This is the 27th year Inside Business has honored young professionals who are successful in their careers and involved in the community. The 40 people highlighted here represent a wide range of occupations and talents. They all work hard and volunteer often to make Hampton Roads a better place.
It is our hope this honor encourages them and others to go out and work even harder to be successful and make a difference in the region. We thank our judges, listed here, whose commitment to this program has made it stronger over the years. We also recognize our sponsors and advertisers, without whose support the event and this publication about the honorees would not be possible. Special thanks to contributing editor Ron Crow, who compiled and edited the honoree profiles.
Photos
Photographer: Amanda MacDiarmid, Stellar ExposuresSpace provided by: Assembly, assemblynfk.com
The event
When: 5:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 28
Where: The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center, 4535 Commerce St.
More information: virginiaMedia.com/top-forty-under-40/
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The judges
Walter T. Camp (Courtesy photo)
Walter T. Camp
Attorney, mediator, CMA and consultant
Top 40 class of 2001 | Walter T. Camp is an independent commercial mediator also serving nonprofit and business clients as an interim executive, consultant, attorney, construction owner’s representative and certified management accountant. In 2022, he was honored by Gov. Glenn Youngkin as Virginia’s Adult Volunteer of the Year, by Volunteer Hampton Roads as the region’s Adult Volunteer of the Year and by the Virginia Recreation & Park Society as one of two statewide Distinguished Volunteers. He is appointed to the Virginia Supreme Court’s mediation quality panel, Virginia Beach Active Transportation Advisory Committee, the Virginia Beach Mayor’s Commission on Offshore Wind & Clean Energy and Virginia Beach Planning Commission.
Sierrah Chavis (courtesy Sierrah Chavis)
Sierrah Chavis
Educator, nonprofit leader
Top 40 class of 2023 | Sierrah Chavis is founder of Bossy Girl Inc., as well as the director of strategic initiatives at United Way South Hampton Roads. She has written “No Shame in My Pain,” “From Pain to Power” and her most recent children’s book, “Dance of Colors: Caribbean Rhythms and Family Traditions.” She has earned numerous accolades, including the Diversity Champion Award from Old Dominion University, the Impact Leadership Award from the Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and Teacher of the Year from the Virginia Council for Learning Disabilities. Chavis finds joy in her Guyanese and Barbadian heritage, often expressing her love for culture through cooking and storytelling.
Jennifer Ann Saunders Pfitzner (courtesy Jennifer Pfitzner)
Jennifer Ann Saunders Pfitzner
Partner, Saunders, Matthews & Pfitzner
Top 40 class of 2007 | Jennifer Ann Saunders Pfitzner is a partner with accounting firm Saunders, Matthews & Pfitzner, PLLC. Her community involvement includes board positions with ForKids as treasurer, Randolph-Macon Yellow Jacket Club, The Maury Foundation, The Wards Corner Lions Club and related foundation and advisory positions with the Hampton Roads Community Foundation and Cedar Point Ladies Golf Association. She is the 2023 recipient of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation’s Barron F. Black Community Builder Award, a 2016 graduate of the CIVIC Leadership Institute, a 2017 Women in Business honoree (Inside Business) and 2015 Norfolk Small Business of the Year honoree (Hampton Roads Chamber).
Adam Rex (courtesy of Adam Rex)
Adam T. Rex
Vice president, certified financial planner
Top 40 class of 2010 | Rex is a board registered financial planner in a family-owned, full-service financial advisory firm. He volunteers with financial literacy programs, including various high schools in the area, has served on numerous boards including NAIFA, National Institute for Learning Development, Hampton Roach Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, United Way Young Leaders and others. His work focuses on helping clients make fiscally sound decisions to set themselves up for “whatever comes next.” He has been highlighted in a number of periodicals including Kiplinger’s, Advisor Today, Round the Table and others. Rex is committed to seeing more regionalism success and believes the Top Forty Under 40 represents the best and brightest our community has to honor.
Owen Van Syckle (courtesy Owen Van Syckle)
Owen Van Syckle
Founder, Van Syckle Group
Top 40 class of 2010 | Van Syckle Group is a sales acceleration firm that has developed a system designed to scale businesses with predictable growth. Van Syckle is a published author of “What You Know About Selling is NOT True,” a 2009 graduate of Lead 757 and 2014 graduate of Civic Leadership Institute. He enjoys spending time with his family, date nights, barbecuing and playing soccer with OTSL.
Danijel Velicki (Courtesy photo)
Danijel Velicki
Founder, Opus Wealth Strategies and Sqwire
Danijel Velicki is a financial educator and entrepreneur passionate about helping people live with confidence, purpose and financial freedom. As the founder of Opus Wealth Strategies and Sqwire, he draws on nearly two decades in the financial and insurance services industry to equip individuals and families with the knowledge and tools to achieve lasting success. Velicki earned his graduate degree in innovation and strategy from the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford in March. Arriving in the United States in 1995 with just $40 in his pocket, his journey embodies perseverance, purpose and the pursuit of the American dream.
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The honorees
Originally Published: October 27, 2025 at 7:58 AM EDT
