Young Guns
In West Virginia, we pride ourselves on many things, and three of them are the natural beauty of the landscape, the passion of our people and the young professionals who continue to drive our state forward.
At its inception, West Virginia Executive magazine established an honors program to recognize those who drive the success of the Mountain State. Since then, we have inducted 26 classes of West Virginia professionals into the ranks of West Virginia Executive’s Young Guns.
Our Young Guns represent West Virginia’s next generation of leaders who are already accomplishing great things through their careers both in the business world and in their communities.
West Virginia Executive accepts nominations year-round.
Submit a Nomination for a Young Gun
The Mountain State is full of success stories, which is why West Virginia Executive (WVE) created the Young Guns program in 1999—to recognize those making a difference in West Virginia’s business community.
Every November, WVE welcomes a new class of Young Guns into a society of successful men and women who are shaping the future of the Mountain State. Each individual selected is featured in the November Young Guns issue and recognized at the annual Young Guns reception in Charleston.
We are looking for today’s up-and-comers: the innovators, entrepreneurs and all-around leaders that live and work here.
Young Guns must meet the following criteria in order to be considered for the Class of 2025:
- Must be 43 years of age or younger at the time of class induction in November
- Must have lived in West Virginia for at least the last two years
- Must have been in their position for at least two years
- Must have a significant amount of community service
The deadline for nominations for the Class of 2025 is August 1, 2024. *We receive more than 200 nominations every year. Those who are selected receive a phone call from a staff member. If you are nominated and do not receive a phone call, you have not been selected as a Young Gun.
Please fill out the nomination form following the prompts below or download, fill out and email the nomination form PDF along with the nominee’s resume to info@wvexecutive.com.
