Line of fire

The recession presented Sara Riley an opportunity in 2009 to get out of the high-anxiety world of being an entrepreneur.

Riley had run a family painting and contracting firm, Enterprise Painting, along with her brother, Josh Moffett. The company was one of the fastest growing in the region in 2004, when Riley, then Sara Moffett, was named a 40 under 40 winner in the Business Observer. But work dwindled and Riley eventually sold her shares of the business back to her father, John Moffett.

Yet Riley's next career choice, to many, is even more stressful: She's a lead paramedic for the Sarasota County Fire Department. Her unit is basically an ER on wheels. Riley and her crew go from accident scenes to nursing homes to fires. And she loves it.