We asked recent 40 Under 40 Honoree, Daniel Kurek, CCIFP, the acting CFO of Chaney Enterprises, LP, in Gambrills, Maryland ten questions to get to know him better, check them out:

Q: What do you do to unwind from work?

A: I enjoy attempting French recipes to unwind after work. I love to make steak au poivre (my daughter’s favorite), and fish meuniere.

Q: What is one thing you have to have with you in meetings?

A: In meetings, I have to have what I call my “CFO binder” with me. It has any and all financial information relating to our company, from financials to prepaids to cash flow forecasts, debt schedules, financial covenants, asset lists and even a calculator. Comes in handy in every meeting -- there is just too much to remember without it.

 
Q: Do you have children?

A: My wife and I have two sons and a daughter.

Q: What do you want to be remembered for?

A: I want to be remembered for being the best dad to my kids. I am proud to work for a company whose culture prioritizes family and community first.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

A: The best piece of advice I’ve ever received is from my father, who always said the formula for success is not that complicated: be honest and work harder than everyone else.

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

A: My favorite part of my job is the people I work with, they pour their heart and soul into their work every day.

Q: Are you married?

A: I’m married and our tenth wedding anniversary was in June 2021.

Q: What career advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?

A: The career advice I would give to my 18-year-old self would be to always bet on yourself.

Q: What is something that you learned recently that impressed you or blew your mind?

A: Something I learned recently that really blew my mind is that three out of four Komodo dragons are male and scientists cannot explain why (per my second grader's science project).

Q: What’s your guilty pleasure?

A: My guilty pleasure is being a fan of the Washington Football Team; usually more of a pain than pleasure.