wbjournal.com | August 25, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 3
Worcester Business Journal (ISSN#1063-6595) is published bi-
weekly, 24x per year, including 4 special issues in May, September,
October, and December by New England Business Media. 172
Shrewsbury St., Worcester, MA 01604. Periodicals postage paid
at Worcester, MA. Copyright 2025. All rights reserved. Postmaster:
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Worcester Business Journal
172 Shrewsbury Street, Worcester, MA 01604
508-755-8004 tel.
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www.wbjournal.com
Worcester Business Journal
WBJ
A division of:
Editor, Brad Kane,
bkane@wbjournal.com
Managing Editor, Eric Casey,
ecasey@wbjournal.com (real estate,
manufacturing)
Staff Writer
Mica Kanner-Mascolo,
mkannermascolo@wbjournal.com
(health care, diversity & inclusion)
Contributors
Sloane M. Perron, Giselle Rivera-
Flores, Emily Micucci, Livia Gershon
Photographers
Matt Wright, Edd Cote, Christine
Peterson
Research Director,
Stephanie Meagher,
smeagher@nebusinessmedia.com
Research Assistant, Heide Martin,
hmartin@nebusinessmedia.com
Production Director, Kira Beaudoin,
kbeaudoin@wbjournal.com
Art Director, Mitchell Hayes,
mhayes@wbjournal.com
General Manager
Kris Prosser, kprosser@wbjournal.com
Senior Accounts Manager
Christine Juetten,
cjuetten@wbjournal.com
Accounts Manager
Timothy Doyle
tdoyle@wbjournal.com
Human Resources Manager,
Tracy Rodwill,
trodwill@nebusinessmedia.com
Director of Finance, Sara Ward,
sward@nebusinessmedia.com
Accounting Clerk, Rae Rogers,
rrogers@nebusinessmedia.com
Event Coordinator,
Patty Harris,
pattyh@wbjournal.com
Director of Audience Development
and Operations, Leah Allen,
lallen@nebusinessmedia.com
Business Office Assistant,
Nicole Dunn,
ndunn@nebusinessmedia.com
Publisher, CEO, Peter Stanton
pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com
Associate Publisher, Mark Murray
mmurray@wbjournal.com
President, Tom Curtin
tcurtin@hartfordbusinessjournal.com
`
Commercial Banking
Done Differently.
Bob Paulsen
Commercial Banking Center Manager
100 Front Street | Worcester, MA 01608
Cell: 508.254.8582
Robert.Paulsen@RocklandTrust.com
For more information, contact:
Awarded as the Best Bank in the Northeast in two
categories by Coalition Greenwich for U.S. Middle
Market Banking, including:
• Likelihood to Recommend
• Overall Satisfaction
Member FDIC
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
5 Central Mass. In Brief
15 40 Under Forty, Class of 2025
41 List: Highest-paid CEOs
42 Guest column: Krishna Abburi
43 Advice
44 Movers & Shakers
45 Opinion
46 Shop Talk: Fidelity Bank
8 Many generations, one workforce
Communications issues, clashes over
values, and how to navigate the most age-
diverse workforce ever.
11 The second inning
Almost five years into the 35-year Polar Park
project, the WooSox are still drawing
crowds, but parcels key to ballpark's funding
are underutilized and being listed for sale.
E
very year for the 40 Under
Forty awards, I issue the same
challenge to the winners: Take
the best photo.
Since 2016, WBJ has divided
the 40 winners into smaller groups and
taken them to high-profile and fun
locations around Central Massachusetts
to create high-energy and zany photos in
order to set a tone of youthful exuberance
for the entire publication. Aer we put
one of these photos on the front page of
the 40 Under Forty edition in 2017, I've
told all these small groups they are in a
competition to land on the cover of what
has traditionally been WBJ's most-read
edition of the year. And, oh boy, these
Type A personalities go all out: coordi-
nating outfits, bringing props, buying
party supplies, hiring professional makeup
artists, scouting locations in advance, and
cajoling photographers to help them win.
e hardest part is picking the winner,
especially since I attend nearly all the
shoots and see the extreme effort the 40
Under Forty put into these photos, oen
outside in the July and August heat and
humidity. e photos now are so good
that Art Director Mitchell Hayes will
mock up at least 10 different cover op-
tions. It's like trying to pick your favorite
child, and each year I bemoan all the alter-
natives we le on the cutting room floor.
In another very close competition, the
group who shot their photos at Fivefork
Farms in Upton won this year. Yolanda
Ramos hand-painted a dozen signs to
use as props. Jennifer Ngo's marketing
team created a special apron for her. Jeff
Bercume did his best Tom Cruise imper-
sonation. Ellin Terrill-Kocibelli wore a
black dress, black jacket, black gloves, and
sunglasses, looking like the coolest version
of an assassin crossed with a farmer. ey
convinced the farm's owners to push back
the start of the shoot, to capture the per-
fect sunset lighting. ey spent nearly 30
minutes dangling off the front bucket of a
tractor, all in the hopes of getting the best
shot. e win is well deserved.
Of course, the nine other groups all
took amazing photos, too, and it pains me
they all can't somehow be on the cover.
Regardless, we took hundreds of fantastic
photos, which you can see starting on
page 15. While the photos may draw you
Picking the cover for the 40 Under Forty
I N T H I S I S S U E
in, my hope is you'll stick around to read ev-
ery word of the winners' profiles and realize
how lucky we are to have these 40 people in
our business community.
- Brad Kane, editor
W
CORRECTION: The bio box for David Runyan that
appeared in the Q&A-style story "Free health care" in
the July 28 edition didn't include his doctor of nursing
practice degree from UMass Chan Medical School.
