2016 40 Under Forty

PRESENTS

BUSINESS EXAMINER MEDIA

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THANK YOU SPONSORS THANK YOU EVENT PARTNERS Honorees by page 4. Galen Annest, Jason Atherton 5. Andea Cobb, Jacques Colon 6. Joseph Dacca, Deanna Dargan 7. Thomas Dashiell 8. Leatta Dahlhoff, Jace Dwinell 9. Alicia Ferris 10. Eric Gilman, Emily Happy 11. John Hoffman 12. Jay Jetter, Chuck Johnston 13. Jake Kiehl 14. Jill Klinefelter, Amber Lewis 15. Paul Long 16. Juel Lugo, Bethany Maines

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17. Kellan Mangan, Joey Mertlich 18. Mary Moser, Phoebe Mulligan 19. Kate Mundall 22. Vidya Nair, Meredith Neal 23. Martina Ngo, Danielle Panzer 24. Nori Roman 25. Tiffany Scroggs 26. Leslie Shahan, Zachary Smith 27. Stephanie Stocker, Tarin Todd 28. Ben Warner, Nakedia Washington 30. JB Wilson 31. Katie Wojke

BUSINESS EXAMINER MEDIA

Back in the beginning ...

I

t was 2003 when Business Examiner Media produced the South Sound’s first 40 Under Forty recognition program. Among those honored that first year were individuals who have gone on to achieve greater prominence (college presidency and entrepreneurs’ exit by sale, for example), while a few others who since receded from the limelight saw their achievements tarnished over time (real estate execs took some hits during recessionary times).

Each successive class of 40 honorees adds to the collective significance and value that our communities gain from their youthful leaders whom we highlight. There have been elected officials who moved from local offices to more significant spaces in the U.S. Capitol, while other non-politician honorees later joined in governance at state, cities and school districts.

The 40 Under Forty program came about when senior business leaders in the market shared concerns about who would take over leadership of local community efforts, which traditionally fell to them, once they retired.

Over the years since, it has become clear that there are many younger leaders already in place; it was just that legacy executives were not aware of them.

And the password is ...

T

he theme for this year’s 40 Under Forty is “Club 40: a Speakeasy” along the lines of the 1920s era, when Prohibition laws ended legal manufacture and consumption of liquor.

Entrepreneurial ingenuity gave raise almost immediately to hundreds or thousands of semi-hidden, illicit night clubs where patrons could gain admission by knowing a password whispered through a door slot. Inside, illegally produced alcohol was readily served and “good times were had by all.”

The unintended results of Prohibition and Speakeasy start-ups were growth of alleged gangster connections to this new sector, as the product lines were not legal. Because the liquor was largely homebrewed, poor taste and quality tended to be the norm. Customers switched to new cocktail drinks with some flavored mixers added to mask the taste.

In keeping with the “Speakeasy” theme, our honorees this year were invited to utilize some period costumes and accessories for their photo shoots. We think it brings a bit of fun to the whole 40 Under Forty celebration for the Class of 2016.

Congratulations to all 40 honorees, and thanks to your supporters for participating!

This 2016 Class is yet another example.

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Galen Annest

Commencement Bank – Tacoma Annest, marketing manager at Commencement Bank, claims to have “a PhD in undergraduate studies,” in addition to being an honoree in 2016 “40 Under Forty.”

She can’t remember how many times she changed her major, before landing in communications at University of Washington-Tacoma. Then Annest learned that adding marketing to public relations would expand her employability, so she picked that up through MBA studies at Pacific Lutheran University, where she graduated cum laude.

“Halfway through my MBA program, I started working as a marketing coordinator for Commencement Bank,” Annest said. Within three years, she had moved into a management position, thanks to bringing efficiency to those efforts.

Northwest Spay & Neuter Center is also benefiting from her talent, as she serves on the board and chaired its annual auction. Passionate about animals and passionate about learning new things both describe Galen Annest.

Jason Atheron Pop-Up Coffee – Tacoma

Jason Atherton is another honoree striving to live a life true to himself. In just the past five years, he has added three children to his family with wife, Ann; completed two degrees at UW-T (BA and MBA) and started five businesses.

As founder of Atherton & Co., his current focus is on Pop Up Coffee, started last September with a goal to help nonprofit organizations raise funds. Broadway Center of Performing Arts, SpaceWorks, NW Sinfonietta and Tacoma Art Museum are among the beneficiaries thus far, with many more to come. Jason comes by his startup impetus from his late father and mentor, an entrepreneur who worked in many business sectors.

“I’m passionate about humanity,” Atherton wrote to the judging panel. “I’m also excited about technology and how we can leverage it to improve humanity by eradicating poverty and violence in the world.”

Very ambitious goals, but don’t tell Jason Atherton that it can’t be done; he’s too busy working on them.

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Andrea Cobb

Tacoma Public Schools – Tacoma Much of Andrea Cobb’s world centers around learning, and it is her accomplishments there that convinced judges that she should be among “40 Under Forty” for 2016.

Self-proclaimed introvert that she is, it was certainly a learning experience to step out as a candidate and be elected a director of Tacoma School Board – the youngest – in November 2015. Andrea is also an active board member of Palmer Scholars, a community effort to identify and support high school seniors of color and get them off to college.

