Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | August 16, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 31 Presented by October 28th, 2021 7:30 am - 4:00 pm DCU Center 50 Foster St, Worcester, MA 01608 at the REGISTER AT www.worcesterwomenleadership.com Presenting Sponsors Keynote Sponsors 4 0 U N D E R F O R T Y As the market demand for locally raised and grown food has increased, MacKay has been at the forefront of answering that call. A first-generation farmer who bought his first property – 350 acres in Holden in 2016 – and his second – 50 acres in Rutland – MacKay has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to raising livestock and providing protein options to the Central Mass. community and beyond. In 2020 alone, MacKay's farm saw a 420% increase in gross sales from the year prior, and he's looking to continue building on that momentum. With increased sales, MacKay has expanded benefits for employees, including adding a 401(k) option not necessarily easy to come by in the agriculture business. He has ramped up donations to groups like Project New Home and Worcester Community Fridges. As president of Worcester County for the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation, a founding board member of Central Mass Grown, and a member of the Holden Agricultural Commission, MacKay's devotion to agriculture is dynamic, multifaceted, and relies on giving back. - M.B. What Olympic sport would you be the best at? Have they made the Beer Olympics official yet? How do you define success? Being able to expand and achieve my goals while truly enjoying what I do. Success is largely defined by the team you build around you. Why do you live in Central Mass.? Being able to buy my property in Holden, where my grandfather's dairy farm was so many years ago, was when all the pieces came together for me. This is where my roots are. Ryan MacKay, 30 Owner Lilac Hedge Farm LLC, in Holden & Rutland Residence: Holden Birthplace: Worcester College: UMass Amherst Geary was named president of Weld Power in 2008, at the age of 24, when the company had one service branch in Auburn and employed 12 people. Some 13 years later, under Geary's leadership, the company has expanded to multiple service locations, a staff of nearly 50, and grown annual revenue from $1 million to $8 million. Geary has overseen the company's expansion from the primarily residential market to the commercial sector, where Weld serves a variety of essential services, including hospitals, nursing homes, and pharmaceutical companies. Geary is in the process of launching a nonprofit organization, to use mobile generators to back up the homes of people who are terminally ill, with the end goal of allowing them to stay in their homes. That nonprofit will be launched in honor of two former Weld employees who have died. Weld already donates generators to schools and animal shelters. A business leader with a demonstrably successful track record, Geary is a community and company trailblazer. - M.B. What world record would you like to have? The lifetime record of skiing the most vertical feet. What is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you? Nominating me for the 40 Under Forty award. I was completely surprised by the nomination and having a chance to read the nominating letters gave me a great sense of how my team views me as a leader. Favorite Central Mass. restaurant? Hangover Pub in Worcester What message would you now like to give your 10-year- old self? Tim, relax, you will actually get to see the Red Sox win a World Series. Also, learn to speak a new language now! Timothy Geary, 37 President Weld Power Generator & Prime Power Rentals, in Millbury Residence: Grafton Birthplace: Newton College: University of Colorado

• Cover