2025 Business Leaders of the Year

Even though it’s always been centered around the idea of economic and community excellence, Worcester Business Journal’s Business Leader of the Year award has evolved over the years.

First launched in 1982, the award was originally given to a single person, with the first honoree being Herb Dunnington, CEO of First Safety Fund Bank. Over the past four decades, the award has expanded to honor professionals from different categories, including small businesses, large businesses, nonprofits, family businesses, and innovators. Since the introduction in 2017 of the WBJ Hall of Fame, which inducts professionals with a sustained history of success, the Business Leaders of the Year awards tend to focus on people with significant achievements in the past 12-ish months.

The 2025 Business Leaders of the Year certainly have notable accomplishments in the past year, but they also will cast long shadows on the Central Massachusetts economy and community for decades to come. Barry Maloney has spent 14 years building a legacy of integrity at Worcester State University, which is now bucking the statewide and national trends of plunging higher-ed enrollment. Mari Gonzalez took over her parent’s nonprofit, broadened its services, and is needed now more than ever. Tim Quinn realized the dream he and his brother hatched in their younger years and has created two community staples. The executive trio behind Koopman Lumber appears primed to achieve the rare feat of a family business: transition from the third to the fourth generation. Jean Qiu built a successful life sciences startup company and now uses her expertise and skills to support the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem, all while building another startup.

Note on the photos: Special thanks to Mechanics Hall in Worcester for serving as the main venue for the 2025 Business Leaders of the Year and WBJ Hall of Fame.

– Brad Kane, editor