Editor's Notes

Nominated by you,

readers of the Blue Ridge Business Journal. Vetted by us, the Business Journal team. We are thrilled to introduce to you 20 leaders and rising stars under 40 years of age who are blazing trails through the regional business landscape. Brace yourself for sudden inspiration.

But first, lets get the fine print out of the way:

This is not a scientific survey, and not a popularity contest. Some of these folks you may have heard of, or even had the pleasure of doing business with. Others are working quietly, sometimes thanklessly, behind the scenes but are making their mark nonetheless.

This is subjective, because we are human, and so are you. This was painstakingly researched, and Im talking burning the midnight oil in the conference room nights on end. Wading through applications and reading, sometimes several times over, each and every one. With a slight breeze, we were brushing papers away from our faces like they were locusts on a summer evening. The latter is perhaps a slight exaggeration.

The point is, we worked hard so that the choices are solid. And while this process is inherently unfairobviously, throughout the whole of Roanoke, Lynchburg, New River Valley and everywhere in between, there are more than just 20 exceptional and deserving under-40 starsI think you will appreciate getting to know the ones we at last selected.

How we approached an impossible task:

With great care and, admittedly, more than just a little trepidation. With awe and with humility. The candidates we learned about were in many, many cases truly exceptional individuals. And you will meet some of those not selected in later issueswe have lovingly set these applications aside for future stories.

What were we thinking ??

We thought about the important issues of our time and place and considered each candidate through this complex prism. From health care to economic development, education to environment, to everything in between. We considered the creative class, the folks who many experts recognize as the economic and cultural lifeblood of a place. We considered visionthe ones who are thinking outside of the box and in some cases, smashing that darn thing to bits.

We looked for drive, of course, and what our candidates had accomplished over the course of their careers. But its our contention that most of our readers, their friends and colleagues boast luminous CVsthat most of you are working hard, and that very few of you are out there sitting on your duffs. So instead we paid extra attention to those well-rounded folks. To those who muster the strength and heart to lift their faces from that grindstone, to embrace all that life has to offer. To those who look beyond the trappings of self-interest to in some way, be it great or small, change the world.

Read all about them on page 10.

To the Class of 2009, we tip our hats.

-Elizabeth