From the July 19, 2002 print edition

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Top 40 Under 40: A-M

Brooke Tanner Battle, Assistant vice president, real estate finance, HealthSouth Corp.

Brooke Tanner Battle, the 28-year-old assistant vice president of real estate finance at HealthSouth Corp., hit the ground running after graduating from Birmingham-Southern College in 1996.

She went to work for AmSouth Bank and participated in the company's management associate program. She then worked for Harbert Management Corp. where, after five years, she worked her way up to director of real estate investments.

In January of this year, the Mobile native joined HealthSouth Corp. in a newly created position to develop and implement a corporate real estate finance strategy for the company.

"The position ... provides a unique opportunity for me to work with an extensive and challenging real estate portfolio ($1.5 billion) while experiencing the dynamics of a large, publicly traded company," Battle says.

In addition to her devotion to her new job, Battle is passionate about community service. She is on the board of directors for the Women's Fund, on the Committee of 25 for Girls Inc. of Central Alabama, a founding member of the Alabama Women's Initiative, a founding member of the Friends of the Railroad District Inc., on the steering committee of the Magic City Democrats, and has run several marathons for the Leukemia Society.

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And those are but a few of her volunteer efforts. Serving on the board of the Women's Fund, a component fund of The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Battle helps the board to review grants that organizations have submitted, usually all concerning programs for women and girls. She also is enthusiastic about a program in its second year, Cut It Out, funded by the recently settled Nine West lawsuits. The shoe retailer was accused of overcharging customers through a price-fixing scheme; the settlement agreement mandated that the money help fund women's assistance programs.

Through Cut It Out, hairstylists are educated on domestic violence and are taught to look for warning signs so that they might discreetly aid possible victims of abuse.

On the Girls Inc. Committee of 25 Battle helps to encourage young people to become more involved in volunteer work and fund raising. As a member of the Alabama Women's Initiative and the Friends of the Railroad District she is helping to implement each organization's goal: Get the information out there and make people aware of specific needs. Battle lives in Forest Park with her husband, Bob - a lawyer who was a member of BBJ's 2001 class of Top 40 Under 40 - and their two dogs, Bella and Freckles. -- Lauren Bishop

Frank K. Battlem Vice president, private banking group, SouthTrust Bank

After 14-plus years, Frank Battle is still with the bank where he got his professional start just out of college.

After graduating from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a degree in finance, he joined a management training program with SouthTrust Bank.

Now 35, Battle is vice president of the private banking group, a department that meets the needs of both consumer and commercial customers and offers trust and securities services.

He began his career at SouthTrust in the retail bank but has been working in the private banking group for nine years.

He manages five employees at officer level and above and two administrative assistants.

"Frank Battle has been very instrumental in the department's growth and financial success the last two years," says SouthTrust's Robert G. Sproul III, who nominated Battle for the Top 40 Under 40 award.

Last year Battle's team achieved a 20 percent growth in loans and a more than 15 percent growth in deposits.

Battle attributes that success in part to a good work ethic and his management style - respecting the people who work for him. When it comes to being in the position of supervisor, fairness is a key element, he says.

"I try to treat people as I would like to be treated," he says.

Says Steve Smith, a SouthTrust senior vice president and regional manager of private banking: "Frank is well known in the banking community and a favorite of customers. He is a strong customer advocate and has always been very successful in producing strong performance and strong results for his team and for SouthTrust in general.

"Frank is a strong family man with high integrity and honesty," Smith continues, "and that is reflected in the confidence customers have in him."

Battle - a husband and father of two - devotes time to charitable endeavors. He participates and assists in fund raising for the American Heart Association's heart walk. He also has been active with the American Cancer Society, the Arthritis Foundation and Junior Achievement. He is a member of Hunter Street Baptist Church.

What is Battle's advice to young businesspeople embarking on a career path? "Pursue your dreams and focus on things you have a passion for," he says. "The money will come." -- Amber Holmes & Chuck Evans

Bliss Beasley, Executive vice president, American Exhibition Services LLC

For some people, adversity is a motivator. Being teased as the poorest girl in school certainly put a fire in Bliss Beasley's belly. Growing up in Homewood in a family rich with love but strapped for cash, "I was always obsessed with success," Beasley says. "I had asthma and was sick all the time. I couldn't go out and play, so I would sit and dream, thinking of what the future would be like when I became successful."

The future is now. At 37, Beasley is executive vice president of Birmingham-based American Exhibition Services LLC, North America's largest tradeshow marketing company. In that role, she helps AES provide services to more than 300 trade shows each year.

In her nearly 12 years with AES, Beasley has had her fingers in virtually every aspect of the business - public relations, marketing, operations, industry relations, product development and industry events.

She says one of her greatest accomplishments to date was landing an exclusive, three-year deal with Turner Private Networks/CNN to broadcast its programming on tradeshow floors and sell advertising spots to exhibitors. The deal was inked in November 2000.

Beasley started with the company in an entry-level job but "continued to be promoted, excelling at every position in climbing all the way to senior management within just seven years," says Charles Allen, chairman and CEO of AES.

Beasley currently serves on the IAEM Services Board of Directors, the wholly owned subsidiary of the Dallas-based International Association of Exhibition Management, and has served on many of its committees. She also is a graduate of the IAEM Leadership Institute and a member of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research.