“I am passionate about finding ways to remove the social and cultural barriers between students and schools that prevent them from achieving their full potential,” Cobb wrote. And she believes adults in schools need to be committed to finding ways to reach each student.

Her nominator called Andrea Cobb “an incredible role model for young people in the community”

Jacques Colon

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department – Tacoma Jacques Colon focuses much of his life on health, especially the wide disparities in healthy outcomes within Pierce County. The “40 Under Forty” honoree is essentially a researcher as health equity coordinator for Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

It was largely through his work that differences in health outcomes were linked by zip code residential areas, such as life expectancy and rates of disease. Colon credits his father as his most important mentor, for challenging him to be inquisitive and never be mediocre.

“I am constantly trying to ask the right questions,” Colon explained, because “I began to realize (with guidance from my dad) that asking the right questions translated to success in any field.”

He also believes that having the right answer is not as important as creating the space and conditions for your team to be empowered to come up with the right answers together.

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Joseph Dacca

Rep. Kilmer Staff – Tacoma Gig Harbor native and UW-Seattle graduate Joseph Dacca already has a decade service in public policy and service at the local, state and federal level. This “40 Under Forty” honoree is district director for Congressman Derek Kilmer, who received the same 40/40 recognition nine years ago.

With a goal “of reinforcing the public’s faith in their elected representatives and affirming the notion that government can solve problems and improve people’s lives,” Dacca first worked for Kilmer in the state Legislature after his college graduation. He followed that with five years on staff of legendary Congressman Norm Dicks, who was then succeeded by Kilmer in the nation’s capital.

Dacca works with a number of local nonprofit agencies and programs, helping them connect to federal grant opportunities and policy advocacy. He’s also engaged with United Way of Tacoma Pierce County to reduce the local population of the working poor.

Deanna Dargan

The Rush Companies – Gig Harbor Deanna Dargan has been engaged in marketing and communications for 15 years, but stellar results at her current assignment cap her “40 Under Forty” recognition.

Earlier stops with a state trade association, TacomaSeattle design firm BCRA, The Rescue Mission, then some entrepreneurial stay-at-home time brought her in 2013 to The Rush Companies in Gig Harbor as marketing director.

Spectacular growth in revenues from $43 million up to a projected $100 million this year is not all due to her work, but she gets credit for contributing significantly.

“Deanna’s strengths in all aspects of marketing have helped make significant strides forward,” wrote company vice president Scott Walker. “Our social media efforts, market outreach, web presence and CRM efforts are really making a difference in achieving record home sales.”

Dargan is also proud to have had the opportunity to develop charity fund-raisers from scratch that were not only successful in terms of revenue, but fun and creative. And her own micro-business, Backcountry Creamery continues to teach business lessons through cheese making.

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Thomas Dashiell Davies Pearson P.S. – Tacoma Thomas Dashiell remembers earning his first dollar with a lemonade stand in front of his San Francisco home, but it is the remarkable ascent his career has taken in the past few years that added his name to “40 Under Forty” recognition.

“Six years ago, I was bartending at the Matador in downtown Tacoma, and while that was great for developing communication and marketing skills, I was moving toward age 30 and knew that I wanted to do more with my life,” Dashiell wrote.

Upon meeting Kate, who became his wife, he re-enrolled at UW-Tacoma to finish his on-and-off college studies and really excelled. Then, it was on to law school in Oregon, with encouragement from friends already studying for the bar, as well as practicing attorneys whom he had met at the other “bar.”

Overcoming his own self-doubts, Dashiell finished in the Top 10 of his graduating law school class and is now one of the newest (and youngest) members of Davies Pearson, a long-standing Tacoma law firm.

He also provides several hours a month of pro-bono legal counsel every month and is a board member for The First Tee of Pierce County, a non-profit organization catered to helping kids develop positive character traits ad skills through the game of golf.

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Leatta Dahlhoff

Department of Ecology – Lacey Leatta Dahlhoff recently returned from a European vacation that included a visit to Nice, France, a week before its recent tragedy. As she settles back into her role as a Toxics Reduction Specialist for Washington’s Department of Ecology, she’s using a Chemistry degree from UPS and a passion for protecting human health and the environment.

Wanting to build a better community and being a bit overwhelmed by the many pieces and players involved, Dahlhoff reached out to multiple touch points. She was appointed as a member of the Planning Commission for City of Tumwater, where the economic future is in view and also volunteers with United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council National Organization for Women , where gender inequity that faces so many folks can be squarely on view.

“I wake up and think of my father and grandmother – my mentors – and all they did,” Dalhoff said. “They helped me shine bright. It is my duty to continue that effort to help others shine their brightest.”

Jace Dwinell

Heritage Bank – Tacoma Jace Dwinell grew up in one of Eastern Washington’s “small towns” and after working in the “big city” of Tacoma for five years, he has found that it, too, is a small place in the very best of ways. This “40 Under Forty” honoree has learned that “Community” and “Family” are the same basic principles regardless the location.

