Meet Cory Jay, one of the recipients of the inaugural Four Under 40 Awards . These awards are hosted by the WAVE Young Professionals Network (a program by the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce) and recognize four outstanding leaders between the ages of 18 and 39 who live and work in the Brainerd lakes area. Earlier this summer, over 100 nominations were received for the Four Under 40 Awards.
An anonymous panel of judges reviewed and scored the submissions based on the following criteria: professional excellence, leadership, community involvement, and potential for future success. Jay rose to the top and was selected by the judging panel as one of the honored award winners. Owner | Advantage Home Pros ADVERTISEMENT Jay has built his success and developed professional excellence from the ground up.
He started as a roofer learning the ropes of the trade. He also constantly took advantage of professional training to develop his leadership skills. Combining his expertise and experience, he founded his own company, Advantage Home Pros.
Jay is always inventing and looking for ways to better the customer experience while also building strong relationships in the community. He has a full-time sales team and crew members to focus on company growth and meeting the needs of customers. He introduced mobile show rooms bringing it directly to customers.
He created the Glad Gutter Guarantee to ensure customer satisfaction. Jay is always looking for ways to improve the company — whether it's materials used, cutting-edge techniques, or new customer experiences. Jay has a passion for building up community.
When people in our area are in need, Jay and his team step in to help. Jay and the Advantage Home Pros team are actively involved in our community through charitable organizations like Brainerd Jaycees, Habitat for Humanity, and Confidence Learning Center. Last year, Jay and his company hosted a back-to-school giveaway in the Brainerd lakes area and supplied dozens of children with backpacks full of their school supply essentials.
Jay’s dedication to providing excellent services to his customers and his commitment to giving back to the community are why he’s receiving one of the Four Under 40 Awards. “The Four Under 40 award is an amazing honor to accept and a great reflection of how I feel about the community I call home, the Brainerd lakes area. Receiving this award shows that hard work pays off.
I have spent most of my life working hard and not looking up, but it is nice to know all my hard work has not gone unnoticed. Thank you to the Brainerd Lakes Chamber and the WAVE Young Professionals Network for putting this together,” Jay said. Age as of Sept.
19, 2024 : 39 How long have you been in your role/at your company? 14 years What’s next on your professional bucket list? My next professional goal is to expand across the region and add more Advantage Home Pros locations. With these new expansions, I plan to create new career opportunities for our staff so they can reach their professional goals as well. ADVERTISEMENT If family or friends are visiting the Brainerd lakes area for the first time, where would you take them? There is so much to do in the BLA, that it is hard to decide on one thing! I would take them to a few of my favorite places.
We would visit The Paul M. Thiede Fire Tower Park in Pequot Lakes, where we would walk the beautiful trail and trek up to the historic tower. We would grab breakfast at the Skillet Restaurant in Brainerd, and then I'd take them to the shops in downtown Nisswa.
And of course, we would finish off the day visiting the Smokestack BBQ Supply Store to grab some goodies for an evening backyard BBQ! If your job had a theme song, what would it be? This was probably the hardest question to answer, so I asked some of my team members at work to throw out some ideas and it was probably the most fun I’ve had in a while with all of the ideas that came out. But I think I would have to go with “Whatever it takes” by Imagine Dragons. An Awards Gala will celebrate Jay and the other Four Under 40 award recipients on Sept.
19 at The Gathering Events Center in Crosslake. Of the four winners — Jay, Erich Heppner, Alex Bitter and Vanessa Ruedisili — one individual will be named the Young Professional of the Year and will receive additional recognition. The Young Professional of the Year will be announced live at the end of the Awards Gala.
With support from The Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation, the Philanthropic Sponsor, each Four Under 40 winner will receive $500 for the charity of their choice. The Young Professional of the Year will receive an additional $500 for their charity. The public is invited to attend and celebrate the accomplishments of the award winners.
Attendees do not have to be a WAVE or Chamber member to attend. They also do not need to be under 40 to attend — all are welcome. To learn more and register, visit www.
BrainerdLakesChamber.com . Meet the final Four Under 40 Award recipient next week: Erich Heppner.
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