A couple of years ago, Beasley helped start an events management and marketing company called Event Consulting Group, but her business interests do not end there. In 2000, Beasley, her mother, Rita, and brother, Brad, launched Dreams to Reality, a company that purchases commercial buildings, renovates them, and then either leases or resells them.

Beasley, who holds a degree in mass communication from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, believes in giving back to the community. She is involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Long Range Planning Committee of Homewood, City Stages and Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, and is in the process of helping form a Birmingham chapter of the Variety Club International, which supports children's charities. -- Chuck Evans

Jill Kristine Bosich, Dean of culinary education, Culinard, The Culinary Institute of Virginia College

Hand-plucked from her native California, Jill Bosich has helped create one of Birmingham's newest and most unique educational venues - Culinard, The Culinary Institute of Virginia College.

As dean of culinary education, Bosich, 31, sits at the helm of the 2-year-old cooking school, devising a curriculum to transform everyday foodies into seasoned chefs.

Bosich, who left a post as general manager of instructional food services at a California school to create Culinard, says she was intrigued by the opportunity to build a top-notch culinary education program from the ground up.

"There are only about 900 (culinary) schools in the nation," she says. "So I am one of only 900 given the chance to build a program from the ground up."

Under her direction, students are taught everything from how to hold a carving knife to restaurant management. Rigorous courses and a 24-month training program - one of the longest in the industry - are by design, she says.

"I feel we have a huge level of responsibility to deliver the best education possible," she says. "The students are assigned project after project, four days a week. It's very hands-on and very sensory. Culinary students are very high-energy. They need a very high level of stimulus."

Bosich arrived in the Magic City with more 13 years of experience, including a stint as executive chef at La Jolla, Calif.-based Elario's Restaurant, which, under her direction, was named one of America's Top 10 restaurants in its category by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.

Twice, she was honored by the academy as one of the country's best chefs. Most recently, she led a group of four to Olympic gold at the 2000 Culinary Olympics in Erfut, Germany.

Culinary education, Bosich says, was definitely a calling.

This fall, Culinard will welcome a 300-member incoming class - its largest to date. And shortly after, Bosich will watch the school's first graduating class walk across the stage.

"It really is beyond our wildest dreams," Bosich says. "We are brand-new, and to know that people are choosing us over the other 900 culinary schools in the nation is pretty amazing."

Talk about icing on the cake. -- Kelly McClurg

Jay Brandrup, Principal, kiNETic communications

Wisconsin native Jay Brandrup has a lot of energy, the kinetic kind that is, for which his Web site and multimedia development business is named.

"It's about energy and motion and applying those to our clients' problems," says Brandrup, 30, principal with kiNETic communications. "Our mission is to help companies understand and apply the latest Internet technologies to help them become more competitive." His four-themed business strategy: "We embrace change. We start things. We keep it simple, and we make mom proud," he says.

Brandrup describes himself as a "geeky finance major" at Auburn University in the early 1990s with dreams of becoming a stockbroker. He was stopped in his tracks when he saw Mosaic, the first Internet browser created by graduate student Marc Andreesen. "I knew then the Web wasn't just a fad," he says.

Brandrup and a partner started their own Web development business in 1995 immediately after Brandrup graduated cum laude and long before the general public knew what the World Wide Web was.

"We spent the first two years of the business in my Inverness apartment," Brandrup quips. "It wasn't a typical desk-in-bedroom operation. But it wasn't as swanky as a home office could be."

The company moved to Morris Avenue five years ago. Brandrup bought his partner out and has amassed an impressive clientele that includes some of Birmingham's biggest hitters, including Southern Progress, BellSouth, Regions Bank and HealthSouth.

Potential Birmingham visitors from around the world see his work daily on the newly redesigned Web site of the Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau (http://www.sweetbirmingham.com/).

"The decisions Jay made were based not on his company's profit margin, but what was the best decision for the final look and navigation of the site," writes the CVB's Jim Windsor, who nominated Brandrup for the Top 40 Under 40 award.

"Jay's determination and complete understanding of the goal of the Web site - a positive representation of the city of Birmingham as a destination for visitors, tour groups and convention groups - made this site a source of pride for every citizen of Birmingham, Alabama," Windsor wrote.

Brandrup spreads the wealth of his know-how. He built Web sites pro bono for three of his favorite charities: the Alabama Symphony, Alabama Ballet and the Vulcan Park Foundation. -- Gilbert Nicholson

Susan Brouillette, CEO & chief operating officer, Alacare Home Health and Hospice

Susan Brouillette wears two hats at Alacare Home Health and Hospice. At 38, she serves as both chief executive officer and chief operating officer of the company her father established more than 30 years ago.

Although she didn't initially plan to join the family business, Brouillette says she always wanted to pursue a career in health care.

"I always knew I wanted to get into health care, but really wasn't sure what that meant for me," she says.

Brouillette began her tenure with Alacare in 1988, shortly after receiving master's degrees in public health and business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. At the time, the company had only two offices and roughly 35 employees.

"I came into the company at a very good time," says Brouillette, who operates Alacare alongside her brother, John Beard.

"I have also had very good mentors that gave me a lot of opportunities to do interesting things."

