Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1535455
6 Worcester Business Journal | May 19, 2025 | wbjournal.com P OW E R 1 0 0 F I N A N C E Thomas Bartholomew President & founder Bartholomew & Company, in Worcester Employees: 35 Residence: West Boylston College: Assumption University e long-time and well-connected founder of the na- tionally-recognized $5-billion financial advisory firm, Bartholomew is as much a staple of the Worcester busi- ness community as the company that bears his name. In 2024, the financial publication Barron's named Bartholomew as of the top 1,200 financial advisors in the country, marking the 11th consecutive year of his being featured on the annual list. e Barron's listing highlights the praise Bartholomew receives from na- tional financial publications on a consistent basis, with the others including Forbes and Five Star Professional. Bartholomew founded the company in 1994 aer previously working at Worcester County National Bank. Today, the investment advisors at Bartholomew & Company collectively advise more than $5 billion in client assets. On top of investment management, the firm offers retirement planning, tax planning, education funding, estate plan analysis, and insurance planning. Bartholomew is very involved in the local com- munity and has served on the boards of nonprofits like Greater Worcester Community Foundation, e Hanover eatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts, e Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, and Worcester Art Museum - Story by Brad Kane "Power is … being brave when faced with obstacles and uncertainty, letting go of any ego, and being confident to surround yourself with highly talented critical thinkers." - Shruti Miyashiro, Digital Federal Credit Union Lee Gaudette President Gaudette Insurance Agency, in Whitinsville Employees: 49 Residence: Whitinsville Colleges: Tufts University, Babson College. Lee Gaudette has been a fixture of the Central Massachusetts business community for decades. He started at the family business in 1990 as a commercial account executive, ultimately purchasing Gaudette Insurance Agency from his parents in 2003. e company was founded in 1926 by Roy Gaudette, Lee's great-uncle, and Lee's father Gerry Jr. was instrumental in expanding it throughout the Blackstone Valley. e agency provides insurance products and services to more than 1,000 small and midsized businesses across Central Massachusetts through its offices in Whitinsville, Graon, Shrewsbury, Westborough, and Southborough. e company, which serves 10,000 families and individuals, has been on an acquisition spree since 2019; Gaudette said the company expects to complete its sixth agency acquisition in six years on June 1. is purchase of a location near one of its existing branch offices will more than double the volume of that branch. In 2019, Gaudette received the Pacesetter of the Year Award from the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents, the agency's highest honor. Gerry Jr. received the same award in 1988. Every Friday, Gaudette hosts the Gaudette Insurance Show at 9:30 a.m. on WCRN 830 AM. - Story by Laura Finaldi PHOTO | COURTESY OF GAUDETTE INSURANCE AGENCY Seth Pitts President & CEO Bay State Bank, in Worcester Employees: 76 Residence: Worcester Colleges: Worcester State Univer- sity, UMass Boston Pitts is the groundbreaking leader of Bay State Bank and is taking the community bank founded in Worces- ter in 1895 to new heights by bringing in exciting new executives and partnering with the state treasurer. A Worcester native, Pitts joined the bank in 2020 aer time in the public sector. He worked with banks at risk of failing at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and with people living in rural communities at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He ascended to CEO in 2023 aer the retirement of Peter Alden, taking the top job at just 35 years old. He is the first Black man and first person of color to lead the institution, which had $492 million in local deposits and $555 million in assets as of June 30. In October, Bay State Bank announced Anthony Pasquale would be its first chief commercial banking officer, charged with spearheading the creation of commercial banking products and services and with strengthening community relationships. is year, the bank partnered with the Office of State Treasurer and Receiver General Deborah Goldberg to offer two virtual business finance workshops for entre- preneurs across the commonwealth. Bay State has six public branches in the region and a seventh at Auburn High School. - L.F. Shruti Miyashiro President & CEO Digital Federal Credit Union, in Marlborough Employees: 1,653 Colleges: University of California Riverside, University of Redlands DCU is synonymous with Central Massachusetts, having lent its name to one of Worcester's premier entertainment centers. But the credit union has global reach, especially now that it plans to merge with anoth- er credit union, this one headquartered in Northern California. In September, DCU said it intends to merge with First Tech Federal Credit Union of San Jose, California. e combination of the two tech-focused credit unions, Miyashiro said, means an enhanced digital experience for customers, a coast-to-coast branch network, extend- ed service hours in call centers, and access to cutting edge financial products, services, and advisors. Even before the merger makes DCU a truly national organization, the credit union was already the largest in Central Massachusetts by a significant margin. DCU's $12.3 billion in assets at the end of March 31, 2024 dwarfed its next-largest competitor: Workers Credit Union in Littleton, which had $2.6 billion in assets. Miyashiro has worked in credit unions throughout her entire career, starting as a teller during undergrad- uate as a philosophy major. She joined DCU in 2022 from Orange County's Credit Union, where she served as CEO starting in 2007. - L.F.