Worcester Business Journal

4 Worcester Business Journal | November 11, 2024 | wbjournal.com I N B R I E F Inaugural COO "Her expertise in technology, and her proven leadership, makes her the ideal person to lead our bank as we continue to evolve and innovate." Rosemary Picard, president and CEO of Savers Bank, announcing the promotion of Keri Gonzalez to the Southbridge-based bank's inaugural role of executive vice president, chief operating officer. Pictured is Gonzalez. Molecular research "The protein research being done by Professor Spratt and his students inside this lab aspires to improve health outcomes and extend lives. It is important and impactful work." David Fithian, president of Clark University in Worcester, on the research led by Clark Professor Donald Spratt on molecular basis of human diseases, which led to an expansion of Clark's biotech lab funded by a $750,000 grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Switching roles "You do something for 20 years, and sometimes you need to be able to challenge yourself in different ways and leverage all the success and failures that you've learned along that path and transition that into new opportunities." Brendon Davis on his departure from The DAVIS Cos., his family business where he most recently served as president, to work at Washington, D.C.-based employment agency The Midtown Group BY ERIC CASEY WBJ Staff Writer F rancis Carroll, a longtime leader in the Worcester busi- ness and nonprofit communi- ties and Korean War veteran, has passed away. Francis Carroll, longtime Worcester business leader and philanthropist, dies Carroll, a member of the WBJ Hall of Fame Class of 2017, founded the Small Business Service Bureau in 1968 and had been heavily involved in a number of nonprofit endeavors over the years, including supporting the United Way of Central Massachusetts, the St. John's Food for the Poor Program, and e Hanover eatre & Conservatory for the Performing Arts. "His unwavering support and ded- ication to Worcester and THT helped shape our organization into what it is today," e Hanover eatre wrote in a Facebook post on Oct. 30. "We are so grateful that he got to see how far his PHOTO | WBJ FILE generosity has taken us, culminating in the opening of Francis R. Carroll Plaza last year." e plaza in front of the Hanover eatre was named in Carroll's honor in 2023 due to his support of the ambitious project, which brought the former per- formance space back to life in 2008. "He will be remembered as a cham- pion of small business, veterans affairs & community service," read a Facebook post on Oct. 31 by the City of Worcester. Shunning a conventional retirement, Carroll continued to work seven days a week into his later years. "I love the thrill of the chase," Carroll explained to WBJ in 2018. Carroll led efforts to bring a Korean War memorial to downtown Worces- ter, a conflict he served in during his time in the U.S. Navy. A history buff, Carroll spent what little free time he had collecting historical memorabilia, with his impressive collection largely focused on American presidents and vice presidents. W Read more about Frank Carroll's legacy James O'Brien, a Worcester attorney and long-time friend of Frank Carroll, wrote a Viewpoint opinion column about the impact of his passing and the legacy he leaves behind. See O'Brien's column in the opinion section on page 21.

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