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40 Under 40 Mentor of the Year Award
Video: 40 Under 40 Mentor of the Year Barney Holtzman
Val Canez/Tucson Business Edge The judges for our first Mentor Award are Lorraine Lee (left), executive vice president of Chicanos Por La Causa; Humberto Lopez, owner, HSL Properties and Ellen Hargis, president and CEO of the Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona. For three years we have been recognizing our community's young leaders. This year we decided to also recognize the people who helped them become worthy of that recognition. We asked 2005 and 2006 40 Under 40 award winners to nominate their mentors for this award. Below are the nominees, and their nominators. One mentor, selected by a three-person judging panel, will be recognized at the Aug. 8 event. - Calvin Baker, superintendent, Vail School District; nominated by John Carruth, 2005 - Dan W. Eckstrom, owner, DWE Management Consultants, nominated by Jennifer Eckstrom, 2005 - Dorothy Finley, CEO, Finley Distributing, nominated by Melissa Amado, 2005 - Ray and Carlotta Flores, owners, El Charro Cafe, nominated by Ray Flores, 2005 - Elizabeth Gonzalez Gann, president and CEO, JanCo, nominated by Lea Marquez Peterson, 2006 - Barney M. Holtzman, deputy general counsel, First Magnus Financial Corp., nominated by Ali Farhang, 2006 - Bill Pike, director of public policy and community affairs, Carondelet Health Network, nominated by Mich Coker, 2006 Tucson Business Edge Mentor of the Year Barney Holtzman was dubious when told he was the first to receive the honor. "You must have done quite a bit of creative writing," he told Ali Farhang, his mentoree, nominator, close friend and 2006 40 Under 40 winner. "It is so typical of Barney, because the guy does everything out of the goodness of his heart," Farhang said about his reaction. "I figured it's about time that somebody like him gets recognized." The relationship started in early 1999 when Farhang was looking to move back to Tucson after practicing law for a few years in Denver. A mutual friend recommended that Farhang call Holtzman to learn a little about the Tucson market. Both are longtime Tucsonans, Steelers fans and have similar law specialties; a friendship quickly formed. "It cracked me up that he nominated me as a mentor, because I don't think of myself as a mentor, but as friends and peers," Holtzman said. "I think our relationship is reciprocal. I learn so much from him, too." Holtzman, the deputy general counsel at First Magnus Financial Corporation, was at the time working at Fennemore Craig and introduced Farhang to a number of people in and out of the legal community. The two spoke frequently and exchanged ideas even after Farhang began working at another law firm in town. After a couple of years in Tucson, Farhang took a job at Fennemore Craig, joining his mentor, which provided even greater opportunity for learning. "My success, my achievements in the legal field are in part because of his guidance," Farhang said. "He is a great mentor, because he is easy to approach even about the most difficult questions. He is always keeping an eye out for me." Holtzman attributes his mentoring style to his first mentor, who taught him, by example, that a mentorship should flow two ways. "My first mentor had 25 years of experience and still, he always valued and respected my opinions," he said. "That has always stuck with me. There is much to be learned and shared no matter which end of the relationship you are on." - Ashley Jordan-Nowe 2007 40 Under 40 Winners
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