The co-founder of Harpoon Brewery and co-chair of the new Massachusetts Competitiveness Council on Thursday asked Greater Worcester business leaders to help shape policy as officials grapple with rising costs and concerns about the state’s economic climate.
“Massachusetts is not anti-business, but it is getting harder to do business here. That’s the reality,” said Dan Kenary.
In October, Gov. Maura Healey named Kenary as co-chair of the inaugural Massachusetts Competitiveness Council, which she created to advise her on ways to drive economic growth and strengthen the state’s business climate. Kenary was the keynote speaker at the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Breakfast Club event on Thursday morning. About 250 company leaders from around Central Massachusetts attended.
A Worcester native, Kenary co-founded Boston-based Harpoon Brewery in 1986, back when craft breweries were rare. He served as its CEO for most of Harpoon’s history, and he and his partners grew the business from a small operation in the Seaport District to the 13th largest craft brewery in the U.S., according to the trade group Brewers Association. In July, Kenary transitioned from CEO to president of Harpoon’s parent company, Barrel One Collective in Boston.
In his remarks Thursday, Kenary asked the assembled business leaders to reach out to him and the leaders of the MCC subcommittees to discuss problems businesses have competing in Massachusetts, along with possible solutions. He highlighted issues like housing costs for employees, rising energy and healthcare expenses, and the state’s tax structure.
“Massachusetts is still a place of innovation, particularly led by the life sciences,” Kenary said. “Nearly every state would trade places with us, but we do have our own challenges.”
MCC created six subcommittees for the topics where it needs business input:
- Tax and business climate – led by Kenary
- Regulations and ease of doing business – led by Miceal Chamberlain, president of Massachusetts for Bank of America, and Aaron Vega, president and CEO of the Western Mass. Economic Development Council
- Workforce and talent pipeline – led by JD Chesloff, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, and Chrissy Lynch, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO
- Infrastructure and core competitiveness – led by Kyle Warwick, founding principal at Boston real estate firm Redgate, and Brooke Thomson, president and CEO Associated Industries of Massachusetts
- Innovation, industry clusters, and business growth – led by Amit Basak, president, chairman and co-founder of Waltham consulting firm Full Potential Solutions, and James Rooney, president and CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
- Shared prosperity and affordability – led by Jay Ash, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, and Eneida Roman, CEO of Boston-based Latino advocacy group We Are ALX
“We want to work with all of you to solve these problems,” Kenary said. “Strong local businesses make a strong city.”
Kenary’s keynote largely covered his entrepreneurship journey, from a Worcester kid to running a struggling brewery startup to now being a bigger player acquiring other breweries. When Harpoon was still finding its footing in the 1980s, Kenary said one of its first big breaks came when Atlas Distributing of Auburn agreed to become the brewery’s first distributor.
Harpoon rode the wave of craft brewery growth this century, with the number of new brewery licenses growing 580% in the U.S. between 2000 and 2022, he said. Now that production volume has stagnated and craft beer is more competitive, Barrel One has been on an acquisition streak, including its 2024 purchase of Greater Good Imperial Brewing.
“We are looking for strong brands with good people and no debt,” Kenary said.
Brad Kane is editor of the Worcester Business Journal.
