Transportation

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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