Colorado’s Top 25 most influential young professionals

Mike Cote //October 1, 2010//

Colorado’s Top 25 most influential young professionals

Mike Cote //October 1, 2010//

 

If you’ve passed the age when few would call you a “young” professional, it’s mighty humbling to read the stories about the people on the following pages.

As the judges of the inaugural Top 25 Most Influential Young Professionals in Colorado reviewed more than 150 nominations, we were wowed by the level of success these 21- through 39-year-olds have achieved in their relatively brief careers. We had a tough time selecting just 25, even though we focused not only on business success, but on impact in the community through mentoring, volunteer work and philanthropic efforts.

As we look toward the future and a time when our current economic slump is but a distant memory, here are some people whom you can bet on to help to lead the way. We selected five young professionals from among the 25 for special recognition both on these pages and at our Gen XYZ celebration that ColoradoBiz held on Sept. 30.

– Mike Cote, ColoradoBiz editor

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Jennifer Chang, 29
Global Technology Resources Inc.
Engineering grad has found success in technology industry – and with helping others.

Jennifer Chang has been honing her leadership skills since she was a high school student in California. That’s when she became involved with Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership. The Westlake Village, Calif. based organization provides leadership training for students who are nominated by their schools. Chang was selected to attend a seminar where topics included world hunger and other issues.
“It was life changing for me,” she says. “I learned the world is bigger than high school, that there is more out there.”
She also learned that she can help, and that she can lead other people to help, too. When she was a student at the University of California, Berkeley, she founded Project V.I.P., a mentoring program for at-risk middle school kids.
Chang holds a B.A. and M.A. from UC Berkeley, a graduate certificate in engineering management from Drexel University, and an M.B.A. from the University of Colorado Denver. She worked for Lockheed Martin and was accepted into its Operations Leadership Development Program. She chaired the Space Systems Recruiting Committee and traveled to different colleges to recruit. She also led the Lockheed Martin Women’s Network.
She now works for GTRI (Global Technology Resources Inc.), a Denver-based technology consultant provider. As a federal account executive, Chang markets GTRI programs to defense program managers.
Chang is a young Asian-American woman succeeding in an industry that historically attracted mostly white men. Nikki Brown, a UC Berkeley classmate and longtime friend, nominated Chang for the ColoradoBiz Top Gen XYZ Most Influential Young Professionals. When she needed to gather biographical information, Brown told Chang it was for a case study about successful women and she wanted to include a nonwhite young woman. (This was true; Brown is taking classes and plans to begin a doctorate program in January.)
“Jen leads by example,” Brown says. “You influence others when you are constantly trying to improve yourself to become more successful.”
Chang says being determined and passionate and also being humble and having flexibility are important skills in both volunteer work and in the workplace. Today she mentors high school students and helps them handle the college application process. The students ask the usual questions about how to get into certain schools, and they sometimes ask bigger questions.
“A common theme that comes up is, can one person really make a difference,” Chang says. “They want to know, does it matter if I try hard, and who really is going to be affected?”
She says her role is to encourage them to focus on helping even one person. “I met with my mentor, and she said the same thing, that if she is able to touch one person, she knows she has succeeded.”
Brown, who now volunteers with Hugh O’Brian Youth, says Chang also sets an example by seizing opportunities instead of waiting for things to happen. “Her attitude is, I am at a great company; I have been given a great opportunity; let me use it as much as possible,” Brown says. “She has master’s degrees and certificates, but she does not sit back and think she is owed anything.”
– Nora Caley
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Matt Shoup, 29
M&E Painting
Faced with a layoff, this Loveland resident painted his way to success .

