From millennials to generation Z, the future of Utah’s workforce is here and they’re making a huge impact on the way we do business. These top 20-somethings are not only raising the bar—but they’re schooling everyone on the future of business.

Alexi Johnson, 28

Founder, Whiskey Educator | The Hammered Copper LLC

At 28, Alexi Johnson is the founder and owner of The Hammered Copper, a mobile event bartending service where she showcases her skills as a master mixologist and a certified Master Steward of scotch. After working with Diageo to get her whiskey certifications and winning the 2016 Sundance Cocktail award showcased in People Magazine, she knew this was the passion she wanted to pursue.

Amanda Jewett (Gill), 28

Vice President, Portfolio Manager | Zions Bank

At 28 years old, Amanda Jewett is one of the youngest vice presidents at Zions Bank. At 20 she began working with Zions Bank as a real estate credit analyst. Three years later, she was recruited into the corporate banking group, and then at 26,  was responsible for loan portfolios averaging $300 million in commitments. 

Amelia Larson, 28

CEO | A Life for Seniors

Even though Amelia Larson is still in her 20s, she works to help provide care for our oldest living generation as the CEO of A Life for Seniors. Beginning her career in assisted living as a server, she has worked her way to the top in order to get a holistic view of the industry and what assisted living residents need most. “I am proud of that journey because it offered me an immersive experience that I draw from every day now that I run my own company,” she says.

Andrea Johnson, 25

COO | Utah Women in Sales
Sr. Manager, Enterprise Account Development | Lucid

Cofounding Utah Women in Sales in the spring of 2018, Andrea Johnson set out to help others, particularly women, learn more about a career in sales and how it can help their aptitude in business. Facilitating events across the Wasatch Front, she’s worked to help other women connect, learn about new opportunities, and develop new skills to help them in their own careers. 

Becca Rettenberger, 26

Director of Operations | Friendemic

Becca Rettenberger jokes that her first book will be titled Intern to Director in Four Years: The Playbook. Joining Friendemic as a junior writer in 2014, she was named director of operations just four years later. “I was a hungry 20-something when I rose through Friendemic,” she says, and she advises her fellow 20-somethings to be the same. 

Camille Junca Lewis, 28

Director of People Operations | Canopy

Camille Junca Lewis began her career at Qualtrics, but when the CEO for a growing logistics brokerage approached her, she took it. “Although I felt apprehensive about the challenge, I decided to accept and quickly branched into HR,” she says, where she continued on to earn her SHRM-CP certification. And now, as a member of Canopy’s leadership team, she’s helping to enhance the lives and improve the opportunities of her own employees.

Carla Swensen-Haslam, 24

Sports Broadcaster | BYU TV, Utah Royals FC
Summer Associate | Kirton McConkie
JD Candidate | BYU Law School

Carla Swensen-Haslam broke into sports broadcasting while studying at Brigham Young University. She was the first Latina on the broadcast team for BYUtv while pursuing her degree at the J. Reuben Clark School of Law, where she is a member of the school’s first majority female graduating class. As a dual citizen of the United States and Colombia, Swensen-Haslam is passionate about immigration law, and has recently spent time working with asylum seekers at the Texas border through the CARA Pro Bono Group. 

Halston van der Sluys, 21

Founder & CEO | Pyramid Security

Halston van der Sluys is still an undergrad at Utah State University, but he’s already an entrepreneur. His most recent endeavor is Pyramid Security, which focuses on artificial intelligence for cybersecurity. “I have a timeline for Pyramid Security all the way up to 2021,” he says. Though only 21 himself, van der Sluys has an impressive knowledge of technology and cybersecurity and he has a dream of building a service that will make him a game changer. 

J. Adam Long, 26

COO, Utah; Director of Special Projects, USA | Colliers International

J. Adam Long never actually graduated from high school. Instead, he went straight to Brigham Young University. And while he had planned to go into management consulting or private equity back east, he came to CBC Advisors straight out of college. Now, as the COO of Colliers in Utah, he works with the global executive team on managing special projects. “Don’t underestimate the impact you can have in major organizations,” he says.

Jack Boren, 28

Director | EPIC Ventures

As the youngest director-level investor at a venture fund in Utah, Jack Boren leads investments across the technology sector for companies like AppDetex, Collective Medical, and Recursion. Codeveloping and comanaging the analyst team, the outbound deal sourcing team, and the healthcare investment team at EPIC Ventures, he’s an innovative leader who goes out of his way to take responsibility. And as the cofounder of the internship program at EPIC, he’s invested in the future of his fellow investors. 

