Brian Kennedy Jr, M.Ed, Entrepreneur Ecosystem Executive Director at AmPac Business Capital and founder of The Ballers Kingdom, received a 2024 30 Under 30 award for California’s 50th Assembly District. The award came from Eloise Gómez Reyes, who represented the district in the Assembly at the time. It reads “Majority Leader Emerita Eloise Gómez Reyes.”
About the award
Reyes has hosted the 30 Under 30 awards since 2017. Think Together, whose staff member Alexis Rivas was also a 2024 honoree, described the award as “given to 30 young men and women who showcase their dedication, innovation and service in the 50th Assembly District.”
Brian received an acrylic award and a framed certificate at the 2024 ceremony, an evening event held outdoors.
His work at AmPac
Brian’s full-time role is Entrepreneur Ecosystem Executive Director at AmPac Business Capital, where he helps small business owners reach financing, coaching and community. He described that work in a 2024 interview with The James Irvine Foundation:
“I support business owners in financing and fostering their business success from cradle to legacy. And I do it because we understand that when you advance an entrepreneur’s dream, you uplift communities and strengthen the families.”
After the ceremony, Brian wrote:
“This award has me energized and inspired to continue to advance impact on behalf of our communities, and the Champions of Job Makers, Small Business owners!”
He also thanked “Assembly member Eloise Reyes and her team.”
On the field and in the classroom
Brian founded The Ballers Kingdom in 2019. Before that, he played Division I men’s soccer at Providence College from 2014 to 2017, wearing #12 as a defender. His teams won the 2014 BIG EAST tournament title and reached the 2014 NCAA Final Four, then won the 2016 BIG EAST regular-season title and reached the 2016 NCAA Elite 8. He earned his B.A. at Providence in 2017 and his M.Ed. in Education Administration, Guidance and Counseling there in 2019.
Brian coaches with a practical approach: help each person find the next step and the resources to take it. For an athlete or a family, that might be a team close to home, a recruiting plan or a plan for school.
The Ballers Kingdom is a social impact initiative. Here is what it is building:
- The Ballers Map: a searchable map of sports programs, leagues, clubs and places to play.
- Training courses: self-guided courses, playbooks and workbooks for athletes, parents and coaches.
- Holistic development: education, college planning and career resources, including College by Design.
The award came from one Assembly district. The Ballers Kingdom’s work is not limited to one region: The Ballers Map already covers the United States, with pilot listings in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Sources
- Brian Kennedy Jr on LinkedIn, Nov 3, 2024: linkedin.com/posts/brian-kennedy-jr-ampac
- Think Together, “Celebrating Our Leaders and Partners!”: thinktogether.org
- Office of Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes, “Senator Reyes Honors Rising Stars of the Inland Empire at Annual 30 Under 30 Event” (Nov 14, 2025; describes the program, not the 2024 class): sd29.senate.ca.gov
- The James Irvine Foundation, “Supporting Business Owners: A Conversation with AmPac Business Capital’s Brian Kennedy, Jr.” (Sept 25, 2024): irvine.org