The 30 up-and-coming community and business leaders selected for The Wenatchee Valley Business World’s 30 Under 35 Class of 2022 have been busy achieving and exceeding the goals they’ve set for themselves.
Their worlds are not rocked by setbacks. They learn from mistakes, recalibrate their goals and keep going, with impressive results. The group includes five business owners, a business manager, four administrators, three educators, a police officer and a mix of engineers, analysts, real estate and financial representatives.
Almost three-quarters of them grew up in the Wenatchee Valley and 70% have college degrees — though not all are working in the field they studied. More than one-third have children, 57% say they are inspired by their own parents. The youngest is 23, seven are 34.
Each defines success differently, with a focus on individuality.
“To me, true success is not your job title and pay. Success is staying true to who you are, working hard and being proud of your efforts, accomplishments and how you handle yourself,” said Brittney Loveall-Talley, the 34-year-old producer at Heirloom Creatives, a videography and photography company.
Others echoed her sentiment, touting the value of discovering your own path and the need to continue to look to the future.
“Success for me is going home at night with a huge smile on my face and waking up the next morning excited for the day and excited to see what challenges come my way,” said Foothills Middle School teacher Darby Kaminski, 25.
The class members also seemed to agree that a successful community requires commonality — collaboration, communication, practical compromise and inclusion.
“One person’s success, however big or small, is everyone’s success,” said Tona Chacón, 34, the program manager for CAFE (Community for the Advancement of Family Education).
We have included the profiles of each of the class members in this issue, touching on the achievements that led to their being nominated and then selected this year, along with their responses to a question we put to them about how they define success for themselves and the community.
We also are spotlighting two of this year’s class as examples of the caliber of the young leaders likely to play a big part in the region’s future.
Jessica Diaz Guerrero, 29, is a newly commissioned Quincy Police officer, whose interest in serving the community started when she was a student at Cashmere High School. Landing what she describes as her "dream job" has included a host of hurdles.
Cody King, 30, is the owner of Blue Spoon Dessert Bar, previously known as Blue Spoon Yogurt. He purchased the two locations last year. His business background includes 10 years working at Dutch Bros., learning what it takes to be a good employee and now, a good boss.
If their stories bring to mind other young leaders with bright futures, take note. Nominations for the Class of 2023 will open next spring.
Find out more about this year’s class members in the “30 Under 35: Next Question” Q&A that will appear in the weekend editions of The Wenatchee World starting in September.
Discuss the news on NABUR, a place to have local conversations The Neighborhood Alliance for Better Understanding and Respect ✔ A site just for our local community ✔ Focused on facts, not misinformation ✔ Free for everyone
