Reach for the sky, if you fall, you will fall among the stars. For the third year in a row and as always The Network Journal is proud to present our third annual 40-Under-Forty Achievement Awards program which profiles 40 of the area’s top Black business owners and professionals. What makes this program unique is that these talented individuals are under the age of 40 and are having tremendous success in their chosen careers, while supporting their community in the process.

Contrary to belief, the African American community is full of exuberant, hopeful and enthusiastic people who qualify for our list of 40 rising stars under the age of 40. Finding Black professionals, therefore, wasn’t that hard. Our desktops were quickly covered with more than 200 resumes, portfolios, presentation packages and referral letters that were mailed, faxed, e-mailed and sent to us via special courier by individuals.

So, just how did we choose the top 40 out of this plethora of candidates? 
The judges carefully considered what applicants’ peers had to say about them. The judges looked for leadership ability, involvement in the community, ingenuity, drive and success and they did a fantastic job in identifying those they believed to be the top of the crop. 

We are once again proud to showcase each of these rising stars to you in the pages that follow. 

I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the members of the business community who recognized and nominated many of this year’s candidates. A special note of thanks goes to our sponsors, AXA Advisors, IBM and WBLS for offering their names, influence, resources and spirit.

Through their support, these sponsors show their commitment to our community.

If you are in New York City at this time, I invite you to join us as we recognize our outstanding leaders on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 6:30 p.m., with a special awards banquet in their honor at the Roosevelt Hotel. 

Each honoree will be presented with a distinguished award. We hope you enjoy reading this publication as much as we have creating it.

Congratulations to our winners. They are proof that we too can seize the opportunity to applaud the best and the brightest Black entrepreneurs and professionals.