December 7, 2015 - Worcester Business Journal

Government & Politics

Ralph Crowley Jr.

Ralph Crowley Jr. is not only the president and CEO of Worcester's most visible company, the $450-million Polar Beverages, but he is also a true believer in the city.

Technology

MetroWest Medical Center is another hospital in the region that's seen a stark financial improvement, and leading the ongoing turnaround is Barbara Doyle, the president and CEO of the Tenet Healthcare-owned hospital, with a main campus in Framingham and another in Natick.

Professional Services

Arthur Vigeant & Susanne Morreale Leeber

Fostering a business-friendly atmosphere takes a village, but leading the charge in Marlborough are two key players: Mayor Arthur Vigeant and Susanne Morreale Leeber, president and CEO of the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Economy

The policy haze surrounding medical marijuana

There's something funky in the air, and it isn't the smell of medical marijuana in Massachusetts.While medical marijuana has been part of the Massachusetts landscape since a ballot vote passed in 2012, thanks to slow implementation, there are still fewer than 14,000 active patients and only three dispensaries authorized to distribute in the Commonwealth.

Arts & Entertainment

Venkat Kolluri

Venkat Kolluri, CEO of Chitika Inc., has made an art of creating an inviting workplace to employees of his Internet advertising firm in Westborough.

Hospitality

Dr. Charles and Janet Birbara

Dr. Charles and Janet Birbara never intended to run the Beechwood Hotel, but when their business partner went bankrupt, the responsibility fell to them. They have taken that misfortune and turned it into an opportunity.

Economy

Christina Andreoli’s influence grows

Christina Andreoli's influence has been quietly growing behind the scenes of Worcester -- first in City Hall as the chief of staff for City Manager Mike O'Brien and then as the vice president of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce -- but since taking on the leadership of tourism organizations Destination Worcester and the newly created Discover Central Massachusetts, Andreoli is settling into a highly visible role of promoting the entire Central Massachusetts region.

Economy

Mass. must raise solar caps higher

I'm pleased to see the debate around net metering receiving attention. Last week the legislature almost passed...

Arts & Entertainment

Nick Capasso

At first glance, anyone holding the title of director of the Fitchburg Art Museum wouldn't seem to have much influence outside the cultural community. But Nick Capasso isn't just anyone.

Environment

Eric Dickson resuscitates UMass Memorial

Dr. Eric Dickson never set out to be a hospital administrator, but leadership roles have tended to fall into his lap as he practiced as an emergency room physician over the years, thanks to his take-charge nature.

Energy

Susan Mailman

Susan Mailman is the fourth-generation owner of the 130-year-old Coghlin Electrical Contractors & Coghlin Network Services, but she has not only stepped into a role guiding her company, but also in helping to guide major institutions in the city.

Energy

Economic Development Coordinating Council

If you are looking for the true economic and political power in Central Massachusetts, you should start by walking into the Worcester city manager's office at 8:30 a.m. every Friday.

Government & Politics

Barbara Finer & Kevin O’Sullivan

Inside Route 128, incubators for early-stage companies are numerous, but in MetroWest and Greater Worcester, the options are far more limited. But two local nonprofit leaders, Kevin O'Sullivan, president and CEO of Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives in Worcester, and Barbara Finer, CEO of TechSandBox in Hopkinton, have been pioneers on the incubation frontier and are leading ongoing efforts to increase resources to help local startups thrive.

Small Business

Amy Chase brings fresh perspective to Worcester business

Amy Lynn Chase is an entrepreneur, who has helped build up the Canal District as she builds her own businesses, but this relative newcomer is increasingly being leaned upon by the established Worcester business community for both her social media prowess and her fresh perspective.

Government & Politics

Douglas Petersen

Douglas Petersen was a fixture in North Central Massachusetts business circles before last year, but his status hit new heights when his Workers' Credit Union announced it hit the $1-billion asset mark, which led the firm to pay out $2 million in dividends to its members, the first ever give-back program in its 101-year history.

Government & Politics

Michael F. Collins

Leading research and public health outreach efforts both locally and globally, the University of Massachusetts Medical School does much more than educate medical students.

Government & Politics

Charles “Chip” Norton

To call Chip Norton a fresh face to Central Massachusetts is a little bit of a misnomer, since he has owned and/or developed several multi-million real estate projects in the region for years, but he was largely working behind the scenes until late October when his firm purchased two Front Street office towers in Worcester for $33 million.

