Entrepreneurs Create Solutions To America's Job Crisis (SLIDESHOW)

Patrick Dowd is organizing train rides across America to mobilize the Millennial generation. Bill Cunningham fills empty space in trucks to lower shipping costs. Danny Kennedy is making solar energy a reality, and Fabio Rosati connects stay-at-home moms to part-time work. What these entrepreneurs have in common is that they aren't waiting for Washington.

As the election season creates political gridlock in Washington, private citizens need to step up to address the jobs crisis. As Arianna Huffington, President and Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post, explains, "It's increasingly clear that we can't wait for Washington to send the cavalry." It's about "what we the people can do to accelerate job creation and fill job openings," Huffington says.

It is in that spirit that The Huffington Post launched its Opportunity: What Is Working section, devoted to showcasing the ideas of entrepreneurs, thought leaders and small business owners like those above who are making an impact. The Huffington Post featured over 100 such young business mavericks in entrepreneur expos in Tampa and Charlotte, tied to the political conventions, over the last two weeks and profiled nine of them in the Opportunity section. These entrepreneurs demonstrate that "The innovative spirit of American communities is alive and well all across this country," as Judith Rodin, the CEO of the Rockefeller Foundation, said.

Though their stories are varied and their backgrounds diverse, there are common trends and ideas that bubble to the surface. By looking at the spirit of what makes these Americans successful, we can form a better path forward for those who aspire to help the struggling economy.