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GILBANE

Dan Gilbane
Banker turned contractor relishes leading role in family-owned firm
37, Vice President – Southwest
Gilbane Building Co.
Houston, Texas

Not only is Dan Gilbane a fifth-generation employee of the family-owned contractor, he also is the youngest member of its regional management team.

Since joining the firm three years ago, Gilbane has worked in a variety of project and managerial roles. He has leveraged experience in finance and real estate and an academic background in business and international relations to lead the firm's strategic effort into new market sectors.

"I have a fairly nontraditional background for our industry, having spent almost five years as an investment banker," Gilbane says. "But what could be better than working with your family every day for a company whose values have been ingrained your whole life?"

Gilbane has played an integral role in the company's leadership on signature projects in Texas, such as Rice University's Brockman Hall and the ExxonMobil Houston campus project.

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GREEN

Kristin Green
Forging a new path as firm owner brought engineer risk—and reward
31, Principal
Verdunity Inc.
Lewisville, Texas

After spending a number of years working in a large-company environment, Kristin Green saw an opportunity to help municipalities and community-based businesses address their infrastructure challenges more efficiently. So in 2011, at age 29, she became a founding partner and majority owner of Verdunity Inc., a civil engineering firm focused on developing sustainable communities.

"We started our business in an extremely tough economic climate and quickly found that it was very difficult to compete with other firms that have been around for a while and had an established resume of firm experience," Green says. "Instead of giving up, our team rose to the challenge and got creative."

While Green was honored in 2008 as Young Engineer of the Year by the Dallas branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers, more recent years have brought greater rewards. "In 2012, we quadrupled our sales from the previous year, and are currently on track to exceed that in 2013," she says.

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GUILLAUME

Kendy Guillaume
Growing up with little pushes executive to accomplish a lot
35, Associate Principal and Director of Houston Operations
Jordan & Skala Engineers Inc.
Houston, Texas

Born in Haiti, Kendy Guillaume grew up in inner-city Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Although "tough at times," Guillaume says that this experience and guidance from his family drove him to "shoot for more. As I child, I saw many people do great things with very little, and I wanted to do the same."

With the help of a football scholarship, Guillaume earned a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering in 2001 and joined Jordan & Skala Engineers in 2005.

Three years later, Guillaume became the firm's youngest member to be chosen to open and manage a new office—in Houston.

"Having the opportunity to open JSE Houston was a very proud moment," Guillaume says. He adds that his efforts have grown JSE Houston from just two employees in 2008 to more than 17 now.

As an associate principal and director of operations for JSE Houston, Guillaume has designed or had design involvement in more than a dozen LEED projects, including The Millenium Waterways in The Woodlands and Ashton Rice Village in Houston.