Building tables, breaking barriers: Honorees of color shine at 40 Under 40 awards

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal celebrated its annual 40 Under 40 class Wednesday evening at the Metropolitan Ballroom and Clubroom in Wayzata, honoring young professionals across industries who are shaping the future of the Twin Cities. Among this year’s honorees, a cohort of professionals of color brought stories of immigration, community building and entrepreneurship, and a collective message that success is best when shared.

Ridwane Moustapha, controller at PACE Loan Group and a native of Benin, West Africa, joined the Minneapolis firm in 2022 as its first full-time accounting professional. Under his watch, company revenue reached nearly $32 million in 2024, a 173% increase. He also co-founded Fine Top Group, which supports immigrants with tax planning and business guidance. Accepting his award, Moustapha offered a proverb that has guided him: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Navigating life as an immigrant, he said, has meant surrounding himself with the right people. “You can knock on doors that will help you get to the places that you want to go.”

Munira Maalimisaq founded Inspire Change Clinic in 2023 to address health inequities through clinical care, workforce development and systems change. As CEO and a practicing clinician, she designed a pathway-to-medicine fellowship to open doors for underrepresented youth in health care, and launched primary care services in 2025. In her remarks, Maalimisaq made clear the recognition belonged to more than herself. “This reflects so much more than my journey,” she said. “For the last 12 years, I’ve been taking care of other people in organizations where I didn’t have a lot of voice. But now we have a center where we listen to communities and give them the care they deserve, where they feel heard and seen.”

Kamal Mohamed’s entrepreneurial path began on his family’s food truck after immigrating from Ethiopia at age 10. Today he is the force behind the Minnesota Food Truck and the Northeast Minneapolis restaurant Parcelle Organics, which is opening a second downtown location, and co-founder of Gallant Tiger, a premium sandwich company. Mohamed credited the Twin Cities itself as a partner in his success. “Since moving back home, the amount of people that have gone out of their way to help… If you have an idea or a dream, people will move out of the way and help you get there,” he said. He also shared a question a mentor posed that has shaped his approach: “Is it from you, or is it about you? As long as it’s from you instead of about you, it’ll be easier to get to where you need to get to.”

Adora Land, grantmaking director at the Bush Foundation, has overseen multi-million dollar investments and co-created the Black Collective Foundation’s grantmaking arm, directing $650,000 to Black-led organizations advancing education, economic mobility and leadership development. Her acceptance remarks were brief and precise. “I want leadership to be a part of my legacy. Not because I’ve done anything great, but because I’ve been a steward of leadership in my community,” she said. “I truly believe that the greatest among us is a servant to others.”

Gaosong Heu co-founded Marc Heu Patisserie Paris at 25 with just $200 and her husband, executive pastry chef Marc Heu. Now 33, she has grown the business from a single Frogtown bakery to a multi-location enterprise reaching $1 million in annual sales, with a second location now open in Linden Hills. Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs was grounded in her own story. “Don’t define yourself by your resources, but by your resourcefulness,” she said. “To get started on your dream, you have to invest in yourself first before other people invest in you.” When asked how she pushed through challenges, Heu returned to purpose: “My why was rooted in my deep love for my husband and my unwavering belief that everyone has a purpose and deserves the opportunity to chase it.”

Jhaelynn Elam is founder of The B Suite, a Minneapolis event space and co-working hub dedicated to amplifying Black professionals, and previously directed impact and communications at the Black Collective Foundation, dispersing $1 million to Black-owned organizations. “I did not find a seat at the table, so I built it,” she said. “I built The B Suite with a vision and a belief that our community deserved a space.” She closed with a charge to the room: “Keep building, because what’s inside of you is too important to stay there.”

Divya Divakaran immigrated to the United States 14 years ago and spent two decades in human resources before launching Leadership Evolutions, her own consulting firm, just one month before the ceremony. She previously built an HR department from scratch at engineering firm EVS, driving 210% workforce growth and a 91% retention rate. She offered advice she had given a client just that day: “A bird doesn’t sit on a branch trusting the branch’s strength. It sits there because it believes in its own wings. Believe in yourself, build the skills and put yourself out there.”

Also honored was Shahbaz Khan, head of social strategy and emerging platforms at the NFL, who was not present at the ceremony due to the draft.

Together, the seven honorees painted a portrait of a Twin Cities business community shaped in no small part by immigrants, children of immigrants and community builders who refused to wait for permission, and who measured success not just in revenue, but in how many people they brought along with them.

For the full list of honorees, visit www.bizjournals.com/twincities/c/2026-40-under-40-honorees-minneapolis-saint-paul.html.

Jasmine McBride welcomes reader responses at jmcbride@spokesman-recorder.com.