CORVALLIS, Ore. – Bryan Sims has been recognized by BusinessWeek.com as one of the "Best Entrepreneurs Under 25" on its 2007 list. The nomination marks the first time an entrepreneur from the Northwest has been named to the young set of "movers and shaker."
The work of the 24-year old Sims has long been recognized in the CU world, however. His flagship publication is brass|MAGAZINE, which is written for young adults by young adults about the money side of life. It features articles about young entrepreneurs, getting out of debt, savings strategies and cheap ways to have fun, save the planet, and give back to the community.

Then there's the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM, which provides classroom sets of brass|MAGAZINE and online resources for teachers and students to public high schools at no cost. Currently the Student Program is available to every public high school in New York and Wisconsin, with financial institutions underwriting the costs of the program.

The BusinessWeek.com "Best Entreprenuers Under 25" list is determined through a nomination process, where readers suggest their picks of rising small business stars. The top 25 entrepreneurs are profiled online. People can link to the site by going to www.brassmedia.com.

"It's a privilege to be chosen by BusinessWeek," said Sims, "but the real credit goes to our staff and the things we collectively do. We've been fortunate to create a sustainable business in brass that is focused around a key societal issue: young adults and money…"

"Young adults are not being educated about the impact money has on their lives, which makes it easier for them to be taken advantage of financially, and brass helps them understand money and real world stuff in a way that is interesting and entertaining, so that they can educate themselves and can successfully plan for their future."

Sims' efforts clearly show that environmental causes and social justice today keenly drive young Americans today, despite the cliché about them being "slackers." Sims says (rather matter-of-factly), "brass is proof that a business can be socially driven and successful."

Knowing that success is part of being able to fulfill a mission, Sims has carefully built his company as a caring organization and has offered growth opportunities to other young adults.

"This past year has been the culmination of many things we've been working on for a long time. Brass has grown to 35 employees and nearly half a million readers across the country," he said.

He speaks energetically about creating new initiatives like the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM, and said work had begun on a video format of brass that will be available for download on the brass Web site. "It'll be a biweekly version of the magazine," he said. Plans call for a launch in early February.

"Its ideas like these that have helped us get noticed, all the way out here in Corvallis," said Sims.