Matt Buchanan, 29

Not yet 30, Matt Buchanan has already met a goal many sons of prominent and successful fathers struggle with: making a name for himself.

Buchanan, certainly had a head start with Sarasota Ford, the dealership his father, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, had run for years. But with Dealers United, the Sarasota-based auto dealers buying group Matt Buchanan founded with local entrepreneur Jesse Biter in 2011, the younger Buchanan has found his own way. The firm is a standalone startup success story, going from two employees to 20 in less than two years.