Presenting NWAs 2016 Forty Under 40 Class
by August 15, 2016 12:00 am 285 views
Since 1997, the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal has annually recognized 40 outstanding young professionals in Northwest Arkansas, representing a wide variety of industries and backgrounds.
This year marks the 20th class of Forty Under 40 honorees, and many of today’s business and civic leaders have been previous recipients of the award.
The honorees in this year’s class — made up of 21 men and 19 women — are the leaders of tomorrow, but each of them has already carved out a distinct role in our business community.
They all have unique stories, but something they have in common is they’ve made an impression on the people in their lives.
We received nearly 100 nominations for this year’s class, sent to us by our readers in an effort to help us identify these very deserving individuals.
While some people were nominated multiple times, the selection process involves more than simply tabulating votes, but rather looking at the overall representation of an individual’s business and civic contribution.
In addition to the profiles in this issue, the Business Journal will formally honor this year’s class Aug. 16 during a luncheon at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers.
We are especially thankful for the ongoing support of our sponsor, Intrust Bank, and we also appreciate Rollin Ford, executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., for being our keynote speaker at this year’s luncheon.
Last year’s event attracted more than 500 attendees, and we are expecting an equally strong crowd again this year.
The energy level is palpable, which should go without saying, considering we put 40 high-achieving professionals under the age of 40 in a room to network with their family, friends and colleagues.
It’s always a fun time. And so is the production of this particular issue. We hope you enjoy the finished product.
Editor’s note: Profiles for this year’s Forty Under 40 class were written by Jeff Della Rosa, Paul Gatling, Jennifer Joyner and Robin Mero.