Worcester Business Journal

10 Worcester Business Journal | May 19, 2025 | wbjournal.com P OW E R 1 0 0 M A N U FA C T U R I N G Chris Coghlin President, CEO & chief culture officer Coghlin Cos. in Westborough and West Boylston Employees: 900 Residence: Shrewsbury College: Northeastern University As a head of a firm which is a leader in the commer- cialization of large-scale capital equipment and medical devices through its Columbia Tech and Cogmedix divisions, Coghlin helps ensure the long legacy of man- ufacturing in Central Massachusetts lives on. Making everything from robots, to security devices, to some of the most advanced medical devices on the planet, you've almost certainly come across a Coghlin Cos.-built product, even if you don't know it. Aer leading efforts which saw the company produce 10,000 ventilators at the height of the COVID-19 pan- demic, Coghlin hasn't slowed down, opening up a new state-of-the-art 101,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in West Boylston, which doubled the size of its presence in the town. In the quest to support the next generation of leaders, Coghlin Cos. graduated its largest class of co-op students yet in 2024, providing college students with an insightful look at the business. While his roles as CEO and president may sound the most important, Coghlin takes the most pride in his title of chief culture officer. Adopting the mantra, "Work hard, play hard," he aims to make sure all of his employees are feeling satisfied in and out of the work- place. - E.C. Ken Winterhalter CEO Seaman Paper, in Gardner Employees: 900 Residence: Bradenton, Florida Colleges: Slippery Rock University, University of Pittsburgh e first CEO of Seaman Paper who is not part of the company's founding family, Winterhalter has helped ensure the 79-year-old paper manufacturer remains on the cutting edge. e firm operates six facilities in Massachusetts and has expanded globally, with operations everywhere from Vietnam to Italy. Seaman expanded in December with its acquisition of German paper firm Julius Glatz GmbH. With Winterhalter in charge, Seaman has continued to focus on creating a more sustainable future via new products like SeaStretch, a paper-based stretch wrap which can be used to wrap shipping pallets, helping eliminate the use of single-use, unrecyclable plastics. e compa- ny's commitment to sustainability has allowed it to be named a member of the 1% For e Planet sustainability initiative and resulted in Seaman Paper being recognized by the American Forest & Paper Association with its sustainability award in 2023. While the firm keeps rolling out innovative projects, Winterhalter helps ensure Seaman Paper has a positive impact on the community that goes beyond economics. ese efforts include everything from helping the Town of Orange pay for a new water tank via a $790,000 donation to its annual donation to local schools involving more than 100 supply-filled backpacks. Winterhalter takes pride in mentoring future business leaders, a task he's had great success in: Five of his previous direct reports now lead other organizations as presidents or CEOs. - Story by Eric Casey PHOTO | COURTESY OF SEAMAN PAPER Sam Hendler CEO Hendler Family Brewing, in Framingham Employees: 275 Residence: Framingham College: University of Vermont As others in the cra beer industry struggle to stay afloat amid declining beer sales and changing consum- er preferences, Hendler has turned Jack's Abby Brewing in Framingham into a growing beverage empire. While Hender jokes that nepotism is how he landed his current gig at the beer company he runs with his two brothers Eric and Jack and with the advice of his father Paul, it's clear there's more behind his success than just family connections. A number of savvy busi- ness moves has allowed the company to grow through the purchase of other well-established breweries. e firm sent shockwaves through the local beer scene when it announced it had purchased Worcester's Wormtown Brewery in April 2024, establishing Hend- ler Family Brewing as the parent company of both. Hendler told WBJ at the time no further acquisitions were in the works, but when the company became aware of a chance to buy Night Shi Brewing, an- other well-known cra beer brand based in Everett, it jumped at that opportunity, sealing the deal in October. Jack's Abby was already the largest brewer by num- ber of barrels in Central Massachusetts, with 67,652 in 2023. With the acquisitions, the company is projected to ship over 100,000 barrels in 2025. Drinks up! - E.C. Ralph Crowley Jr. President & CEO Polar Beverages, in Worcester Employees: 2,300 Residence: Worcester Colleges: Bowdoin College, Clark University In a space dominated by the big players of Co- ca-Cola and Pepsi, Crowley has dug out a unique role as the head of a beverage company beholden to no one, except its loyal customer base. Part of the fourth generation of the family to run Polar, Crowley took over the helm of the drink manu- facturer in 1992. e company's products were mostly unknown outside of Greater Worcester when he took over, but now are available all over the country. A trip to the company's Worcester facility reveals a seemingly endless warehouse full of beverages, staffed by an army of quick-moving workers. It's all the more impressive when you consider it's just one of a dozen Polar facilities across the country, responsible for more than 300 million cases of drinks every year. Hardly just a drink mogul, Crowley has hands in a number of other endeavors, including his role as the most-prominent remaining local owner of the Worcester Red Sox, following the 2023 sale of a major- ity of the ballclub to Diamond Baseball Holdings. His sports-related portfolio isn't just limited to base- ball, as the Crowley family owns Wachusett Mountain Ski Area in Westminster. e winter sports destination will receive a $20-million upgrade this summer with the installation of a new high-speed li. - E.C. "Power is the ability to get people to listen to you, even when you're mostly just talking about beer." - Sam Hendler, Hendler Family Brewing

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