In front of an event-record audience at the historic Appalachian Theatre in Downtown Boone, 16 emerging High Country’s leaders were highlighted, and five honorees earned top accolades during the 8th annual Boone Area Chamber of Commerce 4 Under 40 Awards ceremony. The event was hosted Wednesday, April 23, 2024, in front of over 220 attendees.
The 4 Under 40 awards are presented annually by Appalachian Commercial Real Estate.
Nearly 70 nominations were submitted by local community members for this year’s awards, and 16 finalists across four categories were recognized during the event. Over 130 individuals have been recognized during the 4 Under 40 Awards since the event’s inception in 2017.
The evening also included the presentation of the annual Respect Your Elder award, which is given to a community member who has offered support and mentorship to aspiring leaders.
Nominees were sought in the categories of business owner, education professional, non-profit business professional, and rising star. A biography of each award honoree is listed below.
Business Owner: Rowen Todd, Mountain Vista Window Washing
Rowen Todd started Mountain Vista Window Washing out of the back of a Subaru Forester at the age of 16, with dreams of creating a quality work environment for his family. In 2018, he joined the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce and started cleaning commercial storefronts. At the time, he was attending Watauga High School with a dual enrollment at Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute.
As the pandemic’s economic impact was felt in early 2020, and with most retail businesses suspending window cleaning, Mountain Vista lost 80% of its commercial clients. In this void, Todd pivoted the business toward residential services, including window cleaning, gutter cleaning, and pressure washing. Thanks to his efforts, he was named as a finalist for the 2020 4 Under 40 awards, and Mountain Vista was recognized as the 2020 Watauga County Start Up Business Of The Year. With his business back in a growth mode, Todd graduated from Watauga High School and CCC&TI with an Associate’s Degree in addition to his high school diploma. Now recognized as a premier property service provider in the High Country, Mountain Vista has grown to operate three vans with a team of eight working to provide timely and reliable services to the residents and businesses in the High Country. The dedication from this small team helped them earn a Customer Service Award from the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce in addition to other recognition throughout the region.
The 4 Under 40 Business Owner Award was sponsored by Kid Cove, with 2023 honoree Halee Hartley presenting this year’s honor to Todd.
Additional Business Owner finalists include:
Kacy Goff – Sew Bee It Custom Designs and Bedding – As her career started, she helped the business rebound from the impacts of the Great Recession of 2008. Creating a new business model and building relationships over the last 16 years, she now leads Sew Bee It as an industry leader for quality and customer service.
Tiffany Weitzen – Wonder Pelvic Therapy & Wellness – Established herself quickly as a leader in pelvic floor therapy and works with clients to educate them about long-term benefits of this specialty care. The emergence of her practice has seen the business develop as a leading voice in women’s health care and education.
James Wheeler – Elk River Recruiting Company – Using the experience of working with small businesses to navigate the post-COVID labor market, today Elk River Recruiting Company helps companies of all sizes fill roles from executive level management to operations. Their team has worked with some of the largest employers in the region to fill specific and complex roles, while also working to solve part-time and seasonal labor needs in a tourism-dominant economy.
Non-Profit Business Professional: Jenn Bass, Executive Director, Hunger & Health Coalition
Jenn Bass has served as Executive Director of Hunger & Health Coalition since July 2022, and recently announced she will be leaving the agency in July 2024 to continue her career pursuits. She is quick to reference the role former H&HC Executive Director Elizabeth Young played in her professional and personal development, preparing her for a quick ascension through the leadership ranks.
Bass began her non-profit career with Boone-based Wine to Water, before beginning a five-year journey with H&HC. She quickly became program director of A Simple Gesture, a community engagement effort that encourages residents and businesses to fill reusable shopping bags with non-perishable food items which are then collected by agency staff for distribution in their food pantry.
After earning a promotion to Director of Communications in 2021, Bass was tapped for the Executive Director position less than a year later. In her tenure, H&HC has created and hired 11 new positions while taking on around 1,600 additional clients. She is lauded by staff for promoting a positive workplace culture, working with her team to avoid burnout while committing the organization to provide staff with a long-term career path in the industry.
The 4 Under 40 Non-Profit Professional Award was sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, with Wayne Randall presenting this year’s honor to Bass.
Additional Non-Profit Business Professional finalists include:
Elena Dalton, Executive Director, F.A.R.M. Cafe – Elena Dalton became the Executive Director at F.A.R.M Cafe in November of 2022. She first came to F.A.R.M as a Program Coordinator in January of 2018, when she began the research and development of what is now the F.A.R.M Full Circle food recovery and redistribution program. Elena was the Healthy Food System Award recipient in 2018 and has served as the Chair of the Watauga Food Council.
Ethan Flynn, Director of Grant Funding, Hospitality House of Northwest North Carolina – In August 2018, after serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA, Flynn was hired by Hospitality House as a full time Supportive Services Specialist and then promoted to Service Coordinator of the Emergency Shelter program. In April 2022, he was promoted to Director of Grant Funding.
Nathan Godwin, Director of Development, Watauga Habitat for Humanity – Works alongside homeowners, donors and volunteers to build homes, communities and hope with those in need. Before his role at Watauga Habitat, Godwin worked at The Mountain Times Publications in advertising sales. An active member of Boone Sunrise Rotary, he also serves as a skateboarding instructor through Appalachian State University’s Physical Education Department.
