Louisville Business First is proud to introduce our newest members inducted into the Forty Under 40 Hall of Fame.
Honorees for 2024 are: Sandra Frazier, founding and managing member, Tandem Public Relations; Jimmy Kirchdorfer Jr., chairman and CEO, ISCO Industries Inc., and co-owner, Valhalla Golf Partners LLC; and William Summers V, senior vice president, chief community development officer of Republic Bank.
The trio will be honored along with the newest class of Forty Under 40 members with further coverage in print and online Sept. 27 and at an in-person event Sept. 24 at the Galt House Hotel. The event is possible thanks to presenting sponsors Habitat for Humanity, Angel’s Envy and UofL College of Business; and supporting sponsor Dentons.
Here's a bit more about each 2024 Hall of Famer:
Tandem Public Relations
Sandra Frazier
Frazer, a regular on our Power 50 list for her leadership and connections in Louisville, heads up Tandem Public Relations Agency, a Louisville agency she founded nearly 20 years ago, that offers a range of services — everything from media training, to crisis and public affairs work.
Frazier also is known for her work for Impetus for a Better Louisville, a nonprofit group that primarily works behind the scenes to improve various aspects of Louisville, such as public safety, economic growth and education.
Frazier has served on the Board of Trustees at the University of Louisville, as a director of Brown-Forman Corp. and the Glenview Trust Co., on the executive committee of the Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority, and has served on the boards of 21st Century Parks, Greater Louisville, Inc., Kentucky Performing Arts, Leadership Louisville and the Louisville Zoo, among others. She's also a member of the new Louisville Economic Development Alliance.
Greater Louisville Inc. presented Frazier with its most prestigious award, the 2023 Gold Cup Award.
She has a bachelor's degree from Hollins University in Virginia and a master's degree in communications from Boston University.
Frazer is a member of the 2011 Forty Under 40 class.
Jimmy Kirchdorfer Jr.
Prior to becoming CEO of ISCO, Kirchdorfer served as president from 2000-10 and general manager from 1995-2000. With humble beginnings in a family hardware store, ISCO has seen tremendous growth over the years and has become a global leader in HDPE piping products.
Kirchdorfer serves on the boards of the First Tee of Louisville, Golf Course Builders Association of America Foundation and the Kentucky Golf Foundation. He also serves as a director for the Western Golf Association/Evans Scholar Foundation. He is a member of Impetus for a Better Louisville, the Young Presidents Organization and the St. Xavier High School X-Effect cabinet.
In June 2022, along with three other partners, he purchased Valhalla Golf Club. He also served as the general chairman of the 2024 PGA Championship, held at the course.
He was named Ernst & Young 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year for the Kentucky/Ohio region, named one of the Most Admired CEOs by Louisville Business First in 2019, was inducted into the Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame 2021 class and the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, class of 2023.
He also was a 2024 Business First Power 50 honoree.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in business from Miami (Ohio) University in 1991.
Kirchdorfer is a member of the 1999 Forty Under 40 class.
Christopher Fryer
William Summers V
Since joining Republic, Summers, has led efforts to deepen the bank’s relationships throughout Greater Louisville. He spearheaded internal discussions that lead to the creation of Republic’s division of community and multicultural banking.
He started out as a bank teller and worked his way through the industry from there. Prior to joining Republic Bank, Summers was a vice-president at BB&T and Old National Bank. He was also the senior vice president at Central Bank.
Last year, Summers was elected treasurer of the West End Opportunity Partnership (WEOP), the board created by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2021 to manage a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district in West Louisville.
He is the former vice chairman of the Louisville Arena Authority, the entity that built and oversees the KFC Yum Center, and was on the authority for more than 15 years.
He has a bachelor's degree in business from Sullivan University and an MBA from Bellarmine University
Summers is a member of the 2005 Forty Under 40 class.
All three of the new hall of famers are set to be guests on our next Access Louisville podcast live event, for which tickets are now on sale.
Louisville Business First launched its Forty Under 40 Hall of Fame in 2015 to recognize past recipients who have continued to excel in their careers and serve the community. Below are past inductees (note: titles and companies listed were at the time of HOF induction):
2023
Craig Greenberg, mayor of Louisville
James "Ja" Hillebrand, chairman and CEO of Stock Yards Bank and Trust Co.
Vidya Ravichandran, founder and CEO of GlowTouch
2022
Jennifer Barber, office member-in-charge, Frost Brown Todd, Louisville
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear
Andre Kimo Stone Guess, president and CEO, Fund for the Arts.
2021
Benjamin Breier, CEO, Kindred Healthcare LLC
DeVone Holt, vice president of external affairs at Goodwill Industries of Kentucky
Cynthia Knapek, president, Leadership Louisville Center
2020
Julie Raque Adams, state representative, Commonwealth of Kentucky
Nikki Lanier, senior vice president and regional executive, St. Louis Fed’s Louisville Branch
Jude Thompson, CEO, Dental Dental of Kentucky Inc. and Game On Mouth Guards
2019
Marland Cole, executive director of Evolve502: Louisville’s Promise from Cradle to Career
Louis Straub II, Louisville market president, Independence Bank
Carolyn Tandy, director of diversity and inclusion, Texas Roadhouse
2018
Tonya York Dees, president, York Management Inc.
Sean O'Leary, CEO, EdjAnalytics
Curtis Warfield, chief audit executive, Anthem Inc.; president, Windham Advisors LLC
2017
Kevin Flanery, president, Churchill Downs Racetrack
Tierra Kavanaugh, founder and CEO, TKT & Associates
Sharon Kerrick, dean and professor, W. Fielding Rubel School of Business, Bellarmine University
2016
Tori Murden McClure, president of Spalding University
Joe Steier, president and CEO, Signature Healthcare
Derwin Webb, founder/managing partner, Webb Law Offices
2015
Dave Calzi, managing partner, Ernst & Young LLP
Patti Swope, president and CEO, Swope Auto Group
Steve Trager, chairman and CEO, Republic Bank & Trust Co.
We've already announced our 2024 Forty Under 40 class in the 29th year for the program. See who they are in the gallery below, and get to know them — and our new Hall of Fame inductees — better in the Sept. 27 issue of Louisville Business First.
