Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • August 10, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 39 40 UNDER FORTY 2020 Xavier Santiago Age: 38 Company: Carbone's Hospitality Title: Executive Chef/Head of Culinary Development No. of years with current company: 1 Town where I live: Hartford Town where I work: Rocky Hill, Bloomfield and Hartford X avier Santiago was born and raised in Caguas, Puerto Rico, and moved to Con- necticut in 1996 at the age of 13. At a young age growing up with a family that loves to cook, he started experimenting and cooking with his grandmother and spent a lot of time with her, walking through her farm and learning the idea of pure food. He started working in a restaurant at 15 and found an instant connection. He said being a chef is an incredible form of expression and dedication and he's lucky to do what he loves. Four reasons why you deserve to be a 40 Under Forty: • I started a movement and gave the Latin community a voice in the culinary field. • I won Food Network's "Chopped" competition and was named best new chef in the state in 2018 and best up-and-coming chef in 2019. • I was named grand champion of a statewide chef competition called 86'd Culinary Collision. • I worked with End Hunger CT, United Way, and other foundations to raise awareness about food insecurity and also help my com- munity. Michael Thomas Sanzo Age: 33 Company: Imperial Oil and Plumbing Title: Sales and Marketing Manager No. of years with current company: 13 Town where I live: South Windsor Town where I work: South Windsor M ichael Sanzo currently serves as a sales and marketing manager for Imperial Oil and Plumbing in South Windsor. He is currently the presi- dent of the South Windsor Chamber of Commerce. He also currently holds a role as the founder and chairman of the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association Next Genera- tion Leadership Council. Four reasons why you deserve to be a 40 Under Forty: • I took 50 years of my family's earned trust and brand name and introduced it to new content and an SEO strategy to help steer Im- perial to the industry example it is today. • Founded and currently co-chair the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association's Next Generation Lead- ership Council where we hope to inspire and empower future leaders of Connecticut's energy industry. • Youngest-ever elected official in South Windsor. • Youngest-ever president of the South Windsor Chamber of Commerce. James Senatro Age: 39 Company: Consulting Engineering Services Title: Vice President, Corporate Treasurer No. of years with current company: 18 Town where I live: South Windsor Town where I work: Middletown College: University of Hartford Highest degree: Master's degree in mechanical engineering J im Senatro is truly a mechani- cal engineer at heart: constantly taking things apart and putting them back together again in an ongo- ing effort to figure out how every- thing works. He approaches work (and life) in a very hands-on, inquisitive manner. Senatro specializes in designing mechanical systems for high-end residences up to 60,000 square feet. At CES, he is a vice president, con- tributing to the financial success and growth of the company for the last 18 years. Four reasons why you deserve to be a 40 Under Forty: • I excelled from college intern to vice president within 15 years. • As treasurer, I am ultimately re- sponsible for all of the company's finances. • I oversee two teams and coordi- nate workload between four teams of engineers. The work we produce contributes greatly to the corpora- tion's yearly revenue. • Led my 40-home neighborhood through a conversion from a commu- nity well system to public water. Laura Settlemyer Age: 36 Company: Hartford Land Bank Title: Executive Director Town where I live: Hartford Town where I work: Hartford College: Harvard University Highest degree: Law degree L aura Settlemyer is an attorney and the founding executive director of the Hartford Land Bank. Settlemyer was Hartford's first director of blight remedia- tion and led a 15-person team that spurred the transformation of hun- dreds of vacant, blighted properties, working with homeowners, resi- dents and nonprofits. Settlemyer has worked with communities nationally, including Detroit and New Orleans, to help troubled properties become neigh- borhood assets and to overhaul sys- tems and policies to create equitable opportunities for city residents. Four reasons why you deserve to be a 40 Under Forty: • Founded the Hartford Land Bank, Connecticut's first land bank, to redevelop vacant, distressed prop- erties and enhance neighborhood quality of life. • Overhauled the city's Anti-Blight Ordinance, developing a property maintenance code and creating an equitable code enforcement system. • Led passage of two new state laws: Land Bank Enabling Act and Aban- doned & Blighted Property Receiv- ership Act. • National expert on reclaiming vacant, abandoned, deteriorating and foreclosed properties.

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