Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1516686
wbjournal.com | March 4, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 15 Ensure your team has ALL ACCESS to WBJ. We offer discounted group subscriptions starting at 5 users. Reach out to us at circulation@wbjournal.com for a quote. WBJ B U S I N E S S L E A D E R S O F T H E Y E A R F O C U S Graduate Programs clarku.edu/graduate The Clark MBA | Finance | Accounting Analytics and Big Data | Computer Science Project Management | Communications Sustainable Development Public Administration Generous Scholarships for Central Massachusetts Students Local, Flexible, Career-Focused "e fact that our Central Mass.- based company is integral in the com- mercialization of so many technologies that travel all over the world is beyond rewarding to all of us! As we continue to grow and thrive, our success will provide tremendous advancement opportunities for our people and allow us to continue reinvesting into the community that we all know and love here in Central Massachusetts," Coghlin said. Coghlin's genuineness and the way he goes out of his way to help others is a rare quality that makes him stand out as not only a business leader, but also as a community leader, said John Heald, the general manager of the Funeral Home Channel at Legacy. com, who has known Coghlin since childhood. "I've never met anyone like him, honestly, in all my life. He is one of the most positive, optimistic individuals, and he is just a great person to have in your life. I say that, from a personal perspective, and as someone who has watched him grow Coghlin Cos. to what it is today," Heald said. "Its suc- cess is largely due in part to who Chris' as a person, his attitude, his willing- ness to do anything for anyone." Heald serves with Coghlin on the boards for two nonprofits: Shrews- bury Pitches In and DetectTogether. Shrewsbury Pitches In is a charity card tournament co-founded by Coghlin raising money for local families in need. DetectTogether was created by the Coghlin family and focuses on early cancer detection by providing education and awareness. As someone personally impacted by cancer, Heald says, "I am living proof that what they're doing with DetectTo- gether is working, and it's meaningful." Coghlin deserves WBJ's Family Business Leader of the Year award be- cause of the respect he has for others, Heald said. "He deserves the award for the company that he's built, and the way he treats his employees … He took the values that his family instilled in him and has excelled upon them to create his own personal leadership style, and a way of going about things that has made him one of the leaders in family-run businesses in Central Massachusetts," he said. "But most importantly, he is just a stand-up person in our community." W