On April 26, the Long Beach Post in a partnership with Choura Events inaugurated our 40 Under 40 event at the Grand here in Long Beach. The idea behind the event was simple: if there is a cohesive belief that runs through all those that contribute to the Long Beach Post, it is the mere fact that in order to build a distinct, dynamic community, we must recognize those who contribute to its betterment. The power of recognition cannot be relegated to the given and apparent, but must dig deeper in order to find the voices that are not only continuously recognized, but those perhaps not quite heard, the faces who are perhaps not much seen, and the hands that are perhaps not quite shaken enough.
With over 200 nominations received, a panel of distinct judges whittled down those nominees into a final 40 honorees at the Grand that night. Despite winners being named, the night proved that everyone who is altering this city to make it better are achievers that deserve to be honored.
And in that sense, that was the aura of the evening. As bartenders poured, music painted the air, and food hit plates, the crowd of over 300 happily mingled, networked, and celebrated each other’s accomplishments with a sense of both humility and pride. Take a look at the extraordinary event.
All photos courtesy of Meredith Gradishar at Zoom Theory Photography.