A commercial banking officer with Heritage and holding one of the bank’s largest portfolios, Dwinell is not all business. He’s also passionate about the development of youth, and works on that by coaching one of his three children’s sports teams, by mentoring weekly at a Tacoma middle school and as an elected director and treasurer of Metro Parks Tacoma.

“It is clear the impact a positive role model can have on a developing mind,” Dwinell wrote in his background answers, citing his father’s involvement in his own youth.

“There are far too many who are much less fortunate (than I was).”

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Alicia Ferris

Community Youth Services – Olympia Alicia Ferris is in her second career (following outdoor recreation in Alaska) and has been moving upward rapidly since becoming a licensed Mental Health Counselor a dozen years ago. From intern to therapist, then clinical supervisor and program director.

Today, she is clinical director at Olympia’s Community Youth Services, creating a broad range of services within the 40+ year-old child welfare non-profit. With her at the helm, the agency is out to reach a very under-served population that tends to drop out of services.

“If we can figure out how best to meet the needs of our youth and this can be replicated across the state, we can effectively transform lives and, therefore, our communities,” Ferris explains about the year old efforts that are all outcomebased.

Collaborators at Portland State and University of Washington, along with Thurston-Mason Behavioral Health Care Organization and the state government’s children’s mental health administrator all believe the early indicators are promising.

PROHIBITION FACTS

KNOCK KNOCK Speakeasies got their name because you had whisper a code word or name through a locked door in order to be allowed in.

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Eric Gilman GTH Law – Tacoma

Eric Gilman describes himself as a”K-JD” lawyer, meaning that he always knew that he wanted to be an officer of the court system.

His family arrived from Japan when he was two years old, so he often had occasions where he “felt different” from the other children around him. He believes that experience helped him to become who he is, and “when you’re a little different, empathy comes more easily.”

The first in his family to attend law school, Gilman is setting a trail for others to follow as president of TacomaPierce County Bar Foundation, co-chair of the local Campaign for Equal Justice and a pro bono attorney at Volunteer Legal Services.

“There is no greater rush than standing in front of a judge or jury and advocating for a just cause. What a thrill,” he says. Eric Gilman is a partner at Tacoma’s legal giant Gordon Thomas Honeywell.

Emily Happy

CWU Foundation – Tacoma “Helping people is what has given my life purpose,” says Emily Happy, newly named to “40 Under Forty” in the South Sound for 2016.

“It all comes down to this: I got to help people. I got to wipe away the tears of a mourning senior. I got to write poetry therapy with kids in juvenile detention. I got to look in the eyes of a mom in line at the food bank and know her children were fed. That is what is most important to me,” Happy says.

The memories she recalls come from prior work with Tacoma’s Franke Tobey Jones retirement center and FISH Food Banks, where during her three years, Happy secured a major national grant from Bank of America. This also brought her personal recognition as an “Emerging Leader.”

Today, she functions as a consultant for higher education (Central Washington University) and local nonprofits (Alchemy Skateboarding) among others.

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John Hoffman

Tacoma Public Utilities – Tacoma As manager of customer service operations for Tacoma Public Utilities, there are ample opportunities to exercise his “numbers focus” and his nominator/supervisor says the positive results are obvious in improving the agency’s overall customer experience. Reducing the average wait time for call-in customers by 76 percent by implementing his ideas is but one example.

“While I enjoy working with people and helping customers, being able to dive deep into the numbers of our business is my idea of a good time,” Hoffman wrote. He feeds his people appetite as a volunteer high school basketball coach and by engaging with LuteLink, the alumni network of Pacific Lutheran University, where he earned an MBA degree.

Described by his teams and friends as someone who is competitive and welcomes change, John Hoffman can now add a new descriptor – “40 Under Forty” honoree for 2016.

Stylish. Elegant. Unique.

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Jay Jetter

Department of Revenue – Olympia By day, Jay Jetter will be found in Olympia, where he is a senior policy adviser for the state Department of Revenue.

After hours, however, it is his deep involvement in the Tacoma community that brings him the “40 Under Forty” recognition.

Jetter is president of Thea Foss Waterway Authority and active with New Tacoma Neighborhood Council and his homeowners association, while also being a part-time student at UW-Seattle law school. And all of this came because he bravely reached out at age 30 to leave home in Arizona for a life-long dream to live in the Puget Sound area.

Jetter says his biggest challenge began in June 2015 when he was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent surgery, then chemotherapy while working part-time and later resumed his UW classes. He is now cancer free and moving forward full-time at his job, in the community and in his personal life.

Chuck Johnston SiteCrafting – Tacoma Chuck Johnston majored in Philosophy in college, adding History so he could teach, but many individuals whom he observed in the classrooms were miserable. So he went to summer camp, ending up as leader of several in Maine before moving to Tacoma, where he was hired to run camps and their related operations here.

Four years later, he jumped the shark to join a tech startup and today this “40 Under Forty” honoree is user experience manager at Sitecrafting, with a UW-Seattle Master’s degree in Human Centered Design & Engineering. He is proud of the Tacoma web design firm, where they’ve created GearLab, an internal design research and testing lab.

“I’m most passionate about using technology to solve problems for people,” Johnston explained. “Much of the technology needed to improve our everyday lives already exists — it’s just not very evenly distributed.” He wants to make tech more human.

