Meet Ottawa’s 2018 Forty Under 40 recipients

The co-founder of one of the city’s most popular craft breweries, a tech exec whose firm has twice topped OBJ’s list of fastest-growing companies and a key member of an iconic Ottawa retail chain are among the recipients of the 2018 Forty Under 40 awards.

Nearly 300 applications were submitted for the 21st edition of the awards and, for the first time ever, the majority of those who made the coveted final cut – 22 out of 40 – are women.

“It’s great to see so many well-deserving young business leaders, particularly women, being recognized for their outstanding achievements,” said OBJ print editor David Sali, one of the judges of this year’s competition. “It shows Ottawa’s business community is clearly in good hands heading into the future.”

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This year’s winners have excelled in many fields of commerce, from the boardroom to the brewhouse.

Among the new crop of recipients is Shane Clark, the co-founder of Beyond the Pale Brewing Co. Since its launch six years ago, the Ottawa brewery has grown into one of the largest and best-known labels in eastern Ontario, selling more than 50,000 litres a month of products such as its Pink Fuzz grapefruit-infused wheat beer.

Other recipients include Taylor Fantin, chief administrative officer and vice-president of finance at downtown tech firm Fullscript. Since Fantin joined the online system for prescribing and delivering natural health products in 2012, its headcount has grown from five to 85, and the firm topped OBJ’s list of fastest-growing companies in both 2016 and 2017.

The historic female cohort features Giant Tiger senior vice-president Julia Knox, who joined the retail chain in 2010 and has overseen an extensive renovation campaign across more than 200 stores as well as the relaunch and rebranding of its men’s and women’s apparel business.

Also making the list is the Kanata North Business Association’s new executive director, Jamie Petten, who is known for her work with SaaS accelerator L-Spark and the SaaS North conference.

Forty Under 40 recognizes accomplished business leaders who are under the age of 40 and give back to their community. The awards are presented by Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s fantastic to see the recipients hailing from different industries and backgrounds,” said chamber president and CEO Ian Faris, who also served as one of the judges. “These young business leaders demonstrate the enormous amount of talent we have in this city. Their pioneering nature and visionary thinking will generate economic benefits in the years ahead as Ottawa is fast becoming the centre of talent attraction and innovation.”

Other judges on this year’s panel included past recipients Iwona Albrecht of law firm Soloway Wright, Patrick Dion of Greenbridge Consulting Group and Robert Rheaume of BDO Canada.

Recipients were assessed on a 40-point system, with a maximum of 20 points for business accomplishments, 10 points for professional expertise and 10 points for community involvement.

The recipients will meet in late May at the Telfer Executive MBA facility for an afternoon of introductions and sharing their stories. OBJ will profile each recipient in its June 4 issue, and the group will be celebrated at a gala at the Hilton Lac-Leamy on June 15.