It’s hard to be a leader. And it’s even harder to lead during difficult times, which is what all businesses are facing given the current economic climate.
And that’s why the Worcester Business Journal’s annual Business Leaders of the Year and Corporate Citizen of the Year awards are so important today. We’ve all seen the headlines. They’re inescapable. Many in the business community are facing tough choices right now as they stare down an uncertain year.
Hopefully, the profiles of our Business Leaders will help counteract some of that bad news. But more importantly, their stories will hopefully enlighten and inspire as we all try to make a go of it in 2009.
View photos and video from the Business Leaders event
Here are the WBJ’s 2009 honorees:
Big Business Leader of the Year
Neil McDonough knows FLEXcon’s business inside and out. He watched his father build the business from the time he was a child. Today he’s building on that past success to move his dynamic manufacturing company forward.
Small Business Leaders of the Year
Robb and Madeleine Ahlquist have been feeding Worcester’s business elite for 30 years. Turns out they know good food and good business, having built three successful high-end restaurants in Worcester.
(Award given in conjunction with the Clark University Graduate School of Management)
Unum Group is a model of commitment to community. Through its nearly 700 employees in Worcester, the insurer makes giving back part of its corporate mission.
Nonprofit Business Leader of the Year
Dr. Charles P. Conroy may run a nonprofit, but he’s also running a business. The Perkins School’s profits aren’t necessarily measured in dollars and cents. They’re measured in changed lives.
