In the Spotlight

Austin Under 40 announces 2015 nominees, including BMX star and Tiff's Treats founder

Nominees for the annual Austin Under 40 gala and awards ceremony have been announced, revealing some of the most innovative and hardest working young minds in the city. From design and culinary arts to technology and government service, these 70 young professionals represent the breadth and scope of Austin's professional landscape.

Austin Under 40 honors young Austinites for work within their businesses and the community. Young professionals are nominated in 14 categories, including new fields for entrepreneurship and environmental services. Notable names include Leon Chen of Tiff’s Treats, Ashley Clauer with Wanderlust Yoga, Mason Ayer of Kerbey Lane Café and BMX rider Aaron Ross.

The winners in each category will be announced at a star-studded awards gala at the JW Marriott on Saturday, March 7. One of these budding professionals will also be bestowed the title of "Austinite of the Year," joining previous winners like Colin Pope, Kendra Scott and Evan Smith.

This annual celebration also benefits the YWA Foundation and theYMBL Sunshine Camps, supporting their scholarship and summer camp programs for students.

The full list of Austin Under 40 nominees for 2015 is as follows:

Arts, Sports, Media & Entertainment: Matthew Hinsley, Austin Classical Guitar; Matt Swinney Fashion & Style Events, LLC; Laura Villagran-Johnson, KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, Austin Social Planner; Sally Hernandez, KXAN-TV; Aaron Ross, professional BMX rider

Community Service and Nonprofit: William Meredith, MFI Real Estate, Ax5 Resources; Angela-Jo Touza-Medina, Caritas of Austin; Amy Mills, Emancipet; Lonny Stern, Skillpoint Alliance; Hannah Nokes, EZCorp

Culinary Arts and Hospitality: Phillip Brown, Vince Young Steakhouse; Natalie Paramore, The Cameleon Group; Shaady Ghadessy, W Hotel; Allison Stevens, Prep Dish; Mason Ayer, Kerbey Lane Café

Energy, Cleantech and Environmental Services: Jose Beceiro, Cockrell School of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin; Michael Dadashi, MHD Enterprises/Infinite Recovery; Chad Blevins, The Butler Firm/GeoCF; Zeina El-Azzi, SUNEDISON, INC.; Tim Greeff, The National Security Technology Accelerator

Engineering, Architecture and Design: Keri Burchard-Juarez, City of Austin Public Works Department; Matt Fajkus, MF Architecture, University of Texas; Allison Jaffe, Allison Jaffe Interior Design; Stefan Molina Duncan, G. Stroik Architect; Matt Pickens, Beck

Entrepreneurship and Start-up: Leon Chen, Tiff’s Treats; Ashley Clauer, Wanderlust Yoga; Jessica Honegger, Noonday Collection; Ruben Cantu, The Core Media Enterprises; Pepper Ammann, Tidbits Media Group

Financial Services and Insurance: Blake Absher, BB&T Rich Coffey, The Hay Legal Group; Brian May, Pioneer Bank, SSB; Adam Flagg, Upstream Investment Partners; Jonathan Levy, Oxbow Advisors, LLC

Government and Public Affairs: Gregorio Casar, Austin City Council; Gerardo Interiano, Google; Veronica Lara, City of Austin’s Small & Minority Business Resources Dept.; Matthew Giannini, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economic Development Admin.; Elizabeth Hadley, Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Legal: Kevin Terrazas, Weisbart Springer Hayes LLP; Evan Young, Baker Botts LLP; Carlos Romo, Baker Botts LLP; James Nortey, Duggins Wren; Sujata Ajmera, Jackson Lewis, PC

Marketing, PR and Advertising: Melissa Anthony Sinn, anthonyBarnum; Jennifer Gooding, Prime Tech PR; Jenna Oltersdorf, Snackbox; Maria Orozova, The MOD Studio; Jenifer Sarver, Sarver Strategies; Shilpa Bakre, ACVB; Ashley Beall, TRIBEZA; Brian Dolezal, Hahn Public Communications; Jennifer Gooding, Prime PR; Joy Shoffler, Leverage PR