Today, the 380-employee Alacare operates 13 locations and is recognized as the oldest and among the largest Medicare-certified home health agencies in Alabama. Under her direction, the company in 1995 expanded its services to include hospice or end-of-life care.

"Under her watchful attention to operational details, Alacare has grown to its current size and expanded to provide Hospice care," says Gene Sykes, nominator and Alacare administrative officer.

"Alacare's employees will quickly cite Ms. Brouillette's leadership, motivation and dedication as an advocate for individuals and their families who need health care services in their homes, as one of the reasons for Alacare's growth."

In addition to operating a $30 million company, Brouillette is a full-time wife and mother of two daughters. She says her family is her most important asset.

"You just don't get wherever you are in life if you don't have strong support from family," she says.

She also is an active member of the Shades Valley Rotary Club, where she serves on the board of directors, a team chairwoman in the American Cancer Society's Walk for Life, and a supporter of America's Walk for Diabetes and Alzheimer's of Central Alabama. -- Kelly McClurg

Ginger Busby, Partner, Burr & Forman LLP

Ginger Busby could be the prototype of the do-it-all woman: partner at Burr & Forman law firm, president of the Homewood City Council and mother of three children.

She'd probably scoff at the notion, though.

"Having a 4-month-old son at the same time my daughter is entering her teenage years is a sign that I had too much free time on my hands," she says with a laugh.

Baby Blake joins siblings Brooks, 11, and Amber, 13 - whose after-school activities keep their mother juggling her time and attention.

"I don't spend a lot of time worrying about doing it all. I just do it. On the other hand, my house is not organized. I arrange my life around my children's schedules. You can usually find me at the ball field and the ballet," she says.

Because of her political activities, Busby's children are benefiting from an education in one of the best school systems in the state. In fact, she spearheaded an issue that seems anathema to politicians: a tax increase to benefit Homewood schools.

With the approval of voters, Homewood schools now receive an additional $1.8 million a year.

"It's easy to be involved in a tax increase when all your citizens want what's best for the community, from the youngest to the oldest," she says. "We needed a new middle school, more ball fields, a new municipal complex."

A native of Birmingham, Busby, 39, earned her bachelor's degree at the University of Alabama in 1984.

She was a summa cum laude graduate at Samford's Cumberland School of Law, where she was articles editor of Cumberland Law Review.

At Burr & Forman, she practices in the Litigation and Labor and Employment sections.

Her husband, Dale, is a re-insurance broker.

If Busby has political ambitions in the future, she would do well to appoint Homewood Mayor Barry McCulley as her campaign chairman. As one of her co-nominators (Burr & Forman colleague Laura Meherg is the other), McCulley is effusive in his praise of Busby.

"Her contribution to the ongoing betterment of our entire community ... is unequaled," he says. "Ginger's energetic and dynamic personality has been a major factor in successfully moving many concepts to reality." -- Barr Nobles

Tracy Comas, Chief operating officer, Hygia Health Services

Tracy Comas isn't one to back down on a vision.

Her most recent is Hygia Health Services, the company she owns and operates with her husband, Scott.

Formed in 1999 and named for the Greek goddess of health, Hygia decontaminates non-invasive medical instruments that typically would have been discarded after use. The company's services significantly cut costs for health care institutions, saving one local hospital as much as $500,000 last year.

"Tracy embodies the spirit of this award," says nominator Susan Matlock, executive director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Office for the Advancement of Developing Industries. "From her business success to her community and family life, Tracy is constantly striving toward perfection."

Comas, 37, who serves as chief operating officer of the company, says she got the idea for a reprocessing business while working for a medical sales company. She pitched the idea to her husband, and he later surprised her with a 200-page business plan.

"I always think there's a better way or side to something," Comas says. "He did the research, pulled it all together and we never looked back."

Matlock says Comas stands out among other entrepreneurs, partly because she strives to create a friendly work environment.

"The business model also seeks to make the employees winners," Matlock says, adding that Comas always rewards staff members for good work. "Her goal is to build a family atmosphere where everyone feels welcome."

But when the work day is done, this Birmingham native is just getting geared up. In addition to operating a thriving business, Comas is creating an organization to encourage family volunteerism. While only in its infant stages, the program would help nonprofits enlist a whole family of volunteers.

"Sometimes the race is so hard in business, that people forget to instill in their children the importance of doing good deeds," she says.

As a mother of two, Comas says her personal goal is to find the perfect balance between work and family.

"I always say I was just meant to do more," she says. "But ultimately I want to find that balance between work and kids. When I've gotten to where I feel enough excitement for my job, I need to fill that other piece." -- Kelly McClurg

Tully L. Corbett, Partner, Integrated Solutions

Tully Corbett is one of three founding partners of Integrated Solutions, a company that provides telecommunications, network and software services to small and midsize businesses throughout the metro area.

Established in 1994, Integrated Solutions has been thriving, a claim not all of its competitors can make. The firm ranked No. 12 on BBJ's 2001 list of the city's fastest-growing emerging companies, largely due to the growth of Corbett's telecommunications division, which he brought to the firm three years ago.

Corbett founded the division as IS Technologies Inc. in 1999. Its sales have risen steadily since its inception, and Corbett says he expects revenue of more than $1 million for 2002.

