Jason Franklin, 36
Michael Gilpin, 37
In 2010, Jason Franklin received a phone call. On the other end was a representative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation letting him know the work he was doing as the chair of Bolder Giving influenced Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett to launch the Giving Pledge, which organized billionaire families to commit a majority of their wealth to charity. As the Giving Pledge grew, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation wanted to help Bolder Giving reach a wider audience, so Franklin began as Bolder Giving’s first fulltime executive director. He held that position for five years prior to moving to Grand Rapids in 2015, when he became the first W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair at the Johnson Center. “I hope the experiences and networks I have built around the country and internationally can help strengthen the amazing local work already underway in Grand Rapids,” Franklin said. Franklin was recognized as one of the inaugural members of the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s 40 under 40 in January. He also was named one of New York City’s Top 20 Philanthropists Under 40 by the New York Observer in 2015, as well as one of the 40 under 40 LGBTQ leaders by Advocate Magazine in 2012. “His knowledge base of philanthropy is as wide as it is deep, making (him) a sought-after thought leader when discussion of serious philanthropic issues arise,” said Stephanie Adams, Johnson Center marketing and communications manager.
Michael Gilpin helped his business become one of the fastest growing FastSigns locations in the United States. This year, the franchise will bring in nearly $3 million in sales and has grown from four employees to 17 in its 10 years of operation. Gilpin’s franchise was the top franchise in the FastSigns system in 2010 and won the International Franchise Association Franchise of the Year in 2011. The Grand Rapids FastSigns is the No. 6 grossing franchise in the nation. “Michael is dedicated to his family, his employees, his customers and community,” FastSign Sales Team Leader Melissa Kinstner said. “Somehow, it seems like he gives 100 percent of his attention to each and every one of them.” Without taking a risk when his wife was seven months pregnant to move back to Grand Rapids from Pennsylvania, the whole ride might never have happened. “My biggest break was probably the combination of having the courage to take the risk and having a supportive wife who was willing to leave the known for the unknown,” Gilpin said. He said Grand Rapids is in need of leaders who put others ahead of themselves, quoting Harry Truman: “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” “If we can have a community of leaders that think like this, the opportunity for Grand Rapids is endless,” he said. “I am doing my best to lead by example in this category.”
W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy
18 Grand Rapids Business Journal | 40 UNDER FORTY 2016
President and CEO FastSigns of Grand Rapids