Introducing This Years Fast 15 Class

by Jennifer Joyner ([email protected]) 247 views 

There’s no better time of year than spring to shine a spotlight on the budding leaders of our region.

Since 2009, the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal has recognized some of the area’s best and brightest young professionals through its annual Fast 15 recognition program.

The young men and women highlighted in this year’s Fast 15 edition come from a variety of industries and boast a broad range of achievements and professional strengths. But they all have one thing in common: the colleagues, peers, friends and family who nominated them view these young professionals as emerging leaders — the ones to watch.

This year’s Fast 15 honorees represent organizations of all sizes, in the industries of finance, marketing, tech, nonprofit, executive recruiting and collegiate sports. The roster includes business owners, designers, an inventor, a banker, an attorney and an accountant.

A few of the honorees have broken records and handled high-profile accounts, and one beat cancer at age 25.

In their free time, they have a wide range of interests, from choral singing to playing golf, from hunting to reading — and they share a deep love for the Northwest Arkansas region that compels them to volunteer through their community and in their churches.

They have infectious enthusiasm and big plans for their careers, and it’s our pleasure to present them to our readers. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we enjoyed writing about them.

And if you know a 20-something who you believe deserves to be part of this program, it’s never too early to nominate for next year. We accept submissions year-round here.

Honorees for the 2016 Fast 15 program were formally recognized at the Business Journal’s Fast 15 event, May 10 at the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House on the University of Arkansas campus.

The featured speaker was Jeff Clapper, CEO of retail education company 8th & Walton in Bentonville, and a 2015 member of the Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 class.  

To read about this year’s Fast 15 class, click here.