Integrated Solutions - Corbett plus partners Russ Dorsey and Michael Pruet - is projecting total sales of $2.5 million for the year. The partners employ 17 people at the Entrepreneurial Center incubator downtown and are looking forward to occupying larger quarters by 2004.

Corbett, 38, has come a long way since working various tech management and sales positions and waiting tables at Grady's American Grill in the late 1980s.

A native of Decatur, he moved to the Magic City in 1982, earning an associate's degree in electronic engineering technology from RETS Institute and later a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham before starting his own business.

"He cares about us on a personal level," says Integrated Solutions sales manager Larry Cooper, "but he pushes us to do our best professionally. He challenges us to think our way through problems, then supports us on our decisions."

Corbett lives in Inverness with his wife, Debbie, and two sons, 17-year-old Nicholas and 4-year-old Turlington II.

He is an active member of Valleydale Baptist Church and has worked with the Boy Scouts of America, Children's Aid Society, Diabetes Trust Fund, Vulcan Park Foundation and Save the Children. -- Ryan Mahoney

Rob Crabtree, Administrator, Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center

Rob Crabtree has seen some famous athletes stroll through the halls of the Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center, founded by two local doctors who are pretty famous themselves, Jim Andrews and Larry Lemak.

Now the center's administrator, Crabtree six years ago rubbed elbows (and watched a few get doctored) at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, where he was medical administrator for events held in the Georgia Dome.

But the personable 38-year-old native of Bridgeport, in northeast Alabama, says he's thrilled each day contributing to the healing and recovery of hurting patients, famous or not. It's rewarding, Crabtree says, to "work with the best surgeons in the world and a great staff to make those people better."

Although Alabama Sports Medicine makes the highlights on ESPN's "SportsCenter" when famous athletes like John Smoltz, Bo Jackson or Hulk Hogan come for treatment, half of the 75,000 patients a year visit for non-athletic injuries such as joint replacement, back injuries and workers' compensation injuries. Crabtree oversees a staff of 120 and 18 physicians who conduct 9,000 procedures a year in the Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center (ASMOC), located at HealthSouth Medical Center, 1202 11th Ave. S.

To hear Lemak rave about Crabtree, you would think he is a regular on national television.

"Rob is able to balance the rigid business side of our industry with the true compassion for patients that is essential for a successful career in health care," Lemak wrote in a nomination letter. "His attention to detail and willingness to search for creative solutions to problems make Rob a valuable asset to HealthSouth and ASMOC and, in turn, to our community."

Crabtree attributes his success to four philosophies. "In this business, when you work with doctors, you must be self-motivated and a self-starter," he says. Secondly, "be prepared to, figuratively speaking, run through a fire with a gasoline suit on to make things better for the organization," he continues. "Third, assuming you have reasonable circumstances, take the 'I can' or 'I will' approach versus the 'I can't' or 'I won't' approach." Finally, he says, "I try not to make my problems other people's problems."

A 1986 graduate of Auburn University in health services and hospital administration, Crabtree earned a master's in sports administration in 1992 from Georgia State University in Atlanta. He joined Alabama Sports Medicine in 1999. -- Gilbert Nicholson

Paul DeMarco, Partner, Parsons, Lee & Juliano PC

Paul DeMarco says he always has been goal-oriented, even as a sixth-grade Boy Scout.

First inspired by his scoutmaster, Judge Ed Nelson, DeMarco fulfilled his boyhood dream of becoming a lawyer when he graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1993.

Ironically, it was at arch rival Auburn University where he got the training he would later need - a 1990 bachelor's degree in journalism, graduating cum laude - to serve as editor in chief of the Alabama Law Review.

A partner at Parsons, Lee & Juliano PC - a position he attained in January - DeMarco, who turns 35 on July 20, certainly is an up-and-comer on the Birmingham law scene.

He served as president of the Young Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar Association in 2001, and he currently is serving on the Birmingham Bar Foundation.

He credits his motivation and success to two special people: his mother, who at 12 was an Italian immigrant and did not speak English, but by high school was in the honor society and at the top of her class; and his grandfather, who not only lived through the Great Depression but also founded a business that thrived in the 1960s and '70s.

DeMarco Building Supply at one time was the largest supplier of concrete in Birmingham, says the younger DeMarco, who is active in professional and civic organizations.

He assists with fund-raising projects for the University of Alabama School of Law Building Capital Campaign Committee, and he serves on the Farrah Law Society board of trustees and Birmingham Bar Association Grievance Committee.

He also is on the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce Governmental Affairs Committee and the Auburn University Journalism Advisory Council.

The American Cancer Society is a charity close to his heart, and he participates in fund raising for the organization.

What is DeMarco's professional and personal philosophy? "Don't depend on anyone else but yourself. Don't worry about what others are doing - just concentrate on doing your best and it will all fall into place."

That advice certainly seems to have worked for him. -- Amber Holmes

Jeff Dungan, President, Dungan Nequette Architects

Jeff Dungan, the 36-year-old president of Dungan Nequette Architects, graduated from Auburn University's architecture program in 1989. Before graduating, he studied art and philosophy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Dungan and his partner, Louis Nequette, also a Top 40 Under 40 honoree, started their business in 1999 in the sunroom of the Nequette's home.

