalable productivity.”