Sometimes, a little hardship is just the incentive needed for a successful venture.
In March 2005, Matt Shoup was laid off from his corporate job. Recently out of college, with debts and a mortgage to pay off, he faced his challenge head on.
“I had no money to my name,” Shoup says. “But I had a wife who was supportive, and I knew I had to make it happen. It was a good time to test myself and see what I was made of.”
He’s made of the stuff that creates a successful painting company, even in the face of a bad economic situation. This year, M & E Painting, which serves residential neighborhoods in Northern Colorado, had a client base of more than 40 people. As of the end of 2009, Shoup had grown M & E Painting to a company that pulled in more than $2 million in revenue.
The secret to his success, says the owner of the Loveland-based company, is a positive attitude.
“It’s a tough time for a lot of home-improvement companies, but if you keep the quality up and you have a good team, you’ll be fine,” Shoup says. “If you say you’re going to be down 30 percent, you will be. We decided to grow. We have a belief in excellence, and that helps build the company.”
Because of the seasonal quality of his work, Shoup employs contract crews that work in the spring through autumn, and he has a staff of around 15 full-time people.
A solid reputation has led M & E Painting to be recognized by the Northern Colorado Business Report as one of Northern Colorado’s Fastest Growing Companies in 2010. ColoradoBiz also featured M & E this year as one Colorado’s Companies to Watch, a program sponsored by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
“I have an amazing team,” Shoup says. “They do a great job, and that positive reputation is so important to our customer base.”
David Sward, who worked with Shoup painting houses when they were in college, is one of those team members.
“He is truly a wonderful man first and a businessman second,” Sward says. “He believes in benefits for the employees and freedom for us to work and reach our own individual potentials through his motivation.”
His humanitarian efforts, Sward says, help Shoup stand out in 
the community.
The team that Shoup praises gets together when M & E Painting holds its annual free paint makeover.
“It all started in 2007, when we had a customer call and say she couldn’t afford to have her house painted because her husband had died of a heart attack,” Shoup says. “I was on my way to give her deposit back when I thought, ‘Hey, we should do this for free.'”
This year, the company will paint three houses for needy families. Paint and labor are all donated.
“What you get from it is incredible,” he says. “It’s the intangibles. You can’t even describe the look on someone’s face when you tell them you’re going to paint their house for free. It builds positive energy.”
– Maria Cote

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Kimberly Smith, 38
Avenue West Corporate Housing
Entrepreneur balances corporate-housing business with raising her family.

Kimberly Smith entered the corporate-housing world on a fluke. Near the end of her college days as a political-science major, she took a trip to Vietnam, but decided to try a business internship in San Francisco when she returned. By the time she showed up to the Golden State, the only internship left was in corporate housing – not a job little girls dream about, she said.
Nonetheless, inspired by weekend meetings her professor set up with “amazing entrepreneurs,” such as the founders of PowerBar and Odwalla, Smith excelled. She worked in the corporate-housing field in the Bay area with her new husband for a while. In 1999, the couple decided they could do better. They moved to Colorado, where Smith grew up, and launched a business of their own.
“It grew way faster than we could have imagined,” said the CEO of AvenueWest Corporate Housing, a multimillion-dollar venture and the largest corporate housing property management company in Colorado.
Smith, 38, attributes her success partly to good genes. Her childhood memories include stuffing mailers and licking stamps for one of her dad’s three companies or her mom’s 160-year-old family business. “We were always doing something related to business.”
More importantly, her parents instilled problem-solving skills and a view that there are no limitations in life – two virtues Smith aspires to every day, her colleagues say.
“She’s always ready to ask the tough questions and to get people to think about things in a new perspective,” said Mary Ann Passi, executive director of the Corporate Housing Provider’s Association, for which Smith is an elected member of the board.
One of Smith’s most notable innovations came when she realized her company – which provides upscale, furnished, urban housing for corporate business people in Colorado Springs, Denver and San Francisco – wasn’t fulfilling the whole need. Every week, she would get calls from owners or prospective renters wanting to rent housing, sometimes nonurban, from all over the country. “I’d have to say: That’s not what we do.”
So in 2005, she and her husband, who live in Highlands Ranch, launched CorporateHousingByOwner.com. “It was a little scary. You are making a product that, in some ways, is competing with your own business,” said Smith, whose CHBO clients range from family vacationers to people who lost houses in the recent Boulder fire to recession casualties forced to move to find work but not ready to completely uproot.
Most recently, knowing that her company could expand far beyond her reach, Smith created AvenueWest Global Franchise. “The most rewarding part is watching other couples become successful business owners based on what we’ve learned,” she said.
Her volunteer projects are often focused on boosting the success of women and girls, such as fundraising for Dahka Weaves, a women’s enterprise program in Nepal, and spending every Memorial Day with her family working at 100 Elk Outdoor Center, a mountain leadership program in Buena Vista, where she has sponsored inner-city girls.
Smith’s family, including two boys, ages 4 and 7, are her primary focus, as Smith calls herself a “hybrid,” neither a career woman nor a stay-at-home mom. Her colleagues wonder how she does it, as a CEO of three companies who regularly volunteers at school.
“I wish I knew her secret,” Passi said. “If she could bottle that and share it, she’d have herself yet another successful business.”
– Debra Melani
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Trevor Dierdorff, 38
Amnet
Going the extra mile for a customer inspired the launch of a business.