The two had worked together at the same firm and had become fast friends. They shared similar views about architecture and the role that design plays in the community.

From their common understanding, they struck out on their own. Their first jobs were two fire stations.

The company now employees 12 people: six architectural interns, one draftsman, one interior designer, two administrative professionals and the two principals.

The company is headquartered in the Dr Pepper Building at Pepper Place, where the company moved a few months after working out of Nequette's sunroom. In three years' time, the company moved to another office in the building and has expanded its current space four times.

Dungan Nequette's projects include a 10-year plan for Grace Christian Church to build a chapel, a sanctuary and a gymnasium. The firm recently completed design renovations for Riverchase Country Club and will soon complete Hoover Fire Station No. 2, which will include a community center.

Dungan was chairman of the 2001 Design Awards for the Birmingham chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He also participated as a preceptor in Auburn University's Center for Architecture and Urban Studies, a program in Birmingham for fifth-year architecture students to study architecture in an urban context. He participated in the program as a professional who was a mentor to the students.

"I have known Jeff and Louis for five years. They are innovative architects with an original vision who are fast becoming the best in their field because they bring fresh ideas to the market," says Margi Ingram, owner of local real estate company Ingram & Associates Inc., whose current office was designed by Dungan Nequette.

Dungan lives in Homewood with his wife Sara and his two children, 9-year-old Hanna and 18-month-old Emma. He enjoys playing guitar for his church and spending time with his family. -- Lauren Bishop

Elise Durbin, Secretary/treasurer & vice president of legal affairs, Marshall Durbin Cos.

The Marshall Durbin family tradition continues with Elise Durbin, granddaughter of Marshall Durbin Sr., founder of the poultry processor and distributor.

After working at Lloyd's of London, then Marsh and McLennan and J.P. Morgan in New York, Elise Durbin returned home in 1996 to join Marshall Durbin Cos. as executive vice president of human resources.

"I wanted to help run the family business," the 38-year-old says.

In 2000 she earned a law degree at the University of Alabama. Her father, Marshall Durbin Jr., who took over the business from his father, died last year. Her sister, Melissa, is now president. Elise is secretary-treasurer and vice president of legal affairs.

"She provides key contributions to the strategic planning, implementation and growth of Marshall Durbin Companies," wrote the Birmingham law firm of Feld Hyde Lyle Wertheimer and Bryant PC, which nominated Durbin for the Top 40 Under 40 award.

"Her recent election to the National Chicken Board of Directors further supports the professional leadership qualities this young woman possesses."

Perhaps Durbin's most eye-catching endorsement comes in a lengthy letter to the BBJ from University of Alabama athletic director Mal Moore. Elise and Melissa Durbin are the only two women executives selected for the Crimson Tradition Fund Committee to raise $100 million for UA athletic facility improvements.

"As a result of Elise's strong standing in the business community and respected reputation as a businesswoman, we were not hesitant to bring her onto the Crimson Tradition Fund's Executive Committee," Moore wrote. "It is my opinion Elise Durbin is a rising star and leader for Birmingham."

Marshall Durbin was listed as the 27th largest privately held company in BBJ's annual Book of Lists, with $200 million in revenue and 2,200 employees.

Durbin says one of her key business philosophies is "honesty." She is active in several civic endeavors, including the Birmingham Zoo, Junior League of Birmingham and the Birmingham Museum of Art. -- Gilbert Nicholson

Mike Escue, President & CEO, Better Business Solutions

After years of working for several companies - including a sales position in wireless telecommunications and a sales-turned-management position with a pharmaceutical outfit - Mike Escue knew what he did and did not like in an employer. He kept it in mind when he founded his own company - Better Business Solutions Inc. - in 1996 after working for a mortgage lender. "I always wanted to own my own business, for as long as I can remember," says Escue, 39, president and CEO. "I wanted my company to empower employees to be involved in decision-making and not to be afraid to make their own decisions. Of course, when you hire good people you know they can do those things."

Hiring good employees is one thing Escue's company helps other businesses do. Better Business Solutions is a Professional Employer Organization. PEOs outsource all human resources functions including hiring and firing, payroll, employee benefits, insurance and tax compliance.

Escue - a Birmingham native who earned a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Alabama in 1984 and a bachelor's in business from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1988 - started Better Business Solutions with no clients, and the company now manages more than 1,200 employees for approximately 75 client companies in nine states and Canada. The company's success has not gone unnoticed. For the last two years, Better Business Solutions has been named to BBJ's FastTrack25 list of Birmingham's fastest-growing companies. Escue's professional endeavors are not confined to the walls of his office. For the past three-and-a-half years, he has served on the board of directors for the Mid South Association of Professional Employer Organizations and recently was re-elected to his second term as president. He also sits on the Chapter Presidents Council for the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations.

Despite his busy schedule, Escue still finds time to help others. He regularly delivers Meals on Wheels to senior citizens - often several times each month. He recently was elected to the Monday Morning Quarterback Club, which raises money for the Crippled Children's Foundation and supports local high-school football. Last year he volunteered for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and he recently was elected to the board of the Vestavia Hills City Schools Foundation. He also is active in Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church.

