Stop the Presses: 40 Under 40 judges select top 'Up and Comers' for 2001

More than 400 area business and professional people attended a sold-out reception at Springfield Brewing Company the night of April 19 to congratulate the Business Journal's 40 Under 40 Class of 2001. Selected from the field of nominations submitted by SBJ readers earlier in the year, the recipients represent the Ozarks' outstanding young executives, entrepreneurs and professionals the people who will shape our economic future here in southwest Missouri.

This is the third year that the Springfield Business Journal staff has presented the 40 Under 40 event, and it has grown in popularity and prestige. In fact, I am often asked why we don't present a 40 Over 40 event and special publication. My baby boomer pals are asking for the first 50 Over 50 celebration.

My answer is clear-cut. If we can identify this active and powerful younger group, we further secure the continuity and growth of the Business Journal itself. Frankly, promoting interest among this elite group serves this weekly newspaper's staff, as well as the interests of readers. New relationships are forged which provide access to information for developing business news stories, and good news stories bring more readers.

As it is, the 40 Under 40 recognition event may provide a little extra insurance for the time when older readers retire and move to Sun City, or Miami or Kimberling City. I should add here, however, that it is a common occurrence for us to see growth in Table Rock Lake-area ZIP code mailings.

With the 2001 event, we have recognized a total of 120 upwardly mobile individuals under the age of 40. Honoring 40 individuals at a time is also how the business journals in the bigger burgs recognize up-and-comers. Will we run out of men and women to single out for special attention?

Again, the answer is easy: I am not worried about it one bit.

Every business, every organization government, volunteer, entrepreneurial has its rapidly rising and innovative young staff, the people who are already picking up the torch ... or lighting their own.

The hard part every year is narrowing the field. For this task we have the esteemed 2001 40 Under 40 judging panel, a group of smart, experienced people drawn from the ranks of previous years' honorees.

Their time-consuming and difficult job was to select the finalists based on the submitted materials profiling the nominees' community and business achievements. All of us at SBJ are grateful. We could not have done this ourselves.

Judge Susan Kirkman, vice president and regional marketing director for Commerce Bank, is a member of the Class of 2000.

Judge Tom Rankin, owner of Rankin & Co. LLC, commercial Realtors, also is drawn from the distinguished Class of 2000.

Judge Chuck Foster, of the Springfield firm of Pellham Phillips Hagerman Architects/Engineers, is a senior member of the firm, and a member of SBJ's first 40 Under 40 class, the Class of 1999.

And Class of 2001 we congratulate you again and look forward to working with you for many years to come: Brian Asberry, Donna Baker, Shareen Beal, Thomas Beisner, Marci Bowling, Alexis Brown, Tom Buckner, James Combs, Mike Cosby, Joe Daues, Mar'Ellen Felin, Angela Ghan, Jerry Harmison, Stephanie Harper, Jason Hemingway, Troy Kennedy, Kelly Laurie, Dwight Leigh, Paul Link, Russ Marquart, Douglas McCauley, Kyle McClure, Timothy Parrish, Jeff Payne, Dana Peterson, Cord Polen, Kent Ragan, Lynn Richards, Tim Roth, Jeff Russell, Kevin Scheer, Crista Shuler, Blake Souter, Dean Thompson, Jack Thurman, Katie Vance, Marck Walterskirchen, Steve Warlick, Michael Wehrenberg and Raymond Worley.

We are proud to know you!