Photos by Ralph Freso
Three Grand Canyon University students, Lucas Patten, Mackenzy Leray and Caleb McCandliss, were among 11 young business leaders named to the 2024 AZ Inno Under 25 list by the Phoenix Business Journal, which honors entrepreneurs 25 or younger who operate companies.
“For me, it’s like, wow, this could be something," said Patten, 21, founder of Powder Pal and winner of the Canyon Challenge in the spring. “Other people are looking at me, counting on me, hoping I go somewhere. It means a lot. It’s really encouraging.”
Leray, 22, who is working on a master's in business administration, founded Signature Tote Co., a business tailored to provide durable and ecofriendly bags free to grocery stores and customers. She won a $1,000 prize as winner of the People’s Choice Award at Canyon Challenge.
McCandliss, 20, is owner of the Car Chap lip balm holder that was listed among the top 45 car accessories by Car and Driver magazine in fall 2023. McCandliss, an engineering major, serves as president of the IDEA Club, which fosters entrepreneurship.
“Lucas, Mackenzy and myself are proud to represent GCU,” McCandliss said. “For us to have three in that 25 group is super cool to represent the university, and especially to display GCU and all that it has in business in the Valley.”
Patten is scheduled to graduate this winter and now has a workstation at Canyon Ventures, GCU’s start-up business accelerator where many student businesses have launched and have flourished under the support of founding director Robert Vera, who serves on the Phoenix Business Journal's Inno Advisory Board.
“When Robert said winning Canyon Challenge will change your life, I didn't really believe it,” said Patten, who recently bought a 3D printer for his business. “People (now) recognize me, and I start getting all these opportunities. That's pretty cool.”
Vera recommended all three students, as well as Ryan Pace, co-founder and CEO of Involio, an app focusing on trade verification, and Ben Lambertson, founder and CEO of Ace Simulations, for Inno Under 25 recognition.
Pace’s company was funded through Flagstaff Ventures, which partners with Canyon Ventures. Pace passed up a soccer scholarship to UC Santa Barbara to start Involio.
Lambertson, son of College of Engineering and Technology Dean Paul Lambertson, is also at Canyon Ventures.
Patten and Leray founded their businesses in Vera’s Business Execution (ENT-446) class, and McCandliss is mentored by Vera.
Leray visited GCU during her junior year in high school but elected to enroll in a college close to her native Montana because she wanted to be an orthodontist. She transferred to GCU and realized she had more of a business mindset, adding that her parents operated a business all their lives.
An admissions counselor told Leray about the opportunities at GCU, and “I immediately decided that’s where I was going to go and where God was calling me.”
She got hooked once she visited Canyon Ventures and enrolled in Vera’s class.
“It was amazing,” Leray said. “The opportunities it allows for, and the connections are invaluable. It’s been a blessing, that’s for sure.”
Outside of his making the Inno Under 25 list, McCandliss has high goals for the IDEA Club.
“I’m just one stepping stone,” McCandliss said. “I expect everyone in IDEA Club to eventually take that next step and become an (Inno) under 25 (honoree). I'm really just thankful for everyone who's poured into and supported to me so much.”
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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