b'SARAH MCNAMARASARAH MCNAMARA SOLUTIONSMaplewood201.572.6903 | sarahmsolutions.comI ve always been a systems thinker, thanks to my dad who taught me logic. Its why jumping from studying philosophy to a job on Wall Street made sense: as a corporate trust officer, I analyzed texts to identify inconsistencies and weaknesses. Because Ive always thought holistically, I also made sure the financing documents were crystal clear about how to operationalize their terms, rather than leav-ing that to Operations. Understanding the risks inherent in siloed thinking, I founded my first business where I bridged gaps between leaders and those executing the work. I now bring the same approach to small businesses: strategic thinking combined with on-the-ground implementationthatremovesoperationalroadblocks,freeingthe owners to reclaim their business bliss and flourish. KYLA HOUSTONJOHN B. HOUSTON FUNERAL HOME102 Sanford Street, East Orange973.678.1790 | johnbhoustonfuneralhome.comG rowing up as a daughter of a funeral director, I never expected to choose it as a career. My father owns three funeral homes, so I had heard many stories, been up close with operations, and helped out in high school. Instead, my goal was to be a physical therapist. As a high school athlete, I saw what they did and planned on applying to PT school after college. But then COVID hit and my father needed me more than ever as bodies were literally piling up. It was a challenging time but I ex-celled in all aspects of the business, holding to our mantra, "Serving with Excellence." I want the families I serve to feel at peace once the funeral services are over. I\'m currently in funeral director\'s school and have one more semester before I get my license. That will enable me to one day take over the business with the goal of building generational wealth.NEILA DEENURBAN CASA511 Valley Street, Maplewood917.435.0075 | urbancasa.comA s a child, I loved design, creating dioramas, drawing floorplans for houses and sewing. No one ever suggested I become a de-signer, but they did say Id make a great lawyer, and thats what I pursued. While working in law, I took classes in interior design and later moved into real estate marketing, working with developers to design and price luxury buildings. I even got my real estate broker\'s license. Twelve years ago, I started my own company to provide inte-rior design, luxury staging and sales models for buildings. Recently, I opened my interior design and home furnishings studio in Maplewood after moving to South Orange three years ago. I find it really satisfying to layer different design elements to suit a client\'s budget and trans-form a house into a home the owner never knew they could have. 36/ matters magazine / fall 2022'