Class Act

The scores have been tabulated, and the members of the 40 Under Forty Class of 2009 are now known — at least to the editors at BusinessWest.

The winners will be notified this week, and the Class of ’09 will be presented to the region later this spring in a special edition of BusinessWest. It’s a very diverse class, with many industry groups and personality profiles represented.

Overall, the judges for this year’s class said they were quite impressed with the nearly 100 nominations, and thought the depth and diversity of the field spoke well about the region and its prospects for the future.

“It was a very interesting group of people, and there was a lot of variety,” said Lauren Way, director of the Entrepreneurial Program at Bay Path College, member of the Class of 2008, and one of two former winners asked to judge this year’s nominees. “We had chefs, lawyers, investment professionals … nearly every field was represented.”

An entrepreneur herself — she partnered in a number of business ventures before transitioning into academia — Way said she often found herself giving slightly higher scores (when appropriate) to those who were in business for themselves.

“That’s because I know the risks involved and just how hard it is to be an entrepreneur,” she explained. “There’s no one there to tell you what to do or how to do it … you’re really on your own.”

Kevin Vann, a principal with the Springfield-based Vann Group and a serial entrepreneur in his own right, said he also found himself drawn to the stories of business owners — and perhaps awarding them a slight edge. But he was also partial to a few other constituencies, if one can call them that.

“I tend to pull for the underdog,” he explained, adding that he was impressed by the stories of those who may not have had the educational or societal advantages of some of the others. “And that showed up in my scoring.”

So did something else — a tendency to favor what he called “solid role models.”

“In some ways, I changed my scoring philosophy as I got deeper into this,” he said. “When I started, I was looking at the business accomplishments and the community work … but then, I shifted the thinking toward, ‘is this person a good role model for others?’ That’s because that’s what we need today — more people who can lead by example.”

Carol Campbell, owner of Chicopee Industrial Contractors in Chicopee, spoke for all the judges when she said the process was rewarding and enlightening, but also somewhat frustrating, due in large part to vague or incomplete nomination forms for some of the candidates.

“There were a lot of instances where I wanted to know more about an individual, but there wasn’t any more,” she said, adding that she hopes those doing the nominating keep this in mind for next year. “Overall, though, I was impressed; it’s an intriguing group of young leaders. There’s a lot of talented people out there.”

Next up for the chosen 40 will be photo sessions and interviews with BusinessWest writers. This year’s class will be introduced in late April, with the annual 40 Under Forty Gala to be staged early this summer.

Watch future editions of BusinessWest for details.

— George O’Brien