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Jake Kiehl

Kiehl Northwest – Tumwater Jake Kiehl became very interested in computer programming at age 14 and used self-taught learning to qualify as an intern with a state government agency three years later. He was hired full time as soon as he graduated and today, this “40 Under Forty” honoree has 20 employees at Kiehl Northwest, a company he founded in 2007.

“I’m incredibly proud that the growth of my business has allowed me to offer great salaries and benefits to my employees,” Kiehl says. Doing primarily custom software development for government agencies, he describes it as “a place of employment that people can do what they love and be well compensated for it.”

With three young children in his family, this entrepreneur says he has always struggled with work/life balance, but since moving out of a home office after eight years, he reports finding a better sense of separation.

A one-time instructor for software development classes at Pierce Community College, Jake Kiehl is another example of great youthful accomplishment.

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Jill Klinefelter

Klinefelter Insurance Group – Tacoma Jill Klinefelter is president of Tacoma Sunset Rotary Club, owner of an independent insurance agency, and a longterm volunteer for Junior Achievement. She is passionate about giving back for being so fortunate in her own life.

This from a teenage mother who, together with the father (her husband) joyfully celebrated that daughter’s graduation from PLU last year. “Being a young mom was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done,” she says, “but it has taught me how to work hard, how to be selfless, to be patient and many other life lessons I hold dear.”

Klinefelter began the insurance career that has brought her much success at an administrative desk in Spokane.

In 2001, she moved to Tacoma to be office manager for another Farmers Insurance agent. Soon, she learned how to step outside and become a full producer, introducing clients to the protection coverage they needed and opening her own branded agency. Four years later, she gave up that success to start over by opening her own independent insurance agency, which is exceeding expectations.

Amber Lewis

Lobbyist/Consulting – Olympia Amber Lewis of Olympia so believes in the importance of ensuring everyone has access to health care services they need, that she is making a career of working toward that goal.

This “40 Under Forty” honoree created Lewis Consulting LLC after a number of years working in government policymaking jobs and politics. Her firm is an advocate (lobbyist) for clients seeking understanding of their positions by state legislators and state agency officials.

Her nominator wrote that she is a person who works everyday to make her community healthier and safer.

“I am most proud of not being a negative statistic,” Lewis explained in her personal profile for the judging panel. “I was raised in a chaotic, transit home that led to be getting emancipated at age 15. I was told early in high school that I would not graduate, let alone succeed.”

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Paul Long Timberland Bank – Tacoma At age 15, Paul Long was flipping burgers in his home town of Selah, across the street from a bank branch. Already thinking about his future, this “40 Under Forty” honoree took his resume to the manager of that bank and told him that he wanted to be a teller.

Hired one week after he turned 16, Paul was himself a branch manager at 18 and managed multiple branches when he was 21. Today, he is a business banker at Timberland, with special focus on small business customers and SBA lending.

“I truly believe that small businesses get the short end of the stick,” Long wrote. So he is “focusing my efforts … and give them advice and service as if they were a billion dollar company … because I love seeing business owners succeed.”

Attention to a goal and persistence were also apparent when his future wife left for a year to study abroad in France. Long planned his own trip to the Continent and while there, took Stephanie to dinner at the Eiffel Tower and proposed to her. They now recall the memory and will some day share it with their awesome son.

W

e salute the hard work and accomplishments of each of the outstanding 40 Under Forty honorees. Your individual talents, leadership and commitment to our communities is an inspiration and demonstrates all that is possible.

We are proud to partner with the Business Examiner in honoring each of you and your unique contributions, including a special salute to our own Paul Long.

Local People, Local Decisions

Paul Long

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Juel Lugo

LILT Design Studio – Tacoma Juel Lugo quit her job in the middle of the recession to start (with a partner) her own business, but it wasn’t an impulsive move. The “40 Under Forty” honorees (her partner is also in Class of 2016) had made an exhaustive business plan and marketing plan.

The small business, LILT, is a graphic design firm specializing in large format signage and related materials, and things have been going well since the 2010 start.

“Being a small business owner … and becoming a mother … was the hardest thing that I’ve had to do,” Lugo said.

Actually, both of the firm’s partners were pregnant simultaneously. “I found that pregnancy induced insomnia was fantastic for creative work.” She would do the most challenging design work in the middle of the night and more established projects during the day.

“Does this sound sane? Maybe not,” she added, “but I’ve found that freeing yourself from stereotypical thoughts on when and how you should do creative work are key to remaining creative.”

Bethany Maines LILT Design Studio – Tacoma

Bethany Maines is native Tacoman with a black belt who teaches karate, an accomplished author and publisher with a passionate feminist view, an entrepreneur – and a 2016 member of “40 Under Forty.”

Her business, LILT, is a graphic design firm specializing in large format and custom signage, plus branding service for non-profit agencies. She and fellow honoree Juel Lugo opened in 2010, when the economy was still struggling from the Great Recession, but it remains alive now six years later. “Hard work and a lot of Google searches about accounting practices have paid off,” she says.

Calling “success” a moving target, Maines believes it is not about “making it,” but defining life on her own terms.

