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V O L . X X V I I I N O. X X I I O C T O B E R 3 , 2 0 2 2 22 A leader in the manufacturing industry B y A l e x i s W e l l s Thomas Kennedy II, 30 Director of business development, Steel-Pro Inc. Significant professional accomplishment: Suc- cessfully transitioning and developing a com- pletely new role within business development a f t e r b e i n g c h a l l e n g e d to tr y some- thing outside of my area of expertise. Passion proj- ect: Having pre- viously coached middle school basketball, I am excited to have the opportunity to coach my son in any sports that he might choose. I also have a passion to one day have a "proj- ect" vehicle of my own. Currently, I am only in the searching and planning phase. Audacious goal: To someday own and d ev e l o p my o w n properties. Favorite quote: "Winning is not everything, but making the effort to win is" — Vince Lombardi Influential book: "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel," by Virginia Lee Burton. Being a new dad and reading this to my son has brought things full circle with a story I listened to as a child! Favorite TV shows: "Lawless" and "The Last Kingdom" How do you recharge: I enjoy relaxing on the water or a nice afternoon of watching or playing sports. A wine importer with a plan for growth B y P e t e r V a n A l l e n Jason Kroot, 35 President, Renaissance Selections, Co-founder, Starting Line Run Studio Significant professional accomplishment: Growing a national wine brand to industry growth accolades and acquisition. Passion project: Launching a nonprofit wine brand to fund a cancer research foundation. I've had a working idea for a few years … The idea here is to develop a wine brand and project that is centered around an annual event or two which also coincides as a fundraiser for this organization. There would be an annual release of this wine that would be avail- able at retailers and would include the ability to sign up for an annual subscrip- tion for quarterly wine club releases. It's similar to the model that some breweries will use when they do a special beer for an event like Shipyard does for Tri for a Cure. It's more difficult to achieve with wine because of the lead time required in production but the wine club/preorder model should allow for this to occur if there is an annual event surrounding it. Audacious goal: Become the leading employee-owned national wine-and-spirits company in the U.S. Favorite quote: "If you want something you never had, you have to do something you've never done." — Thomas Jefferson Favorite mov- ies/TV shows/ podcast: The "Back to the Future" tril- ogy is hard to beat while "Ozark" and "Billions" are in my current rotation. "How I Built This" podcast with Guy Raz How do you re- charge: Hiking or runnning with my wife Danielle, son Cooper and dog AJ. Building a bigger craft beer brand B y R e n e e C o r d e s Jenn Lever, 36 President, Baxter Brewing Co. Significant professional accomplish- ment: Leading the Baxter team through a complete rebrand launch in February of 2020 into the decision to pull the sales team from the trade the following month. To have created an environment where the team was able to navigate the challenges brought on by the pandemic and achieve double-digit growth for the last two years as an 11-year-old brand is something for which I will forever be grateful. Passion project: Being a board mem- ber of the Androscoggin Home Hospice Health Care annual fundraiser at Poland Spring Resort. Audacious goal: Baxter is working to achieve food safety certification by 2023. Favorite quote: "Be comfortable being uncomfortable." This idea was first shared with me by a guest speaker at my first management retreat with PepsiCo. It has led me through the most difficult chal- lenges in my career and inspired me to always aim for the next goal. Influential book: "Of Kings' Treasuries," by John Ruskin. This was a lecture we analyzed in college, and the premise is to read the great books for what the authors intended, not what you took from them. Ruskin's theories are founded in the idea that as individuals, we should always be improving and redefining our arete, what he explains as the human essence, made up of the roles that we take on; whether it is personal or professional, it is the aim for continuous improvement and something I work hard to stay true to. Favorite movies/TV shows: I love to watch documentaries, series and movies based on true stories. How do you recharge: Reading in the hammock in my backyard is my favorite spot at home and where I am able to relax the most. An advocate with a goal of tackling food insecurity B y A l e x i s W e l l s BJ McCollister, 32 President and founder, The Resurgam Group Significant professional accomplishment: Food insecurity strikes close to home for me. Thanks to great leaders and the teams that support them, Maine students can focus on learning, playing with friends, and just being kids, instead of worrying about navigating the uncomfortable reality of not being able to eat at school and trying to learn on an empty stom- ach. I am incred- ibly proud to have been a part of the team that made that a reality in Maine. Passion project: In that spirit, I spend my volunteer time focusing on programs that facilitate that opportunity. Audacious goal: At the Resurgam Group, we offer a unique approach to advocacy that allows our clients BJ McCollister is president and founder of the Resurgam Group. Jason Kroot is the president of Renaissance Selections, a Portland wine importing firm. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Thomas Kennedy II is director of business development at Steel-Pro Inc. C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 4 » P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Jenn Lever, president of Baxter Brewing Co.

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