COLUMBIA BASIN — The squeaky wheel may get the grease, but sometimes the other wheels are working just as hard without making noise. That’s true in the business world, too: sometimes the people making the most difference are the quiet ones, flying under the radar. The Basin Business Journal would like to know about those people.

“We're trying to find people in Eastern Washington, young professionals under the age of 40, who are making a difference in the workplace or within their communities,” said Janis Rountree, advertising manager for the Basin Business Journal. “I mean, there's so many people that do great things, and they don't like to brag about what they do. People help nonprofits; they help organizations and volunteer. We want to give these people a little bit of recognition and say, ‘Hey, look at what these guys are doing.’”

Naturally, most of those people won’t stand up and make themselves known, so the Business Journal invites anyone who wants to to nominate someone in their community for the “40 under 40” list. Nominations opened on May 1 and will be accepted through June 30, and the list will be published in the July 26 issue of the Journal. The list will include people who show excellence in their business or organization and contribute to its overall success, stand out among their peers and colleagues, show strong community involvement and are 39 or younger on Aug. 24, 2023.

Nominations can be submitted at https://bit.ly/BBJ-40u40-2023. The online form asks for the nominee’s city of residence, their business or organization and, of course, their age, as well as a brief description of how the person demonstrates excellence. There’s also an opportunity to upload a couple of letters of support, but those are optional.

It’s also perfectly fine for people who qualify to nominate themselves, Rountree added.

Rountree said the purpose is to highlight the leaders of tomorrow. Many of today’s movers and shakers are getting older and retiring, she said.

“Who’s going to fill their shoes?” she asked.

Joel Martin is a staff writer, paginator and senior dad-joke-teller who recently celebrated 26 years at the Columbia Basin Herald. He may be reached at [email protected].