Worcester Business Journal

14 Worcester Business Journal | May 25, 2020 | wbjournal.com P O W E R 5 0 C O N N E C T O R S & I N F L U E N C E R S You are safe with us. Get in touch with us today: (508) 890-9087 _ businessloans@baÚstatesaÓings.com Visit our Lending Center: baÚstatesaÓingsban .com/business/lending/ For information on financial assistance: baÚstatesaÓingsban .com/coronaÓirus-health-and-safetÚ/ Our staff is here to help your business navigate through the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19). At Bay State, your deposits are protected and insured by the FDIC and DIF. Full coverage guaranteed, at no cost! Mike Angelini CHAIRMAN BOWDITCH & DEWEY, WORCESTER Meredith Harris EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARLBOROUGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP. Residence: Worcester Colleges: Wesleyan University & Duke University When Angelini speaks, everyone listens. Over the course of a 50-year career at one of Worcester's largest law firms and serving on of a variety of advisory boards, he's built an elaborate network of connections and a reputation for poignant leadership, providing direct and clear insight on a variety of challenges. He served on the board of Hanover Insurance Group and helped pick its last three CEOs, and he was integral to Massport buying Worcester Regional Airport, which has resulted in infrastructure investment and additional airlines. Today, his most public role is on the Worcester Redevelopment Authority, where he advocates for downtown Worcester. He still advises younger lawyers, demonstrating the importance of engagement in the community. What makes Central Mass. unique? Our opportunities. At a time of population shift to urban centers, we are a uniquely urban community, with a diverse population, workforce and economy, attractive and safe neighbor- hoods, world-class colleges and hospitals, extraordinary cultural organizations, expanding social and entertain- ment opportunities, responsive governmental leadership, and distinctive systems of public education. If Worcester was a public company, its stock would be a "buy." What is a fun fact about you? I've always wished I had an impressive answer to this question, but I don't. Residence: Marlborough Colleges: UMass Dartmouth & UMass Boston Remember when Marlborough was known primarily for the Solomon Pond Mall and office parks? Those are still there, but the city has added the Apex Center of New England entertainment complex, has a 123-unit expansion underway at the Avalon Marlborough apartments, has attracted new offices for medical device company Candela, Doble Engineering and manufacturer Allegro MicroSystems, and brought new draws downtown including Lost Shoe Brewing and Roasting Co. Next up: a planned seven-story mixed- use building on Main Street. MEDC, which Harris has led as executive director since 2016, has had its hand in other projects as well, including the bikeshare program Zagster, a shuttle service to the Southborough commuter rail station, and an exclusive deal to advertise on the culinary TV show Phantom Gourmet. Harris is a leader in all of that, as well as serving on the MetroWest Economic Research Center Advisory Board, MassEcon, and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. What makes Central Mass. unique? It's so diverse. Not only do we have a wide variety of industries and job opportunities at small and large companies, we have an array of tourism opportunities through places such as the New England Sports Center. Good start: I got married on Friday the 13th. Ernie Herrman PRESIDENT & CEO THE TJX COS., INC., FRAMINGHAM College: Boston College Herrman might never be mentioned in the same sentence as Amazon's Jeff Bezos, but there's one thing the two businessmen undoubtedly share: success in retail at a time when it's increasingly difficult to find. Amazon and the broader shift toward online shopping has been responsible for much of brick-and-mortar retail's existential troubles, but Herrman's TJX Cos. has done more than simply survive it, taking advantage of a scavenger hunt-type experience in stores that can't be replicated online. Herrman can't claim to be a risruptor like Bezos can, but he's led the parent company of T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods and Homesense on a growth trajectory calling for 1,800 new stores, a 50% jump. Growth is also taking place in TJX's home city of Framingham, where the company spent $120 million last year to buy a 450,000-square-foot office building a few blocks from its headquarters. Herrman has spent most of his career with TJX, joining in 1989, when he began holding various merchandising positions. He was promoted to president in 2011 and in 2016 he replaced one of the state's best-known executives, Carol Meyrowitz, who had led the company for nine years, a period including the Great Recession. Now it's Herrman's time to lead the company through the next recession, which is anticipated to hit the retail industry hard. In the first quarter, the company lost $1.6 billion in profits compared to the year before. How do you give back to the Central Mass. community? We support numerous charitable organizations including Feeding America, American Red Cross, Save the Children, United Way of Tri-County, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central MA and Metrowest, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metrowest and Worcester. Peo Nathan PRESIDENT & CEO COMPUTERVAULT, INC., MARLBOROUGH Residence: Shrewsbury College: University of Massachusetts Since 2005, Nathan has led the largest IT service provider in Central Massachusetts, with the 150-employee Advans IT bringing in $25 million in annual revenue. In 2019, he spun out as a separate company – ComputerVault – to help clients solve the problems of data security and efficiency for the remote workforce, by providing more secure computers to those working from home and remote offices. As the Central Mass. and global economy has shifted to working from home during the coronavirus pandemic – perhaps permanently for some – Nathan's efforts will play a vital role, especially as data security becomes a larger issue. During the pandemic, Nathan decided to provide free server hardware to companies hosting its software, as a way to help out and demonstrate how companies can remain productive and secure with remote workers. The company also created its Free Generacity Social Media Platform, which helps nonprofits with fundraising and employee recruitment. What makes Central Mass. unique? It offers terrific quality of life benefits rarely obtained in other metropolitan areas. That and the access to the many great institutions of higher learning provide an environment for both a high- quality and stable workforce. Kung Fu master: I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

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