Top 25 young professionals: as we look to ColoradoBiz Magazine's under-40 achievers of 2016, it's all the more obvious that age is really just a number.

AuthorRyckman, Lisa
PositionGENxyz

KEO FRAZIER, 37 VP of Marketing, McWhinney

Keo Frazier always has a plan C.

"Because everyone has a plan A and B," she says. "But no one ever has a plan A, B and C."

That's the kind of thinking that made Frazier the founder of two successful companies by age 29. At FOCUS, Frazier created guerilla marketing campaigns and conducted market research for major companies including United Airlines, TED, 1800 Tequila, Super Target and Washington Mutual. Her campaigns showed a 20 percent increase in sales and product distribution for her clients. Ready for a new challenge, Frazier sold her business in 2006.

Just two years later, in 2008, she founded KEOS Marketing Group, where she and her team created successful marketing and branding campaigns that empowered clients such as the University of Colorado, University of Denver, MSU Denver, Delta Dental, Denver International Airport, City and County of Denver and Stapleton.

As vice president of marketing at McWhinney, Frazier says she strives to make a difference every day.

"I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night wondering if I am making the most valuable impact on the world and in my life," she says. "Making a positive impact on the world requires tenacity and forethought. You must have the tenacity to keep at it every day and the forethought to know what action or decision will actually make an impact. It is a challenge I welcome at every waking moment of the day."

GORDON BRONSON, 28 Director of Communications, Seawald Hanfling Public Affairs

Gordon Branson hurtles headlong into whatever's in front of him, be it an alpine racing course or a major political campaign.

A Colorado native and competitive skier, Bronson is Director of Strategic Communications for Denver-based public affairs firm Seawald Hanfling. Politics is a passion; he worked to elect President Barack Obama, served in the Department of the Interior and on the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Then-Mayor, now U.S. Sen. Cory Booker appointed Bronson to develop a new office within Newark, N.J.'s city government focused on catalyzing innovative partnerships to advance economic development and tackle social problems.

"I am inspired by the idea that unexpected partnership can bring uncommon opportunity to solve big problems," Bronson says. "I like working across all sectors of the economy to find new and exciting ways to leverage partnership and create lasting impact." A University of Denver graduate, Bronson has lectured at DU's Daniels School of Business on impact investing and ethics. He is also the recipient of Agora Partnerships 2013 Disruptive Awards. He's proud of what he sees as a positive disruptive impact his generation is having on the world.

"Where we find walls, we make opportunities," he says. "Don't like taxis? Enter Uber. Tired of hotels? Hello, AirBnB. We look at things through the lens of disruption, and that has created an opportunity for fanatic innovation."

BLAIR WITHINGTON, 28 Senior Associate, Forbes M+A Group

Withington joined the Forbes M+A Group in 2013 as an analyst, achieving measurable improvements in operational efficiencies. As senior associate, Withington developed and oversees the company's 10-week summer intern program and executes onboarding processes. He is also a strong advocate for the corporate brand and plays a significant role in planning company team-building events, including cat-skiing, hiking 14ers and dragon boat racing.

GENNA MOE, 29 Executive Director, The Art Base

Moe is reinventing and redesigning the Art Base as a creative institution that serves the entire Roaring Fork Valley, bringing art into classrooms and using the work to promote local jobs, tourism and the Basalt community. Since Moe took her role, programs that were being canceled are now selling out, there is a plethora of new collaborations, and exhibition attendance has doubled.

NATALIE HENLEY, 30 President, Volume Nine

As President of Volume Nine (V9), Henley brings direction, strategic insight and support to the digital marketing agency's team of experts and consultants. Under Henley, the company has seen 67 percent sales growth year-over-year, a 38 percent increase in contracts and a 20 percent increase in average sale price. Says V9 Founder and CEO Chuck Aikens: "Natalie has the respect of the team and has been a major contributor to changing our company culture."

DAN EPSTEIN, 30 Founder, Unreasonable Group

In 2009, Epstein co-founded the Unreasonable Institute, a Boulder-based nonprofit and business incubator for entrepreneurs. In 2012, the dog lover left to launch the Unreasonable Group, a private holding...

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