GAIL WORTH
When voted chairperson of Harley-Davidson's management group of the nation's top dealers in 1997, Gail Worth Wilson fully established herself as a leader of the pack. Three years later, Gail purchased the Belton Harley-Davidson dealership from her parents, becoming one of only a handful of female Harley-Davidson dealership owners in the U.S. Each year since 1997, Gail's dealership has received Harley-Davidson's prestigious Bar & Shield Circle of Excellence Award. Gail continues to give back to her community. The dealership sponsors one main charity each month and donates funds and merchandise throughout the year to schools, churches and community organizations. This year, Gail's dealership is sponsoring rides for Special Olympics, Wayside Waifs Humane Society, Score One For Health, SIDS and the March of Dimes. Gail is event chair for the Wayside Waifs and a board member of SIDS Resources. Gail, 39, also sponsors motor-cycle races at Kansas City International Raceway, competes in eco-challenge events and enjoys drag racing.
CARL YOST
35 year-old managing director and founding partner of MarketSphere Consulting, Carl Yost has a passion for helping children. His greatest accomplishment is "without question" his family. "I have a wonderful wife (Denise) and three incredible children," says Carl, "and I thank God for them every day." As Chairman of the Board for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Kansas City, he has helped the organization reach its goal of serving more than 1000 children in the Kansas City area for the first time in its history. He is shooting for 2000 children by the year 2008. Carl has also been very active in his church with he and Denise serving as youth leaders among other leadership positions. Headquartered in Kansas City, MarketSphere Consulting is one of the largest consulting companies in the area and one of the fastest-growing consultant companies in the U.S. Carl, who has an MBA from the University of Texas, was one the youngest partners in the history of the Kansas City office of Arthur Andersen.
JEFF YOWELL
Last year, one of 36 year-old Jeff Yowell's life-long dreams came true. His company won the 2004 Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award. The year before that, Jeff, who is president and CEO of Datacore Marketing Inc., won the 2002 Ernst and Young LLP Entrepreneur of the Year for Business Service Award. "My father owned his own business," says Jeff, "so I come by the entrepreneurial spirit and drive naturally." Since the first day that Datacore opened its doors, he's tried to follow his father's formula for success: understand the need of the marketplace, have solid business concepts, become partners in your customers' success and be ready to work hard. His personal passion is to be the best he can at home and at work. His three guiding principle: do good work; make some money; and have some fun. So far, he seems to be succeeding at all three. Jeff and his wife Mindy have a three-year-old son named Jordan.
ERIC ZAHND
Platte County prosecuting attorney Eric Zahnd has a history of being at the head of the class. At 35, he is the youngest prosecuting attorney of a first-class county in Missouri. He leads an office of seven attorneys who handle some 16,000 cases each year, ranging from traffic offenses to first-degree murder. A sixth- generation Missourian, Eric graduated with honors from Duke Law School. He serves on the board of directors for the Northland Alternative Service Program and is a member of the William Jewell College Alumni Board. Before the 2002 election to become the Prosecuting Attorney in Platte County, Eric practiced business litigation with Bryan Cave LLP, one of the 25 largest law firms in the U.S. In 1996, Eric was named one of the Outstanding Young Men of America. Married for 11 years, Eric and his wife, Tracey, have two young sons, Benjamin and Luke. The family attends an area Baptist church, where Eric is an associate deacon.
