The fourth annual 40 Under 40 awards program will again recognize 40 business leaders under 40 years old who are helping build Fairfield County”™s economic future and quality of life.
“They”™re going to be our business leaders tomorrow, so it”™s very important to recognize them now,” said Jack Condlin, president and chief executive officer of the Stamford Chamber of Commerce. “I think it”™s important that young people working their way up realize their hard work and what they”™re doing is being recognized.”
The awards will be presented at a reception and awards ceremony June 12 at the University of Connecticut Stamford Center. More than 80 young business and nonprofit leaders were nominated for last year”™s award, said Barbara Stewart Hanlon, associate publisher of the Fairfield County Business Journal, one of more than a dozen business organizations and chambers of commerce partnering for the annual event. The 40 recipients represent a cross-section of young professionals and executives in business and non-for-profits, and the event “is an opportunity to meet and mingle with up-and-coming business people from Fairfield County,” Hanlon said.
“It”™s very beneficial for them to network together with others who share this award,” Condlin said. “It also encourages younger people to stay here in the county, not to leave our area. We”™re dealing with a youth drain in the county because it”™s expensive to live here, and it”™s a competitive world. They are needed for our workforce of tomorrow.”
Even if Fairfield County is unable to keep the up-and-comers, the award “will certainly help their resume wherever they go,” said Mary Ann Morrison, president and CEO of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce. The award reflects that “someone has chosen to nominate them for the work they”™ve done in the business community or their work in the nonprofit setting.”
“One of our first candidates we honored is now the town”™s first selectman,” Morrison said. Peter Tesei, who will be 39 “sometime this month, was nominated when he was chairman of the town board of estimate and taxation,” she said. “Now he”™s chairman of the board of estimate and taxation, one of the most important boards in town, and was elected first selectman overwhelmingly last fall.”
Morrison said more than a half dozen Greenwich businesspeople are nominated for the award each year, and “that”™s good, because people love being recognized.”
“There are a number of young up-and-coming leaders who we”™re so pleased have been recognized for this award,” said Ed Musante, president of the Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce. “Norwalk has been the recipient of unprecedented growth during the last two years, and a lot of the growth is due to a young, energetic and growing work force here. That”™s why we think it”™s important to recognize them as they grow in their careers and become more involved in the community.”
Award criteria
The 40 business leaders will be chosen using these criteria:
Anyone between 21 and 39 (until the end of the year) who works in Fairfield County is eligible to be considered by the panel of representatives from the Business Journal and other partners.
Candidates should be an owner, founder, partner, president, chief executive, financial or operating officer, or board chair or responsible for making decisions within a company or not-for-profit.
Nominees from large corporations should be in senior management positions.
Candidates will be judged on business accomplishments, leadership qualities and personal business improvement efforts.
Candidates may be self-nominated or nominated by another person.
Nomination forms are available online (www.fairfieldcbj.com) or by calling 914-694-3600, ext 3031.
Nominations should be mailed (Westfair Communications, 3 Gannett Drive, White Plains NY 10604), faxed (914-694-3699) or e-mailed (bhanlon@westfairinc.com) by the close of business on Friday, April 16.
Recipients will be notified in late April, and will be honored at a family-friendly reception June 12 at the UConn Stamford Center between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Their photographs and biographies will be featured in a 20-page supplement to the Business Journal that will be available at the reception.
Tickets for the limited-space reception are $40, $25 for chamber of commerce members. Reservations can be made by calling 914-694-3600, ext. 3027.
The master of ceremonies will be Mickey Herbert, president and chief executive officer of ConnectiCare and executive vice president of HIP Health Plan of New York. Keynote speaker will be Jack Mitchell, CEO of Mitchells in Westport and Richards in Greenwich, and author of “Hug Your Customers.”
