Four generations of the Lawton family have maintained leadership of Lawton Printing Inc. and FILE-EZ Inc. — an accomplishment many family businesses can’t claim. Instrumental to that level of continuity has been Ray Lawton, 79, who, along with his late brother Gary Lawton, represents the third generation to lead both Spokane companies.

Retired certified public accountant and Spokane community leader Bill Simer says his life would have looked much different had he not happened to meet a young woman and her brother in Spokane more than 50 years ago.

Barry Baker, longtime head of prominent Spokane-based general contracting company Baker Construction & Development Inc., says he doesn’t need to go into the office every day, but now he’s having too much fun there to stay away for long.

Phyllis Campbell, 2026 Spokane Journal of Business Icon, led an accumulative 50-year career in banking, philanthropy, and board service across the Inland Northwest and western Washington. 

From a service clerk in Montana to the leader of a regional grocery chain in Spokane, Jeff Philipps says his legacy was built by consistently restocking a few simple ideas: "Businesses succeed when they invest in people, and communities grow stronger when leaders choose to give back." 

Elaine Couture, former regional chief executive at Providence Health & Services who retired in 2021, is currently living her "best life," staying active and involved following a move to Arizona three years ago. Despite her relocation, her impact on the Spokane community remains anchored in the medical institutions she helped lead and expand over a distinguished 34-year career.

If you ask former Inland Imaging CEO Steve Duvoisin how he got his start with the company in 1984, he will give you a humble answer.

Work begat work throughout Ron Sims' architectural career, and while his design DNA is intertwined in some of Spokane's most recognizable structures, he reflects as fondly on the relationships formed during his 40-year career as he does the resulting projects.

There’s no telling what Spokane’s minor-league sports scene would look like today if not for Bobby Brett.

Kevin Twohig’s career arguably could be viewed as a string of serendipitous events that ultimately led to his lauded 16-year tenure as CEO of the Spokane Public Facilities District.