AGE: 34
FOUNDER AND OWNER: Green Grocer (website)
BUSINESS: Neighborhood grocery

When the aptly named Green moved to West Town in 2006, she was struck by the absence of a quality neighborhood grocery. One year later, she was drafting a business plan for a store that would stock regional produce and artisanal foods. With her husband, Gary Stephens, she opened Green Grocer in January 2008. By December 2011, she had surpassed projections in her business plan and shelves were stocked with goods from nearly 90 Midwestern vendors. She says the business is turning a profit.

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Photograph: Taylor Castle