Award Winners

2025 Forty Under 40: John Heavens
John Heavens Vice President, Regional Branch Services | Dupaco Community Credit Union | AGE: 38 Family: Wife, Mary; children, Charles (5), Josephine (3) and James (1). Residence: Cedar Rapids Hometown: Dyersville Education: Dyersville Beckman High School and Clarke University, Dubuque…
Benjamin O’Connor
Age: 31 Occupation: Co-founder and Chief Financial Officer, Higher Learning Technologies What was your first job? Delivering…

Whitney Pino
Age: 35 Occupation: National Accounts Specialist, Van Meter Inc. What’s the best advice you ever…

Betsy Potter
Age: 31 Occupation: Director of Operations, Iowa City Downtown District What was your first job? I was…

Aaron Robertson
Age: 37 Occupation: Managing Partner, Hawkins Wealth Management What was your first job? I worked for my…

Gerald Seals
Age: 38 Occupation: CEO, Harold’s Chicken Iowa What was your first job? Working at KB Toys. What’s…

Quintin Shepherd
Age: 39 Occupation: Superintendent, Linn-Mar Community School District What was your first job? Working on the farm.…

Ben Snyder
Age: 34 Occupation: Founder, Copper Black Services What was your first job? Busboy at the Village Inn…

Paige Swartzendruber
Age: 39 Occupation: Vice President, Berthel Fisher Companies What’s the best advice you ever received? There will…

Travis Thompson
Age: 38 Occupation: President, Thompson Truck & Trailers What was your first job? I worked the cash…

Stephanie Van Hemert
Age: 30 Occupation: Prairie Edge Special Education Strategist, College Community School District What’s the best advice you…

Brock Worley
Age: 32 Occupation: General Manager, Kenwood Records Management What’s the best advice you ever received? Instead of…

Kyle Zimmerman
Age: 32 Occupation: President, Securian Advisors MidAmerica What was your first job? I was a summer janitor…

Sarah Zimmerman
Age: 37 Occupation: Partner, BerganKDV What’s the best advice you ever received? Tomorrow is not guaranteed; make…

Mindy Olson
Age: 38 Occupation: Vice president, Paulson Electric, PEC Communications What’s the best advice you ever received? Never…

Meet 2017’s Women of Influence
The 2017 class of Women of Influence, shown before the April 20 awards ceremony at…