Rising Star: Moss Brennan, Editor, Watauga Democrat
Moss Brennan graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in journalism in May 2021. He started as a reporter at the Watauga Democrat while he was still in school and became editor of Watauga County’s paper of record in September of that same year, making him one of the youngest editors in the 136-year history of the publication.
Under Brennan’s leadership, the Watauga Democrat has earned two consecutive North Carolina Press Association General Excellence awards, one of the most prestigious newspaper awards in the state. In 2023, Brennan’s own work was recognized, earning a first-place profile feature award for his story “Ukraine to Boone: One family’s journey from war,” and a second-place beat news reporting award for “WCS Stop the Bleed training helps student, brother save another’s life.”
Outside of work, Brennan is a member of the Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department and the Watauga County Rescue Squad. He also enjoys reading and going on hikes with his partner, Lindy.
Brennan was a finalist for the 2023 Rising Star Award.
The 4 Under 40 Rising Star Award was sponsored by Beech Mountain Resort, with Talia Freeman presenting this year’s honor to Brennan.
Additional Rising Star finalists include:
Mariana Greene, Public Communications Specialist, New River Light & Power – Committed to NRLP’s mission of educating and engaging consumers while providing safe and reliable energy through public outreach and advocacy as a communications liaison. She is a dedicated volunteer, contributing thousands of volunteer hours to both Army and civilian organizations over the last 20 years. Most recently, she has served as a Buddy for the Colon Cancer Alliance, mentoring and offering support as a survivor to current cancer warriors.
Juliet Rath, Growth Strategist, Lazarus Design Team – Started her career in nonprofit marketing and has since held multiple communication roles such as Account Management, Sales, and Influencer Marketing. She works as a key member of Lazarus Design Team, with seven locations spanning the east coast, and founded out of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Appalachian State University. Her adventures on social media highlight the best nonprofits and businesses the High Country has to offer.
Hannah Woodburn, Staff Scientist & Community Organizer, MountainTrue – Responsible for managing all of the active water quality programs, volunteer coordination, and educational outreach in the High Country. She recently received her master’s degree in biology from Appalachian State University in December 2023, with a focus on the health of freshwater systems in the Southern Blue Ridge.
Education Professional: Dr. Katie Wall, Associate Professor & Program Coordinator, Lees-McRae College
Dr. Katie Wall began her career at Lees-McRae College in 2016 after finishing her doctorate and working with Outdoor Programs at Appalachian State University. Dr. Wall was brought to Lees-McRae to design their first outdoor recreation-related academic program. Since her time at the College, she has created three programs: Outdoor Recreation Management, Ski Industry Business & Instruction, and Wilderness Medicine & Rescue.
The Outdoor Recreation Management program is the only outdoor recreation program in a school of business in the country. The Ski Industry Business & Instruction program is one of only three on the East Coast and is housed at Beech Mountain Resort, and the Wilderness Medicine & Rescue program is the only one of its kind in the country. These academic programs are highly experiential, fast-growing, and unique. They oversee various facilities, including the Adventure Park Learning Lab, Wildcat Lake & Equipment Rentals, indoor climbing wall and outdoor climbing sites, disc golf course, and the Brigham Beech Mountain Classroom.
Additionally, Dr. Wall created expedition programming at Lees-McRae that focuses on taking students on extended outdoor skill-based domestic and international trips. Five expeditions per year are offered through the outdoor academic programs. Thus far, the programs have traveled to various western ski resorts in CO, ID, MT, UT, WY, Western National Parks, Baja, Bahama, and Belize. Under her leadership, she also created the High Country Film & Speaker Series, hosting multiple outdoor-related films on campus, and Mountain Legends, an event honoring High Country outdoor industry leaders.
Dr. Wall is an Associate Professor, the Faculty Senate Vice President, and Academic Travel Coordinator at Lees-McRae College. She is a Wilderness EMT, Certified Outdoor Educator, Leave No Trace Instructor, Board Member for Landmark Learning, and an Advisory Committee Member for MadeXMtns.
The 4 Under 40 Education Professional Award was sponsored by First Chair Coffee Shop, with Michael Stanford presenting this year’s honor to Dr. Wall.
Additional Education Professional finalists include:
Jessica Dale, Academic Coordinator, Upward Bound, Appalachian State University – After starting her career in the nonprofit sector as an advocate for victims and survivors of intimate partner violence, Dale made a career shift to the Upward Bound program at Appalachian State in 2019. She stands committed to providing support and guidance to rural students as they navigate their high school careers and prepare for their futures as first-generation college students.
Travis Gillespie, Principal, Hardin Park School – After a brief stint in Caldwell County, Gillespie returned to Watauga County Schools in the summer of 2024 to lead Hardin Park School, the second-largest school in the district. Started his career as an 8th grade math and science teacher at Parkway School, and used a 2012 Master’s Degree in School Administration from Appalachian State University to turn his career toward school leadership.
Jenny Webb – Professor, Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute – In 2012, Webb worked for a program funded by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to assist young adults in pursuing educational and work-based learning opportunities. This experience would later lead her to the community college system. Today she enjoys her dream job at CCC&TI, teaching Academic Success and Sociology courses.
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