For more than two decades, Avenue’s Top 40 Under 40 presented in association with the University of Calgary has celebrated younger Calgarians who are moving the city forward. But this year, celebrating success has taken on new meaning.

In some ways, this celebration, like so many others held during these exceptional times, is tinged with sadness. On the other hand, in identifying those Calgarians who continue to find success here, and who are literally and figuratively building the Calgary of the future, we hope sharing with all of our readers a much-needed positive vision, one that sheds light on the achievements happening right now, and on the great things to come.

The people you will see here are entrepreneurs, innovators, researchers and artists who are each making a difference in their field and in the city. The Top 40 list is not just a celebration of young, successful people, but also of the city that, despite the double-whammy of a years-long economic downturn and a global pandemic, allows their successes to be possible.

What success means in this city is changing; it looks very different today than it did two decades ago when the first Top 40 Under 40 issue for Calgary was published by Avenue’s predecessor. But one thing that hasn’t changed is that the stories of success we are celebrating in this issue are about building the kind of city that fosters further success for us all.