MetroWest495 Biz

12 MetroWest495 Biz | May 2014 By Meghan guarnieri It's our annual list of 10 change makers from MetroWest who are making a difference in their businesses, industries and communities P h o t o s / M a t t V o l P i n i 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 h olli Andrews holds the important role of connecting people to where they live: sup- porting capital improvement in Framingham's infrastructure; supporting existing businesses through this period of construction; recruiting businesses to diversify the economic base; getting out into the public and presenting the Framingham Downtown Renais- sance's efforts. And of that radiates from a central point: Framingham's rich past. "Our goals are centered on preservation-based revitalization of our historic New England downtown," said Andrews. Framingham Downtown Renaissance, or FDR, is built upon promotion, design, organiza- tion and economic restructuring. Promotion is getting the word out about the businesses in Framingham, as well as the different amenities they have or are working to create. Design is bringing the downtown to its best physical condition. Organization is trying to get as many different people involved as possible. Economic restructuring is working with existing businesses to help them become sustainable. Andrews has the challenging, yet exciting, task of making this four-point approach happen. "It's kind of a holistic way to work on the revitalization and recognize that there are many important facets to that," she said. Andrews grew up near a little airport in Maine, in a town of about 4,000 people. Taking airplane rides with her dad and being able to see all the pollution that was in the air helped drive her to pursue a bachelor's degree in ecology. "This job came up. It was exactly like a job I had in Maine while I was in gradu- ate school," said Andrews. "I thought, 'You know what? I'm ready; I've been work- ing on this for a long time.'" Even though being a 501c3 organization has its funding challenges, Andrews makes the best of the situation. And she hopes this optimism is contagious. "You have to love it," said Andrews. "You need that enthusiasm and passion in order to try and get people on board." n Holli Andrews Executive Director, Framingham Downtown Renaissance Holli Andrews .............................................12 Executive Director, Framingham Downtown Renaissance KAren CHApmAn ...........................................13 President, Corridor nine area Chamber of Commerce Jeffrey CHin ................................................13 CEo, Big Brothers Big sisters of Central Mass/MetroWest Tim Cummings .............................................14 Executive Director, Marlborough Economic Development Corp. doriAn A. des lAuriers ................................14 CEo and co-founder, ProVerde laboratories Allen fAlCon ...............................................15 CEo, Cumulus Global BArBArA finer ..............................................16 Founder and CEo, techsandBox miCHAel KAuffmAn ......................................16 CEo, Karyopharm therapeutics inc. sTeven roACH ...............................................17 President and CEo, Marlborough hospital ClAy smooK .................................................17 President, smook architecture & Urban Design inc. T O W A T CH TO WATCH T O W A T CH TO WATCH T O W A T CH TO WATCH

• Cover