Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1516686
wbjournal.com | March 4, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 11 FOCUS Community leaders 2024 Honorees • Small Business Leader of the Year Ulysses Youngblood President Major Bloom, in Worcester Page 13 • Family Business Leader of the Year Chris Coghlin President, CEO, & chief culture officer Coghlin Cos., in Westborough Page 14 • Small Nonprofit Leader of the Year Connie Askin CEO Big Brothers Big Sisters Central Mass and MetroWest, in Worcester Page 16 • Large Business Leader of the Year Kevin Holmes President & CEO Advantage Truck Group, in Shrewsbury Page 19 • Large Nonprofit Leader of the Year David Connell President & CEO YMCA of Central Massachusetts, in Worcester Page 20 B U S I N E S S L E A D E R S O F T H E Y E A R B eing a true business leader is much more than just understanding profits and losses, dealing with customers, creating a vibrant employee culture, or even growing your company. To be a true force in the Central Massachusetts economy, you need to understand the community your business operates in and develop ways to improve that community to the mutual benefit of its population and your bottom line. Each of the 2024 WBJ Business Lead- ers of the Year embody this quality and have become essential to the region's successful function. Ulysses Youngblood sees the newly legal cannabis industry as a way to inject more economic activity into underrepresented communities. Beyond just operat- ing his Worcester dispensary, he lobbies for state-level change to lower the barrier to entry for struggling marijuana entrepreneurs. Chris Coghlin has exponen- tially grown his fourth-generation family business in Westborough, but he frames all that work against his leadership of multiple nonprofits in MetroWest, in- cluding one he co-founded to provide direct money to families in need. Kevin Holmes founded his Advantage Truck Group with his heart and life savings, and he cre- ated one of the largest truck dealerships in the country by focusing on employee happiness and giving back to the community. ough their focus is on service to the community, the two Nonprofit Leaders of the Year have accom- plished great things by embracing business principles. David Connell and Connie Askin have helped the YMCA of Central Massachusetts and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass and MetroWest remain steady during turbulent times by relying on partnerships with outside organizations, among other efforts. WBJ will celebrate these five Business Leaders of the Year and induct the WBJ Hall of Fame, Class of 2024 in a special evening ceremony March 26 at the AC Hotel by Marriott Worcester. If you'd like a masterclass in be- coming a true business and community leader, I invite you to come learn from the best. – Brad Kane, editor W PHOTOS | MATT WRIGHT Ulysses Youngblood Chris Coghlin Connie Askin David Connell Kevin Holmes