Photography by Cedric Smith.
Compiled by Sarah Taylor Asquith, Amy Paige Condon and Maggie Harney
This year marks the seventh annual Generation NEXT, an event dreamt up by Savannah magazine and Business in Savannah (BiS) that celebrates this city’s game changers. Two catches: The individuals must be under the age of 40, and you, our readers, nominate them.
The 2017 winners do much more than great business—they are the makers of big ideas and have a mind for, well, what’s next. One of them is the co-owner and brand builder of a brewery built around giving back. Another created a fund that provides veterans and disabled children with service animals. In fact, several are whip-smart owners of businesses, from fine jewelry to real estate, pet sitting to insurance. There are marketing and creative whizzes, along with a highly accomplished attorney, hotelier, project manager and financiers. One winner is devoted to the academic growth of local low-income students, another directs U.S. export shipments, and yet another, some of this city’s biggest hotel developments.
Here, we bring them all together, harnessing their collective minds for the greater good of our community. It’s an opportunity to create new connections across the city’s myriad industries, and to have a deeper discussion around several issues facing Savannah’s business community. Dive into our web exclusive Q&A’s here, and for more, grab the latest copy of Savannah magazine, the New Frontiers issue, out on stands 1/1.
THE WINNERS
Candace Adkins, 35, VP and Regional Sales Area Manager, Ameris Bank
Kristen Baird-Rabun, 27, CEO and CVO, Kristen Baird, fine jewelry
Erica Cannon, 30, Owner, Savannah Pet Sitters LLC
Emily M. Doherty, 38, Marketing Communications Manager, Georgia Tech Savannah
Vernon Donovan, 34, Owner and Agent, Vernon Donovan State Farm Insurance
Christy Edwards, 34, Executive Director, Horizons Savannah
Bryan Ferris, 32, Senior Project Manager, JE Dunn Construction
Jack H. Green Jr., 38, Financial Advisor, Northwestern Mutual
Jamie Gwaltney, 38, Business Unit Leader and Vice President, Moffatt & Nichol
Jackie Johnson, 37, Director of Exports, Page International, Inc.
Jessica L. Kelly, 39, Broker and Co-Owner, Engel & Völkers Savannah
Britnee Kinard, 34, Founder and President, SD Gunner Fund
Heather Lundy, 32, Attorney, Hunter Maclean
Kris Patel, 27, Chief Financial Officer, HOS Management
Brian J. Prevatt, CPA, 31, Tax Manager, Hancock Askew & Co., LLP
Ryan Sewell, 32, CPCU, Client Executive, Seacrest Partners, Inc.
Whitney Shephard, 40, Principal Engineer and Planner, Transport Studio; Co-Owner, Green Truck Pub
Meredith Anne Sutton, 35, Co-Owner and Creative Marketing Director, Service Brewing, and founder of her namesake jewelry company
Anthony Valdez, 30, Creative Director, Clark Creative
Cynthia Wright, 25, Junior Partner, Carriage Trade Public Relations and Cecilia Russo Marketing