The Power 50: Michael Dundas
MICHAEL DUNDAS
President & CEO
Sira Naturals, Inc., Milford
Residence: Newton
Colleges: University of California, Berkeley; University of San Francisco School of Law
Dundas is quickly becoming the face and the brain behind Massachusetts recreational marijuana. In late June, Sira became the first company on the East Coast to obtain a license to grow retail marijuana products. Dundas, named Sira CEO in 2014, employes 65 people in his Milford cultivation facility, including high-skilled jobs like food scientists, lab technicians and horticulture experts. Although the town voted to ban recreational marijuana companies, the vote was amended to allow Sira to produce its cannabis products in Milford and sell at its stores in Cambridge, Needham and Somerville. Since the recreational marijuana business is difficult to break into, Dundas developed an incubator at Sira to give entrepreneurs access to products and equipment. He makes policy recommendations to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission through his role on the Cannabis Advisory Board and serves as president of the trade association Commonwealth Dispensary Association, a group he helped found.
What advice would you give up-and-comers? Be yourself, work hard, fail fast, and fail often.
Voice of China: I spent three years as the host of a national radio talk show program in Beijing, China.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article said Sira Naturals has retail operations in Newton. The shop is actually in Neeham.
Read about the WBJ’s 2018 Power Players:
Retail
Harry Kokkinis, Table Talk Pies
Steve Rotman, Rotman’s Furniture & Vystar
Ernie Herrman, TJX Cos.
Michael Dundas, Sira Naturals
Ralph Crowley Jr., Polar Corp.
Christopher Baldwin, BJ’s Wholesale Club
Amy Lynn Chase, Crompton Collective & Haberdash
Food & Culture
Robb & Madeline Ahlquist, Worcester Restaurant Group
Troy Siebels, The Hanover Theatre
Karim El-Gamal, Rail Trail Flatbread Co., New City Microcreamery, Less Than Greater Than
Eric, Sam & Jack Hendler, Jack’s Abby Brewing
Lynn Cheney, Lettuce Be Local
Sandy Dunn, DCU Center
Higher Education & Nonprofits
Ann T. Lisi, Greater Worcester Community Foundation
Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, College of the Holy Cross
Javier Cevallos, Framingham State University
Michael F. Collins, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Jill Dagilis, Worcester Community Action Council
Dr. David A. Jordan, Seven Hills Foundation
Laurie Leshin, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Corner Office
Kate Sharry, Group Benefits Strategies
Tina M. Sbrega, GFA Federal Credit Union
John C. Roche, The Hanover Insurance Group
Elaine Osgood, Atlas Travel
Michael P. Angelini, Bowdtich & Dewey
Susan Mailman, Coghlin Electrical Contractors
Edward F. Manzi Jr., Fidelity Bank
Manufacturing
Dinesh Wadhwani, ThinkLite
Ravi Vig, Allegro Microsystems
Nobuhiko Tamura, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals
Daniel McGahn, AMSC
Michael Mahoney, Boston Scientific
Jeannie Hebert, Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce
Valentin Gapontsev, IPG Photonics
Chris Coghlin, Coghlin Cos.
Health care
Kevin O’Sullivan, Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives
Kurt Isaacson, Spectrum Health Systems
Tarek Elsawy, Reliant Medical Group
Jeffrey M. Welch, Saint Vincent Hospital
Eric Dickson, UMass Memorial Health Care
Holly Chaffee, VNA Care
Richard P. Burke, Fallon Health
Economic Development
Ann K. Tripp, Opus Investment Management
Robert Walker, RA Ventures
Yvonne Spicer, City of Framingham
Cliff Rucker, Worcester Railers Hockey Club
Sherri Greene Pitcher, Fidelity Bank
Timothy P. Murray, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce
Anthony Consigli, Consigli Construction Co.
Jennie Lee Colosi, E. T. & L. Corp.
WBJ Web Partners
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