Trevor Dierdorff clearly remembers the phone call that launched his business in 1998.
It came from a senior named Mildred, who contacted the Best Buy store where he worked as a PC technician. Mildred needed someone to install a new modem on her computer.
Dierdorff gave her the company line – “If you’d like to bring it in, we’d be happy to help you” – and she gave him an earful.
“Young man, I am 83 years old, and if you think I’m going to crawl under my desk and unhook that metal box and carry it downstairs and bring it over to you, you’ve got another thing coming,” she said. “Now. Who can help me?”
On his own time, Dierdorff went to Mildred’s home and installed her modem. The next day, feeling conflicted, he told his supervisor at Best Buy what he’d done. To his surprise, his boss gave him the go-ahead to keep doing it.
“So rather than turning folks away, I built a small customer base,” Dierdorff says.
Amnet was born.
“Trevor does a great job at being open to every opportunity that comes his way,” says Hunter Willis, Amnet’s marketing coordinator, who nominated Dierdorff as one of Colorado’s 25 most influential young professionals.
In February 2000, Amnet became Dierdorff’s full-time job; before the year was out, he had hired his first employee. The company, which has had steadily increasing revenues even during the toughest economic times, now has a staff of 15 and is looking to add two more in 2010.
And once they come, they stay – the last departure was three years ago. Part of the reason: the opportunities Dierdorff creates within the company, which includes weekly upskilling.
“I’m a big believer in hiring smart people and keeping them smart,” Dierdorff says. “Somebody we hired as a receptionist now does Web design and training. One of our technicians is now our tech services manager. I try to make sure we discover our employees’ talents and interests.”
Dierdorff’s impact on the Colorado Springs community – and up-and-coming entrepreneurs – extends well beyond his own company’s doors. He volunteers as an instructor for Junior Achievement and has raised more than $25,000 for Southern Colorado Youth for Christ, which helps at-risk teens.
“I’m a big believer in the law of reciprocity: Do good, and good comes back to you,” he says.
“As far as influential people go, people who really run their business in an ethical way but also go out of their way to help others, Trevor is the best I’ve ever worked for,” Willis says. “As far as character goes, he’s exceptional.”
And then there’s the likability factor.
If success hasn’t gone to Dierdorff’s head, it might be because he remembers what it’s like to hit bottom. The end of a marriage “knocked the wind out of me,” he says. “I went from top sales guy to bottom sales guy, and within a year, I had been through three more sales jobs.”
Which is how Dierdorff happened to be working at Best Buy the day Mildred called.
“It’s the hardships that grow us as people,” he says. “Personal growth sucks. It’s a pain to go through. But it’s also important to go through. To this day, I’m passionate about improving myself.”
– Lisa Ryckman

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Amy Sufak, 36
Red Energy Public Relations
Air Force vet runs successful PR and ad agency

