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34 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | AUGUST 23, 2021 Gregory F Ugalde Year Won: 1998 Current Title: President & Chief Legal Officer; NAHB Immediate Past Chairman Company: T&M Building Co., Inc. Current Age: 61 40 Q: What is your biggest professional accomplishment since receiving this award? T o this day, my "40 Under 40" Award is a valuable, well recognized credential that has been used to develop my place in the home building and land development industry, leading to many positions such as the CHFA Board of Directors and the HOMEConnecticut Advisory Board and Steering Committee. As the President and Chief Legal Officer of T&M Building Co., Inc. and the Managing Member of GFU Investments, LLC we have highlighted the award while continuing to grow professionally. In fact, the "40 Under 40" Award was used to strengthen the biography that my campaign team used when I was elected Chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) – the first ever from all of New England in its rich 80-year history. Such a credential by the age of 40, assisted me in obtaining the required local and state leadership positions as building blocks. As NAHB Chairman and on my six-year trac as a Senior Officer of NAHB, experiences include three meetings at the White House with the President (e.g. Oval Office, Rose Garden and other meeting rooms), the State of the Union Address, and meetings with numerous Cabinet members. No question this award helped lead to this achievement. Kim Sirois Pita Year Won: 1999 Current Title: Founder & Author Company: Pita Peaces/Love Your Mental Health Current Age: 53 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 exciting twists and turns: running a thriving marketing agency for 17 years that employed 24 people, publishing my memoir Split Endz: A Tale of 2 Crazy Sisters, helping women brand and launch their businesses and leading a nonprofi t robotics organization through a pandemic. My most important work, though, is as a mental health leader and advocate, having served on the Mental Health Connecticut Board of Directors for fi ve years; three years as chairwoman and currently on the Copper Beech Institute Board of Directors. This fall, in honor of my late sister, Kelly, I will launch LoveYourMental- Health.com, an online community and resource portal designed to make critical connections and guide users to essential informa- tion. While I feel incredibly fortunate to have accom- plished so much over these last two decades, I am confi - dent the best is yet to come! Q: What is your biggest professional accomplishment since receiving this award? T wenty two years ago, I was thrilled to be recognized as one of HBJ's 40 Under Forty leaders. I knew then I was destined to make an impact in this world. My life has taken many Lisa Nkonoki Q: What is your biggest professional accomplishment since receiving this award? J ump starting your Dreams and Turing them Into viable opportunities and Reality, IS my Mark of Excellence. Helping those from all walks of life from Hollywood to the homeless, the affl uent, the accomplished, and the aspirational. I have A penchant to ignite Year Won: 1998 Current Title: Purveyor of Possibilities Company: Nkonoki Entertainment Group Current Age: 58 40 the aspirational. I have 40 the aspirational. I have A penchant to ignite 40 A penchant to ignite 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 individuals, and organizations to their full potential! Garnering national media exposure and forthcoming book deal for the 152nd St Black Ballet Legacy, Founders of The Dance Theatre of Harlem, to developing Mina to a world class talent with an all star musical team, whose inaugural album took us from Capital Records to Rudolfi num in Prague to All Heart" up for Grammy consideration. Founding Dads DO Make A Diff erence and speaking to Congress, getting federal fatherhood legislation passed in 1999 and leveling the playing fi eld and advocating for Dads. Rebranding Ray Charles Jr's, producer of the movie Ray, serving as publicist, advisor and catalyst of his subsequent fetes, including his award winning book, You Don't Know Me, Refl ections of My Father Ray Charles, to orchestrating Ray Jr's appearance at the Salute to Ray Charles at the White House, on PBS, TVONE, and for Patek Phillippe. City of New Britain Community Conversations 2020, delving into Equity Solutions for the underserved. Michael Kolakowski Year Won: 1999 Current Title: President & CEO, Principal Company: KBE Building Corporation Current Age: 58 and now have four additional partners. We've grown from a regional company to a national presence, with new offices and business acquisitions. We've weathered the great recession and the pandemic. Through it all, KBE has remained a close-knit "family" of long- tenured staff. We've created growth opportunities for our people, and built a culture based on the quality of our relationships. I am proud of all that, and much more. What really strikes me is how our success has allowed us to give back. Our 50 Ways to Make a Difference philanthropic program has donated $3 million to our communities and we are formalizing the program by creating a charitable foundation. One big success is our relationship with HARC. Our two HARC employees and their manager have been part of the KBE family for over 20 years. Special thanks go to all of our KBE employees — their support and commitment has made our success possible thus far and will carry us into the next 50 years. 40 Q: What is your biggest professional accomplishment since receiving this award? W hen I was recognized in 1999, I had been president of KBE (then Konover Construction) for just four years. So much has transpired since then: I acquired the company in 2007 with two partners WHERE ARE THEY NOW?