YOUNG TALENT: Schneps Media celebrated 28 outstanding young professionals under the age of 40 at its eighth annual Stars Under 40 awards Awards and Networking Event at
Sirico’s Caterers on May 16. Photo by Corazon Aguirre
Next generation celebrated at
the 2019 ‘Stars Under 40’ gala
Schneps Media honors young professionals poised to take over Brooklyn
Caribbean Life, May 24–30, 2019 45
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
Schneps Media celebrated the
young and infl uential at the
eighth annual “Stars Under
40” celebration on May 16 in
Dyker Heights. Honorees included
Brooklyn business tycoons,
charitable community
leaders, and the next generation
of Kings County stars.
The event was emceed by
Ruschell Boone, the dynamic
screen presence from Spectrum
News NY1 news, who
livened up the crowd with
her signature, charming humor.
This year’s “Entrepreneur
of the Year” honor was bestowed
upon Abdul Elenani,
who founded his specialty
coffee and healthy kitchen
franchise, Cocoa Grinder,
while in college in 2013. The
26-year-old businessman now
manages numerous locations
around the city, but says the
workload comes naturally to
him.
“I’ve been in the food game
all my life,” he said. “It’s
stressful, but fun. If you’re
doing something that you
like, then you’re not working
a day in your life.
This year’s commendation
for “Entrepreneurial Dynamic
Duo” went to Julian
Bannister and Yannick Jules-
Bannister, who co-founded
New Beginning Cleaners, a
60-employee cleaning operation
to help people and their
loved ones achieve a healthy
living environment.
“People needed help getting
their homes and their
lives together. And, we
couldn’t deny helping people,”
said Julian Bannister.
“We quickly built a process
to declutter their home,
redo their home, and really
change their lives.”
Other honorees included
Natoya McGhie, the incoming
president of the Brooklyn
Women’s Bar Association.
“We help college students
who are going into law school,
and young lawyers who want
to network by meeting attorneys
and judges,” she said.
“That’s how I got involved
in the bar association. Seven
years later, I wanted to go
back and help people coming
up like I did.”
McGhie provides guidance
to young women who
are rising through the legal
world, including Gabriella
Castellano, who took home
the “Rising Star” honor as
a New York Law School student.
The fi rst in her family
to graduate college, this Bay
Ridge up-and-comer will be
working for the Bronx District
Attorney’s Offi ce this
summer, training for her
forthcoming prosecutorial
career.
Castellano called the
award a welcome step for her
fast-rising future.
“When I found out I was
going to be honored, it was
the middle of fi nals, so I was
a mess, but it was like a light
at the end of the tunnel,” she
said.
This year’s “Health Hero”
award went to Dr. Ramsey
Joudeh, the Chief Medical
Offi cer of Artisans of Medicine,
a state-of-the-art facility
serving all Brooklynites’
medical needs.
Other awardees included
educators, entertainers, legal
eagles, and artists, each with
their own story of personal
successes and community
caring.
The awards sparkled as
bright as the stars receiving
them, as did the sponsors
who helped make the event
possible: Spectrum / Charter
Communications, Artisans of
Medicine, JP Morgan Chase,
Flushing Bank, Ben Bay Realty,
New Beginning Cleaners
and Candy Mingles.