2 . . . 40 UNDER 40

Two of the 40 . . . 40 Under 40 . . . highlighted in

the Utah Valley Magazine, are alumni of

Alpine Elementary!!!

The articles on each person are 40 people under the

age of 40, who are making a difference!

By Briana Stewart
Photos by Dave Blackhurst

Color us impressed.

These 40 youngsters are making their mark. They’re entrepreneurs, strategists, leaders and visionaries — and they’re a colorful bunch.

To gain insight into what makes them work, we asked all 40 whiz kids to take The Color Code test, and then we photographed them on their scoring shade.

Red, Yellow, White or Blue? Read on to see who’s hue.

(Yeah, yeah. This was totally written by a yellow.) 

REDS Need to look good technically, be right, and be respected. They are strong leaders and love challenges.

BLUES Need to have integrity and be appreciated. They are focused on quality and creating strong relationships.

WHITES Need to be accepted and treated with kindness. They are logical, objective, and tolerant of others.

YELLOWS Need to be noticed and have fun. They love life, social connections, and being positive and spontaneous.

Rachel Hoffheins Nilsson and Sam Bernards.

I taught Rachel's sisters, Becca and Aspen.

I taught Sam's brother, James.

What an honor!!!

40 under 40: Rachel Nilsson

Rachel Nilsson

Rags to Raches, Pleasant Grove

AGE: 32
BORN: Provo
TITLE: Founder + CEO

Rags to Raches is not kidding around. In just two short years, founder Rachel Nilsson went from selling her kids’ used clothes on Instagram to designing her original kid romper to selling more than $1 million worth of product to getting three offers from sharks on ABC’s “Shark Tank.” Boom.

The YELLOW Talking “I hope to laugh every day. I’m laid back. I don’t give my employees set schedules — I just tell them to get the job done. I want them to enjoy their job.”

First Job “I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was 19. My first gig was sewing and selling my shirts at a local boutique called JMR. I was in all five locations sewing 500 shirts a week. It was NUTS!”

Favorite Accomplishment “We donated hundreds of rompers to orphans in Haiti with Let It Flow. It felt so good to be in a place where I could afford to clothe hundreds of kids who desperately needed it. So, so cool.”

Motivating Employees “Turn on a little Salt-N-Pepa — it usually does the trick.”

Key To Success “Being authentic. Social media is so transparent these days. People know if you actually believe in your product or if you’re just trying to make a buck. I love my business — and it shows.”

Youthful Advice “Hustle.”

40 under 40: Sam Bernards

Sam Bernards

Peak Ventures, Provo

AGE: 39
BORN: Brigham City
TITLE: Principal

Sam Bernards’ career has been full of peaks and … more peaks. After working on stellar startups and international giants like Walmart (and everything in between), Bernards has become a capital captain with his role at Peak Ventures.

The RED Talking “I’m a servant leader. First one in, last one out. I’ve got my teammates’ backs — always.”

Biggest Accomplishment “Led the execution of the $80-billion growth strategy I co-authored for Walmart US, which entailed creating an internal startup within Walmart, raising $200 million in capital, growing the team to 300 and sales to $10 million a month — from which emerged Walmart Express, WMT Online Grocery, WMT Curbside Pickup, and the WMT Drive Thru Pickup.”

First Job “Alpine Floral Arts cashier and rose de-thorner (parents’ entrepreneurial endeavor) at 8 years old.”

Key To Success “You can achieve anything you want as long as you don’t care who gets the credit.”

In 10 Years “At the heart of entrepreneurialism, surrounded by scores of companies I helped launch and scale, being deeply scarred by the challenges, intensely satisfied with the world-changing results, and filled with gratitude for relationships created along the way.”