Amy Sufak didn’t let a little thing like a bad economy stop her from launching a successful public relations and advertising agency.
“It was a little scary to take that kind of chance,” says Sufak, 36, who started Colorado Springs-based Red Energy Public Relations in 2008. “But what I found out was that a lot of businesses were cutting back on highly paid marketing and public relations people and outsourcing the work. I was able to say, ‘Listen, I can help you.'”
Today, the company works with corporate, nonprofit and government organizations nationwide.
This year, she was named Public Relations Person of the Year for Colorado by the Public Relations Society of America. She also earned a gold medal in the Hermes Creative Awards competition for her work on the Parade of Homes-style showcase of retirement communities. To help foster opportunities for other small businesses and nonprofits, she leads her team in providing multiple pro-bono projects every fiscal quarter.
“I believe it’s important for all of us to help others succeed,” she says. “In part, I owe my success to the Air Force, because they put me in this field head first.”
After earning a bachelor’s degree in public relations and marketing from Simmons College in Boston, Sufak joined the Air Force as a public affairs officer. She spent 12 years traveling the world, and worked with all the major news outlets, from ABC to the BBC.
“I coordinated ceremonies and offered support for three presidents, heads of state, kings, queens and four-star generals,” Sufak says. “What I loved about meeting them was discovering that they’re just like the rest of us. They want to bring a toy home for their child after a trip, or they want to remember an anniversary. But unlike us, they can’t just walk into Toys ‘R’ Us. So that was part of my job. They were all grateful and kind to me, and it was really touching.”
Though she has only a handful of full-time, year-round employees, she employs interns who work for college credit during the year.
This year, she has 11 interns helping her handle 19 accounts, which include several nonprofit and corporate clients, along with one government agency.
“I put them on real accounts, and they’ve performed phenomenally,” says Sufak, who is married and has two young children. “This is their chance to put something on their resume, and that manpower helps me to secure larger contracts. When I was 19, someone gave me a chance and I flourished. I want to give back.”
Sufak laughs when discussing the name of her company.
“The good thing is, nobody ever forgets it,” she says. “To me, it means passion, excitement, a leading edge, and assertiveness. The people who work here are energetic, directed and willing to take 
a chance.”
– Maria Cote

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Anthony Lambatos, 28

Professional position: Lambatos is co-owner and chief executive officer of Footers Catering, a Denver business founded in 1981.
Path to success: Lambatos grew up working in the family business with his father, Jimmy Lambatos. At 16, he led the team that did the catering for the Denver Parade of Homes, handling supply orders from vendors, scheduling, management, customer service and other duties. After earning a degree in sports marketing from the University of Oregon, he returned to Colorado to work for the Denver Broncos. In 2005, Lambatos resumed working with his father to help run Footers and to open Baur’s Ristorante. Now CEO of Footers, Lambatos also is a partner in the food and beverage management of Green Valley Ranch Golf Course and Sporting News Grill.
Making an impact: Lambatos coaches boys basketball in the fall and winter and swimming in the summer.
Business connections: Lambatos’ business affiliations include the Colorado Caterers Association, the Denver Advisory Board, the Denver Sports Commission, Denver Young Professionals, the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. He sits on the sponsorship committee for the Denver Public Library’s annual fundraiser.
Words to live by: “I feel that I always have a choice in what I do and how I handle situations. It forces me to take accountability and helps me when faced with adversity.”
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L. Heath Sampson, 39

