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Mayor | City of Lebanon
Matt Gentry was the second-youngest mayor in Indiana when he was voted into office at age 26. Now in this third term, he oversees 150 city employees and manages a $24 million annual budget. He has attracted $4.5 billion in economic investments to Lebanon, revitalized the town square, paved or rebuilt more than 50% of Lebanon’s roads, and completed the Big 4 Trail through town. And a project on the horizon might dwarf all of those: the high-tech LEAP Research and Innovation District, a proposed “silicon Heartland” project with next-gen manufacturing and a town center incorporating innovative sustainability features. Gentry is ushering Lebanon into an exciting new era, but he’s just as fond of the town’s simple side. “I always enjoy days where I visit children at our schools. They always think I am way more important than I am. They think I have the president on speed dial,” he said. “I love hearing their ideas and perspectives about our community.”
Getting here: He grew up around politics but never saw himself as the guy in the spotlight. He planned to go into medicine, but a 7:30 a.m. organic chemistry class taught him his passion was politics and policy, not medicine. Gentry was a Statehouse intern and ran campaigns while still in college at Purdue University. After graduating, he started his career as a legislative assistant in the Indiana House of Representatives for two sessions. Then he joined Mark It Red, a political consulting firm. In a curious twist of fate, a failure on the job led to his successful mayoral bid—he ran only because he couldn’t find a candidate to put on the ballot in 2015. “I truly believed Lebanon needed new leadership, so I filed to run myself.”
First job: Bag boy, Ulen Country Club. “I always joke, ‘Be sure you tip the bag boy. He might be a mayor one day.’”
Givebacks: Board member, Accelerating Indiana Municipalities
Influential moment: Hearing about Gov. Eric Holcomb’s plans for the LEAP district in 2022. “I recognized immediately what they were proposing would not be easy or popular with some, but I could also see the near-unlimited potential of what LEAP could do to make the lives of Lebanon’s [residents] better. Since then, LEAP and its related topics have been a constant focus and priority for me. “
Advice: Don’t be afraid to take the leap. “You will always have reasons not to do something. Focus on the reasons why you should.”•
Check out more Forty Under 40 honorees.
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