Young Founders & Operators: The Next Generation on Leading and Learning

Dane Anderson, COO for Forney Industries, joined the company in 2019 as regional sales manager and was later promoted to general business manager, then VP of Operations and finally into his current role. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Colorado State University.  Dane is the fourth generation of the Forney Family and over sees all distribution operations, global supply chain, logistics, and customer experience.

Victoria Garcia is a bilingual and bicultural 1st-generation Mexican American who was born in Mexico City and raised in the mountains of Colorado. Her dual identities have provided her with a valuable combination of empathy, understanding, and expertise when it comes to supporting and serving the Hispanic American working professional. With a B.A. in Speech Communication and Media Studies her presentation and public speaking skills have provided Victoria with the opportunity to establish herself as a bilingual public speaker, leader, and workshop facilitator in the Colorado business community. Victoria is also the proud owner and founder of Apapacho Cacao, a Colorado-based food start-up that sells vegan drinking chocolate made with only 5 organic ingredients that promote whole body wellness. In addition to running Apapacho Cacao, she is also the owner and founder of a business community she launched during Covid called The Latina Owned Collective. She launched this community with the intention of coaching Latina entrepreneurs while simultaneously supporting and promoting Latina-owned businesses with the sole intention of infusing more wealth into her community, which currently holds the highest income gap in the country. Victoria's entrepreneurial and social impact efforts have been featured in 9News, Rocky Mountain PBS, Univision Colorado, Fox News, and Denver Startup Week. 

As a second-generation business owner at Epilog Laser, I continue the legacy established by my father, Steve, who co-founded the company in 1988. Epilog specializes in manufacturing laser engraving and cutting machines. Originally from Littleton, I studied Computer Science with a focus in Computer Engineering at Colorado School of Mines for my undergraduate degree. After college, I played professional soccer overseas for a number of years while also obtaining a Master of Business Administration with a focus in Business Intelligence from the University of Colorado Denver online. 

Evan Lengerich, Co-founder, and President of Sol Mental Health a company he and his partner started after a career in private equity focused on investing in and building healthcare technology and healthcare services companies. Sol Mental Health’s mission is to serve its communities by providing accessible, outcome-oriented behavioral healthcare in partnership with insurance companies and other healthcare organizations. The company operates 30+ care centers across 7 states. Evan holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in accountancy from Wake Forest University. As a fourth-generation Colorado native, he enjoys being back in his hometown of Denver where he can enjoy all outdoor activities Colorado has to offer.

Mallory Howard joined BMO as an intern in Chicago in 2016. Following her internship and graduation from DePauw University, Mallory completed BMO’s Commercial Analyst Development Program and accepted a full-time position in her home state of Indiana on the Diversified Industries Group in Indianapolis. Mallory worked on the Indianapolis team for 4 years and was promoted to Associate. In August of 2021, Mallory joined the Diversified Industries Group in Colorado and began supporting the BMO Southwest Region (Colorado & Arizona). Mallory was promoted to AVP and sits on the Portfolio Management side with a focus on underwriting for Middle Market Companies. Mallory joined ACG in October 2021 and now sits on the ACG YP Committee as well as the newly formed ACG Women’s Committee.