Local Leaders Honored at 40 Under 40 Awards in Hingham

A wellness expert, a restaurant owner and a Hingham author were among the young South Shore leaders honored Friday night at South Shore Stars’ second annual “40 Under 40 Awards.”

AC Gaughen of Hingham was honored for being a young adult author along with being a dedicated board member to Boston GLOW.

The awards ceremony was held Friday night in a waterfront tent at , the cocktail reception and awards gala was hosted by WCVB-TV anchor and South Shore native Bianca de la Garza and featured remarks by Hull entrepreneur John Earle, founder of the internationally known Johnny Cupcakes t-shirt brand.

Earle, who was among the inaugural 2010 recipients of the 40 Under 40 Awards, shared stories with attendees about working as a youth at Building 19 at the Harborlight Mall, and his early entrepreneurial efforts at holding yard sales stocked with items that belonged to members of his family.

“I learned that you shouldn’t hold a yard sale on a weekday,” he said. “I also learned that just because your dad’s tools are old doesn’t mean he doesn’t use them anymore.”

Earle, who has stores in Boston and Los Angeles and soon will open a store in London, said the best part about having his own business is being able to give back to the community.

“The real success in life is doing what you love,” he said. “And if I can do it with cupcakes on t-shirts, then you can do it with anything.”

In addition to the 40 award recipients, John Barata of Hanson was presented with Stars’ Rosemary Wahlberg Children’s Choice Award. The director of coaching for Easton Youth Soccer and a youth minister at Holy Cross Church, Barata was selected for the award in recognition of his many charitable and civic activities, including leading hundreds of high school students on community service trips to Appalachia. 

Named in honor of longtime community activist and Stars founding board member Rosemary Wahlberg, the award is given annually to an individual who has followed Wahlberg’s example of providing leadership and extraordinary commitment to improving the lives of South Shore families and children.

“It’s very humbling to receive this honor, especially since it’s named in honor of a woman who has contributed so much,” Barata said. “Rosemary Wahlberg has been an outstanding role model and a voice for those who didn’t have one.”

First launched in 2010 to mark South Shore Stars’ 40th anniversary, the 40 Under 40 Awards recognize 40 emerging South Shore leaders under the age of 40 for their professional accomplishments, civic engagement and demonstrated leadership potential.

“We were really pleased by the diversity of this year’s recipients,” said Executive Director Sheri Adlin, noting that awardees came from a variety of South Shore towns and represented a wide range of occupations. “One of the goals of the awards is to inspire young people by presenting them with role models of young people who are making a difference in their communities, and this year’s 40 Under 40 Award recipients demonstrate that there are many ways to make a positive impact.” 

The above release was submitted by Jennifer Logue of McCauley Logue Communications

Recipients of this year’s awards include:

 
Peter Abraham, Plymouth, Sales Manager, Convention Data Services

Shea Baker, Plymouth, Co-Owner, 3Thought Creative

John Barata, Easton, Director of Coaching, Easton Youth Soccer & Youth Minister, Holy Cross Church

Ryan Barrett, Quincy, Project Manager, E. L. Barrett Co.

Sean Bell, Pembroke, Product Engineering Technician, Electroswitch

Brittany & Robbie Bergquist, Norwell, Co-Founders, Cell Phones for Soldiers, Inc.

Todd Broderick, Scituate, VP Compensation & Benefits, Devonshire Investors

Delvyn Case, Quincy, Assistant Professor, Wheaton College

Michael Cesarini, Duxbury, Police Detective, Brockton Police Department

Eric Clark, Quincy, Owner, Quincy Tutoring & Director of Academic Success, Eastern Nazarene College

Nadidah Coveney, Weymouth, Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager, Rockland Trust

Rick Doane, Randolph, Executive Director, Interfaith Social Services

Christopher Ernest, Whitman, CPA, Blum Shapiro & Company, P.C.

Rasheeda Faulk, Canton, Coordinator / Community Relations, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Molly Garcia, Plymouth, Assistant Vice President, Mayflower Bank

AC Gaughen, Hingham, Young Adult Author/Board Member, Boston GLOW

Patricia Godio, Brockton, Massachusetts Promise Fellow, City of Brockton, Office of Mayor Linda M. Balzotti

David Grossman, Quincy, Director, Acquisitions, The Grossman Companies, Inc.

Michael Hajjar, Quincy, Owner, DJ Consignments

Lauren Hultin, Weymouth, Student, Weymouth Youth Coalition

LoAn Huynh, Weymouth, Chief Operating Officer, Lux Dental Inc.

Jennifer Kauffman, Quincy, Business Consultant, The Results Group, Inc.

Juliana Langille, Brockton, Executive Director, Community Connections of Brockton

Portia Lee, Stoughton, Quality Control Specialist, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Clemens Leung, Quincy, Assistant Vice President/Branch Manager, Rockland Trust

Jimmy Liang, Quincy, Restaurant Owner, Fuji 1546

Susannah Locketti, Pembroke, Owner/Creator, SL Multimedia

Marlo Mae Manning, Kingston, Principal/Owner, HR Solutions @ Work and Founder, Fairy DogParents, Inc.

Marianne Marquez, Hull, Account Executive, Knapp Schenck Insurance Agency

Karen Marshall, Quincy, Executive Director, Eastern Nazarene College Center for Responsibility and Justice

Gregory McLaughlin, Randolph, Financial Consultant, Centinel Financial Group

Kelly Myatt Broderick, Scituate, Owner, Zwei Design Inc.

Christina Nalband, Weymouth, Business Owner/College Student/Volunteer, Cupcake MoJo

Thomas Osuch, Weymouth, Commercial Loan Officer, S-BANK

Kristen Parsons, Quincy, Officer, State Street Corporation

Stacey Shipman, Weymouth, Wellness Advocate/Speaker/Publisher, Healthy South Shore

Liza Talusan, Brockton, Director of Intercultural Affairs, Stonehill College

Matt Ulvila, Plymouth, Co-Owner, 3Thought Creative

Chris Wetzel, Easton, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Stonehill College

Amanda & Dylan Young, Quincy, Students, Quincy College & Ben Franklin Institute

 
Proceeds from the reception will benefit Stars’ early education and youth development programs for children across the South Shore.