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            • Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and StarNews Media Announce 40 Under 40 Honorees

              Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and StarNews Media Announce 40 Under 40 Honorees

              WILMINGTON, N.C. (August 8, 2019) – The Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and StarNews Media announced 40 young professionals in the Cape Fear region as honorees for the inaugural 40 Under 40 class.
               
              A panel of judges received more than 100 nominations from the public and individuals themselves. The panel included Natalie English, President & CEO of the Wilmington Chamber; Sherry Jones, StarNews Managing Editor; Cleve Callison, retired station manager for WHQR; Wilma Daniels, president of Daniels Development Company; and Shane Fernando, executive and artistic director for the Wilson Center.
               
              To be considered, nominees were required to be younger than 40 years old as of Dec. 31, 2019; live or work in Brunswick, New Hanover or Pender counties; and display a commitment to serving others in the community.
               
              “We are excited to recognize young talent in our community,” English said. “They are our future. We want to celebrate them and retain them in our community and in the companies in this region.”
               
              The partnership between the Chamber and StarNews grew from a need to recognize young talent as companies work to recruit talent to the area. Fostering and developing leaders in the community is outlined as a critical success strategy in the chamber’s strategic plan.
               
              “We’re thrilled to partner with the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce with the recognition of 40 talented people under the age of 40 making a difference in our community,” said Mike Distelhorst, Coastal North Carolina Group publisher. “In our first year, we were quite impressed with both the volume of nominations and quality of our nominees. The Class of 2019 is a great reflection of our diverse region.”
               
              The recipients will be honored at a ceremony Oct. 22 at the Brooklyn Arts Center. Ticket sales will be open to the public in the following weeks. For more information about event sponsorship, contact Sue Meier. To learn more about the event and ticket sales, contact Lexie Alston.
               
              40 Under 40 Honorees:

              • Stacy Ankrum, 39, senior vice president of commercial banking, First Citizens Bank
              • Justin Asbury, 37, DO, Novant Health Oceanside Family Medicine - Leland; lead physician, Novant Health Coastal Market
              • Zane Bennett, 30, executive director, Plantation Village
              • Savonne Berrios, 38, nurse manager, New Hanover Regional Medical Center
              • Carson Bowen, 27, general manager, Wilmington Sharks
              • Laura Brogdon-Primavera, 36, manager of programs and operations, UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
              • Andre Brown, 38, community economic development attorney, Legal Aid of North Carolina
              • Mike Brown, 37, vice president, Cape Fear Commercial; partner, GHK Cape Fear Development
              • Kathryn Bruner, 29, real estate broker, Intracoastal Realty Corporation
              • Michael “Mook” Cahill, 30, logistics manager, Filmwerks
              • Liz Carbone, 24, community coordinator, Good Shepherd Center
              • Dusty Casteen, 39, director, Switchin’ Gears
              • Lindsey Cheek, 36, owner and principal designer, Gathered
              • Leah Crider, 37, commercial director, GE
              • Jenna Curry, 33, owner, Remedy Digital Agency; founder, Port City Young Professionals; co-owner of Wilmington Today
              • Ben Friberg, 37, owner/dentist, Thrive Family Dental
              • Lakisha Fullwood, 34, MSN,RN,NE-BC, nurse manager, New Hanover Regional Medical Center
              • Scott D. Hamilton, 39, business analyst, Alcami Corporation
              • Catherine Hawksworth, 25, owner, Modern Legend
              • Scooter Hayes, 38, children’s librarian, New Hanover County Public Library
              • Drew Heath, 29, partner performance director, nCino
              • Lauren Henderson,36, CFO, CastleBranch; president, tekMountain
              • Kyria Henry, 32, founder and executive director, paws4people
              • Darek Huckbody, 38, founder and owner, Battle House Tactical Laser Tag
              • Andy Jones, 31, managing attorney, Forrest Firm, P.C.
              • Stephanie Lanier, 37, owner of Lanier Property Group and The Inspiration Lab
              • Lisa Leath, 36, president and chief practitioner, Leath HR Group
              • Jessica Loeper, 34, chief communications officer, New Hanover County
              • Bennett Mario, 25, employment counselor, StepUp Wilmington
              • Shaun Olsen, 38, president and CEO, CloudWyze
              • Crystal Pellom, 36, clinical program supervisor, Coastal Horizons Center
              • Densay Sengsoulavong, 34, government affairs director, Cape Fear Realtors
              • Albert Steed, 39, chief information officer, Velocity Solutions; president/founder, Hybrid Athletic Foundation
              • Garry Stevenson II, 36, firefighter, city of Wilmington; owner, Seaside Athletic Training and Performance
              • Nathanael Tyre, 24, creative director, Blue Roll LLC
              • Thomas Varnum, 36, partner, Brooks Pierce Law Firm; co-owner, Mad Mole Brewing
              • Fransha’ Wagner, 30, lead engineer - probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), GE
              • Jud Watkins, 34, owner, Wrightsville Beach Brewery
              • Tyler Wittkofsky, 25, author and public information officer, Brunswick Regional Water and Sewer H2GO
              • John B. Zachary, 33, wealth advisor and certified financial planner professional, Pathfinder Wealth Consulting


              Congratulations to our honorees!