Connecting talent to opportunities is something that Michael McPhie has always been intrigued by. In fact, he feels that young people should understand the businesses that they operate in and spend actual time in their industry, rather than sitting in classrooms or staying close to home. And he lives that mantra as well, in his role at Falkirk Environmental Consultants, he anticipates where industry trends are headed and develops business practices according to that.

What is energy and its role in technology, government, and the private sector? That is a question that Dan Woynillowicz tries to answer in his job at Polaris Strategy + Insight. He knows that if companies want a change in government policy to succeed, they need to know how to get the messaging across – and that is where he thrives.

Mohammad Doostmohammadi’s work days are long – to him, it is not always a bad thing because his work is his passion. “I am doing what I enjoy,” he says. “It’s my life.” He sees himself as an inventor and entrepreneur, finding ways to turn various forms of electronic and mining waste into recycled materials. To him, his passion drives the fun in running his start-up – in fact, passion is vital in order to succeed.

When Jeanette Jackson took over a clean-tech accelerator called Foresight, it was a team of two. Today, that number has grown to 50. To get there, she had to start with a hands-on strategy, doing everything from ideas to pitching them. Over the years, she transitioned into the leadership role that she serves today. Her biggest advice to others is to get a handle on fine details such as numbers for financials and keeping track of projects’ progress.