Westfair Communications held its 17th annual 40 Under 40 event at The Stamford Hotel on June 16. The pandemic forced the previous two events to occur online, and some prior award winners from 2020 and 2021 were in attendance to receive their awards.
The awards ceremony was preceded by a cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres and an extensive networking opportunity where recipients and their guests were able to meet other young business leaders in a relaxed yet glamorous environment in the sunken reception area outside the hotel’s ballroom.
Sponsors for the event included Deloitte, Aquarian Water Company, Reynolds + Rowella Accounting and Consulting, Yale New Haven Health, Live Nation, WellBuilt Co., Sacred Heart University, Interstate Lakeland Lumber, CironeFriedberg Accounting, the Savings Bank of Danbury and Hub International.
Anne Jordan Duffy, the associate publisher for Westfair— which publishes the Westchester and Fairfield County Business Journal, WestfairOnline.com and WAG magazine— welcomed the audience and introduced the event’s master of ceremonies, Matt Scott, the meteorologist and cohost on Fox 61 Morning News broadcast out of Hartford.
Though many attendees hailed from outside the area where Scott’s Emmy Award-nominated work is typically broadcast, he quickly made himself known to attendees as a witty and lively personality quick to quip about current events and defuse potential tension with self-deprecation.
“We’re delighted to have you here,” Scott said to those gathered. “This is going to be a wonderful 90 minutes of entertainment spread over four and half hours.” He then joked that in order to improve timing that the honorees would be limited to speeches of only three words, which he would enforce with a taser, earning laughter from the audience.
In actuality, the honorees were asked to say three words, which they believe best describe themselves, followed by thanking those who supported them along the path that led them to that ballroom.
The honorees were nominated by representatives of their respective local chambers of commerce, who were in attendance to present their awards. The winners were selected by judges Nelson Merchan, a business adviser with the Connecticut Small Business Development Center, and Dr. Nikki Wingate, an associate professor of marketing at the Jack Welch College of Business and Technology at Sacred Heart University.
The honorees themselves hailed from across Fairfield County and had diverse backgrounds. The winners included both the heirs of established family businesses who innovated in ways their forebears couldn’t have anticipated and entrepreneurs who built new businesses from scratch.
The youngest recipient, Brandon Gidicsin, a business development specialist at The Junkluggers, was only 26, which led Scott to joke he should be in the running for the 30 Under 30 Awards.
Only one of the honorees was a public servant: Garrett Bolella, the assistant director of transportation, mobility and parking for the city of Norwalk. His work in revitalizing the city earned him recognition not only from Westfair but the state legislature as well— State Senator Bob Duff presented Bolella with a citation from the Connecticut General Assembly.
The speeches given by honorees were in fact only three words long (though not enforced by taser) but heartfelt. Most honorees gave special thanks to significant others and their children, in a number of cases pointing out that their loved ones had stepped up to watch young children while attending the event.
Fairfield County’s 40 Under 40 mingled for a time after the conclusion of the ceremony; some made quick exits— after all, the ceremony was held on a Thursday night and they were eager to get proper sleep to continue their work the next morning.
The 2022 40 Under 40 Honorees Are:
- Eric Aitoro, COO, Aitoro Appliance
- Julie Balamaci, Financial Analyst for Academic Affairs, Sacred Heart University
- Garret Bolella, Assistant Director – Transportation, Mobility and Parking, City of Norwalk
- Deborah Brancato, Environmental Attorney, Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP
- Chase Caldwell, Entrepreneur/Financial Advisor, One Plug Entertainment/Northwestern Mutual
- Alexander Copp, Principal, Cohen and Wolf, P.C.
- Ashlyn Digirolamo, Vice President, Branch Manager, People’s United, a Division of M&T Bank
- Keegan Drenosky, Employment Attorney, Shipman & Goodwin, LLP
- Lauren Fraulo, Senior Associate at Safal Partners, Educational Consultant, Safal Partners, Fraulo Professional Services LLC
- Ashley Gaudiano, Vice President of Resource Development and Marketing, United Way of Western Connecticut
- Brandon Gidicsin, Business Development Specialist, The Junkluggers
- Taylor Guthrie, Managing Director, Daversa Partners
- Tim Harvey, Pharmacy Manager, Grieb’s Pharmacy
- Emma Jones,Audit & Assurance, Senior Manager, Deloitte & Touche LLP
- Kellie Kerwin, Managing Director, Kellie Kerwin Public Relations
- Marwan Khoury, Director of Business Intelligence, Barnum Financial Group
- Mitch Kidd, Managing Partner, Wellbuilt Company
- Brian Kurtz, Sales Manager, Interstate Lumber
- Jessica Lake, Executive Director, Strategic Planning and Ambulatory Services, Greenwich Hospital, Yale New Haven Health
- Chase Leonard, Senior Photo and Video Producer, Stew Leonard’s
- Fatime Muriqi, Marketing and Events Director, Westfair Communications
- Jason Myerson, Owner/Physical Therapist, Strive2Livewell Physical Therapy & Wellness
- Kevin O’Connell, Vice President and Commercial Lending Officer, The First Bank of Greenwich
- Jaclyn O’Connor, Section Chief of Telehealth, Associate Program Director of Medicine Residency, Bridgeport Hospital, Yale New Haven Health System
- Adam O’Feeney, Senior Tax Manager, CironFriedberg LLP
- Julia Olson, Director, Development and Alumni Engagement, Sacred Heart University
- Bion Piepmeier, Managing Counsel, Senior Director, Bluetriton Brands Inc.
- Kellie Porter, Marketing and Communication Manager, Tomra Collection U.S.
- P.J. Prunty, President and CEO, Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce
- Elizabeth Quinonez, Child Care Initiative Director, United Way of Western Connecticut
- Phillip Rehg, Assistant Vice President – Private Client, Hub International
- Victoria Ronemus, Attorney-Partner, Fullerton Beck LLP
- Farley Santos, Vice President/Community Development Manager and Bank Ambassador, Savings Bank of Danbury
- Lucas Seelig, Senior Account Executive, Vancord
- Jasmine Silver, Co-Founder and Director of Operations, Connectalent
- Matthew Smith, Executive Managing Director, Head of Digital Banking and Banking as a Service, Webster Bank
- Brian E. Tims, Attorney, FLB Law
- David Wagner, Owner, Sipstirs Fine Wines Artisanal Spirits Craft Brews
- Sorangel Ynfante, Assistant Branch Manager-Retail Banking Officer, Union Savings Bank
- Neviana Zhgaba, Co-Founder, Aquila’s Nest Vineyards
