Business rising stars shine

Business success stories are not born, but made -- and they begin with hard work (plus a pinch of luck).

Ten men and women who met that criteria were honored Friday by the Las Vegas Business Press as Rising Stars of Business during the publication's annual award ceremony at the Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip.

The 2012 class of Rising Stars included Matt Engle, business development executive for Cragin & Pike; Zachary Delbex, CEO of Repurpose America; Nicole Mastrangelo, director of the Young Philanthropists Society for the United Way of Southern Nevada; Suken Shah, assistant vice president and online marketing manager of Nevada State Bank; Alison Monaghan, account executive for Kirvin Doak Communications; Aron Ezra, vice president of mobile technologies for Bally Technologies; Daniel Palmeri, director of Commerce Real Estate Solutions; Tiffany Widdows, director of marketing for Play LV; M. Magali Wysong, associate for Pisanelli Bice; and Courtney Murphy, founder and supervising community manager for Community Management Group.

The award winners were selected based on career achievements, philanthropic efforts and potential for future business success.

Jeremy Aguero, principal analyst for Applied Analysis, was on hand to present the awards, and noted that the winners were a diverse mix from a variety of industries with one common bond: making Las Vegas a better place to work.

"They represent everything that is outstanding about our community," Aguero told the crowd of more than 80 attendees.

Many of the winners work or play in downtown Las Vegas and are at the forefront of the city center's renaissance.

Aguero told winner Nicole Mastrangelo, who in her spare time helps organize the downtown dance party The Get Back on First Friday, that "the transformation of downtown Las Vegas because of people like you ... is just fantastic."

Contact reporter Caitlin McGarry at cmcgarry@review journal.com or 702-387-5273.