Benjamin Brannon, 32

As a former sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, Benjamin Brannon knows a thing or two about leadership.

Out of high school, Brannon joined the Marine Corps. He was honorably discharged four years later, in 2015. He went on to become a foreman for Venice-based general contracting firm J2 Solutions that year while also enrolling for a civil engineering degree at the University of South Florida. In 2017, he was promoted to superintendent at J2. Two years after that he graduated from USF and was promoted again, this time to project manager. 

Now the health care operations manager for the firm, he says the transition from project manager to operations has been the toughest challenge he’s had yet.