They say success in business extends from the top down and includes the team at all levels of the company.
For the second year, the National Association for Business Resources is recognizing that top-level leadership with the Best & Brightest CEOs and the Best & Brightest Leadership Teams.
They are the newest of the NABR’s offerings in which the organization identifies and honors excellence, fostering a robust community of elite thinkers while delivering a diverse array of tools and resources to executive leadership nationwide.
They are among the noteworthy offerings of The Best and Brightest Companies To Work For program as well as the Best and Brightest In Wellness.
These distinctive programs offer evaluations from direct reports, vendors and clients. Beyond showcasing business excellence, they highlight achievements in executive leadership, cultivating a dynamic culture, mentoring and inspiring capabilities, as well as effective communication skills.
Inclusion in the program provides CEOs and their teams with a powerful tool that offers critical performance metrics often hidden deep within the organization, inspiring tactical action and fortifying strategy.
“The CEOs and the Leadership Teams of our winners provide outstanding communication and support to their employees,” said Jennifer Kluge. CEO of the Best and Brightest program. “The teams working for them are the hub of the wheel, but truly great success extends from the top down.”
Participation in the program was robust, and we were able to talk to some of the winners:
2025 BEST & BRIGHTEST CEOs
BILL DWYER
President/CEO, Helping Hand
About the business: Helping Hand is a 70-year-old nonprofit organization that supports children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through a comprehensive continuum of services designed to help each person live a meaningful and fulfilling life.
Biggest challenge: Understanding what is next for the field of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. While Helping Hand continues to strengthen and refine the services people need today, the overall service model in Illinois has not changed significantly in many years. Helping Hand is responding by rethinking both the environment and the experience inside the home.
Company culture: Helping Hand’s culture is best described as genuine, values driven, and deeply relational, with a clear expectation of excellence. When someone joins the organization, they immediately feel the difference from other workplaces. They are seen as a valued person, and it is understood that everyone contributes to what makes Helping Hand strong.
Best advice: Recognize that a company or organization will only rise as far as its leader is willing to grow. When you reach a point where things feel good enough, it can seem as though you are slipping backward, when others are continuing to accelerate past what you once believed was the top. Growth as a leader is never static, and staying committed to your own development is what keeps the organization moving forward.
NIEVES GOMEZ
CEO, Columbia Basin Health Association Pasco
About the business: Located in central Washington State, Columbia Basin Health Association (CBHA) is a Federally Qualified Health Center committed to delivering high-quality, accessible, and compassionate healthcare particularly for individuals and families who have historically faced barriers to care.
Biggest challenge: The widening gap between need and access. Every day, more individuals and families require care that is compassionate, comprehensive, and affordable, while the systems designed to deliver that care grow ever more complex, constrained, and fragmented. We address this challenge by refusing to see healthcare as a transaction and insisting on treating it as a relationship. The work is never finished.
Company culture: Our culture is grounded in dignity, belonging, and shared purpose. We are a mission-driven organization, but more than that, we are a people-centered one. Every role, clinical or administrative, patient-facing or behind the scenes, carries equal weight in the work of healing communities. Culture shows up in how we listen before we act, how we support one another through challenge, and how we celebrate service as a collective achievement.
Best advice: Stay rooted in purpose and let people guide your decisions. No strategy, title, or accomplishment matters as much as the impact you have on the lives of others. When you lead with integrity, listen deeply, and remain open to learning even in moments of uncertainty you build something that endures. Surround yourself with people who challenge and inspire you and never underestimate the power of humility.
PAUL GROSS
Co-founder and CEO, Remora
About the business: Founded in 2020, Remora is building carbon capture for trains and trucks. It generates revenue for railroads and trucking companies by extracting, purifying, and selling Co2 from their exhaust. Its technology can capture up to 90% of the Co2 in the vehicle’s exhaust, while also reducing soot, particulate matter, and NOx. Remora has partnered with some of the largest railroads and trucking companies, including Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, Ryder, and Werner. We’ve now raised $117 million from prominent investors, including Lowercarbon Capital, Valor Equity Partners, Union Square Ventures, First Round Capital, and Y Combinator.
