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Each year, Inland Business Catalyst highlights 20 young professionals who are emerging as leaders in their respective fields with Rising Stars: 20 Under 40. This year, we've brought together 20 people who are having an impact on the Inland Northwest business community. Read all about them—and don't forget to check out our exclusive 20 Under 40 webcast.

Jason Pegg

Age: 35
Marketing and Online Business Manager, Telect Inc., Liberty Lake

If Jason Pegg looks vaguely familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen him on Greater Spokane Inc.’s Acceleration Report, doing his so-serious-it-can’t-be-taken-seriously report of goings-on in the Inland Northwest.

The relatively new addition to GSI’s Web site has generated more hits—and its share of laughs as a regularly scheduled webcast.

“The Acceleration Report and everything that comes with it is just a hobby of mine gone completely out of control,” Pegg says.

But chances are, the 35-year-old faux news anchor could make this list even if he just stuck to his day job. Off camera, he’s the marketing and online business manager at Telect Inc., a Liberty Lake-based manufacturer of communications parts and equipment. As such, he manages all of Telect’s global marketing efforts and maintains Telect.com, which includes user interfaces and e-commerce functionality.

Pegg came to the Inland Northwest from Kennewick, Wash., to attend Eastern Washington University. He was born and raised in the Seattle area, but spent his final two years of high school in the Tri-Cities.
At EWU, Pegg earned a bachelor’s degree, then a master’s degree, in computer science, focusing on artificial intelligence and neural networks.

He taught at EWU for a few years, then co-founded Aurora Consulting Group, a technology consulting firm that worked with some of the biggest companies in Washington state, including Microsoft Corp. Seattle-based Ascentium Corp. bought Aurora in 2004.

In addition to working at Telect, Pegg is involved in a number of other high-tech endeavors. He is the chair-elect for EWU’s College of Science, Health and Engineering. He also serves as an advisory board member for TEConnections and is a founding member of the Spokane-area SharePoint Users Group.

Who is the most influential person in your life?

Bob Gorsline. He’s no longer with us, but he was an amazing person who mentored me through some amazing times in my life.

Where do you expect to be 10 years from now?

I most likely will be at Telect, as the director of something.

What would you be doing if you weren’t in your present field?

I would be involved in full-time film production. I don’t know which side of the camera I would be on, but I would be involved in moviemaking in some way, shape, of form.