He and wife Laura have five children - including two sets of twins. Daughters Megan and Morgan are 10, and Madison is 7; sons Lloyd and Bishop will turn 5 on Aug. 1. -- Chuck Evans

Chad Thomas Hagwood, Vice president, commercial loan production, Collateral Mortgage Capital LLC

Chad Hagwood says he's always been fascinated by real estate. He grew up in the business. His grandfather started Hagwood Building Co. in the 1930s, and Hagwood often worked at the residential real estate development firm while in high school and college.

He earned a finance degree, with concentrations in real estate finance and investment/institutional finance, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he also served as entertainment editor of UAB's student newspaper.

After graduating in 1995, Hagwood joined Collateral Mortgage Capital LLC as a real estate analyst and quickly advanced through the ranks.

"I like the art of putting a deal together," Hagwood says. "Real estate and real estate financing is something I've always found interesting."

Collateral is a privately held firm that provides financing for commercial and multifamily real estate loans. The Birmingham-based Collateral also has offices in Atlanta; Columbus, Ohio; Houston; Kansas City, Mo.; Nashville, Tenn.; Orlando; and St. Augustine, Fla.

Hagwood was promoted to assistant vice president in 1998 and vice president in 2000, one of the youngest staff members to earn the title, says Collateral president and CEO David Roberts.

"Chad is very deserving of this promotion as he has played a pivotal role in the company's bottom line in recent years," Roberts says. "His drive to exceed expectations is evidenced in his production numbers."

Since joining Collateral, Hagwood has closed in excess of $450 million in commercial real estate loans. In addition, Hagwood serves on the editorial board of the Commercial Property Directory of Alabama. He has authored articles for national trade journals and is a recurring guest lecturer at the University of Alabama School of Business Administration's Executive Learning Series. He is co-chairman of Collateral's United Way Pacesetter fund-raising campaign and volunteers for Habitat for Humanity and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Hagwood, 30, credits his success to his parents, mentors and friends.

"I'm very proud of our company's growth and what this company has allowed me to do in terms of professional growth," he says. "But hard work and looking for opportunities others don't see only goes so far. I think it's important for people to give credit to their parents, mentors and friends. They've all challenged me, and at the end of the day that has a lot to do with what drives me personally." -- Leslie Zganjar

Richie Hamer, Account executive, Business Interiors

Richie Hamer still remembers the day Business Interiors came to Protective Life, where he was working as an intern, to explain how the insurance firm could make more efficient use of its office space.

"I was intrigued by how to sell such a large-scale design concept to a corporation," Hamer recalls.

He says he spent the next several months begging his current boss, Alan Pizzitola, for a job. Pizzitola is president of Business Interiors (BI), an office furnishings and consulting firm. Hamer's persistence paid off.

"He finally let me deliver some of his clients' Christmas presents," Hamer says.

In June 1995, Pizzitola hired him as an account executive. Hamer started his new job, learning the furniture installation process. Hamer refers to it as "BI Boot Camp." Today, nearly six years later, the 29-year-old Hamer says he typically doubles his sales quota every year. He says he listens carefully to clients to assess their needs and helps put together workstations, private offices and conference rooms that meet their specific needs and their budgets. Once a project is completed, Hamer stays in close contact with clients and, should they expand their operations, helps them with reconfigurations and upgrades.

"I look at myself as a problem solver for clients," he says. "I pride myself on being the best value engineer in the office furniture and consulting business."

Hamer says his work with clients in banks, law firms, doctors offices, hospitals, insurance firms and advertising agencies allows him an insider's view of many different professions.

He says the hardest part of his work is that first sales call. "But as soon as a client has listened and we've listened and we come back with a concept, they're willing to work with us to put their employees in the most effective, productive and efficient use of office space."

Randal Snook of Fitzmartin Inc., a local business-to-business marketing firm, says Hamer was able to assess his company's design needs to create space that was both professional and creative.

"Richie took the complications out of deciding what furniture would be best suited for us and our space, and we are very pleased with the results," Snook says.

Hamer was born in Athens, Ga., and raised in Montevallo. He graduated from the University of Montevallo with degrees in business communications and art-photography. He is a member of the Leukemia Foundation and also has an Alabama real estate license. -- Leslie Zganjar

Jay D. Kynerd, Principal, Capital Strategies Group Inc.

Jay Kynerd is proud of his family's strong roots in Birmingham. His father, Byrle, is superintendent of Briarwood Elementary School. His sister, Alison, teaches first-graders there. His brother, Kevin, is a principal at Bradford Building Co.

After earning his bachelor's in economics at Auburn, Kynerd left Birmingham for a two-year stint with Dallas-based Devon Partners, where he began developing his niche in executive benefit planning.

With eight years of experience at Capital Strategies Group in Birmingham - the last two as the youngest principal in the network owned by parent company Highland Capital Holding Corp. - Kynerd counts company founder John L. Robinson Jr. as his mentor and chief instructor.

Robinson, obviously, thinks highly of his young star, nominating him for this year's Top 40 Under 40 award.

"I credit my success to working directly with John. My being named principal was lucky timing more than anything else," Kynerd says, a statement tempered by modesty.

In just a few short years, Highland Capital has become one of the fastest-growing networks of financial services companies in the country, with more than 55 offices in 25 states and 400-plus employees.