Experience: Paul Gross earned his bachelor’s degree in Statistics and Data Science from Yale University. He received “30 Under 30” recognition from Forbes Magazine, and was recognized with the John Addison Porter Prize from Yale University. The prize is an annual literary award given to the best work of scholarship in any field where it is possible, through original effort, to gather and relate facts or principles, or both, and to present the results in such a literary form as to make the product of general human interest.
MIKE HEAVNER
Interim General Manager, Treasure Island Resort & Casino
About the business: Treasure Island Resort & Casino, owned and operated by the Prairie Island Indian Community, features over 1,800 slot, video poker and video keno machines, 40 table games, a poker room and a 500-seat bingo hall. Our resort is home to Minnesota’s second largest hotel, with 788 rooms and amenities including a spa, 137-slip marina, a 94-site RV park and campground, convention center, national indoor and
outdoor entertainment, waterpark, bowling center, and multiple bars and restaurants.
Biggest challenge: Maintaining the infrastructure and continually improve our gaming floor and amenities. We face many forms of competition and must remain relevant and top-of-mind for casino gaming, as well as our hospitality and entertainment options. Most recently, we completed a full renovation of 246 hotel rooms to elevate our product. Our reinvestment was based on feedback from our guests with the goal to create a premiere resort experience.
Company culture: “We create winning experiences.” We have doubled down with a focus on guest service and workplace experience to create winning experiences for both our guests and our team members. Communication, team member development, and recognition are key elements for building and maintaining a strong, service-oriented culture.
Best advice: Be approachable. Listen to other points of view. Build trust by doing what you say you are going to do – be reliable.
PATRICE JOHNSON
CEO, Project Scientist
About the business: Project Scientist exists to disrupt the status quo. We champion the underestimated to lead and thrive in STEM. We design joyful, rigorous STEAM learning experiences that center girls and all communities toward building confidence, agency, and pathways into futures where they are not the exception, but the norm. I have led the organization through a period of stabilization and transformation—expanding our national and international reach, strengthening financial and operational health, and ensuring our growth remains deeply rooted in equity, justice, and measurable impact.
Biggest challenge: Scaling mission-critical programming while maintaining financial discipline and organizational health in a constrained funding environment. We address this by pairing rigorous operational systems with values-driven leadership—diversifying revenue through multi-year corporate and philanthropic partnerships, strengthening governance, and using data to guide decisions without compromising community-centered impact.
Company culture: Our culture is mission-anchored, trust-based, and rooted in belonging—where clarity, accountability, and care coexist. The key to sustaining it is alignment: ensuring that values are reflected consistently in leadership behavior, decision-making, and systems, while investing in people and fostering transparency between staff, leadership, and the Board.
Best advice: Lead with courage and integrity, especially in moments of uncertainty. When you invest in people, build systems that support your values, and make decisions grounded in purpose rather than fear, you create organizations that are resilient, trusted, and capable of lasting impact.
DENNIS KELLY
CEO, Sunstates Security
About the business: Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., Sunstates Security is one of the nation’s top 10 largest security providers. Our growth strategy focuses on long-term partnerships and service excellence, which is driven by maintaining smaller management portfolios and investing heavily in our employees and training. Sunstates delivers a comprehensive suite of solutions to a diverse clientele.
Biggest challenge: High personnel turnover remains a challenge. This can affect operational continuity and increase recruitment and training expenses. Additionally, frequent staffing changes can hinder the relationship between the security provider and the client. To combat this industry-wide issue, we have moved away from the traditional “commodity” staffing model.
Company culture: Sunstates fosters a culture defined by a “people-first” philosophy and a commitment to the core values of honesty, integrity, and trust. By investing heavily in our team, the company cultivates an “Above and Beyond” mentality among its officers, prioritizing long-term career growth and personal accountability.