“I’m passionate about the goals I’m pursuing, and I’m living with creativity, passion and love; to me, that means I’m already a success.”

And that passion marks Bethany Maines as a “40 Under Forty” honoree.

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Kellen Mangan HD Homes – Lacey

Kellen Mangan decided as a teenager that he was going into home building and completed his first new home for sale at age 22, while still a business student at St. Martin’s University. That early decisive initiative made him a natural to include in 2016 “40 Under Forty” recognition.

Being clear on his career so early let Mangan work on his background by earning a real estate license so he could sell new construction homes around his college studies time.

By late 2009, he had formed High Definition Homes LLC and was off on his own, completing more than 100 new homes in the seven years since.

“I am proud to live next door to my customers in the communities that I build,” Mangan said. “Being hands-on in every home and community is important to me.” His biggest challenge has been having to constantly modify his business plans due to economic volatility.

He also supports Community Youth Services, YMCA and Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

Joey Mertlich Albers & Co. – Tacoma His nomination for “40 Under Forty” reads that Joey Mertlich “bleeds sincerity and it’s very real.” In his own words, this business development executive at Albers & Company wrote of his sense of service and desire to strengthen the South Sound.

“It is important (that) my professional activities contribute positively to the fabric of (the) wonderful community,” Mertlich wrote. That would include being a Little League coach, volunteering with United Way, YWCA and NW Furniture Bank, and his decision to enlist in Washington Air National Guard.

He recalls the influence of his student years at Pacific Lutheran University, including being a football player coached by the legendary “Frosty” Westering. “Probably the lesson that is most memorable is the power of choice, and that we can almost always choose to make the ordinary extraordinary.”

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Mary Moser Clover Park High School – Lakewood Her career path is taking Mary Moser beyond classrooms to join others in advocating for public policy decisions that will help students. Director of Communications for Teachers United, a local volunteer group that researches policies and brings teacher voice to the decision-making tables in the school district and Olympia at the legislature, she is also secretary of her local teachers union.

“When you work in a high poverty school, you encounter issues that all schools have, plus issues in students’ lives that simply can’t be resolved, such as finding their next meal,” Moser wrote. “I became a teacher and chose a school like CPHS to serve in this community, to offer students a safe place … I hope my advocacy outside of the classroom will help.”

Leadership on a wide scale, achieving National Boards Certification, and maintaining a 4.0 grade point in library endorsement classes, all while mothering a six-month-old daughter keeps Mary Moser beyond busy.

Phoebe Mulligan HopeSparks – Tacoma Described by her nominator as “a fierce advocate for children’s justice, both in and out of her workplace” role, Phoebe Mulligan has an underlying passion for children traumatically impacted by violence, who must then go through the legal system. That is part of what makes her an obvious choice for “40 Under Forty” recognition.

As clinical program director for HopeSparks in Tacoma, Mulligan leads a team of counseling and mental health professionals as they work with children and families who have faced terrible abuse. With more than 10 years of direct experience on the topic, she has become an expert who is now helping to train hundreds of others through a statewide initiative.

She also focuses on vicarious trauma in which the trained professionals, whose work requires them to hear awful stories from their clients, must themselves be cared for, as well as creating a support group for non-offending parents of children who have been sexually assaulted.

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Kate Mundell MultiCare – Tacoma Kate Mundell enjoyed seven summers working for the city’s summer recreation programs in her hometown of Puyallup, including being staff chief for all of them eventually. But when she later graduated Eastern Washington University with a degree in Humanities and Theatre, her career path was not clear.

A part-time educator job with MultiCare Health System as it put Electronic Medical Records in place opened up her future, and today, after nine years at the South Soundbased organization, Kate is director of the clinically integrated network for its Connected Care initiative.

“I have found my place in the world in an industry that touches everyone’s lives,” Mundell said. “The past two years have been a game-changer. I owe MultiCare my future.” She sees herself one day running a health system, and has an MBA in Healthcare Management from Oregon Health & Science University in preparation for that future.

Congratulations Kate Mundell MultiCare Health System is proud to celebrate Kate Mundell, Director of MultiCare Connected Care’s Clinically Integrated Network, for her incredible contribution to our community.

She truly deserves to be named among the 40 under Forty.

Kate’s focus on expanding access and improving the quality of health care for communities in Washington supports MultiCare’s mission of partnering for healing and a healthy future.

She’s playing a big role in building the future of health care in our community and developing programs that proactively engage with patients and their families to live healthier, more productive lives.

Congratulations to Kate and all the honorees.

multicare.org

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PROHIBITION FACTS

THE ORIGINAL BOOZE CRUISE Prohibition helped create the first booze cruise. Many port cities offered a “Cruise to Nowhere” in which a boat would take passengers out to international waters where they could drink without repercussion and return several hours later.

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PROHIBITION FACTS

TECHNICALLY, IT WASN’T ILLEGAL TO DRINK ALCOHOL If you like to read between the lines, it was only illegal to manufacture, sell and ship alcohol. If you could find a way around those restrictions (such as spirits necessary for your religious or medicinal use) the buzz kept rolling.

