Energy expert

Laura Duda never thought she'd leave Florida.

That was until she received a cold call shortly after being named to the Business Observer's 40 under 40 list of top business professionals in 2008.

This wasn't the typical recruiter call. Duda, director of communications at Teco Energy Co., was asked to apply for vice president of communications at Exelon Corp. — the nation's largest energy provider. “I wasn't looking to leave,” says Duda, a Buffalo, N.Y. native who grew up in St. Petersburg. “I didn't even have an updated resume.”