Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | May 1, 2023 | wbjournal.com Colleges: Kelleher: Providence College; Umphrey: UMass Amherst Even people who do not follow commercial real estate recognize the Kelleher & Sadowsky name from its signs on properties throughout Central Massachusetts. The company leased nearly 2 million square feet and sold $156 million in commercial space in 2022. WILLIAM KELLEHER, IV & JAMES UMPHREY PRINCIPALS KELLEHER & SADOWSKY ASSOCIATES, INC., IN WORCESTER Residences: Kelleher: Shrewsbury; Umphrey: Northborough JENNIE LEE COLOSI PRESIDENT E.T. & L. CORP., IN STOW JEFFREY CUNNINGHAM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CUNNINGHAM EQUITIES, IN CLINTON Residence: Stow Colleges: Georgia Institute of Technology, Clark University in Worcester No one notices infrastructure until there is a problem. If there is a problem or something to improve, E.T.& L. will fix it. Colosi is president of the 77-year-old company, which employs 133 people. She is a trained engineer and one of the only women presidents of a Central Massachusetts construction company. In the past year, the company completed a $16.3-million renovation of the Route 140 bridge spanning Interstate 290 in Shrewsbury and a $22-million downtown reconstruction project in Lowell on Thorndike Street to help traffic flow through the city. All this experience comes on the cusp of major state and federal infrastructure investments. In November 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law the $1-trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In August, former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to appropriate $11.4 billion of those funds to Massachusetts infrastructure projects. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation provided money for 370 roadway, bridge, and bicycle/ pedestrian projects in the 2022-2026 State Transportation Improvement Program with that money. As the owner of one of the five largest construction employers in Central Massachusetts, this activity should keep Colosi and her company busy for years to come. n How should professionals best use the power they wield? "There are many serious issues facing us in Massachusetts as well as many other states: aging infrastructure of all types, and climate change resulting in rising sea levels and more severe weather and storms. Professionals must band together to help solve these historic challenges in the years ahead." n The Collector: Colosi is a collector of Depression-era glass from the 1920's and 1930's, which she picked up from her mother since her passing. Residence: Holden College: Bentley University, in Waltham Cunningham is using his influence as a developer to help communities make the most of what they have. His company, Cunningham Equities, is investing in resurging municipalities like Clinton and Fitchburg by focusing on historic mill rehabilitations and using local skilled labor and vendors. The company has completed the first phase of a renovation of a former Bigelow Carpet Mill complex on Main Street in Clinton. When complete, Jack's Mill on Main will feature 150 apartments and 25,000 square feet of commercial space. The company has completed leasing on another mill conversion, Liam's Crossing in Clinton. Cunningham Equities is also working on Turning Point Campus, a 235,000-square-foot life-science manufacturing facility in Fitchburg. Cunningham helped the City of Fitchburg receive its platinum rating for readiness for biotech investment from the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. Elsewhere, the company has developed properties in Worcester, Holyoke, and Palmer. In order to improve quality of life in the Groton area, Cunningham is working with the Nashua River Watershed Association to build a riverwalk. n How should professionals best use the power they wield? "Business professionals should use their power to better the lives of the people in their communities by working together with public and community-based organizations, whenever possible. With our creativity and ingenuity, combined with the resources of the government, we can accomplish anything together." n Teeing off in 50 states: Cunningham and his wife Kathy have played golf in 46 U.S. states, with a trip to the Northwest and Alaska later this year to complete playing golf in every state. P O W E R 5 0 R E A L E S T A T E Kelleher and Umphrey oversee more than 20 full-time commercial real estate brokers. The firm has attracted top talent over the past five years, including Philip DeSimone and Meghan Liddy, who have opened up new markets and expanded the firm's services, including arranging financing and providing real-time market data solutions. In the past 12 months, the firm has sold notable properties like the former headquarters of BJ's Wholesale Club, visible from Route 9, and an abutting property in Westborough to make way for an 800,000-square-foot life science campus. In February, the firm brokered the sale of One and Two Chestnut Place in Worcester, home to Worcester insurer Fallon Health, to Boston developer Synergy. The firm handles leasing for the Mercantile Center in Downtown Worcester, with the development at nearly 100% occupancy. How should professionals best use the power they wield? "If you have been fortunate enough to be successful, pay it forward. Engage with your community. Give back whenever and wherever you can. Teach those in your organization how to lead others by setting the very best example of character, honesty, and resilience." n A fulfilling hobby: Kelleher knows his way around the kitchen when he gets home. The man know how to cook! n Helping the next generation: Umphrey moonlights occasionally as a caddie for his son Tim in the Minor League Golf Tour in Florida. PHOTO | COURTESY OF KELLEHER & SADOWSKY ASSOCIATES, INC.

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