2008 40 Under 40 Honoree: Kevin Schlack

D3, of which Schlack is president, was named Partner of the Quarter for the fourth quarter of 2007, marking the first time that the honor didn’t go to a company focused on all four of Autodesk’s markets.

He says it’s hard, however, to choose just one professional accomplishment as his favorite. Other top choices are building the company’s roughly 15,000-square-foot headquarters and surpassing $9 million in revenues in the company’s eighth year of business two years ago.

Schlack is also proud of his family and the fact that he and his wife have been able to maintain normal blood glucose levels in their daughter, Grace, who was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes at eight months old.

She’s now 3, and the couple feels as though they are in control of the constant battle of living with that disease.

Schlack worked as a mechanical designer in the manufacturing industry when he saw the need for a true consulting partner to assist manufacturing companies in improving their design capabilities while decreasing the time it takes to get their products to the market.

Schlack has funneled some of his pull with Autodesk back into the community. Through a grant from Autodesk, Schlack has helped make more than $250,000 worth of technology available to students at Ozark High School.

“It basically gives them the actual technology that is used in the real world and that actual designers are using every day,” Schlack said. “For the high-school students, it gives them the opportunity to use those tools and see and feel what that is like to use those tools. If they get a jump start on using this software, then all they lack is the engineering training and experience.”

Since its inception in 1998, D3 Technologies has expanded operations in seven other Midwest cities. Schlack has plans to launch another office and a training center in Louisiana, and to surpass $14 million in revenues in 2008.

“It is very exciting to expand our territory,” he says. “The whole team has great pride in what we’ve accomplished and where we are going. “

Double Play

Birth date: May 9, 1971

Family: Growing up in Strafford, I am the youngest of four. Today, I reside in Nixa with my lovely wife, Carrie, and three wonderful kids. Carrie, who I don’t deserve, has a passion for taking care of our home and children. Our oldest is 10-year-old Andrew, who is a piano player and skateboarder. Grace is 3 and has a crazy love for all animals, especially horses. Our 1-year-old, Sara, wants to do everything her big sister is doing.

Philosophy to live/work by: I firmly believe that the path to success is through assisting in the success of others.

In a fantasy world, which professional sport would you play? I would be a Major League pitcher. I played a lot of baseball growing up … but was never fortunate enough to be a pitcher. The game the pitcher is playing is on another level.

Information accurate at the time of the honor.