Katie Gower, 35

Katie Gower made a big career change in 2012. She decided to leave teaching and start a job in business development for a construction company.

It was such a good fit that in January 2013, she sought a bigger company to advance her career, which is how she ended up at Ed Taylor Construction. In the first quarter of 2014, Gower helped secure more than $1 million in new business for the company. It’s a testament to her persistence and the work she had done the year before, she says.