This year marks the seventh Forty Under 40 class. More than 150 Oklahoma City-area professionals under the age of 40 were nominated.

"The selection process was no easy one," said Bill Bleakley, OKCBusiness president and CEO said. "The applicant pool grew exponentially this year. It was an eclectic mix of Central Oklahoma's best and brightest who provide the synergism and momentum for which our community is known."

The 2007 honorees:

Schad Meldrum, City of Oklahoma City
Clay Wilber, MHM
Dirk O'Hara, Norman Senior Care
Jodi Lewis, Oklahoma Community Institute
Kelley Grace, MHM
Scott Martin, Oklahoma House of Representatives
Tim Lobner, Trammell Crow Company
Jim Tedrow, The Compliance Resource Group, Inc.
Brian Fitzsimmons, Fitzsimmons Architects, Inc.
David Wanzer, J3 Architecture
Catheryn Koss, Senior Law Resource Center
Sara Lashley, Saxum Strategic Communications
Melissa Alcorn, OMRF Tech Transfer
Kyle Essmiller, Chesapeake Energy Corporation
Pam Gutel, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Luisa Gomez-Lucas, South OKC Chamber of Commerce
Preston Moon, Mason and Moon Advertising
Craig Litle, First Fidelity Bank
April Tippens Mays, Hoffman Enterprises
Gene Brown, Frankfurt Short Bruza Associates
Jennifer Grigsby, Chesapeake Energy Corporation
Stacy Coleman, SSM of Oklahoma
Chris Kenney, American Fidelity Assurance Co.
Phil Lance, Integris Health
Matt McGuire, Heritage Trust
Suzanne Mitchell, Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
Karen Youngblood, University of Central Oklahoma
Paula Porter, Easter Seals of Oklahoma
David Tedford, Cardinal Engineering, Inc.
D.J. Thompson, United Way of Central Oklahoma
Matt Brown, Red Rock Distributing Co., Inc.
Vonnie Anderson, Bank of Oklahoma
Lee Ann Bratten, Sonic, America's Drive-In
Jorge Hernandez, Tango Public Relations
Julia Kirt, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition
Justin Byrne, Devon Energy Corporation
Evan Walter, A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc.
Chip Sears, Bellini's Restaurante & Grill
Gary Armbruster, Meyer Architecture Plus, LLC
Ashley Christofferson-Cunningham, Brass Brick Homes