Forty Under 40: Matthew Silvestri

Despite a wanderlust that has taken him to such remote destinations as Germany, Italy and China, Matthew Silvestri feels grateful to have been in Northwest Arkansas at the right time in his life. After his birth in Chicago, Silvestris family moved several times throughout his childhood before finally settling in Fayetteville in 1995.

While a journalism major at the University of Arkansas, Silvestri landed an internship with Taylor Mack Advertising in 2000.

After graduating from the UA in 2001, Greg Mack hired him to work for the agency full time.

By 2002, Silvestri had demonstrated leadership qualities that prompted Mack to offer him co-ownership of the firm, which handles promotions for such high-profile events as Bikes, Blues & BBQ.

Silvestri, who lost his father to leukemia, volunteers with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society during its annual Light the Night awareness event.

Even though he still loves to seek out adventure, like his participation in the 2003 Red Bull Flugtag in Austin where participants dove off a platform strapped to whimsical flying machines, Silvestri sees himself firmly rooted in Northwest Arkansas, growing his business and participating in the community for quite some time.