Best advice: Treat others how you want to be treated and lead by example. In my 33 years in the security services industry, starting as an entry level officer, this is still what resonates with me most. I’ve experienced the good, the bad and the ugly along the way, and my goal has been to make note of all the experiences while emulating and building teams around the positive ones that could have made even the bad and ugly situations positive ones.
ADAM KROENER
CEO and Co-founder, Carbliss
About the business: Co-founded in 2019 by Adam and Amanda Kroener, Carbliss is a premium ready to drink cocktail brand. Carbliss is a full flavor cocktail in a can with zero carbs, zero sugars, 100 calories and lower carbonation that mimics a bar made cocktail.
Biggest challenge: Scaling without losing discipline. Growth is exciting: new states, new distributors, new opportunities. In beverage, expansion can outpace execution fast if you’re not careful. We address it by being selective with our partners, obsessing over execution at retail, and protecting our culture. We don’t chase doors. We choose distributors who can execute independently and consistently.
Company culture: At Carbliss, we hire and reward people who are Hungry, Humble, and Smart. Hungry enough to win. Humble enough to learn. Smart enough to execute the right way. We move fast. We hold high standards. We expect ownership. But we also believe success should improve your life, not consume it. When you’re small, culture happens naturally. As you grow, it doesn’t. You have to define, reinforce it and protect it.
Best advice: Execute before you feel ready. Most people wait for perfect timing. Perfect capital. Perfect confidence. Perfect clarity. That moment doesn’t come. If we would have waited until we felt fully prepared to launch Carbliss, we never would have started. You build confidence through action, not the other way around. You will learn more in six months of executing imperfectly than you will in two years of planning perfectly.
DENIS NEVILLE
CEO, CoreFX Ingredients
About the business: We focus on health and wellness by using effective science-backed innovative technologies and entrepreneurial urgency to improve quality of life and longevity for humankind, which we call Health through Nutrition. The most recent innovation, CoreNhanced represents a new category. CoreNhanced is a BioTransport Technology Platform created specifically for today’s formulation, manufacturing, and brand innovation challenges.
Biggest challenge: Nurturing and keeping alive the startup entrepreneurial culture. We grew by being a catalyst for change, moving with urgency and always determined to make a positive difference in the world by our dedication to our customers and business partners. In addition, we
support a culture that that “looks out for one another.”
Company culture: Our culture is built on agility, collaboration, and transparency. Teams are empowered to move quickly, share knowledge openly, and work as trusted partners with customers. Our customer-first philosophy drives all our decisions. All projects begin with understanding a customer’s goals and end with a solution that performs as promised.
Best advice: Do something meaningful, make a difference, be a catalyst for change, be transparent, surround yourself with the right people and always make time to get out of the business so that you can work on it.
KEVIN SCHNEIDERS
Chief Service Officer, EDSI
About the business: EDSI works with regions, employers, and jobseekers to overcome their most challenging obstacles. With a commitment to excellence and a passion for making a positive impact, EDSI continues to lead the way in the workforce training and consulting industry. EDSI’s purpose is to “Put people in front of a better mirror.”
Biggest challenge: The biggest challenge for me personally is also the biggest challenge in our business. I love people, and I want people to feel great about their careers. Great companies have to find the correct balance between the demands of the business and the capacity of its people. Our challenge is providing career sculpting and ensuring people love what they do as we continue to grow.
Company culture: Our culture is felt as kindness and care for others. You can see it reflected in our mission to “see through other people’s eyes,” and in our values of Show Up, Smile, and Support. Servant Leadership is used throughout the entire organization.
Best advice: The Ancient Greeks had the right idea. “Know thyself.” The longer I serve as a leader, the more I see how great self-awareness can lead to great success. What are your strengths, and how can you apply them to help other people on this planet? Be kind to yourself, and give as much as you can, without any concern for reciprocity.
