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Hall of Fame Final Logo

Congratulations to the 2025 Hall of Fame finalists!

Join us on the evening of April 30 at the Small Giants Community Summit for the second year of the Hall of Fame awards ceremony! The top winner from both the Next Gen Leader and Founder/CEO categories will be announced live and inducted into the Small Giants Hall of Fame!

Next Gen Leader Finalists

Leslie Dement

Leslie DeMent

McKinney
Executive Director, Media

"Leslie is the kind of leader you want to follow—someone who inspires greatness in others and leaves a lasting impact."

Rane Lallier Round Photo

Rane Lallier

Venturity
Vice President of Team & Client Experience

"As a leader, Rane’s transparency, fairness, and commitment to doing what’s right inspires team members to stay engaged, loyal, and eager to be a part of the company’s vision and purpose." 

Travis Slisher - Round-Transparent

Travis Slisher

FCI Constructors, Inc.
MEP Preconstruction Manager

"Travis consistently goes above and beyond to connect with coworkers, industry partners, and students, always taking the time to listen, support, and guide others.

Founder/CEO Finalists 

Steven Bousquet Round Photo

Steven Bousquet

American Landscape and Lawn Science
Owner

"Through industry shifts and economic challenges, Steve has remained a steady, principled leader, making decisions that prioritize people even when unpopular or risky."

Rob Dube

Rob Dube

imageOne  |  10 Disciplines
Co-Founder  |  Visionary

"Rob is an amplifier. He's not just a great ray of light for the community and its impact on the world, he helps other members be stronger and more impactful rays of light in their own worlds."

Carl Erickson-1

Carl Erickson

Atomic Object
Founder

"Carl, his work, impact and legacy all point to his long commitment to being a purpose-driven and heart-led leader who cultivates and supports a caring, collaborative, and respectful culture, including the employee ownership he developed and executed."

Brad & Hai-1

Brad Herrmann & Hai Nguyen

Text-Em-All
Founders

"In choosing to pursue employee ownership as they did, they invested hours and a LOT of money into figuring out how to exit the company and pass the torch to us [employees] in the best way possible...they are betting it all on us to make the company successful."

Deanna Walker - Round

Deanna Walker

Venturity
CEO

"Deanna is someone that can admirably balance the role of executive and leader, with someone who works hard to get to know her team on a personal level. She promotes honesty by living that value herself—she is transparent, unassuming, and incredibly friendly. 

A Special Thank You

In addition to the Small Giants team and Board of Directors, we're thankful to this wonderful panel of Community members who helped us determine the winners of this year's Hall of Fame. 

Bo Burlingham circle photo-1
Bo Burlingham
Small Giants Community
Co-Founder

Matt Hoying
Matt Hoying
Choice One Engineering
President

Jean Moncrieff
Jean Moncrieff
Emerge Studio
Founder & CEO

Andy Newman Round Photo
Andy Newman
Union Blue & Co.
Head of Content

 

Lisa Whealon
Lisa Whealon
Build-A-Bear Workshop
VP of Talent & Culture

 

About the Small Giants Hall of Fame

We are proud to celebrate the second year of the Small Giants Hall of Fame Awards! 

The Hall of Fame recognizes some of the best Small Giants leaders in our Community. Nominations are submitted to recognize the Next Gen Leaders and Founder/CEOs who represent, practice, and live out Small Giants values, philosophies, and what it means to be a purpose-driven leader. 

Top finalists in each category based on nominations from others—the stories, reflections, and impact others share about them—will be celebrated in person on the evening of the April 30 at the annual Summit's dinner reception. 

This is also when we’ll announce the two winners from the group of finalists—one Next Gen Leader and one Founder/CEO—who will be formally inducted into the Small Giants Hall of Fame.