Jillian Flesh, 30
Executive Vice President, Flesh Co, St. Louis
Her big break: Because of my family's long-time involvement in the industry, over 101 years now, you might assume that I came into the industry with some insight—but I didn't. I have spent the last five years acting like a sponge, soaking up all the information I can and learning the ins and outs of both print and business in general. When I first joined the organization I worked on the production floor for a year; from there, I transitioned to a customer service representative position where I was able to reinforce my knowledge from the print floor and really understand how customer specifications drive the production and price. For the past two years, I have been working more on the business management side of Flesh Co, spending a significant amount of time in human resources and now I am focusing more on marketing and sales. Currently, I serve as executive vice president, but coming up through the ranks has given me a broad base of experience and knowledge from which I can draw as I begin to have more impact within the organization.