Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1493871
wbjournal.com | March 6, 2023 | Worcester Business Journal 11 FOCUS High achievers 2023 Honorees • Small Business Leader of the Year Jennifer Hylton Executive director, Counseling & Assessment Clinic of Worcester, LLC Page 12 • Large Business Leader of the Year David Klein President & CEO, Greenwood Industries Page 13 • Family Business Leader of the Year Marieke Cormier Owner, Roots Natural Foods Page 14 • Innovative Business Leader of the Year Victor Champagne Additive manufacturing lead, U.S. Army Re search Laboratory - Northeast satellite Page 16 • Nonprofit Business Leader of the Year Kaska Yawo Co-founder & executive director, African Community Education Page 17 B U S I N E S S L E A D E R S O F T H E Y E A R T he five 2023 Business Leaders of the Year all share one trait, which has led to their success: love. David Klein started his Greenwood Industries roofing business as a way to connect with his father aer the latter was diagnosed with cancer. Jennifer Hylton has sought to destigmatize mental health treatment, in order to increase access to services for the most vulnerable populations. Marieke Cormier took over her mother's natural foods store in Leominster and infused her legacy into the operations. Kaska Yawo co-founded African Community Education to help immigrants adjust to their new lives in Central Massachusetts and has grown the nonprofit as demand for its services has increased. Victor Champagne revolutionized the way the U.S. military protects its assets from corrosion, in a much more environmentally friendly way. Each of Business Leaders of the Year have their own unique story to tell, of triumph, of perseverance, of seizing opportunities in the market. Collectively and individually, they represent the best of what the Central Massachusetts business community can be. If you wish to commemorate these success stories and meet some of the high achievers in the Central Massachusetts economy, I invite you to attend the WBJ Business Leaders of the Year & Hall of Fame Awards ceremony March 28 at the AC Hotel by Marriott Worcester for a night of celebration and networking. – Brad Kane, editor W