Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | May 10, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 9 M A N U F A C T U R I N G & A G R I C U L T U R E P O W E R 5 0 Joseph Villatico CEO DMA HOLDINGS (MA), LLC D/B/A GREATEST HITS, IN DUDLEY Residence: Webster For decades, towns and devel- opers in Central Massachusetts have tussled with what to do with the aging mill buildings peppered around the region. Although housing and mixed-use developments have become popular in recent years, Villatico has an- other idea, at least in Dudley: reviving one mill's past life as a local manufacturer by using it to grow, process and sell cannabis in a massive 175,000-square-foot facility. Under his guidance, Greatest Hits is working to bring an array of employment opportunities to an otherwise quiet part of South Central Worcester County, including positions in sales, marketing, human resources, manufac- turing and more. If all goes well, the facility will be open by 2022 and his influence has the capacity to be a boon for the region's workforce, while paying homage to the manufacturing industry that defined the Webster-Dudley region for decades in the wake of the American Industrial Revolution. What do you think the future holds for Central Mass.? "Central Mass. has really embraced this new and upcom- ing sector. With more businesses locating to the area, this can only help continue the rise of property values, employment opportunities, and the expansion of further business opportunities." A motorcyclist: Villatico was a professional motocross racer and raced professionally for more than 15 years. Jon Weaver PRESIDENT & CEO MASSACHUSETTS BIOMEDICAL INITIATIVES, IN WORCESTER Residence: Sturbridge College: Assumption University Worcester has a cluster of colleges and population density unlike anything else in Massachusetts outside Boston and its immediate suburbs, so it's only natural that Worcester's been making a long push to build a life sciences-based startup culture to keep those college graduates or others drawn to the city to stay and build a new ecosystem in Worcester. Weaver is the person with a significantly outsized role in helping to make that happen, through his job at MBI. Nearly 1,000 people in Massachusetts work at companies founded at MBI. And MBI hasn't just survived through the coronavirus pandemic – it has accelerated, building out a new space on Briden Street and quickly filling most of it far ahead of expectations. The incubator is home to 58 early-stage companies, up from 21 a few years ago, and MBI heavily supports those startups in reaching their scientific milestones and raising capital. What do you think the future holds for Central Mass.? "Worcester has incredible momentum right now and the development community is really taking notice. We're ex- cited to see the traction Worcester is gaining with national developers." Going out to eat: "My wife and I tried a new restaurant in Worcester every Friday for about six months and ended up finding a bunch of our now favorite spots. My favorite part of Worcester is what you find when you explore." Tina Yu, Ph.D. CEO MEVION MEDICAL SYSTEMS, IN LITTLETON Colleges: Princeton University, Harvard Business School, and University of Science and Technology of China. Mevion doesn't have the name recognition of its medical industry peers down I-495 such as Boston Scientific or Hologic, but from its unassuming office, Mevion has made critical connections worldwide with its proton ther- apy, a type of cancer radiation treatment historically limit- ed to only a few centers. Led by Yu, Mevion was the first to launch proton therapy in Europe in 2018 with its Dutch offices, and has moved into China, Taiwan and Spain. Today, Mevion has offices in China, and Japan, and has positively impacted the lives of more than 6,000 cancer patients. Yu has the right background to keep Mevion on its fast trajectory, which expanded its workforce 20% in the last year. She was a senior research scientist before entering health investment and consulting, including co-founding YuanMing Capital, which specializes in investment between the U.S. and China. What do you think the future holds for Central Mass.? "Massachusetts benefits from the high-tech communi- ty, which has helped the state thrive through economic hardships and now public health ones as well. .. I foresee a more robust future as we partner with local health sys- tems and manufacturers to help excel this growth." Scientist: Yu has a Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton.

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