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Vidya Nair Travel RX – Tacoma Vidya Nair is described by her several nominators as an entrepreneur, author, medical professional and humanitarian – and now they can add, a 2016 class member of “40 Under Forty.”

In addition to serving as a pharmacist in the Emergency Department of a large South Sound health system, she is founder/CEO of an innovative business called TravelRx, which provides concierge travel medicine services.

In 2014, Nair helped form Pharmacists Response Network that is dedicated to assuring access to prescriptions for chronic disease management to displaced survivors of disasters.

During the severe wild fire season, authorities called upon it to supply epi-pens and inhalers for firefighters and volunteers during that weeks-long battle over the Chelan Complex fires.

Other activities of which she is proud include helping establish pharmacy residency programs in Haiti and Guatemala, and partnering with Thurston/Mason County Medical Society to expand drug monitoring program to include all medications, not just controlled substances.

Meredith Neal MRF Construction – Tacoma Meredith Neal is a Tacoma Planning Commissioner, a board member for YWCA Pierce County and the Washington-Hoyt School PTA, as well as a 2016 “40 Under forty” honoree. Managing all these responsibilities along with her 11-year job as project manager for MRF Construction calls upon lessons learned in her studies for Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership.

“The greatest challenge I’ve faced in my career has to be … helping my company survive the past economic downturns and then survive the period of extreme growth we have had in the last year or so,” Neal wrote. She has direct supervision of 20-plus subcontractors, three full-time staff and a rotating pool of temporary laborers.

In addition, she is proud of volunteer work at her children’s preschool, including three years as auction co-chair.

As an appointed City Planning Commissioner, Neal helps shape the direction for growth over the next 20 years.

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Martina Ngo Charme Nails & Skin – Tacoma Martina Ngo is just 25 years old, yet she already owns two small businesses and has a well earned recognition as a “40 Under Forty” honoree.

Known for weekly visits to nursing homes, Ngo takes “Tina’s Traveling Nails” services to the client, when they cannot make a trip to her Charme Nails & Skin Studio. In addition to manicure and pedicure services, she shares knowledge about the hidden dangers surrounding nail care and safe practices.

For kids-as-patients at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, the “Nail Fairy” comes every other week, bringing her uplifting spirit and a chance for children to feel like royalty when other body parts may be in turmoil.

Ngo’s parents both came to America as refugees from Vietnam, her father after 10 years in a Viet Cong prison.

The family lacked economic stability and spent most weekends selling kids’ clothing at Midway Swap Meet until Martina was 17 years old. That might have been the beginning of a little girl’s business dreams.

Danielle Panzer Aramark Food – Tacoma Danielle Panzer is a Tacoma native, but the city hasn’t always been kind to her or many others. She began working in food service at 14, serving church brunches, later moving to an assisted living home dining room and kitchen for two years.

For six months while in high school, Danielle lived on the streets as one of Tacoma’s teenage homeless population.

So she is rightfully proud today to be a self-staining, productive member of society and mother to a two-year-old son.

During her senior year at Wilson High School, she took a part-time clerical job that grew into eight years of increasing responsibility culminating as Research and Circulation Manager for Business Examiner Media. Then, Panzer returned to her original career path in food service, when she became a catering sales assistant with Aramark at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center.

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Nori Roman Columbia Bank – Tacoma Nori Roman learned in her sophomore year of college that she wasn’t cut out to be a nurse, so she tried business as a teller in the Fife branch of Columbia Bank. Some 15 years later, this “40 Under Forty” honoree has completed Pacific Coast Banking School and passed testing to Certified Financial Planner credential.

“The culture (at the bank) was addicting. The people were great to work with, we had fun, and we were successful,” Roman explained. Co-workers and supervisors laud what she brings, saying Nori is always positive and passionate about taking care of her clients in the Private Banking Group.

Outside the office, she provides leadership as board chair for nonprofit HopeSparks and volunteers for Trillium Housing Services, Heart Association Go Red for Women, Junior Achievement, YMCA, Read2Me tutoring and the state Beekeepers Association.

And you can catch Nori Roman early mornings teaching a fitness class at the Lakewood YMCA.

Congrats, Nori, for being a “40 Under 40.”

Nori Roman is a living testament to the bank’s mission—doing what’s right for our customers and our communities. Starting as a teller, Nori excelled rapidly into leadership roles, building an impressive track record along the way.

Her determination to achieve the experience and knowledge required to succeed personally and professionally has established her as a great role model to others at the bank in her current role as VP/Private Banking Officer. So, once again, kudos to Nori from all of us at Columbia Bank.

You’ll notice the difference.

Nori Roman

VP, Private Banking Columbia Bank

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Visit columbiabank.com or call 877-272-3678.

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Tiffany Scroggs PTAC Thurston EDC – Lacey Helping businesses in Washington grow their piece of government procurement contracts from $202 million to a record $592 million in three years makes Tiffany Scroggs very proud.

A total of 18,000 jobs impacted in 2014 is another sign of the growth since she became program director for the statewide Procurement Technical Assistance Center at Thurston County Economic Development Center. The program with eight sub-centers and 14 staff members has become a national model studied by others to duplicate.