Joon Beh, 28

Cofounder & CEO | Hallo

After working in Silicon Valley with tech giants like Uber and Amazon within the R&D tax credit, Joon Beh returned to Utah in 2017 to start Hallo, a live-streaming platform for language learning. A Korean immigrant himself, he knows the difficulties of learning a new language, so along with his cofounder, he created a marketplace for English learning. “I’m most proud of the community I’ve been building with my partners,” he says. 

Katherine Seo, 27

Children’s Savings Account Program Analyst | my529

And as a children’s savings account (CSA) program analyst with my529, Katherine Seo helps families of low to moderate incomes afford the education their children deserve. Outside of her work with my529, Seo enjoys volunteering and serving with the Campaign for Every Kids Future, National JACL Credit Union Supervisory Committee, and the Nikkei Senior Center Board. 

Kyle Isaacson, 29

Founder/Consultant | Ike Scientific

In addition to his work as a full-time researcher at the University of Utah, Kyle Isaacson has also started his own consulting agency, Ike Scientific, where he helps small and mid-sized companies bridge the gap between academic research and industrial application. “I managed to achieve a profitable, cash-flow positive company in just two months without taking any outside funding,” he shares. 

Mackey Smith, 27

Senior Strategy Consultant | Tanner LLC

As a senior strategy consultant with Tanner LLC, Mackey Smith works to not only build bridges between people, but build meaningful leadership strategy to catalyze change. Among his many accomplishments, Smith has facilitated the city of Ogden’s first ever strategic plan, directed the strategic planning process for many regional nonprofits, and has been a featured guest lecturer at the University of Utah’s MPA program and BYU’s Marriott School of Business. 

Marlisha Rochell, 27

Founder & CEO | Rochell
Founder & CEO | Godpreneur

After facing her own difficulties with body image, and then overcoming a divorce that challenged her faith, Marlisha Rochell turned her own struggles around and uses them to help inspire and empower others as proud founder and CEO of Rochell, a clothing boutique whose mission is to help women feel beautiful regardless of their size, and Godpreneur, a Christian apparel company that inspires faith through T-shirts. 

Michael Latkowski, 25

Marketing Manager | Citywide Home Loans

Michael Latkowski doesn’t let anything slow him down, and as a result, he’s become one of the most respected up-and-coming marketing professionals in the valley. Passionate about marketing, he loves to obsess over how consumers choose their goods. “At 25, I am an uncommon figure in management in a company handling billions of dollars in annual production, and I am proud to have a different perspective,” he says.

Patrick Adair, 22

Founder & CEO | Patrick Adair Designs

Patrick Adair started his business on YouTube. Posting videos of custom ring making, he shows subscribers the step-by-step process of how he makes each custom ring, from carbon fiber to meteorite to resin and beyond. And now, three years later, Patrick Adair Designs has over 650k YouTube subscribers, 140 videos, and 57 million views. It has been featured by high profile YouTube stars such as PewDiePie and Jimmy Diresta. 

Sterling Snow, 26

SVP of Revenue | Divvy

At only 26, Sterling Snow is already a highly sought after marketing leader. Previously working with Jive before making the jump to Divvy, he now oversees not just the marketing department, but sales and customer success, too. And recently, he’s had to grow Divvy’s revenue team from just eight individuals to 125. 

Tenia Wallace, 29

COO | Decorworx

Tenia Wallace has worked her way through her family business from the bottom of production all the way up to COO. Which means she’s intimately familiar with every facet of Decorworx and what it needs to succeed. “Coming in as a second-generation can be daunting, especially when there are big shoes to fill,” she says. But she also knows that to keep the family business on top, she needs to keep the company innovative.

Vicky Thomas, 28

Director, Product Management & Vertical Lead, Apps | Vivint Smart Home

Working with Vivint Smart Home after leaving Adobe, Vicky Thomas has been able to work on some of Vivint’s most ambitious projects to date, like the “self-driving home” where she leads a team that makes it possible for Vivint’s 1.5 million customers to engage with their smart homes from anywhere in the world. Outside of her work with product management, Thomas is a private pilot, and she enjoys flying to unwind from the demands of her career. 

To learn more about the 2019 honorees, check out the YouTube videos below:

Photos in this piece were shot by Justin Hackworth.