Jordan Deifik’s coworking space and mentoring program for Colorado attorneys

Jordan Deifik, 38

Owner, LawBank | Denver

Jordan Deifik lives by the words his father taught him: Know what you know—and what you don’t. Be true to thyself. And be the best you can be.

Whether running a business, mentoring other professionals, or working within the community, these sayings are the cornerstone of all I do,” he says.

As the co-founder of LawBank, the largest and first-ever coworking space for attorneys in Colorado, Deifik has brought together more than 115 lawyers from diverse backgrounds and experience. LawBank initiated and created the first-ever Mentoring Circle group for solo and small law firm attorneys through the Colorado Attorney Mentoring Program supported by the Colorado Supreme Court.

Deifik plans to expand into Las Vegas and Chicago and to partner with larger law firms to fill their vacant space through subleasing arrangements with smaller firms. He also is developing a collaborative marketing agency for small law firms. 

He has managed billions of dollars of assets, created millions of square feet of business property, and developed an entirely new type of coworking space for attorneys that is fostering a fresh, collaborative approach to law nationwide,” business partner Jay Kamlet says. And he is just getting started.”

His No. 1 goal: Excellence — to be the best I can be at whatever I choose to pursue.”

This article is part of the ColoradoBiz’s 2021 Top 25 Young Professionals. Click here to read more about the latest class of up-and-coming movers and shakers

Alex Koenigsberg is raising the bar in grant funding

Alex Koenigsberg, 34

President and Founder, Arula | Fort Collins

Alex Koenigsberg was coasting through community college when he reconnected with his best friend, Kevin Burrell, home after four years in the Marines.

And everything changed.

Maybe it was the military, or maybe he just grew up, but Kevin was far more focused and driven than either of us had ever been,” Koenigsberg says. I was inspired.”

So he finished community college in one semester, earned a four-year degree in business administration and got his first adult” job.

I essentially created more opportunity for myself in a few short years than I had in my entire life prior—all thanks to an example set by my best friend,” Koenigsberg says of Burrell, now an aerospace engineer. I 100% owe Kevin for where I am today.”

Today, Koenigsberg is the founder and president of Arula, which started as a nonprofit consulting and grant-writing company with a unique fee structure that collects fully only if the grant is successful.

His 50% success rate has raised more than $1.3 million in grant funding for clients including nonprofits ChildSafe Colorado, Idea Wild and Living Her Legacy. Koenigsberg also serves as business development officer for two for-profits, Quorum Prosthetics and The Dough Bar, which has increased sales by 30%.

His No. 1 goal: To be a positive role model for the next generation.”

This article is part of the ColoradoBiz’s 2021 Top 25 Young Professionals. Click here to read more about the latest class of up-and-coming movers and shakers.

Allison Gambill prioritizes fairness, respect and inclusiveness in all that she does

Allison Gambill, 39

Of Counsel, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck | Denver

Fraught and challenging legal cases never stop Allison Gambill from working across the table to benefit her clients.

In all of her years of practice, Allison has been able to work collaboratively with all involved parties, including opposing counsel,” colleague Hannah Skewes says. A major part of her success comes from her ability to include the perspectives, values and experiences of the people she has partnered with throughout her career.”

As a member of the firms Committee on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity, Gambill has helped prioritize fair treatment and the creation of a respectful and supportive workplace. She helped institute a mandatory implicit bias training program where civility, harassment and inclusiveness are highlighted and high-ranking speakers promote a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Gambill serves as an integral member of the team that acts as outside financial services regulator for federally recognized Native American tribes — work that ensures tribal consumers receive the same regulatory protections as they would under state-licensed lenders.

My definition of success is feeling proud of who you are and your contributions to society on a daily basis,” Gambill says. I think that when you give, the world has its own way of giving back to you.”

Her No. 1 goal: To be a good role model for my children and to make them proud of who I am.”

This article is part of the ColoradoBiz’s 2021 Top 25 Young Professionals. Click here to read more about the latest class of up-and-coming movers and shakers.

Joshalynn Green’s phenomenal quest to pay it forward

Joshalynn Green, 29

Founder and President, Phenomenal Women Inc.| Denver

Joshalynn Green founded the nonprofit Phenomenal Women Inc. in 2017 to fulfill a longtime desire to give back. In doing so, shes also recognizing – paying forward, she says – the encouragement she received from others while growing up in a fatherless home, at one point in foster care, living in seven different states and attending more than a dozen schools before she was 18.

Ive had a great group of mentors who have definitely been pillars and pivotal in my life to encourage me to keep going. They definitely invested in me, and I want to just continue paying forward and helping out,” says Green, who earned a bachelor of science degree in management information systems from Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama, and in 2015 was named Miss Black Colorado USA.

Phenomenal Women, with chapters in Denver and Birmingham, consists of three components: community service, youth enrichment and women empowerment.

We partner with various homeless shelters across Colorado,” explains Green, who also works as a corporate senior recruiter for Johnson Controls, a Fortune 500 company. Every year we provide up to 500 homeless care kits to the homeless community.”

The youth enrichment component includes a 12-week life skills program on subjects ranging from financial literacy to etiquette in dining, for students age 10 to 16 across the state.

For the women-empowerment element, Phenomenal Women provides a free platform for women to come together through networking events, and workshops for participants to showcase their products, services or business opportunities through the organizations annual Invest in Youth symposium.

Her No. 1 goal: To expand Phenomenal Women to a national platform so we can continue our work on a broader scale, to help students get full-ride college scholarships and provide free year-long mentorships.”

This article is part of the ColoradoBiz’s 2021 Top 25 Young Professionals. Click here to read more about the latest class of up-and-coming movers and shakers. 

Maxwell Meyer is helping people build a better financial future

Maxwell Meyer, 30

CEO & Co-founder, Masii.com | Colorado Springs

Maxwell Meyer ditched his job at global consultancy McKinsey & Co. to devote himself to a solution for a problem a world away.

I want to end predatory lending in Southeast Asia,” Meyer says. It is the fastest-growing region of the world with more than 600 million people — many of them new to formal banking.”

Meyers fintech Colorado Springs-based startup, Masii.com, currently focuses on Thailand, where he says nearly 20 million people are underbanked. Millions have used his website to learn about, apply for and build better credit.

Thais often cant get loans from a regulated bank, so they turn to payday lenders who charge up to 20% per day. These rates can devastate families in their time of greatest need,” he says.

His company made KPMGs Global Fintech100 list, and Meyer claimed a spot on Forbes2020 30 Under 30” list. He is the youngest professor at Harbour.Space University in Barcelona, Spain, where he teaches entrepreneurship, and he chairs the board of the long-running PBS interview show, The Open Mind.”

Maxs entire mission is about helping the less fortunate,” says his friend, Zoey DeWolf. His commitment to educating people, helping them to build a better financial future, and to bring an ethical approach to lending is a testament to his values.” 

His No. 1 goal: To end predatory lending in Southeast Asia.”

This article is part of the ColoradoBiz’s 2021 Top 25 Young Professionals. Click here to read more about the latest class of up-and-coming movers and shakers.