The Quad Cities Regional Business Journal is preparing to launch its first-ever Forty Under 40 recognition event in November and is currently seeking nominations for the inaugural class of honorees.
“We are excited to bring the Forty Under 40 awards back to the Quad Cities,” said John F. Lohman, Group Publisher of the QCBJ. “One of the big challenges in the region is attracting and retaining young professionals. We’re hopeful that this awards event will help play a small part in celebrating these young professionals who are doing so much for their organizations and region.”
The Forty Under 40 awards dinner will be from 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event will honor 40 young professionals who are making a difference in the Quad Cities in their workplaces and communities.
The North Liberty, Iowa-based Corridor Media Group, parent company of the QCBJ, first launched the awards program with its Corridor Business Journal (CBJ), a sister publication to the QCBJ.
“This will be the 18th year we’ve hosted these awards in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor and it has become one of the biggest events in the region,” Mr. Lohman said. “From the interest we’ve had so far, we’re hoping that it will have a similar appeal here in the Quad Cities.”
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2022 Forty Under 40 event. To be eligible for the awards, nominees must be under age 40 as of Nov. 10, 2022. They also must live or work in Scott, Clinton or Muscatine counties in Iowa, or the Illinois counties of Rock Island, Henry and Mercer.
Candidates can be self-nominated or nominated by a boss or colleague. Honorees will be chosen by a selection committee made up of Quad Cities business and community leaders. In subsequent years, the previous year’s Forty Under 40 class will select the new year’s class.
The selection committee will judge nominees based on their business success as well as their civic/philanthropic activities. It will choose a minimum of 15 honorees from Illinois and 15 from Iowa. Elected officials are eligible to qualify, but the awards are nonpartisan and nonpolitical.
This year’s class will be given the opportunity to select an area charity that will financially benefit from the honorees’ award speeches at the recognition event.
Forty Under 40 is sponsored by Augustana College, Rock Island; Tri-City Electric Co., Davenport; and HNI Corp., Muscatine, Iowa. For information about sponsorships, contact Rhonda Roskos at rhonda@quadcitiesbusiness.com.
To nominate a Forty Under 40 candidate, fill out a nomination form at quadcitiesbusiness.com. Nominations require basic biographical information including a resume or bio, a statement of qualifications, and one or more letters of recommendation.
The fee to nominate a Forty Under 40 candidate is $25.
The Forty Under 40 honorees will be profiled in the Oct. 31 edition of the QCBJ. The awards will be presented at the Nov. 10 dinner. Tickets are $$60 per person or $580 for a table.
For more information about the event or nomination process, contact Jenni Hatz at jenni@quadcitiesbusiness.com or at (563) 345-7225.
Jennifer DeWitt is the editor of the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal.
