PHOTOS BY HUCK BEARD

The selection of the inaugural class of 40 Under 40 in 1999 came at a time when Pittsburgh was losing a large share of its newly minted college graduates to more dynamic cities that offered better career opportunities.

In fact, it was a graduate student’s letter to the editor to a local newspaper, lamenting this exodus, that prompted the founding of the Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project four years earlier. The membership organization, now called PUMP, aims to mobilize young people to create change in the community. PUMP quickly became a partner of the 40 Under 40 project, which had the greater incentive to keep our young leaders in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Magazine editors initially were skeptical that 40 young leaders could be identified here. But once they put the word out, “With surprising speed, names began to filter in over email and the fax machine … our list quickly grew to more than 80 names,” they wrote at the time.

Pittsburgh Magazine staffers judged candidates not only on their professional achievements and impact on the community but also on each person’s vision and the amount of change that the honoree had spurred or would likely make. The editors also wanted a group that represented a broad variety of ethnic, geographical and professional backgrounds. Another goal was to try to catch a glimpse of the future, to envision what lay ahead in areas such as dance, medicine, business, cuisine and high tech.

Today we assemble a 15-to-20-member independent judging panel made up of business, health care, nonprofit and community leaders, former 40 Under 40 winners and a few Pittsburgh Magazine editors. Each year the honorees are selected from more than 200 nominations; the finalists are promoted and scrutinized in a several-hour session where conversations can become passionate, but the judges are always respectful of each other’s views.

But the hard work is really done by the honorees. They excel not just in their career but also in their service to the community. Several have experienced hardships in their younger years that make their accomplishments all the more amazing. You can read about the 2023 class here.

Congratulations to all the honorees — 1,000 outstanding young leaders — selected over the last 25 years.

Virginia Linn can be reached at vlinn@pittsburghmagazine.com.