A young Iowa entrepreneur who founded his own construction firm, a Chicago-based mechanical engineer dedicated to the practice of sustainable design and an Indianapolis designer who has made a name for herself in the male-dominated field of civil engineering are among the rising stars selected as ENR Midwest's Top 20 Under 40, an annual program recognizing young design and construction professionals from the region who have made significant contributions to their professions and communities.

While other ENR Midwest award programs, including Best Projects, Designer of the Year and Contractor of the Year, recognize firms and their endeavors, the Top 20 Under 40 Program focuses on individual accomplishment, in this instance the contributions of 16 men and four women hailing from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin

ENR Midwest received 130 entries during a submission period extending from Sept. 14 to Nov. 9. A panel of six industry professionals selected those candidates they believed best demonstrated excellence and leadership in their professions and communities.

This year's Top 20 Under 40 include:

• Karmyn Babcock, IT Director, The Weitz Co., Des Moines, Iowa
• Amy Barrett, associate, electrical engineer, Hafer Associates, Evansville, Ind.
• Andrew Beal, owner, Beal Derkenne Construction, Des Moines, Iowa
• David Broz, senior associate, Gensler, Chicago
• Paul Erickson, sustainable practice leader, AEI/Affiliated Engineers Inc.. Madison, Wis.
• Josh R. Greenfield, energy services manager, Primera Engineers, Chicago
• Christopher Hume, project executive, Lend Lease Construction Inc., Chicago
• Jason Jones, General Manager, Turner Construction Co., Cleveland, Ohio
• Andrew Keaschall, project manager, Alfred Benesch & Co., Chicago
• Brandy Koch, architect, Dewberry Architects Inc., Peoria, Ill.
• Michael Lockwood, Architect/Associate Principal, Populous, Kansas City, Mo.
• Joshua Lowe, project lead, TURIS Systems, Madison, Wis.
• Ken Maschke, associate, Thornton-Tomasetti, Chicago
• Brian Mooney, General Manager, Turner Construction Co., Cincinnati, Ohio
• Vladimir Novakovic, project director, Perspectus Architecture, Cleveland, Ohio
• Edward M. Peck, Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., Chicago
• Deanne Ross, president, NGC Corp., Indianapolis
• Tim Sylvester, Founder, Integrated Roadways, Kansas City, Mo.
• Brett Szabo, project executive – concrete, James McHugh Construction, Chicago
• Robert Webber, associate, Valerio Dewalt Train Associates Inc., Chicago

Panelists for this year's 20 Under 40 Competition include:

Jim Arends
Vice President, Gilbane Building Co., Chicago

Katherine Darnstadt
Principal. Latent Design, Chicago

Robert Krier
President, The Hill Group, Franklin Park, Ill.

Colin Rohlfing
Senior Associate, HOK, Chicago

Anna Stern
Vice President, Tri-North Builders, Fitchburg, Wis.

Brian Volpe
Vice President, Thornton Tomasetti, Chicago

Look for full coverage of 2013's Top 20 Under 40 in the Feb 4 edition of ENR Midwest.