A 33-year-old urban planner, a 34-year-old architect specializing in sustainable design, and a 38-year-old director of operations with one of the region's leading commercial construction firms are among the  rising stars selected as ENR Midwest's Top 20 Under 40, an annual program recognizing young design and construction professionals from the region who have made significant contributions to their professions and communities.

ENR Midwest's top 20 design and construction professionals under the age of 40 were selected on the basis of their contributions to their professions and their communities.

While other ENR Midwest award programs, including Project of the Year, Designer of the Year and Contractor of the Year, recognize outstanding firms and their endeavors, the Top 20 Under 40 Program focuses on individual accomplishment, in this case the contributions of 14 men and six women hailing from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Missouri.

ENR Midwest received scores of nominations during a submission period extending from Nov. 1 to Dec. 8.  A panel of five industry professionals selected those candidates they believed best demonstrated excellence and leadership in their professions and communities.

This year's Top 20 Under 40 include:

• Sachin Anand, 39, Principal, dbHMS, Chicago
• Zachary Borders, 33, Senior Urban Planner + Designer/Associate, HOK, Chicago
• Brad Dannegger, 37, Vice President and Regional Manager, Arco/Murray National Construction Co., Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.
• Katherine Darnstadt, 29, Principal, Latent Design, Chicago
• Aash Desai, 33, Managing Principal, Helios Design Build, Chicago
• Lisa Gomperts, 38, Principal, Schmidt Associates, Indianapolis
• Tobias Heddinghaus, 39, Principal, Gray Design Group, St. Louis
• John Lashenik, 37, Vice President, American Structurepoint, Indianapolis
• Lira Luis, 38, Principal Architect, ALLL, Chicago