Immigrant background is his bedrock

Age: 36

Title: Head of U.S. Premier

Service Sales

Organization: BMO Financial Group

As the head of U.S. premier service sales for BMO Harris Bank, Edward Suarez brings a results-oriented approach to the business with employee engagement and relationship building at its core.

As a Cuban immigrant, Suarez’s personal experiences integrating into American society, while learning a new language, have helped him adapt to an evolving industry. His humble upbringing, which included helping to pay family bills in high school and putting himself through school, fueled his success. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from DeVry University and an MBA from Temple University, both with 4.0 GPAs. He started in the financial industry in college and has lived in Philadelphia, Wisconsin, Florida, and Illinois. The changes in environment have exposed Suarez to an array of cultures, thus his specialty in leading diverse teams. His drive, perseverance, and team motivation have led his departments to outperform peers nationally.

Suarez enjoys working with people. Mentoring and helping others improve brings him joy. A fixer at heart, he connects with employees at all levels to identify and address underlying challenges.

Age: 34

Title: Founder Organization: Flourish Juice Co.

Kaitlin Soto is the creator and owner of Flourish Juice Co. in Joliet, Illinois. She is dedicated to educating others on how to improve their quality of life through nutrition and how to respect the environment through sustainable practices.

She graduated college with honors when she received a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. She’s received awards for nutrition education, community education, volunteerism, and nutrition advocacy. Her business has been flourishing since 2016. Her 6-yearold son is the company’s marketing manager in hopes of encouraging other children to eat (and drink) healthier.

Flourish Juice Co. was cultivated from community outreach for a healthier way to fuel your body, mind, and spirit while caring for the Earth. Flourish incentivizes customers to return glass juice bottles to its shop through a bottle-recycle program. The company washes and, sterilizes, and refills all bottles, diverting waste from landfills. By 2023 Soto hopes to have farmland in order to create a circular economy supporting only local food systems.