Professional position: Chief financial officer of SquareTwo Financial
Path to success: After earning his undergraduate and graduate degrees, Sampson in 1994 joined Arthur Andersen LLP, where he led financial initiatives for such Colorado employers as Level 3 Communications Inc., Echo Star Corp., Qwest Communications and Vail Resorts. In 2002, he joined First Data Corp. as vice president of risk, control and audit. Since 2009, Sampson has been chief financial officer of SquareTwo Financial, where recently led the successful development and completion of a $475 million financing package.
The sporting life: Sampson came to Colorado in 1991 from Calgary, Alberta, after earning a Division 1 hockey scholarship from the University of Denver. He played forward for the Pioneers while studying accounting. While at DU, he worked as a graduate assistant coach.
Making an impact: Sampson coached young children in hockey and soccer even before he had children of his own. He also has been involved in the United Way and the Western Union Foundation. In 2006, he was recognized by the University of Denver as the Young Alumnus of the Year for the accounting profession, which recognized his work speaking to students and faculty about his business experiences and providing advice on careers and internships.
Words from a colleague: Through these many personal and professional achievements, Sampson has shaped the future for Colorado businesses, employees and young athletes,” nominator Stacey Hartmann said.

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Kerry Petranek, 31

Professional position: Petranek is CEO of Durango-based StoneAge Inc., a leader in the design, manufacturing and sales of waterblasting tools used for industrial cleaning applications.
Path to success: Petranek, who was hired as general manager in 2007, moved the operation to a new facility, restructured the organization and streamlined departmental responsibilities. The company’s owners soon realized that Petranek had the drive, creativity and intelligence to help run the company. She was promoted to chief executive officer in 2009.
Making an impact: Petranek sits on the board of directors for Animas High School, a local charter school focused on project-based learning. She also leads and participates in local economic development groups, including the Growth Company Initiative CEO Network, and the La Plata County Economic Development Alliance.
Business connections: The company works with more than 180 dealers in 35 countries. Those that use the services include refineries, power plants, chemical plants and ship yards.
Words to live by: “To be a quality leader, you must be able to bring out the best in the people you are leading, giving them the support and tools to excel at what they do. Powerful leaders know how to express themselves articulately and use self awareness and self analysis to advance their own improvement and improve the group as a whole. StoneAge’s success is due to the hard work of every employee.”

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Sami Ibrahim, 34

Professional position: Principal and co-founder of Agility Solutions LLC, a Denver-based consulting firm.
Path to success: In an economic downturn, Agility opted to offer flexible fee arrangements for clients. The company offers contingency-based pricing agreements that allow companies to self-fund projects. The fee arrangement can be tied to market improvement.
Making an impact: Ibrahim is a board member of the Colorado Children’s Chorale, hosts a St. Patrick’s Day party that benefits the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association, and serves on the speakers bureau of the Colorado chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Background: Ibrahim is a certified public accountant and a certified internal auditor. Ibrahim has been an adjunct professor of accounting at the Colorado School of Mines, the University of Denver, and the University of Colorado Denver.
Words to live by: “One of my greatest challenges has always been letting go of responsibilities and not getting overextended. Experiencing rapid growth, as we have done over the last five years, is one of the best ways to force yourself to let go, because if you don’t, you will limit not only your own professional growth, but your colleagues’ growth and development, and your ability to be involved with the world outside work.”

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Diana Mead, 38

Professional position: President of Allonhill, a Denver-based financial service firm that specializes in mortgage due diligence and credit-risk management.
Path to success: Mead’s persistence and salesmanship led to success with a large government entity, along with other important government contracts. In January, Allonhill announced its new approach to securitizations, which included tighter review processes.
Facing challenges: Mead was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at age 28. The year before, her husband had been diagnosed with a type of blood cancer. She plans to celebrate her personal and professional success by running the 2011 Paris Marathon.
Business growth: The company launched in 2008 amid an economic downturn. Mead’s ability to win and retain clients helped Allonhill become one of the largest due diligence and credit-risk management firms in the country.
Praise from a colleague: “Diana is a savvy businesswoman who played a key role in making the Denver-based financial services firm one of the fastest-growing companies in Colorado,” CEO Sue Allon said. “Her leadership and aggressive pursuit of new business helped drive Allonhill’s tremendous growth in a highly competitive corner of the financial industry.”

