Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | September 30, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 17 PHOTO | MATT WRIGHT OUTSTANDING WOMEN IN BUSINESS AWARDS F O C U S BY LAURA FINALDI Special to WBJ W orking at BlueHive Exhibits is in Caitlyn Correia's blood. Correia represents the third-generation of trade show professionals in her fam- ily, taking over the CEO role from her father, Paul Hanlon, in July. But even before stepping into the chief executive role, Correia has been a major player at BlueHive. Shortly aer graduating from Endicott College in 2012 with her MBA, Correia took a job at BlueHive, working across depart- ments until her ascension to compa- ny president in 2021. As president, she helped guide BlueHive through COVID-19 and oversaw the company's expansion to a second, 30,000-square- foot location in Las Vegas in August of Correia is taking her family business to new heights Caitlyn Correia President & CEO BlueHive Exhibits & Continental Woodcra, in Worcester Residence: Sudbury Education: Bachelor's degree in sports man- agement and an MBA from Endicott College Who is your hero? My father, Paul Hanlon. As a devoted husband, father, and grandfa- ther, he balances these roles while achieving great professional success. I deeply admire his honesty, empathy, strength, and kindness. Throughout my life, he has supported me un- conditionally. His influence and example have shaped the confident person I am today. Since you started your career, how have things changed for women in the profes- sional world? About 10-15 years ago, men predominantly held leadership roles in our industry. Today, our sectors have significantly more female leaders. In my companies, we have more women in top leadership than men, due to a preference for working with woman-led companies and because women are making strides to reach the top. What obstacles do women in the work- place face today? Balancing work re- sponsibilities with family obligations can be particularly challenging. Being a mom of two preschoolers and running a business, I often struggle with this balance and occasionally feel pressured to choose one over the other. last year. Now, as president and CEO, Correia is excited to see employees come in who are excited to work for a female leader in the male-dominated manufacturing field. "People we've hired come this way or want to accept a job because they're excited about working for a woman leader. I'm not saying I'm better than a man, but we think differently. We work differently," she said. Manufacturing, associated with hard labor and hands-on work, is a tradition- ally male-dominated field. Most of the production, engineering, and ware- house staff is male, the office staff is a mix of genders, and most of BlueHive's clients are female, Correia said. Correia has made efforts to empower female leadership at the company. She hired Dana Esposito as executive vice president of strategy – giving the com- pany another female leader – and she supported Jillian Fafard, the company's former creative director of marketing and experiential in her desire to get more involved across the industry. "e big thing with Dana, with Jillian, and with Amanda who manages all our account managers, I tell them, if they want it, they can have it," Correia said. "I've always told people that my goals and dreams are only accom- plished if my team accomplishes their goals and dreams. I'm on this journey with them. I tell them to define what their goals are, and let me help you achieve them." Correia has always been passionate about her work and had a strong lead- ership presence, said Beth Fratalia, who has known Correia since they met at the all-girls boarding school Dana Hall School in Wellesley. "She's the most reliable person, and she's extremely punctual, usually five to ten minutes early," Fratalia said. "It shows her character. She's extremely kind, personable, and trustworthy." Working at BlueHive wasn't always Correia's long-term plan, Fratalia said. It happened organically. Now that Correia is CEO, Fratalia said it makes perfect sense to her. "ere are plenty of people who go to their family companies, and they shouldn't; but I can't think of a better person to take on that responsibility and that role," Fratalia said. Correia stays connected with her industry through the Experiential Designers and Producers Association. She's passionate about her work with Worcester nonprofit Veterans Inc. and hopes to get involved with more chil- dren's charities. She has two young children – ages 3 and 5 – and she hopes they'll work for BlueHive someday. As a leader, Correia said surrounding herself with intelligent people and help- ing people reach their goals in any way she can are paramount to BlueHive's success. "As I've always told my managers, if the people who work for you are good, they make you look good," she said. "I want to be surrounded by profession- al, authentic, hard-working people. It sounds so weird but you should always want to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. ey make the corporation, and you, look great." W

• Cover