Worcester Business Journal

14 Worcester Business Journal | August 19, 2019 | wbjournal.com 4 0 U N D E R F O R T Y 2 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y Any talk about Worcester's arts or startup culture is bound to include at least one thing Drexhage has had her hand in: the art gallery and community space Worcester PopUp, the annual mural festival POW! WOW! Worcester, or the co-working space Worces- ter Idea Lab. Drexhage has served as manager, co-director and manager of those three downtown projects, respectively, in addition to her 9-to-5 job since 2013 as project manager for WBDC, a nonprofit helping develop key sites in Greater Worcester for economic development. Her job today includes fundraising for a proposed $3-million black box theater envisioned for 20 Franklin St., which the WBDC owns. In that role, Drexhage had a hand in forming the new downtown Worcester Business Improvement District, which got underway this spring with plans for street-side aesthetic improvements, new marketing and events, and ambassadors to help visitors in a 78-acre swath of the neighborhood centered around Worces- ter Common. Drexhage co-directs POW! WOW! in its fourth year, a responsibility including fundraising and often obtaining a specific type of spray paint an artist may need last minute. She's a member of the Princeton Historical Society and serves on the Princeton Facilities Planning Committee. – G.W. If could live anywhere for one month, where would it be? Lindau, Germany Favorite Central Mass. restaurant? Bocado – the ideal place to share a meal with those you love. Who is most responsible for your success? My mother is the backbone of my family, and I have learned so much from her, particularly her quiet perseverance and kindness. Croke has been a major contributor to the growth of Worcester's culture, including founding Love Your Labels, an inclusion and equality advocacy group; Action! by Design, a design studio helping companies create campaigns; and POW! WOW! Worcester, a mural festival now in its fourth year. They stayed as active as ever this year as the host of the Experience This Podcast, which discusses human experiences and how design and technology impact society. Croke's role in getting POW! WOW! off the ground got them a key to the city in 2016, and other recognition has included being named a 30 Under 30 Young Trailblazer by Boston Spirit magazine for their work as a business owner and in the region's queer community. Croke holds a board seat on the Worcester Education Collabo- rative and is involved with a steering committee and technology subcommittee for the Worcester Public Schools' strategic plan. Croke is lead organizer for Queer AF: Art & Fashion Show, which brings local and regional collaborators into Worcester to tackle challenges surrounding inclusion in the fashion and entertain- ment industries, as part of Love Your Labels. – G.W. What TV character is most like you? If Selena Meyer from "Veep" and Moira Rose from "Schitt's Creek" had a baby and coparented with Jonathan Van Ness from "Queer Eye" and Leslie Knope from "Parks & Recreation," that would be me. Favorite Central Mass. attractions? EcoTarium, Tower Hill, Mechanics Hall, ArtsWorcester, Hanover Theatre & Sprinkler Factory What will the inscription say on the statue they eventually build of you? To learn more, scan this structure with your phone's AR scanner. Joshua Croke, 29 Founder of Action! by Design, Worcester President & co-founder of Love Your Labels, Worcester Residence: Worcester Birthplace: Southbridge College: Worcester Polytechnic Institute Lisa A. Drexhage, 36 Project manager Worcester Business Development Corp. Residence: Princeton Birthplace: Worcester Colleges: Clark University & Connecticut College Allen Court Alley in Worcester, at Interactive Neon Mural #5 by the artist Spidertag

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