Robinson credits Kynerd with giving "leadership and advice as the company continues to grow its national strategy in the sphere of executive benefit planning."

Kynerd, 32, is a member of three professional organizations: Association for Advanced Life Underwriting, Million Dollar Round Table and Top of the Table.

If he's not traveling around the country on behalf of his Fortune 500 clients, Kynerd is pursuing one of his sporting interests, "anything outdoors," he says.

"I was a fishing guide in south-central Wyoming every summer when I was in college," he says, adding that he tries to fit in a few fly-fishing expeditions annually.

For four years, he was an active participant in Young Life, a Christian organization that works with middle- and high-school youngsters. More recently, he has been assisting Andrew Gage's On the Edge Ministry, an outreach program for African-American youth in Fairfield. He is a member of Briarwood Presbyterian Church. -- Barr Nobles

Penny Manuel, vice president & chief information officer, Alabama Power Co.

Unlike some youngsters who can't wait to escape from their hometown, Penny Manuel is happy she's been able to remain close to her roots.

"I've lived here all my life," she says. "I was raised across the street from Rickwood Field. When I was 10, we moved to Pleasant Grove. I went to UAB (the University of Alabama at Birmingham); I was on the five-year plan.

"And now I live on the Warrior River in Walker County. It's about a 45-minute drive, but it's worth it when I get there. I've been blessed to move around with the power company, but I never had to leave town."

Manuel, 39, has a couple of titles on her desk. She's vice president and chief information officer for Alabama Power Co. And she's Regional CIO for Southern Nuclear and Southern Company Services-Alabama.

She began working for the company in 1982 while she learned engineering at UAB.

"I worked in fuel handling, maintenance. I loved it. It's not for everybody - it's hot and dirty - but there's a lifetime of learning opportunity," she says.

Knowing what you don't want in life is often the first stage of determining what you do want. Manuel says she learned the first part of that early on.

"The best thing I ever did was go to work for minimum wage," she says. "I made $2.90 an hour microfilming stacks of documents for a mortgage company. I thought, 'I've got to get out of here.'" She quit that job and increased her hours at UAB to full time.

The decision to become an engineer came when she attended "an engineering open house at UAB."

"I loved math and thought, 'I'll try that,'" she says.

In her spare time, Manuel says, she likes to "play bad golf."

"I visit with my mom on Saturday, go to church on Sunday, and that's about all I have time to do. I also like to hunt and fish with my husband, Don, who's a welder at Gorgas Steam Plant," she adds. "We had mutual friends who fixed us up. At first, Don did not like me: I was in management, he was in the union. But we got over that. As a matter of fact, we do not discuss work at all - work and politics are off-limits. And besides, I have all the work that I want - at work." -- Barr Nobles

Charles Michael Matsos, President, Golden Rule Franchising Inc.

Charles Matsos has taken Birmingham's oldest restaurant into expansion mode. Since taking his position as president of Golden Rule Franchising Inc. in 1990, Matsos has helped grow the local Golden Rule BBQ chain from three locations to its current 10. And he's not done yet. Four grand openings already are slated for this year.

"We have been in the growth stage the past six years," Matsos says. "When I got here, my goal was to grow."

But Matsos, 34, is not just focused on growth. He's also set on diversifying Golden Rule's barbecue niche with new restaurant concepts.

In December, the company will open a 4,600-square-foot upscale Golden Rule - in addition to traditional barbecue, choices will include steak and fish - in Calera to entice family diners in search of a more varied menu. Another concept, currently being tested in Huntsville, is the Golden Rule Express.

"We are definitely headed in a different direction now," Matsos says, adding that the company will continue to operate and grow its original Irondale-based restaurant concept, which opened in 1891.

Nominator Mike Todd says much of Matsos' success is because of his involvement in all aspects of the business.

"He really knows how to deal with people," says Todd, an EcoLab sales manager. "In the restaurant business, it is very difficult to retain employees for any length of time. Charles not only retains employees for long lengths of time, but many of his employees retire from Golden Rule. He does a good job taking care of them."

This Auburn University graduate doesn't just find fulfillment in the office. He is passionate about fund-raising efforts for local charity golf tournaments. In fact, he says, last year's Golden Rule BBQ ARC of Jefferson County Golf Classic raised almost $30,000 to assist mentally challenged children.

"Charles definitely has plenty of things to keep him busy at work, but feels very strongly that everyone should give something back to the community they live in," Todd says. "Charles really understands what being a contributing part of the business community means. Charles and Golden Rule BBQ are doing just that on a daily basis." Kelly McClurg

Hampton McFadden Jr., Executive vice president / general counsel / secretary, The Banc Corp.

Hampton McFadden Jr. greatly admired his father, so much so that he followed in his footsteps. "I was led to a career in the law because my father was a lawyer," he says.

McFadden, 39, is executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of The Banc Corp., the Birmingham-based holding company of The Bank.

He was well acquainted with The Banc before he joined the company in early 2001. Prior to that, McFadden worked at the law firm Haskell Slaughter Young and Rediker LLC, where he concentrated in the areas of securities law, mergers and acquisitions, and advising emerging and growth companies. He also was in charge of the firm's legal work for The Banc Corp. from the holding company's inception in 1998.

