By Gigi Wood

CORRIDOR–The names may be new, but the faces might be familiar.

One of the exciting parts about the Corridor Business Journal’s annual Forty Under 40 list of honorees is, in many cases, the names are new to our readers. The faces may be familiar, though, because the honorees can so often be found out in the community participating in events and helping others.

The names will become more familiar during the coming months and years as the honorees are increasingly recognized for their work and as they take on new challenges.

Check out more photos of our 2012 class on the events page. 

There are demographic differences between each of the honorees this year, but one sentiment was shared by nearly every one: a commitment to community work in an effort to make the Corridor a better place.

“You can’t do it all by yourself (professionally),” said honoree Adam McLaughlin, second vice president of business services at MidWestOne Bank. “And you’ve got to get out in the  community and get involved. Get to know the community and volunteer.”

Many of them are also small business owners, either following in the industry footsteps of a parent or starting out on their own. They work on growing their businesses, raising their families and having a positive impact on the region.

“You have to work hard, nothing is given to you. This wasn’t given to me, and I’m still building it up,” said Brian Meyer, owner of SERVPRO of Iowa City/Coralville and Ottumwa/Oskaloosa.

Geographically, the honorees are mostly from Linn County, with 18 living in Cedar Rapids, one in Hiawatha, one in Marion, one in Mount Vernon and another in Springville. A dozen call Iowa City home, while three live in Coralville and one in Solon. Meanwhile, one hails from Monticello in Jones County.

The youngest honoree is 28-year-old Shawn Cornally, while the oldest is Brian Weber, who turns 40 in November.

Industry-wise, the majority of honorees work for nonprofits, healthcare, banking and education. And a few, like Kara Trebil, director of civic engagement for Cornell College, help others become involved in community work.

“When students come to college, they’re open minded, they’re looking for new experiences, they’re craving an opportunity to see something new or be challenged,” Ms. Trebil said.

“So providing opportunities for them to be engaged in the community service does that. It gets them outside of their comfort zone and makes them look at the world differently.”

Then there are the handful of honorees who work for University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, who have strive to provide better care for a variety of patients, from those with cancer to veterans.

“Cancer nursing is the most rewarding career I ever imagined,” said Ami Gaarde, nurse manager of UIHC’s Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Clinic. “Everyday, I know my day, no matter how hard it would be, would never be nearly as bad as anyone I see that’s a cancer patient.”

Then there’s Christopher Blosser, director of the transplant program at the Iowa City VA Health Care System, who helps teenagers stay on their medications after an organ transplant.

“I split my time between caring for patients with kidney transplants,” Mr. Blosser said. “I teach science out of medicine, do research on the immune system and how we adhere to a plan and look to the use of social media like Facebook to see if we can improve adherence.”

Some of the Forty Under 40 honorees have a list of accomplishments so long, it’s difficult to believe they are younger than 40 years old. But they are, and will be recognized at an awards dinner Oct. 23 at the Coralville Marriott.

Help us congratulate our 2012 class: