CLIFF RUCKER
Owner, Worcester ProHockey LLC (Worcester Railers Hockey Club and Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center)
Residences: Danvers and Worcester
College: Tufts University
An out-of-town owner might strike doubters as someone not fully committed to the city where his team plays. That’s never been a concern with Cliff Rucker. Before the Railers even played their first game last October, Rucker had already opened the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center and Railers Tavern, delivered a commencement speech at Becker College, and bought an office building at 311 Main St. The team even gave $250,000 to the EcoTarium to get its blue and gray colors painted on the museum’s Explorer Express Train. Combine these community-building efforts with a winning record in the Railers’ debut season and charitable efforts such as the Railers HC Foundation, and the Railers have been a more-than-worthy successor to the IceCats and Sharks. Rucker has invested more than $25 million in Worcester and now owns a half dozen properties, including the Worcester Palladium.
What advice would you give up-and-comers? Work hard. Show up early and stay late. Be fearless and set the standard with everything you do.
A full house: He has five kids.
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.
