Hometown: Evanston, IL

Age: 28

Profession: Administrator/events manager, Minus 5 Ice Lounge

Profile: After years of working in commercial real-estate acquisitions, Shawna embarked on a five-month cross-country road trip last May, doing online marketing brand-identity studies with her trusty sidekick, a chocolate lab named Mr. Grumbles. Parlaying this and past event-management experience into a dream gig at Minus 5, Shawna now handles all functions, beaucoup marketing, all back-of-house inner workings and guest relations for the lounge.

On the horizon: “My dream eventually is to open a nightclub.”

Why I do what I do: “[The Ice Lounge] is an easy sell when it comes to events and functions. Parties just come in and have a blast in there—excuse me, I mean ‘The Coolest Experience.’ And our staff is amazing. It’s more of a place where we don’t work, we have fun.”

Personal tidbit: Late last year, Shawna jumped onboard managing the business aspects of an entertainment-based Las Vegas reality-TV show and discovered that her time casting, working on financials and budgeting “was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had in my life.” The show is currently being pitched to networks, and Shawna has all fingers crossed. In the meantime, she has pitched a wet T-shirt contest to Minus 5. Brrrr!

What I’m listening to: Silent Shout by The Knife.

Latest accomplishment: “Realizing who I am, my strong points and my weakness. Or …,” she says, laughing, “you could just put that I’m down to drinking four nights a week instead of seven!”

Quote: Shawna to her coworkers: “Not only is Minus 5 the coolest experience, but so am I!”