Page 2 - BusinessWest 40 Under Forty September 2021

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SEPTEMBER 1, 2021
2021
Re-introducing the Class of 2021
40UnderForty: InearlyMay,BusinessWest,inkeepingwithaspring
tomedia,justtonameafew.Butthereare,asalways,some common denominators, including excellence within one’s profession, a commitment to giving back to the community, dedication to family and work/life balance, and a focus on what else they do in each of those realms.
As for the Sept. 23 event, BusinessWest is working with those at the Log Cabin to finalize a set of health and safety protocols in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. These protocols will be communicated to honorees, sponsors, and guests in the coming days through the BusinessWest web site — businesswest.com — as well as emails and social media platforms. As planning for the event continues, the overrid- ing priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of all guests and employees of the Log Cabin.
Speaking of judges, we thank those who scored the nomi-
Nicholas Amanti Amy Ashford Chris Bakker Samantha Bilal Ashley Bogle
Dr. Jessica Bossie Lauren Figy Cadigan Carly Camossi
Jes Charette-Fallon Julissa Colón Jessye Deane Xiomara Albán DeLobato Lindsey Gamble Kiyota Garcia Brendon Holland Christopher Howland Matthew Kushi Kelly Lamas
Pema Latshang Vonetta Lightfoot Crystal Maldonado Laura Mangini Kevin Mattson
Joel McAuliffe Chad Moir
Sarah Murphy Matthew Nash Lauren Ostberg Kishore Parmar Anne-Alise Pietruska Joseph Popielarczyk Claudia Quintero Michael Regan Yadilette Rivera-Colón Victoria Ann Rodriguez Elizabeth Sauer Deepika Bains Shukla Christopher Thibault John Thomasian Erin Zwisler
tradition, introduced its 40 Under Forty class of 2021. Another tradition is to stage the gala to celebrate that
class in late June. This year, due to COVID-19 and pend- ing changes to the restrictions regarding large events, the gala was moved to Sept. 23. As that sold-out event nears, we thought it appropriate to reintroduce this stellar class of young leaders in the community.
They were the top scorers from a strong field of more than 200 unique nominations — a near-record number that made for a stern challenge for a panel of five judges — and their compelling stories begin on page A8. Also profiled are the five finalists for BusinessWest’s coveted Alumni Achievement Award, given to a previous winner who has most impressively built upon his or her résumé of achievement, on page A6.
As for the class of 2021, the honorees — 26 women and 14 men — hail from a host of different industries, from law to engineering; from education to healthcare; from energy
Meet Our Judges
nations for this year’s 40 Under Forty read about them below.
competition. You can
KIM ALLI
Kim Alli is a vice president and com- mercial loan officer
at Greenfield Savings Bank and is also a member of the GSB PPP loan task force and the bank’s contribu- tions committee. She serves on several com- munity boards, includ- ing the Hospice of the Fisher Home, the Unit- ed Way of Hampshire County community investment committee, and the Cooley Dick- inson golf committee. She is also a member of the GCC Founda- tion campaign team, ambassador for the Amherst Area Cham- ber of Commerce, and a Rotarian for Amherst and Northampton.
PAUL BAILEY
For the past two decades, Paul Bailey has been the executive director of Springfield Partners for Commu- nity Action, the feder- ally designated com- munity action agency serving the Springfield area. Previously, he worked at the Massa- chusetts Department of Housing and Com- munity Development for 11 years, where he oversaw the state’s 252 public-housing author- ities. He holds a bache- lor’s degree in business administration from UMass Amherst and serves on the board of directors of the Spring- field Regional Cham- ber of Commerce and the Hampden County Workforce Board.
PIA SAREEN KUMAR
For the past nine years, Pia Sareen Kumar has been co- owner and chief strat- egy officer of Universal Plastics Group, rep- resenting a family of plastics-manufacturing businesses headquar- tered in Holyoke and stretching into in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. She started her career as an invest- ment banker at JPM- organ Chase and was a global director of stra- tegic partnerships at American Express. She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Busi- ness and a bachelor’s degree from North- western University.
LENNY UNDERWOOD
Lenny Underwood
launched Underwood Photography in 2004, providing an array of services ranging from headshots, parties,
and weddings to photo shoots, slideshows, and photo-booth rental.
He is also a certified personal fitness train- er. He then founded Upscale Socks in
2016, which supports local nonprofits and schools with the Suit Your Soles campaign, which matches a sock donation for every pur- chase. He is a member of St. John’s Congre- gational Church, the Brianna Fund for Chil- dren with Physical Dis- abilities gospel concert planning committee, and the Way Finders board.
PETER WIRTH
Born and raised
in Germany, Peter Wirth started work- ing for Mercedes-Benz straight out of college. After holding several positions in marketing and product manage- ment, her relocated to the U.S. and took a job with Mercedes-Benz USA. After success- fully launching the SLR McLaren and the new C-Class for the U.S. market, he transitioned into retail and man- aged sales operations for two large New York Metro Mercedes-Benz dealers. In 2017, he and his wife, Michelle, started their own business and opened Mercedes-Benz of Springfield.
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