Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 6, 2026 23 POWE R 50 | ENTREPRENEURS & INNOVATORS B rad Jacobs is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and led eight com- panies, each of which he grew into billion-dollar or multibillion-dollar enterpris- es. Over his career, he has completed ap- proximately 500 mergers and acquisitions and raised more than $50 billion in debt and equity capital, including three IPOs. His pub- lic-company track record includes United Waste, United Rentals and XPO, along with A lan Lazowski co-founded Hart- ford-based LAZ Parking in 1981 while attending the University of Connecti- cut. Since then, the company has grown into a tech-enabled parking management, trans- portation and mobility firm in North America, with more than 21,000 employees and over $3 billion in managed revenue. Over the past year, Lazowski cited becoming the largest tech-enabled parking manage- ment, transportation and mobility company in North America as a key milestone. Look- ing ahead, he identified embracing AI and implementing it across the organization, J ay Walker is an inventor and serial entrepreneur who serves as chairman and CEO of Apiject Systems Corp., a company developing a compact, prefilled, single-use syringe designed to deliver medicine or vaccines at low cost per dose while meeting safety standards. His work at Apiject focuses on producing and distributing A ustin McChord is a Connecti- cut technology entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist best known as the founder of Datto, a Norwalk-based data backup and storage XPO spin-offs GXO Logistics and RXO. Over the past year, QXO acquired Beacon Roofing Supply for $11 billion, making it the largest publicly traded distributor of roofing, waterproofing and complementary building products in North America. The company has also raised more than $15 billion in institutional capital over the last 18 months. Looking ahead, Jacobs said QXO is applying company-wide purchasing, data-driven pric- ing, demand forecasting and supply chain efficiencies to pursue growth in the $800 billion building products distribution sector. What qualities are most essential for effec- tive leadership today? Setting big goals that might seem out of reach can help people achieve extraordinary results beyond what people initially think is possible. Treating problems as opportunities helps teams stay motivated and encourages people to solve issues head-on. Identifying major industry trends is critical. Right now, technology is the overarching trend shaping most industries, includ- ing ours at QXO. Organizations that use technology to enhance how they run their business are more likely to come out ahead in the long run. along with becoming a North American leader in autonomous vehicle mobility hubs, as major opportunities. The son of Holocaust survivors, Lazowski is active in philanthropy. He founded the LAZ Parking Charitable Foundation and is founding chair of Voices of Hope. In 2015, he was appointed to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council and serves on the Museum's Education Committee. He also serves on numerous national and local boards. What qualities are most essential for effective leadership today? Leading with love and respect with every- one you come in contact with. What do you value most about living or doing business in Connecticut? I believe that Hartford is the best city in the country! Hartford is where LAZ was found- ed and the place we will always call home. What is one change that would make Con- necticut more competitive economically? We have a tremendously talented work- force throughout Connecticut and amaz- ing thought leaders. We need to share our story with other CEOs and leaders and bring in more people to our state. Book recommendations: My Dad, Rabbi Philip Lazowski's books: "Faith and Destiny" and "Transforming Darkness into Light" Go-to news media outlets: Channel 8, CNN, CNBC Hobby or leisure activity: Spending time with family and being on a beach. injection systems intended for public health and pandemic response. Walker has been active in health and medicine initiatives for more than a decade. Since 2011, he has served as curator of the TEDMED conference, where his work has included efforts to connect researchers, clinicians and policymak- ers. He was the founder of LabTV, a platform created to highlight the work of medical researchers and encourage students to pursue careers in science and medicine. He is also a longtime technology entre- preneur whose career includes founding and leading multiple companies across travel, commerce and technology. Walk- er has been involved in the creation of businesses serving large consumer markets, including Priceline, now known as Booking.com, and has held leader- ship roles in companies operating in travel, gaming and technology sectors. In addition to his business activities, Walker serves on the Presidents' Circle of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and has writ- ten and spoken publicly on innovation and pandemic preparedness. He is the founder and curator of the Library of the History of Human Imagina- tion, a private collection focused on cre- ativity, invention and human ingenuity. company he started at age 21 in his parents' basement. The company grew rapidly by selling its products through managed service providers serving small and midsize businesses, eventually becoming the first Connecticut-born startup to reach a valuation of more than $1 billion. Datto generated $180,000 in revenue in its first year and grew to about $25 million by its fifth year while employing roughly 100 people. In 2017, McChord sold the company to Vista Equity Part- ners for $1.5 billion and remained CEO for about a year before stepping away. Since then, he has launched several ventures. McChord leads Outsiders Fund, a venture capital firm investing in unconventional technology startups. He also co-founded Slide, a data backup technology company, and serves as CEO of Casana, which is developing a smart toilet seat designed to monitor blood pressure and other health metrics. Outside the tech sector, McChord and his wife, Allison, purchased the former Manresa Island power plant site in Norwalk through a nonprofit with plans to remediate the contaminated property and transform it into a public waterfront park. Brad Jacobs Chairman and Chief Executive Officer QXO Inc. Industry: Building Products Distribution No. of employees: 8,000 Annual revenue: $10 billion Education: Attended Brown University and Bennington College; no college degree Birthplace: Providence, Rhode Island Alan Lazowski Chairman & CEO LAZ Parking Industry: Parking, Transportation, Mobility & Real Estate No. of employees: 21,000 Annual revenue: $3 billion of managed revenue Education: Attended University of Connecticut; honorary doctorate degrees from University of Hart- ford and Goodwin University Birthplace: Hartford Jay Walker Chairman & CEO Apiject Systems Corp. Industry: Health Care Manufacturing Education: Bachelor's degree in industrial and labor relations, Cornell University Birthplace: Yonkers, New York Austin McChord Managing Director Outsiders Fund Industry: Entrepreneur & Philanthropy Education: Bachelor's degree in bioinformatics, Rochester Institute of Technology Birthplace: Newtown To read the full profiles of Hartford Business Journal's Power 50 honorees, visit our website: HartfordBusiness.com Book recommendation: You mean apart from my own? ("How to Make a Few Billion Dollars" and "How to Make a Few More Billion Dollars")

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