Arkansas Business 40 under 40

I recently was selected by the publication "Arkansas Business" to their 2012 40 under 40 class. It was a great honor and in the business and political world in Arkansas it has literally served as a list of the states up and coming leaders. To even be associated with the members of some of the former classes blows me away. This year there were more than 500 applicants for the coveted 40 spots given annually, and fortunately I was selected. It truly was the highest honor I could have recieved proffesionally at this point in my life. Polly and I will be traveling once again back to Little Rock for what seems like the 19th time in June next week to attend a luncheon honoring this years class. As fate would have it their are a couple of guys selected to this years class that I was friends with in college in Fayetteville. Although I was not surprised at all at their selections, I was surprised at my own. Here is the story from the June 18th edition of Arkansas Business:

Arkansas Business Unveils 2012 40 Under 40 ClassBy Gwen Moritz
6/18/2012 7:41:21 AM

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This week, Arkansas Business presents its 19th class of "40 Under 40" honorees. As you read the profiles, keep in mind that they were selected from more than 500 new nominations - plus dozens of still-eligible nominations from earlier years. We've never had so many to choose from, at least not in the 13 years that I have overseen this project.
More nominees helps assure the overall quality of the class, just like a bigger school tends to have a better football team. But there is a common drawback: The starters tend to be upperclassmen. Not one of this year's honorees is a 20-something; the youngest is 31 and only eight are under 35. This problem is the very reason Arkansas Business introduced a "20 in Their 20s" feature three years ago. We'll be featuring those "New Influentials" in the Sept. 24 issue, so don't forget to submit your nominations by Aug. 17 at ArkansasBusiness.com/20.
Because we had so many great nominees to choose from - and because, let's face it, we make the rules - we decided to jointly recognize twin brothers Walter and William Burgess, the second-generation executives of Power Technology of Alexander. I don't anticipate making this kind of exception in the future, but treating the Burgess brothers as a single entry allowed us to actually work in a 41st honoree.
A luncheon recognizing this year's honorees will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Little Rock on Wednesday, June 27. The luncheon is open to those of us who never made the cut. Click here for more details.

Each year, Arkansas Business presents our 40 Under 40 list to recognize intriguing business and political leaders under 40 years old who bear watching.

Archived here are profiles of the state's rising stars, as nominated by readers and chosen by the editors of Arkansas Business.

Matthew Glass, 34
Title:	President and CEO
Company:	Fidelity Insurance Group
City:	West Memphis
Published:	2012

Matthew Glass had what he said was a “cookie-cutter-perfect life,” but even a man in the insurance business couldn’t ensure it would stay that way.
Two years ago his son, Tapp Allen, was born with a rare chromosomal disorder called Potocki-Lupski syndrome, which causes developmental delays.
Being thrust into a life filled with visits to the Department of Human Services, he said, “opened me up to a whole new world of people living in poverty. At DHS you see things you’re not exposed to; you’re around a whole new demographic.”
Since then, Glass has become a passionate advocate for people with disabilities. In 2011, he was appointed to the Governor’s Developmental Disabilities Council, and he serves on the board of the Frank C. Steudlein Learning Center, a day treatment center in West Memphis for people with developmental disabilities.
He is also active in the West Memphis community, where he serves as director of the board for the Mid-South Community College Foundation and treasurer of the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club. “I know I can make my community better and the only way is to be involved in it,” he said.
His commitment to service extends to his more than 1,500 clients at Fidelity Insurance Group, where he has helped double revenue since he joined the company four years ago.
“I knew we had to do a better job of serving the people of Crittenden County and all over the state of Arkansas,” he said. “If your main goal is to help someone, the dividends that it pays are infinite.”