Medicine, Healthcare and Sciences: Kate Henderson, Seton Healthcare Family; Sujit Iyer, Dell Children's Medical Center; Andrea Campaigne, Nurture; Shailee Gupta, St. David's Foundation – Dental Program; Christie Johnson, Communities in Schools Central Texas

Real Estate: Jason Crabtree, Premier Partners, LLC; Chris Skyles, SkylesBayne; Patrick Ley, ECR; Kristi Simmons, AQUILA Commercial; Jonny Rodgers, DEN Property Group

Technology and Science: Chelsea McCullough, Texans for Economic Progress; Luke Martinez, Bank of America; Todd Nienkerk, Four Kitchens; Jeffrey Palermo, Clear Measure, Inc.; Dustin Wells, Headspring; Guihua Yu, The University of Texas at Austin

Youth and Education: Matthew Abbott, Wayside Schools; Kerry Leeders-Moll, Intersection Education; Marisa Limon, LIMON CONSULTING; Eva Maria Garza-Nyer, Texas College Advisor; Teresa Granillo, Con Mi Madre

Mentor of the Year: Heather McKissick, UFCU; Mitch Jacobson, Austin Technology Incubator; Carol Thompson, The Thompson Group; Amber Carden, U.S. Trust/Bank of America Private Wealth Management; Gavin Villareal, Baker Botts LLP

Aaron Ross, a professional BMX competitor, has been nominated for an Austin Under 40 award.

Aaron Ross Facebook

Aaron Ross, a professional BMX competitor, has been nominated for an Austin Under 40 award.

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put it on santa's amex

2 wealthy Austin suburbs top list of biggest holiday spenders in U.S.

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Cedar Park, Round Rock, and Austin loooove to do up the holidays.

It looks like Santa Claus is going to be competing with residents in Cedar Park to see who brings the most lavish holiday gifts this year.

This festive Austin neighbor ranked No. 23 in WalletHub's annual report of U.S. cities with the biggest holiday budgets in 2024.

Residents in this well-to-do suburb are expected to spend $2,930 on their Christmas gifts this year. That's up $576 from the $2,354 they were ready to shell out in the 2023 ranking — and it bumped them up 21 spots from their previous ranking at No. 44.

The U.S. Census Bureau says that Cedar Park's estimated population of 77,516 had a median household income of $118,903 in 2023. No wonder they have the extra cash to spare.

Cedar Park consistently makes the list of the top U.S. cities with the biggest holiday spenders, and now Round Rock is also climbing up the list, landing at No. 39 this year, up significantly from its previous low ranking of No. 283 in 2023.

The average holiday budget in Round Rock skyrocketed from $1,148 last year to $2,538 this year in an eyewatering $1,390 increase. You gotta spend to stay on top.

The No. 1 city in the U.S. for biggest holiday spenders in 2024 is Newton, Massachusetts, a wealthy suburb right outside of Boston, where the median income measured in 2022 was $176,373. Slots 2 through 5 were all cities in California's Silicon Valley: Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Milpitas.

Meanwhile, Austin proper landed at No. 87 in 2024 with an average holiday budget of $1,905.

Each year, WalletHub calculates the maximum holiday budget for over 550 U.S. cities "to help consumers avoid post-holiday regret," the website says. The study factors in income, age of the population, and other financial indicators such as debt-to-income ratio, monthly-income-to monthly-expenses ratio, and savings-to-monthly-expenses ratio.

Whether an Austinite's holiday budget is under $200 or more than $1,000, it's better to prioritize remaining within that budget instead of racking up the credit card bill, according to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

"There are plenty of ways to enjoy the holidays and show you care without spending much money, like hosting potlucks or giving handmade gifts," said Lupo.

Other Texas cities that made it into the top 100 are:

No. 7 – Flower Mound ($3,541)
No. 11 – Frisco ($3,412)
No. 13 – The Woodlands ($3,395)
No. 15 – Sugar Land ($3,214)
No. 18 – Allen ($3,070)
No. 25 – League City ($2,897)
No. 32 – Plano ($2,658)
No. 45 – North Richland Hills ($2,484)
No. 52 – McKinney ($2,386)
No. 60 – Pearland ($2,223)
No. 76 – Richardson ($1,980)
No. 81 – Carrollton ($1,932)
No. 92 – Lewisville ($1,848)

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