MATT SPENCER
CEO, Lakeshore Recycling
About the business: LRS is a leading regional waste and recycling platform and one of the largest privately held companies in our industry in the United States. Its mission is to deliver sustainable, innovative solutions that redefine how communities manage waste and recycling.
Biggest challenge: One of the most significant challenges—and opportunities—facing the industry today is the growing demand for CDL-certified drivers. It’s an incredibly demanding role, and the need for qualified drivers far exceeds the available supply. This reality underscores the importance of cultivating a strong organizational culture that prioritizes frontline engagement and values the people that are the backbone of our organization.
Company culture: As LRS continues to grow and mature, our culture evolves with it. Our senior leadership team firmly believes we have some of the strongest leaders in the industry—not referring to ourselves, but to the incredible individuals who report to us. We are deeply committed to clear goal setting, ensuring every team member understands our mission and how their contributions make an impact.
Best advice: If you’re a leader—at any level—be confident, stay humble, and remember that leadership is not a title, it’s a responsibility. You have to earn the right to lead every single day. Leadership is a privilege, and earning the right to sit in that chair requires consistent effort, integrity, and a commitment to those you serve.
MARILYN VETTER
President/CEO, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
About the business: Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s mission is to conserve pheasants, quail, and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public access, education and conservation advocacy across more than 40 U.S. states and parts of Canada. Simply put, our mission is the creation and restoration of grassland habitat with a focus on upland birds.
Biggest challenge: Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever grew dramatically over the past decade, greatly increasing our ability to positively impact wildlife habitat. Like many nonprofits, the organization prioritized mission delivery over all else, including building a sustainable and scalable business. That meant investments in IT, learning and development, infrastructure staff, and office needs lagged to keep pace with the rapid growth of the team.
Company culture: Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever employees are as invested in their colleagues’ success as their own, the definition of a high performing team. Successes are celebrated through town halls, team newsletters, and annual peer awards.
Best advice: The best leaders are students of life. They don’t expect to have all the answers but instead surround themselves with subject matter experts who challenge them and organizational norms. Embrace curiosity, get the facts and trust your intuition to make informed decisions quickly, and delegate responsibility so that your team is ready to move up when you are ready to move on.
2025 BEST & BRIGHTEST LEADERSHIP TEAMS
STEVE BLYTH
Chief Revenue Officer, LRS
Biggest challenge: Hiring, developing and retaining top sales reps. We have a long ramp period and our growth stalls if we don’t hit productivity fast enough. We address this by hiring and developing great leaders. Strong leaders can attract “A” players and then focus on their development and align the rep’s goals to where they are in their development.
How do you motivate others: Create a supportive and competitive environment and focus on building trust with each leader. Our focus is to put everyone in a position to win and have a great career, but at the same time always let everyone know where they are at in regard to success towards our KPI’s and objectives.
Best advice: Build trust through consistency not intent, do what you say you’ll do every time. Teams don’t trust words they trust actions. Develop people when it’s inconvenient not just when performance slips, build a strong bench. Paint the vision until you are tired of hearing yourself. You can never communicate enough! Help everyone on your team know why they matter.
TONY CINCOTTA
Chief Operating Officer, LRS
Biggest challenge as a leader: Balancing three things at once: building strong bench strength, sustaining a truly world-class safety culture, and spending enough time in the field coaching and developing people. All three are deeply connected. You can’t build a durable leadership pipeline without being present.
How do you motivate others: By leading from the front, setting clear expectations, and celebrating success. I believe people take their cues from what leaders do, not just what they say, so I’m very visible in the work and hold myself to the same standards I expect from the team. I make sure expectations are simple, clear, and tied to outcomes, so everyone knows what “good” looks like and how to win.
Best advice: Never forget that our most important responsibility is taking care of the people we lead. Our job is to set them up for success — making sure they’re in the right roles, have clear expectations, and have the tools and support they need to win. Great leaders are willing to jump in with the team when needed and lead by example, never asking anyone to do something they wouldn’t do themselves.
