Atlantic City Weekly

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So you’ve just been told that you’ve been selected as one of the Top 40 under 40 by the Greater Atlantic City Jaycees and Atlantic City Weekly. You now join an exclusive club of business people, community leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals and all-around movers and shakers in southern New Jersey.

Here’s pretty much how the experience goes according to our honorees for the 6th Annual 2010 awards.

First comes some shock. Shock with a dash of humility, that is.

“At first I thought it was a joke,” says Steven Gallagher, emergency medical technician for AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center. “I mean, why me? I’m no one special. In fact, the reality of the event still eludes me. The honor of being in such an elite group of active members of society, of my peers ... In one word: wow!”

A very typical reaction from the winners, though a few were more surprised than others.

“I had never heard of the Top 40 under 40 before I received the e-mail congratulating me on being chosen,” says Tobiellen Care, program director for the Alcove Center for Grieving Children & Families. “I grew up around here and can’t believe I had never heard about it before ... and have to say I was embarrassed. I love my job and I am passionate about the work I do. However, I am not sure I deserve to be highlighted in this paper.”

For the honorees, however, their nominations aren’t up to them, but rather come from their peers and colleagues in the community. That leads to a little bit of pride that somebody (and sometimes several people) thought enough of you to put in your name. For some who knew they were nominated ahead of time (many nominators keep their identity a secret) they get a quick call of thanks.

Then comes the call to mom/spouse/kids/family and best friends to let them know.

Now at this point, you might think that’s pretty much the end of it — a few handshakes, a little basking in the glow, your picture in Atlantic City Weekly, a pretty cool party at Borgata’s MIXX that all the honorees are looking forward to.

It’s not even close.

After six years and now 240 honorees, the prestige of the annual list continues to grow. And thanks to the Internet and social network sites, word starts to spread pretty fast. Then the congratulations start to come in.

“I’ve received several e-mails congratulating me and welcoming me to the ranks,” says Stephanie Carr, director of education programs for Absecon Lighthouse. “But I was most surprised by the reactions on my Facebook announcement though. Lots of old high-school friends sent their wishes and kudos and it’s nice to know that those friends still care, even though I haven’t seen most of them in almost 20 years.”

In fact, according to many honorees, winning a Top 40 Under 40 slot brings you into more contact with old friends than many of those class reunion sites.

“They are all really excited,” says Nicole Zacchi, convention services manager for the A.C. Convention & Visitors Authority. “If you are a local, it is something that people look for every year, and they have all been very excited.”

Still, the word can get out in all kinds of ways.

“I have a cousin who lives in North Jersey,” says James Hunt, an attorney with Slater, Tenaglia, Fritz & Hunt. “She did not know about my nomination. She just happened to be at an Atlantic City casino for a trip, and she just happened to pick up the A.C. Weekly to flip through it. She was floored to see my picture on the cover page, and her and her friends got a big kick out of it. She took a bunch and distributed them to my whole family in North Jersey.”

And more than a few people among those congratulating our nominees see a little humor in it.

“They tell me my nose looks big in the picture!” says Shannon Wray, director of marketing & promotions for Equity Communications. (It doesn’t, by the way).

“I received many congratulations via phone, e-mail, Facebook, and friends and colleagues stopping me on the street just to say they read the article and it is well deserved,” says Linda Bruckler, sales and marketing manager for the Hard Rock Café. “Of course there are those funny comments like ‘What? Your under 40?’”