HOMETOWN GLORY

Houston's young geniuses: Andrew Luck, Bobby Heugel & other locals dominate Forbes' 30 under 30

12.20.11 | 06:01 am

Are you having a good day? Well, get ready for your self-esteem to plummet.

Forbes has assembled a list of the top "30 under 30" of people who are changing the world in fields as diverse as music, technology and finance, and it comes as no surprise that several Houstonians are on the list.

Houston's most famous representative is probably 22-year-old Andrew Luck, the former Stratford High star who was the Heisman Trophy runner up (for the second straight year) and the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year as Stanford University's quarterback. Luck is one of three athletes on the entertainment list, sharing space with LeBron James and tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.

There's a 15-year-old media mogul on the list, a 17-year-old inventor from Dallas and several entrepreneurs who aren't legally allowed to drink alcohol. 

On the food and wine list is drinks guru Bobby Heugel, 28. Already a James Beard semifinalist in 2011, Forbes singled out Heugel's impressive cocktail list at Anvil Bar & Refuge. While Anvil may have reinvigorated Houston's bar scene, we think Heugel has been equally impressive with his work co-founding the Houston chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild and in his campaign against the city's proposed new parking ordinances.

As the self-proclaimed energy capital of the world, it's no surprise that Houston is the home of several professionals on the energy list. Dave Berry, 28, is the co-founder of Clean Line Energy Partners, and described as a"bottleneck beater ... working to build long-distance transmission lines to connect wind farms with population centers." Fellow Rice alum Jeff Bishop, 29, made the list as Vice President of Business Development at EDP Renewables, with wind projects in Morocco, Spain, Botswana and the U.S. under his belt.

Berry and Bishop represent Houston's work in clean energy, but traditional oil and gas interests were also represented. Twenty-six-year-old Thomas Steiner, a project manager who "works directly with top execs" at deepwater driller Rowan Companies, also made the Forbes list.

Still feeling pretty good about yourself? There's a 15-year-old media mogul on the list, a 17-year-old inventor from Dallas and several entrepreneurs who aren't legally allowed to drink alcohol.

Yeah, we're not sure what we've been doing with our lives, either.

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Photo by Debora Smail/RealityPhotography.net

Bobby Heugel was selected under "Food & Wine" for his work creating Anvil.

 
Andrew Luck

Houston's Andrew Luck was one of three athletes featured.

 
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