KATE DALY
Chief Human Resource Officer, LRS
Biggest challenge: I believe that building high performing teams is the key to success as a leader, and it is also challenging! I work to be very clear with potential candidates and current teammates about expectations for performance, clear about what good looks like, and clear about how their work connects to the company’s goals and mission.
How do you motivate others: In my experience, people thrive and perform when they are given the opportunity to use their judgement and expertise, so I work to build an environment of trust and autonomy. I also believe that most people are motivated when they know that their work matters, so I try to connect their work to our organization’s goals and mission, and I try to give my team high visibility to our strategy and the “why” behind many decisions.
Best advice: First, build trust with your team members. This requires being curious about them, getting to know them, and being open and honest about yourself and showing vulnerability when appropriate. Second, listen and ask questions more than talking yourself. Being a good listener and mining for information and insights from your team members will give you so much to work with.
DAN GOLDSTEIN
Chief Financial Officer, LRS
Biggest challenge: Managing what I describe as “multiple layers of leadership.” I lead a finance organization through significant change—driving departmental transformation, supporting the company’s goal of doubling in size, managing cash flow, and developing the capabilities of our team. At the same time, I guide my peers through the financial realities of operating as a PE backed firm with the usual capital constraints, which at times requires saying no when funding requests don’t align with our priorities.
How do you motivate others: By creating clarity, building trust, and connecting financial discipline to the organization’s broader purpose. Motivation as a finance leader isn’t about cheerleading — it’s about helping people understand why the numbers matter and how their work directly contributes to long term success.
Best advice: Listen. Diverse thoughts result in better decision making and a better company culture. As a leader, you arrived to where you are by having good ideas and expressing them to the people who led you. Now it’s your turn to do the same for the people that you lead. Ultimately it provides a great work culture and develops the next set of leaders.
ANUSHKA GOLE
VP of Communication and Strategy, Project Scientist
About the business: Project Scientist is a national education nonprofit that creates joyful and engaging experiences in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) for girls* to inspire confidence and belonging in STEM. We offer summer and out-of-school programs in partnership with local schools, school districts, nonprofit organizations serving underestimated communities.
Biggest challenge: Scale. We’ve built proven, high-impact tools that equip educators to create STEM spaces where girls feel a sense of belonging and the demand is far greater than current capacity. Each year, we face a growing wait list of schools and communities, but our ability to expand is limited by financial resources. We rigorously refine and evaluate programs, demonstrating impact, and cultivating partnerships with funders who share our commitment to equity in STEM. With increased investment, we can remove barriers to access, expand our reach, and ensure more girls experience STEM as a place where they are empowered to lead.
Best advice: Stay rooted in your mission but stay flexible in your approach. Listen deeply to the communities you serve, invest in your people, and don’t be afraid to evolve. Impact grows when values and learning lead the way.
COREY GRAUER
Chief Legal Officer, LRS
Biggest challenge as a leader: Helping teams consistently and systematically evaluate and analyze legal risk so they can make the best-informed business decisions, especially under time and resource constraints. Without a clear way to assess risk, decisions either slow down or move forward without full awareness of the implications. I break risk down into what’s non-negotiable, what requires judgment, and what the business tradeoffs are, so legal considerations translate into clear, actionable choices rather than uncertainty.
How do you motivate others: By being clear about expectations and by trusting them to do the work. I explain what needs to be done, why it matters, and then get out of their way so that they can make decisions and own the results. I don’t pretend things are easier than they are. When people are treated like adults, understand the constraints, and know their judgment is respected, they’re more engaged and more willing to step up.
Best advice: Be clear about what matters and make decisions accordingly. Don’t confuse activity with progress, and don’t try to eliminate risk or uncertainty, they’re part of the job. Give people context, not just instructions. Trust their judgment, set boundaries where they’re needed, and hold them accountable for outcomes. And be consistent in doing so.