In the past four years, The Banc Corp. has grown from three locations in the Birmingham area and approximately $69 million in assets to a financial holding company with 21 locations in Alabama, 13 in the Florida Panhandle and assets of $1.2 billion as of Dec. 31, 2001.

Robert Garner, who worked with McFadden at Haskell Slaugther, says his former colleague played an important role in The Banc Corp.'s success story. He describes McFadden as a "dynamic and distinguished person."

McFadden says he is proud of the simple things he has accomplished during his career, of "working hard to try to resolve disputes without letting them become personal or take over either mine or my client's life. I try to be proud of just showing up every day and doing the best job I can."

He was born and raised in Birmingham. He graduated from the Altamont School in 1980 as a Presidential Scholar. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Amherst College in Massachusetts in 1984 and a law degree from Vanderbilt University in 1989. From 1985-86 he was a Peace Corps volunteer. After graduating from law school, McFadden joined Burr & Forman LLP, where he worked from 1989-95, concentrating in the area of complex litigation. He joined Haskell Slaughter in 1995.

McFadden is a member of the Downtown Kiwanis Club and serves on the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce's Aviation Committee. He also is an active member of the Birmingham Venture Club. He and wife Harriet have two children, 6-year-old Hampton III and 3-year-old Kendrick. -- Leslie Zganjar

Andy Meehan, President / CEO / owner, Southeastern Financial Group LLC

At only 36, Andy Meehan has managed to forge a career as a stockbroker, a financial planner, a manager and now as owner, president and CEO of his own insurance and investment products company.

He's also a general agent for Mass Mutual Financial Services, an insurance company under whose umbrella he operates his own company, serving Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle.

He employs 11 staff and managers and 35 agents, and his company provides insurance and retirement planning for large institutions, businesses and individuals, as well as institutional money management. Not bad for someone who hasn't even broken 40 yet.

An economics major at Vanderbilt University, Meehan says he wanted to be a stockbroker and worked as one for about two months in Washington, DC, before realizing it wasn't for him. He went into fee-based financial planning in Atlanta, and then went to work for Mass Mutual in 1990, working his way up in the agency.

Two years ago he became owner of his own business here in Birmingham, buying Southeastern Financial Services and maintaining that relationship with Mass Mutual Financial Services, where he continues as a general agent.

Friends and associates say Meehan has made a "significant impact" in the Birmingham business and civic community in just two years. Southeastern Financial Group is now a leading financial services company in the Southeast, and Meehan has quickly established himself as a leading professional within his industry.

Southeastern Financial Group offers estate analysis, retirement planning, investment products, executive fringe benefits, employee benefit programs, financial resource analysis, business continuation planning and college tuition funding productions to companies.

If it's benefit-related, Meehan's company can provide your company with it. But Southeastern isn't limited to working with companies and institutions. It works with the individual, as well, to help people plan their financial future.

Meehan is an active member of the Birmingham Kiwanis Club, a board member of the Birmingham Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, a board member of the Estate Planning Council of Birmingham, and treasurer for the Birmingham Society of Financial Service Professionals. -- Carol Muse Evans

Boyden Moore, Chief operating officer, Marvin's Building Materials and Home Centers

Marvin's quietly is growing into one of Alabama's prominent home-building supply companies under the leadership of Boyden Moore.

The Anniston native was named chief operating officer last December by owner Alfred Cohn, who is grooming Moore to be his successor.

"Boyden has good vision and is really a good, strategic thinker," Cohn says. "He has my complete trust and confidence."

With 13 stores in Alabama and four in Mississippi, Moore has big plans for the 57-year-old company that brands itself as a smaller but easier store to shop than big-name national retailers such as The Home Depot and Lowe's.

"We're looking to grow the company aggressively," Moore says. "We've identified several new locations in Alabama for the second half of this year and the first of next year. We also want to build a better brand for Marvin's so customers will have a real meaning of what we're about."

Moore, 32, certainly has the pedigree to push Marvin's across Alabama and beyond. His late father was a successful entrepreneur in Anniston, first with Moore Printing, then as a top real estate agent. Moore, too, has had his sights set on building a business.

He earned an accounting degree from Alabama. Ironically, he first went to work at Marvin's right out of college as an accountant. After serving as interim acting controller at the young age of 25, Cohn replaced Moore with a more experienced person.

"I thought I was ready for something bigger," Moore says. And that he was. He left for Bruno's, where he served as director of financial planning, although owner Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. eventually placed the venerable Birmingham grocery chain in bankruptcy.

Moore then landed at Just For Feet, where as treasurer he "found out in five months the company was out of cash. But I had a hard time convincing the board of directors and the proprietary owner."

Cohn brought Moore back to Marvin's as senior vice president of administration in 2000. Moore, meanwhile, says one of his essential strategies for success is "building teamwork."

"The success of our plan goes beyond me," Moore says. "When you've got a good team in place it makes all the difference in the world. Fostering a culture of teamwork and collaboration is a big key for me."

Says Cohn: "Boyden really has a way of creating a successful team-oriented environment. A lot of companies use that term but he makes it a reality." -- Gilbert Nicholson

Copyright 2002 American City Business Journals Inc. Click for permission to reprint (PRC# 1.1632.627558)

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