“Washington state is home to some of the most innovative, passionate entrepreneurs in the nation,” Scroggs noted. “Too often, businesses from outside our region come in (for) contracts that could be done better and more cost effectively by local firms.” Her PTAC efforts seek to change that for the better.

Scroggs earned a Masters in Public Administration, while working full-time, and is vice president of education for the national association of PTAC administrators.

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Leslie Shahan

Big Brothers Big Sisters – Olympia A volunteer opportunity to serve after hours at a crisisclinic while in college started Leslie Shahan off on her career path into non-profit work to help others. And from her success comes recognition for inclusion as a Class of 2016 “40 Under Forty” honoree.

“I am whole-heartedly passionate about helping others,” Shahan says. “My whole career has been spent” this way.

And as many discover, she learned that there can be a ladder from volunteer to program staff to (now) vice president of operations at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Washington. The key is, in words from her nominator, “understanding people and systems.”

Among Leslie Shahan’s key accomplishments is creating a fund-raising auction that now brings about $350,000 to support programs on behalf of children in need of bonds to a caring adult. The children of Thurston County who count on Big Brothers Big Sisters programs receive the benefit of this “40 Under Forty” honoree’s efforts.

Zachary Smith

Evergreen Eye Center – Federal Way Zachary Smith says he was bullied as a kid and through high school. It was during a two-year missionary tour in South America that he shook off the resulting lack of selfconfidence and realized he could do anything he decided to do. “And I’ve never really looked back,” he says.

From a career interest in healthcare, Smith further focused on administration in that field. A Masters degree brought his commissioning as a U.S. Navy officer and service supporting the Marines. He’s still in the Reserves, but he left active duty in 2015 to become COO and practice administrator at Evergreen Eye Center in Federal Way. Around home, he is a Gig Harbor Fire District commissioner, incoming president of the PTA where some of his five children attend school and a volunteer bible study teacher for high school students.

“To me, success is impacting the world around you for the better,” Smith says, “and there are lots of ways to do that.”

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Stephanie Stocker Henderson Law – Olympia

From Lakefair queen to “40 Under Forty” honoree, the life of Stephanie Stocker has been varied, but always centered on her hometown of Olympia — except for that year she lived in Paris.

A graduate of UW-Seattle and Gonzaga Law School, Stocker is now a partner in Henderson Law Group with her father, Stephen Henderson, and husband, Simon Stocker.

When not advocating on behalf of employees to preserve their employment rights, against discrimination, retaliation and harassment, she is a multi-faceted volunteer. A board member for SafePlace of Olympia, member of United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council and Junior League, Stocker also has chaired or participated on a number of State Bar Association committees.

“I am proud of the authentic person I am today,” she wrote in her profile questionnaire. And she is most proud of “becoming a mother to our two- and four-year-old little girls.”

Tarin Todd Citizens for a Healthy Bay – Tacoma Tarin Todd is a leader in environmental protection for Commencement Bay and in development of young people, again with a connection to local waters.

Todd’s career began right out of high school with jobs maintaining heavy construction equipment, then managing a boat repair facility. He’s now Bay Patrol director at Citizens for a Healthy Bay, a natural extension of his dedication to Sea Scouts, Youth Marine Foundation and Tacoma Youth Marine Center.

“I can say without hesitation that I am who I am because of the diverse work experience that I have gained throughout my life,” Todd explained. “Our CHB mission is part community outreach and education, part on the water pollution patrols and part policy review.”

He’s also been president of Tacoma Propeller Club and been honored twice by Boy Scouts of America for his tireless volunteer work with Tacoma Sea Scouts.

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Ben Warner

Alchemy Skateboarding & Education – Tacoma Before earning a graduate degree in nonprofit management and focus on conflict between diverse sub-cultures and the dominant culture in an urban environment, Ben Warner rode his longboard (skateboard) 3,000 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, raising awareness of youth programs and adding $20,000 to local Boys and Girls Club programs.

He came back to create the Go Skate Tacoma festival in downtown’s Tollefson Plaza and helped the City Council understand that skateboarding is an alternative transportation, so it would decriminalize the skaters’ use downtown.

Warner founded Alchemy Skateboarding in 2014 as a nonprofit that helps youth find engagement opportunities in academics, athletics, leadership and civic engagement.

It also has a drop-in center for young persons in the downtown/Broadway neighborhood, along with classes, summer camps and so much more.

It should be clear that, “Youth in the city of Tacoma” is what Ben Warner is most passionate about.

Nakedia Washington Better Business Bureau – DuPont For Nakedia Washington, taking a break from college to find direction started a career at Better Business Bureau that seven years later has brought recognition as a “40 Under Forty” honoree. She was also selected by her peers as BBB Employee of the Year for 2015.

She was hired into a team that helps resolve disputes received from consumers over businesses and became lead for the department for four years or so. A year ago, she was promoted to Supervisor of the Accreditation Services team, then earlier this summer became overall Director of Operations.

“This past year or so has been a whirlwind of change,” Washington said, who noted that not having her degree has been an obstacle to her advancement. “Making the decision to return to school while working full time and being mother of an energized four-year-old has been a journey.

However, I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

In her “spare” time, Nakedia volunteers with The Rescue Mission in Tacoma.

