Worcester Business Journal

16 Worcester Business Journal | May 2, 2022 | wbjournal.com P O W E R 5 0 A R T S & C U L T U R E LARRY LUCCHINO CHAIRMAN & PRINCIPAL OWNER WORCESTER RED SOX Residence: Brookline Colleges: Princeton University, Yale Law School Lucchino will hold tremendous sway over the Greater Worcester business and cultural communities until he and the rest of the WooSox ownership group decide to sell the team, which may be sooner rather than later. In 2021, California sports and entertainment firm Endeavor made a bid to purchase the WooSox. Although Lucchino and his group turned down the offer, he did tell the Telegram & Gazette in January it would only be a matter of time before he sells the team, once the owners get an offer too good to refuse. The team has without question increased in value since Lucchino and his partners bought it in 2015. Playing in the most expensive minor league stadium ever built, the $160-million publicly owned Polar Park, and with the sixth-highest 2021 attendance of the 120 minor league baseball teams, the top affiliate of the Boston Red Sox would be an attractive asset to any sports-minded investor. And whomever Lucchinio chooses to sell the team to could have significant impact on the Central Massachusetts business community. While there's very little new owners could do to possibly get out of the $61-million team obligation toward Polar Park's overall cost, a corporate owner might not have the same community mindset as the WooSox current ownership. WooSox officials are frequent attendees at major Worcester community functions. The team goes out of its way to bring schools and nonprofits into its sphere, to the point where the WooSox won Minor League Baseball's CommUNITY Champion Award for its local commitment. n What sets the Central Mass. business community apart? We have been struck by the community spirit and collaborative nature of Worcester. n Championship hand: I've been fortunate to earn a Final Four Watch, a Super Bowl Ring, and several World Series rings. OLIVIA SCANLON MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE BRICKBOX THEATER AT THE JEAN MCDONOUGH ARTS CENTER, IN WORCESTER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AT THE HANOVER THEATRE CO-OWNER & WINE BABE AT CANAL DISTRICT WINES Residence: Worcester Colleges: Amherst College, Brown University New housing, commercial developments, infrastructure, and public facilities are all great at economic development, but it takes a vibrant cultural scene to truly create a place where people want to be. In the past year, perhaps no one has personified Worcester's cultural growth more than Scanlon. During the height of COVID, she created free outdoor Shakespeare on the Worcester Common, with a production of "Julius Caesar". She serves as managing director at the new BrickBox Theater. Unlike the Hanover Theatre where audiences can find professionally touring Broadway shows (and where Scanlon also serves as artistic director), the Brickbox is a place where community members can put on their own shows with audiences of up to 300 people. She develops talent by teaching acting at places like WPI and MIT. In November, Scanlon – who lived in Cambridge before moving to the Canal District – opened the new Canal District Wines with her wife, Rachel Scanlon. The couple works with Gilbert Distributors of Shrewsbury, a woman-owned company, so more than half of their wines come from women and Black winemakers. n What sets the Central Mass. business community apart? Opportunity. The reason I've been successful here isn't because free Shakespeare or boutique wine shops are novel ideas unto themselves, but because they didn't yet exist in this region. n She's 84% done: I have a goal to visit all 50 states. I'm up to 42. WEIDONG WANG OWNER & ENTREPRENEUR BABA SUSHI, IN WORCESTER & BRISTOL; BABA SUSHI & HOT POT, IN STURBRIDGE; BABA & THE LEGACY KITCHEN, IN BOLTON; GREAT MEADOWBROOK FARM, IN HARDWICK Residence: Worcester College: Zibo Chef School, Shandong University If there's one person who took Central Massachusetts' real estate world by storm this year, it's Wang. In every new purchase, Wang surprises with an innovative and sometimes surprising business prospect. Wang moved to the U.S. in 1995, only knowing a few basic English phrases. Since then, he has worked his way up through the restaurant industry and opened Baba Sushi, a national-award-winning Asian restaurant in Worcester, Sturbridge, and Bristol, R.I. In the last year, Wang has branched out further. He bought a $1-million restaurant in Bolton and is working with the previous owner on a unique Japanese-Greek-Italian fusion eatery. Meanwhile, his purchase of a 360-acre farm in Hardwick is slated to become the next big player in the cannabis industry called Zen Acres Farm. His purchase of a vacant lot on Worcester's Shrewsbury Street is sure to unfold as another creative business venture. Wang is clearly unafraid to expand his repertoire to new industries, building up a one- of-a-kind business network across Central Massachusetts. n What sets the Central Mass. business community apart? Worcester is different from where I grew up in China, partially because there are many more small robot factories, biotech, and artificial intelligence businesses in my hometown than there seem to be here in Central Mass. This community should diversify to bring more technological and medical advancement. n The greatest gift: I am still flexible enough to do the splits to the floor, which seems to always surprise my staff. Laughter is my favorite gift to give, and if I had a superpower, it would probably be helping people to feel happy. PHOTO | BERLIN PHOTOGRAPHY

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