Scott Sadowsky

Age 32: General Manager, Williams Distributing

Scott Sadowsky is following the footsteps of his grandfather. In fact, he followed them right into the proverbial corner office, which is where he sits today as general manager of the 75-employee Williams Distributing in Chicopee.

It was Sadowsky’s grandfather who started the beer-distributing company 50 years ago. But make no mistake, the office and the title are no hand-me-downs. Sadowsky worked hard to earn his place in the family business.

After getting a degree in Business Economics at Brown University (the same school his grandfather attended), Sadowsky joined Staples Inc. in the Strategic Planning department, where he stayed four years, before going to Harvard for an MBA.

“As I approached graduation, I looked at other jobs, but ultimately, I liked the idea of continuing the legacy my grandfather started,” he told BusinessWest. So he joined his father and uncle in the operation of the business, in a position that has him involved in everything from sales and operations to finance.

In addition to his business skills, Sadowsky shares a few other traits with his grandfather. He’s committed to family — he married his high-school sweetheart; their first date was the prom — and also work in the community. He sits on the board of directors for United Way of Pioneer Valley, the Dana-Farber Leadership Council, and the Pioneer Valley Red Cross.

“This is where I live and work, and it’s important for me to help make the community a better place,” he said. “Revitalizing Springfield is important because it helps our retailers, the people downtown selling beer.”

Sadowsky’s office still holds a few relics of the past — his grandfather’s old Brown University chairs, for example — and a few golf putters. Proficiency in that game is one thing he didn’t inherit from his granddad.

“He was a much better golfer than me,” Sadowsky said. “He would shoot par, whereas my handicap is 12 or 13.”

—Amy Castor

Kathy LeMay

Age 38: Owner and Founder, Raising Change

You might say that Kathy LeMay has written the book, both literally and figuratively, on philanthropy and how it is, or should be, defined.

Through the Florence-based company she created called Raising Change, LeMay says she builds bridges between philanthropists of all kinds and nonprofit agencies that can benefit from their generosity. She’s become quite accomplished at this bridge-building, raising more than $100 million in the fields of women’s human rights, hunger, and poverty relief, and also directing another $100 million in philanthropic dollars to organizations working to make a difference. Meanwhile, she just completed her first book, The Generosity Plan, which contains the stories of several dozen people, most of them non-millionaires, and their acts of charity.

“The subtitle of the book is Sharing Your Time, Treasure, and Talent to Shape the World, explained LeMay, the top scorer among this year’s 40 Under Forty nominees. “It’s based on the premise that philanthropy has nothing to do with million-dollar checks. Instead, at its core, philanthropy is giving of yourself and resources to benefit humankind.”

LeMay said the book, like her life’s work, has been a passionate pursuit, and an endeavor that reflects lessons and experiences from a career as what she calls a “professional social-change fund-raiser.”

“I enjoy what I do a ridiculous amount, and I’ve learned so much from everyone I’ve met in my 15-plus years of social-change work, and the chance to share their stories and show what regular people do every day to change the world is just a lot of fun for me.”

LeMay, who has appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s show, Oxygen TV, and a number of radio shows, and has been nominated for a Reebok Human Rights Award, says people can order advance copies of the book on Amazon.com, and she expects it to be on the bookstore shelves by next January, with a book tour to follow.

—George O’Brien

Gretchen Siegchrist

Age 30: Owner, Media Shower Productions

In a way, it began with a farm in Vermont — a special place, not only because Gretchen Siegchrist grew up there, but because it had been in her family for more than six decades.

Which is what made it so difficult to part with. When the time came to decide whether to preserve the land or sell it for development, her family was unable to reach an agreement. That’s when Seigchrist starting filming.

“People can be authentic in front of a camera,” she told BusinessWest. “It allows them to communicate in a way that’s different from any other medium.” The footage became the basis for The Barber Farm, a documentary about her family history and the importance of land conservation.

Pulling stories out of people is what Seigchrist does best, but she didn’t delve into filmmaking immediately. Instead, she began her career as a newspaper reporter.

When she read about how video would become the future of journalism, she returned to school to get a master’s degree in Media, using the farm documentary as her thesis project.

The film won several awards. But upon graduation, Siegchrist saw a more lucrative opportunity in the business world. “I realized pretty quickly I wasn’t going to make a career in documentaries,” she said.

After freelancing for a year, Siegchrist launched Media Shower Productions, a Northampton firm that makes training and other videos that companies can easily put on their Web sites. She also maintains an About.com Web site on video-making and is a founding member of Northampton Area Young Professionals.

As for the land in Vermont, that story has a happy ending. After seeing the documentary, a local farmer decided to rent the land. Now the farm remains at the heart of Siegchrist’s family — and a followup documentary is in the works.

—Amy Castor