The Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce recently announced its 40 Under 40 Award honorees.
According to a news release, the awards "recognize outstanding young professionals under the age of 40 who demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation, and community service within Brunswick, New Hanover, and Pender counties. Now in its seventh year, the program highlights individuals who are making significant contributions to their organizations and the broader community.
This year's honorees are:
- Gus Aretakis, LS3P Associates
- Roy Badillo, US Cellular
- Zachary Brigman, Embassy Suites Hilton Wilmington Riverfront
- Justin Burgess, CFP, Copley Investment Management
- Kevin Burnett, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy
- Morgan Burns, Airlink Vitalink
- Chris Capone, Capone & Associates LLC
- Madison Carlos, Live Oak Bank
- Christina Cress, Ward and Smith, PLLC
- Justin DeNicola, Terracon
- Evan Dressel, MBA, PMP, Lower Cape Fear LifeCare
- Lauren Edwards, city of Wilmington
- Elizabeth Felts, New Hanover County Schools
- Shanreika Freeman-Cooper, Boys & Girls Club of SENC
- Brenda George, Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministries (WARM NC)
- Candace Guido, nCino
- Andy Harrison, University of North Carolina Wilmington
- Andrew Hewitt, A|C Hewitt
- Ben Jacobson, CISA, EARNEY Accountants & Advisors
- Alicia Kuna, Modern Aviation
- Mireya Lupercio, Community Counseling Center
- Corey Maarschalk, YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina
- Britney Melvin, New Hanover County Fire Rescue
- Meghan Merritt, YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina
- Eileen O’Malley, The Endowment
- Jordan Pettid, City of Wilmington - Fire Department
- Maddie Pope, Blue & Green Concepts
- Alex Riley, New Hanover County
- Hannah Salefsky, PA-C, Wilmington Health
- Derek Schmidt, SWELL Systems Inc. & DesignLoud
- Rebecca Schwartz, Wilmington Health
- Elizabeth Severt, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority
- Drew Smith, Copiers Plus
- Lydia Thomas, University of North Carolina Wilmington Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Craig Wagner, Welcome Home Angel
- Hannah Warren, Cape Fear Commercial
- Shay Webb, M.S., Merck
- Zachary Welch, EmergeOrtho - Coastal Region
- Stephen White, Thomas Construction Group
- Jason Windham, Maus, Warwick, Matthews & Co.
Honorees are selected based on their professional accomplishments and commitment to community engagement by a selection committee, a news release stated.
According to the release, "A distinguished panel of judges, comprised of chamber leadership, previous award winners, local business leaders and government partners, carefully reviewed all submissions to select the final recipients."
The 40 Under 40 Awards ceremony will take place Oct. 1 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
