Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | May 10, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 15 R E A L E S A T E & D E V E L O P M E N T P O W E R 5 0 Customized solutions from a local team, here to help you face your current business challenges. Let's get you back to business. Member FDIC For more information, visit RocklandTrust.com/Worcester or call, Michael Crawford SVP, Worcester Market Executive 508.769.2944 Michael C. O'Brien PRINCIPAL OF GALAXY DEVELOPMENT, LLC CEO OF GALAXY LIFE SCIENCES, LLC, IN WEBSTER Work location: Webster Residence: Webster Over the past 15 years, the projects from O'Brien's Galaxy Development have created more than 2,500 jobs in Central Mass., as he has churned out properties like the Trolley Yard retail plaza in Worcester. In August, his company expanded into the life sciences industry, with the planned $50-million development of an on-spec biomanufacturing facility for The Reactory in Worcester, which is envisioned as a life sciences campus with multi- ple companies on the site of the former Worcester State Hospital. Galaxy's facility is flanked by AbbVie's existing drugmaking site and the Chinese firm WuXi Biologics, which is building a $60-million biomanufacturing facility. Galaxy has already snatched up the rights for the remain- ing properties at The Reactory. As the life sciences sector grows in Central Mass, O'Brien is positioning Galaxy as a leading developer for the industry. What do you think the future holds for Central Mass.? "Growth and opportunity in all sectors; health, education, life science, manufacturing, residential, and more retail." The schoolteacher: "My mom owned the first Mon- tessori school in Connecticut called the Little People's House. My summer job from the ages 13-15 was a Mon- tessori school teacher. I loved teaching the children." Philip O. Shwachman PRESIDENT & CEO FIRST AMERICAN REALTY, INC., IN WORCESTER AND BOCA RATON, FLA. Residences: Worcester and Boca Raton, Fla. College: UMass For more than 30 years, Shwachman has held the fate of Hopedale's downtown district in his hands. As the owner of the 1-million-square-foot Draper Mill on 80 acres in Hopedale, the lack of new development drew the ire of town, environmental and business officials, as the Town of Hopedale even tried to sue Shwachman to eminent domain the property for another project. While all that made for interesting drama, the revitalization of down- town didn't really get its full start until last year, when Shwachman decided to finally move forward with new development, first by tearing down the rundown mill that was once the main employer in Hopedale. Shwachman is working with the Worcester Business Development Corp. and the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission to find its next best use. What do you think the future holds for Central Mass.? "The sky is the limit. Worcester has a broad-base econ- omy with growing education, healthcare and innovation technology sectors. There has been a great deal of atten- tion given by the real estate industry." Multiple developments: Shwachman's First American Realty has projects in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Shrewsbury, Worcester, and Attleborough. Jody Staruk PROJECT EXECUTIVE CONSIGLI CONSTRUCTION CO, INC., IN MILFORD Residence: Holden College: Worcester Polytechnic Institute It's no secret the construction industry skews dispropor- tionately male, but that hasn't stopped Staruk over her 18-year tenure at Consigli, where she is the first female project executive in the company's 116-year history and the first woman to win its Builder of the Year award. In March, she was profiled in Fact Company magazine for leading the all-woman construction leadership team for the $17-million renovation of the YWCA Central Mas- sachusett facility. She actively recruits more women into the field, serves on the board of directors at Girls Inc. of Worcester, and participates as a member of the National Association of Women in Construction. "When I was growing up, I knew nothing about the opportunities available within the construction industry," Staruk said. "I love being able to expose young women to the possibility of a non-traditional career path." In that vein, Staruk is shaping not only buildings, but minds and industry, too. What do you think the future holds for Central Mass.? "Worcester has become a much cleaner, safer, and interesting city ... We will only see it improve more in the coming years." Warming to the outdoors: "I grew up in Maine, but never skied or snowmobiled until I came here. It's cold in Maine, and I was too busy playing basketball."

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