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JB Wilson

Cornerstone Financial – Tacoma James Wilson VII is known to all as “JB” in his numerous civic roles and at Tacoma’s Cornerstone Financial Strategies, where he is director of client services and a CFP. At Truman Middle School, he’s president of the PTA and within his Homeowners Association, he is treasurer.

Several hours a month, you’ll find him at MultiCare’s Tacoma General Hospital Emergency Department, helping to bring calm and compassion to the chaos. JB also volunteers at NW Harvest in Kent and Emergency Food Network. And he supports NW Furniture Bank and the local blood bank.

“Success is finding something you are passionate about and focusing all of your energy into it,” Wilson said. “I am most passionate about helping people.”

And he is an example of the “all-in” commitment that is evident in so many “40 Under Forty” honorees.

Values-Based Financial Planner with a Commitment to Community Service 2016

Cornerstone Financial Strategies is proud to congratulate JB Wilson on his well-deserved recognition as a recipient of the 40 Under Forty Award.

JB began his career with Cornerstone in 2007 as an intern from University of Puget Sound and later joined the firm as a full time team member. JB has since obtained his securities and insurance licenses, his Certified Financial Planner® designation, and serves as our Director of Client Service.

JB exemplifies what it means to be in the service of clients...either Cornerstone clients or those he regularly serves within our community.

His passion is in finding ways to serve others from his volunteer work at Tacoma General’s Emergency room, work with the Northwest Furniture Bank, Emergency Food Network, and Northwest Harvest, to being treasurer of his Home Owner’s Association, President of his daughter’s Parent Teacher Association and as a driver for Meals on Wheels.

JB accomplishes all of this while being a wonderful husband and father to his wife Sarah and daughter Eszamey.

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Katie Wojke

St. Martin’s University – Lacey Described by her nominator as “a master relationship maker,” Katie Wojke is also a wife, mother, Olympia Rotarian and community volunteer.

Learning fund-raising while an incoming freshman at W.S.U. making those Call-A-Coug telemarketing calls, Katie learned she was good at it and she enjoyed it. Upon graduation, she landed a gift officer job at The Evergreen State College, then earned a Masters in Nonprofit Leadership at Seattle University and moved to Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma. Ten years ago, she gave up the daily past-JBLM commute to join Saint Martin’s University as assistant VP for institutional advancement.

“Genuine relationships are the key to a successful development program,” Wojke says she has learned. My job “is to help facilitate the personal relationship that each alumni has with their alma mater, that each parent has with the school their child has chose, and that each community member has with the university.”

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PRESENTS

With each year’s nominations to 40 Under Forty, the whole South Sound gets to meet a remarkable group of younger citizens who are contributing their unique leadership and personal passions to the communities’ collective success in business, government agencies and nonprofit organizations.

The honorees listed here join almost 500 previous recipients of this recognition since this program began. And like these alums, this year’s honorees will likely continue to advance into even more prominent positions and accomplishments in the coming years.

BUSINESS EXAMINER MEDIA

THE 2016 HONOREES Galen Annest

Commencement Bank Jason Atherton Pop-Up Coffee Andrea Cobb Tacoma Public Schools Jacques Colon Tacoma/Pierce County Health Dept.

Joseph Dacca Rep. Kilmer staff Leatta Dahlhoff Dept of Ecology Deanna Dargan The Rush Companies Thomas Dashiell Davies Pearson - P.S Jace Dwinell Heritage Bank Alicia Ferris Comm Youth Svc Eric Gilman GTH - law Emily Happy CWU Foundation John Hoffman Tac Public Utilities Jay Jetter Dept of Revenue Chuck Johnston SiteCrafting Jake Kiehl Kiehl Northwest Jill Klinefelter Klinefelter Insurance Group Amber Lewis Lobbyist-Consulting Paul Long Timberland Bank Juel Lugo LILT design studio

Tacoma Tacoma Tacoma Tacoma Tacoma Lacey Gig Harbor Tacoma Tacoma Olympia Tacoma Tacoma Tacoma Olympia Tacoma Tumwater Tacoma Olympia Tacoma Tacoma

Bethany Maines Kellen Mangan Joey Mertlich Mary Moser Phoebe Mulligan Kate Mundell Vidya Nair Meredith Neal Martina Ngo Danielle Panzer Nori Roman Tiffany Scroggs Leslie Shahan

LILT Design Studio HD Homes Albers & Co. Clover Park teacher HopeSparks MultiCare Travel RX-pharmacist MRF Construction Charme Nails & Skin Aramark food Columbia Bank PTAC-Thurston EDC Big Brothers Big Sisters Zachary Smith Evergreen Eye Center Stephanie Stocker Henderson Law Tarin Todd Citizens for a Healthy Bay Ben Warner Alchemy Skateboarding & Education Nakedia Better Business Washington Bureau JB Wilson Katie Wojke

Tacoma Lacey Tacoma Lakewood Tacoma Tacoma Tacoma Tacoma Tacoma Tacoma Tacoma Lacey Olympia Federal Way Olympia Tacoma Tacoma DuPont

Cornerstone Financial Tacoma St. Martin’s Lacey University

CONGRATUAL ATIONS TO ALL!