Springs Woman Named to LIBN 40 Under 40 List

Nicole Starr Castillo, a partner and executive vice president of Wordhampton Public Relations, which is based in Springs, was honored by Long Island Business News as one of the future leaders of Long Island.

Castillo, 37, celebrated with her husband, Mauricio, and the WordHampton team at an induction ceremony at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury on Thursday night. 

Since 1998, Long Island Business News has taken nominations for outstanding members of the business community on Long Island who are under the age of 40. Past inductees include David Reich-Hale, a former LIBN editor who is a senior regional editor for Patch.com, overseeing the Long Island sites. 

"I am honored to be part of the 2013 class of Long Island Business New's 40 Under 40 awardees. It is humbling but definitely rewarding to receive an award for all my hard work that I love doing," Castillo said on Friday.

A well known public relations executive, Castillo joined Wordhampton, an award-winning agency, in 1997. She became a partner in 2003. Steve Haweeli founded the company in 1992. The firm, which has an office on Three Mile Harbor Road, represents hospitality, real estate and lifestyle businesses in the metropolitan area.

According to the company website, Castillo's roster of successful campaigns include, "the positioning of an East End vineyard as the premier winery in the newly flourishing wine country on Long Island's North Fork, and guiding a restaurant through image change while conveying quality and uniqueness of fare to the public."

A native of East Hampton, she graduated from the Springs School and East Hampton High School. She lives in Springs with her husband and their two children, ages 9 and 6.

Castillo is very involved in the community. She helped found Citizens for Access Rights, a not-for-profit organization created two years ago to help preserve the right to enjoy the local beaches, and serves as its secretary. She also volunteers PR work for the Hampton Ballet Theatre School, and is currently working with Project MOST for a Restaurant Week campaign.

Castillo graduated from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, with a Bachelor of Arts in speech communications with honorable distinction.

Here is a list of this year’s winners. Michael Schoolman, the president of Hampton Luxury Liner, was also named on the list.

Please join East Hampton Patch in congratulating Nicole Castillo. Leave a comment below.