Venkat Kolluri, CEO of Chitika Inc., has made an art of creating an inviting workplace to employees of his Internet advertising firm in Westborough.
Chitika offers catered lunches daily, laundry and dry cleaning services, and a recreational area offering ping pong, basketball and video games, to name few. Kolluri, an engineer and India native, believes this type of environment fosters better performance as employees service about 4 billion online ads globally, per month.
But it’s not just what Kolluri does inside the office that defines him. He is also engaged with the local small business community through Chitika’s new segment, Cidewalk. A mobile advertising company serving small businesses with offices in Southborough, Cidewalk was spun off this year and has hit some key milestones, such as inking an agreement with Yahoo that will allow the search engine company to distribute the Cidewalk app to small business users.
Meanwhile, the app has been tested among MetroWest small businesses, which Kolluri reached out to with training and discounts through local chambers of commerce and the Westborough Economic Development Committee.
Read about other Central Massachusetts Power Players
Change Agents: Executives bringing their organizations to new heights
- Eric Dickson, President & CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care, Worcester
- Barbara Doyle, President & CEO of MetroWest Medical Center, Framingham
- Susan Hertzberg, President & CEO of Boston Heart Diagnostics, Framingham
- Douglas Petersen, President & CEO of Workers’ Credit Union, Fitchburg
Visionaries: Forward thinkers pushing to realize the promises of the future
- Robert E. Johnson, President of Becker College, Worcester
- Charles Faris, President & CEO of Spectrum Health Systems, Worcester
- Barbara Finer, CEO of TechSandBox, Hopkinton & Kevin O’Sullivan, President & CEO of Massachusetts Biomedical Initiative, Worcester
- Edward Moore, President & CEO of Harrington HealthCare, Southbridge
- David Jordan, President & CEO of Seven Hills Foundation, Worcester
- Ralph Crowley Jr., President & CEO of Polar Beverages, Worcester
Politicos: Public officials leveraging their positions to further business development
- Dean J. Mazzarella, Mayor of Leominster
- Economic Development Coordinating Council, Worcester
- Michael F. Collins, Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester
- Arthur Vigeant, Mayor of Marlborough & Susanne Morreale Leeber, President & CEO of the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce
Fresh Faces: Newcomers to Central Massachusetts with refreshing perspectives and ideas
- Amy Lynn Chase, Owner of Crompton Collective, Worcester
- Nick Capasso, Museum Director at the Fitchburg Art Museum
- Laurie Leshin, President of Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Charles “Chip” Norton, President of Franklin Realty Advisors, Worcester
Inner Circle: Long-time players who continue to have a significant role in new developments
- Christina Andreoli, Vice President of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Kevin Meehan, Owner of Imperial Cars, Mendon
- Michael P. Angelini, Chairman of Bowditch & Dewey, Worcester
- Brian W. Thompson, President & CEO of Commerce Bank, Worcester
- Susan Mailman, President of Coghlin Electrical Contractors & Coghlin Network Services, Worcester
- Dr. Charles and Janet Birbara, Owners of the Beechwood Hotel, Worcester
- Frederick H. Eppinger, President, CEO & Director of Hanover Insurance, Worcester