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Sarah Kurz, 28

Professional position: Principal at SE2, a Denver-based mass communication firm focused on public issues, policy and social marketing.
Path to success: With a talent for strategic policy communications, Kurz has managed and directed many of the legislative outreach programs for statewide health-care groups. She was involved in the Preschool Matters campaign, the successful Denver sales tax proposal on the November 2006 ballot.
Company history: SE2 started with a vision to build a communications firm focused on public issues. Approaches range from conservative to edgy, but the vision never changes. The company aims to tip the scales of public opinion and move audiences to action.
Business connections: Kurz, a graduate of Duke University, was a member of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation’s 2008 Impact Denver class. She honed her skills while working at Duke’s Kenan Institute of Ethics.
Words to live by: “Being a strong leader is all about effective communications. It’s important to clearly communicate expectations in advance and feedback after a project has been completed. My job involves helping my clients persuasively reach their target audiences. As manager, I need to accomplish the same thing.”

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Christina Vincent, 30

Professional position: Redevelopment program administrator for the city of Fort Collins, which manages the Urban Renewal Authority.
Path to success: Vincent began her career doing planning work for a business improvement district in San Diego, which led to her being hired as executive director of the College Area Development Organization of San Diego. In 2007, she took a city planner position in Fort Collins, where she managed the Urban Renewal Authority.
Business connections: Under her guidance, the URA has assisted in financing six redevelopment projects and more than $100 million in public/private tax increment financing partnerships since 2008.
Making an impact: Vincent sits on the “Be Local” board of directors, supports the Economic Development Bioscience Cluster of Fort Collins and is part of the city’s economic development team.
Words to live by: “A leader is a big-picture thinker and optimistically seeks creative ways to bring those big-picture ideas to fruition. I’m a curious person and constantly ask questions and opinions of others. I do my best when I understand the various dynamics that play into the situation or relationship. I want to know how and why things work.”
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Justin Burns, 31

Professional position: Account executive with tw telecom, a Littleton-based provider of managed networking solutions. The company works with a wide array of businesses and organizations in 75 markets spanning 30 states and Washington, D.C.
Path to success: Burns had several mentors. Gary Black, president of a corporation he worked for, helped him establish a career. Through volunteering, he met Cindy Fowler, who raised money for local military charities while she fought cancer. She was, Burns says, “a true inspiration.”
Making an impact: Burns is the director of the Colorado Springs Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo, which benefits local military charities. He also mentors young professionals.
Business connections: Burns works mostly with executives to help them streamline their business communications.
Words to live by: “I think in order to be a true leader, you have to know how to serve. That’s why I immerse myself into a lot of projects. I know what the community needs. When you know the heartbeat of the community, you can provide true leadership.”

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Joel Wochner, 38

Professional position: Founder and CEO of Denver-based Evolve, a manufacturer of custom-designed apparel and merchandise.
Path to success: Wochner was trained in various healing, environmental and farming methods at the Chicago College of the Healing Arts. He’s a structural therapist who has studied traditional Chinese medicine 
and shamanism.
Making an impact: Wochner holds a seat on the board of the Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross and is involved with the Denver “Change Your City” campaign.
Planetary stewardship: The philosophy of the company is that because our planet’s resources are in peril, collaborating with companies and focusing on nature will help solve human problems in a sustainable fashion, and help the environment return to health. The company looks to protect the environment in three main areas: water, energy and natural resources. In each of these areas Evolve expects to face significant challenges in the coming years.
Words to live by: “At Evolve, we believe global change starts with us. It takes love and compassion to be a good leader. We believe we can make the life of every person our garments touch better, do it competitively and sustainably, and extend our customers’ brands into every thread while creating a workforce of brand evangelists.”

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Deborah Morrison, 35

Professional position: Director of marketing at GlobaLinks Learning Abroad, a study-abroad program based in Westminster.
Path to success: Morrison graduated with a degree in zoology. She studied abroad and worked in Mexico after graduation. Morrison spurs her company and the field of international education to reach more students so they might exper