2020 Power 50: Ralph D. Crowley Jr.

Ralph D. Crowley Jr., president & CEO Polar Beverages

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Ralph D. Crowley Jr.

Title: President & CEO
Company: Polar Beverages
Located: Worcester
Residence: Worcester
Colleges: Bowdoin College & Clark University

Crowley didn’t need the Pawtucket Red Sox to come to town to become one of the city’s and region’s highest-profile and most influential businesspeople.

Crowley’s family started Polar in 1882, and a consumer shift away from soda and toward seltzer has put the brand on par with Coke and Pepsi in the market. When Polar bought the naming rights for the Sox’ new ballpark – Polar Park – and Crowley soon after became a part owner, it all served to cement the team’s future standing in Central Massachusetts. Locally, that makes Crowley and his family a central piece of the area’s soon-to-be big attraction. Nationally, on the other hand, Crowley and Polar are a bigger name than ever while fighting against the industry’s big boys. Coke has launched its own seltzer line, called Aha, with a similar array of flavors as Polar. In the meantime, Pepsi’s Bubly brand has surpassed Polar for the second-biggest seltzer seller behind LaCroix. Sparking water consumption tripled in the five years ending in 2018, so there’s plenty of business to go around. But with hometown loyalty, good luck finding an Aha or Bubly in Worcester.

What makes Central Mass. unique? The workforce here is unique; there is no better work ethic than in Worcester. We are proud of their output and engagement in designing, manufacturing, bottling, and distributing Polar Beverages.

He was taught in a land down under: I went to high school in Sydney, Australia.

Power 50: View the entire Power 50 Class of 2020