Banking & Finance

Banks combining power, keeping identities

Community banks -- striving to compete against multi-billion conglomerates while maintaining their strong local ties -- are taking a creative approach to combine their power while retaining their identities.

Environment

Brian W. Thompson

Brian W. Thompson heads the leading small business lender in Central Massachusetts and the biggest Worcester-headquartered bank -- with $1.7 billion in deposits -- but it is his community connections that make him so intertwined with the business community.

Health Care

Central Massachusetts Power Players

Power comes in many forms, but from power derives influence; and how people use that influence is ultimately reflective of the power they hold.

Economy

Worcester pulls towing request after controversy with NFL player

Last month, the City of Worcester was getting ready to solicit bids for a new wave of...

Advice

101: WORKPLACE STRESS

Workplace pressure is just part of the picture when it comes to meeting deadlines, managing people and...

Advice

Community foundation capitalizes on compounding interest

In 1975, a group of committed community leaders from Central Massachusetts concluded that a pooled endowment would...

Technology

Q&A with Christine Tieri, President, Idea Agency

Christine Tieri founded the advertising agency smith&jones in 1994 in Worcester and operated under that brand for 21 years, mostly out of a building Tieri owned at 76 Main St. in Sturbridge. On Sept. 1, the company moved into a new, more open space at 420 Main St. in Sturbridge, under the new brand Idea Agency, Inc. to symbolize its shift toward an integrated brand development company.

Energy

Mazzarella pushes can-do attitude in Leominster

In November, Dean J. Mazzarella was elected to his 12th two-year term as Leominster mayor, extending his lead as longest serving mayor in the city's 375-year history. This January, when Medford Mayor Michael J. McGlynn retires, Mazzarella officially will be the longest currently serving mayor in Massachusetts.

Technology

David Jordan

As if running the largest nonprofit in Central Massachusetts wasn't enough for him, if you blink too long, David Jordan will likely have acquired a new role in the community, shaping the region with some new responsibilities.

Government & Politics

Susan Hertzberg

Boston Heart Diagnostics, a cardiovascular diagnostics company, is a favorite Framingham success story. Local officials tout it as an example of a small company that's been able to successfully expand its footprint and workforce in town, and they're proud to have liaised with Susan Hertzberg on those efforts.

Professional Services

Frederick H. Eppinger

Very few people could plan to leave a job as head of Worcester's largest publicly traded company and still retain an outsized influence on the region, but such is the pull Frederick H. Eppinger has had on the region since 2003.

Government & Politics

Kevin Meehan

Kevin Meehan, owner of a sprawling car dealership in bucolic Mendon, two years ago made a $5-million donation in his family's name to help fund a $54-million expansion at Milford Regional Medical Center, where he served several years as a board member.

Economy

Players big and small can have power

This issue profiles several influential business leaders who are making a difference in our region. While there...

Government & Politics

Accolades & Honors

Consigli Construction Co. Inc., with offices in Milford, won two Best Project Awards from Engineering News-Record.The awards...

Economy

Incorporations

These Central Massachusetts businesses filed their incorporation papers with the Massachusetts Secretary of State's Office between October...

Economy

Innovators need tools to protect trade secrets

Here in New England, we pride ourselves on our vibrant and thriving innovation economy. Our region is...

Government & Politics

Charles Faris

As lawmakers and officials seek to crack down on the snowballing opioid crisis that has claimed hundreds of lives in 2015, Spectrum Health Systems President and CEO Charles Faris has been an important voice for the substance abuse treatment industry and the patient.

Energy

TALK BACK

IMPROVE PUBLIC TRANSITA report calling for improved public transit said a 1-percent decrease in the growth rate...

Professional Services

Keep moving Worcester toward single rate tax

The Worcester City Council on Tuesday will make its third attempt to set the fiscal 2016 tax...

Advice

10 Things I Know About…Customer experience

10) A strong foundation.Employee engagement is the foundation to the success of delivering great customer experience.9) Multiple...

Technology

FRESH BEGINNINGS

Marlborough Savings Bank reopened its Sudbury branch inside the Roche Bros. supermarket after $2 million in renovations....

News

Photo Finish

Education

Robert Johnson embraces Worcester; avoids ivory tower

Robert E. Johnson has taken his presidency at Becker College as an opportunity to both turn around a school that lacked a coherent direction and in the process become one of the most engaged and dynamic college figures on the Greater Worcester community.

Education

Laurie Leshin

Laurie Leshin landed on the Worcester business and higher education scene in 2014 when she became the first female president in the 150-year history of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

December 7, 2015Edition

About

Subscribe

Follow WBJ