CASI HERRERA
Vice President of Programs & Strategic Growth, Project Scientist
About the business: Project Scientist is a national education nonprofit that creates joyful and engaging experiences in science, technology, engineering, arts and math for girls to inspire confidence and belonging in STEM. They offer summer and out-of-school programs in partnership with local schools, school districts, nonprofit organizations serving underestimated communities.
Biggest challenge: Scale. The company has built proven, high-impact tools that equip educators to create STEM spaces where girls feel a deep sense of belonging and the demand is far greater than its current capacity. Each year, Project Scientist faces a growing waitlist of schools and communities eager to implement these best practices, but its ability to expand is limited by financial resources. We address this challenge by rigorously refining and evaluating our programs, demonstrating impact, and cultivating partnerships with funders who share our commitment to equity in STEM.
Best advice: Stay rooted in your mission but stay flexible in your approach. Listen deeply to the communities you serve, invest in your people, and don’t be afraid to evolve. Impact grows when values and learning lead the way.
JIM KARLS
SVP, Corporate Development, LRS
Biggest challenge as a leader: Guiding teams through periods of uncertainty and change, especially during large-scale transformations such as acquisitions, divestitures, or strategic pivots. I address this by focusing on clarity, transparency, and trust. I ensure teams understand the “why” behind decisions, remain aligned on shared goals, and feel supported throughout the process. Open communication and respect for people are critical to maintaining momentum and morale during change.
How do you motivate others: By empowering them, setting clear expectations, and creating an environment where people feel respected and valued. I believe motivation comes from knowing your work matters. By aligning individual contributions to broader organizational goals, recognizing achievements, and encouraging professional growth, teams naturally stay engaged and committed. I also lead by example, showing accountability, adaptability, and consistency in decision-making.
Best advice: My advice is to never underestimate the importance of people. Strategy and execution matter, but strong leadership is built on trust, humility, and listening. Surround yourself with talented individuals, give them room to succeed, and be willing to adapt. The best leaders remain grounded, curious, and focused on long-term value, not short-term wins.
PATRICK WHALEN
SVP, EHS & Sustainability, LRS
Biggest challenge as a leader: Carrying the weight of decisions that impact people—not just results. It’s knowing that every choice we make affects someone’s safety, their livelihood, their family, and the pride they feel in their work. I address it by staying grounded in purpose. I listen first, I communicate openly, and I try to lead in a way that earns trust—not demands it.
How do you motivate others: By helping them believe their work truly matters—and that they matter. I focus on connecting people to a bigger purpose, setting a clear standard of excellence, and then giving them the trust, tools, and support to succeed. Most importantly, I try to lead with consistency and heart.
Best advice: Lead with clarity, consistency, and character. Set a high standard and communicate it often. Be the calm, steady presence when things get hard. Hold people accountable but never forget there is a human being behind every role and every result. If you want to build a team that performs at the highest level, earn trust every day—through your actions, not your words. Give people ownership, recognize progress, and invest in their growth.
SARAH WHITE
Senior Director of Operations, Project Scientist
Biggest challenge as a leader: Like many nonprofits, our biggest challenge is balancing growing demand from the schools we serve with securing sufficient funding to meet that need. We address this by pursuing new funders and building multi-year partnerships, while continuously identifying creative, scalable revenue opportunities that support sustainable program expansion.
Company culture: Our culture is rooted in trust, ownership, and open dialogue. We empower team members to use their voice, contribute ideas, and challenge assumptions in service of better outcomes. The key to maintaining this is reinforcing psychological safety, protecting space for creativity, and modeling collaborative problem-solving at every level of the organization.
Best advice: Believe in your ability to grow beyond your current expertise. Step boldly outside your existing skill set, even before you feel fully ready. You never know which opportunities are waiting on the other side of your willingness to stretch yourself.
