'None of us can do it alone': BBJ names Coakley top CFO for lifetime achievement
The Business Journal is honoring Tim Coakley, chief financial officer of Blauer Manufacturing Co. Inc., with the 2025 F. Gorham Brigham Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award is named after a distinguished Boston business leader, F. Gorham Brigham, its first recipient, who retired in 2005 and died at age 101 in 2016. Coakley, who knew Brigham well, said he's humbled by the comparison.
'For a guy like myself, who knew Gorham as much as I did, this honor means so much,' Coakley said in an interview. 'I've witnessed the person for whom the award is named.'
Others agree that the comparison seems apt. Joe DiLorenzo, a former CFO with the Boston Celtics who is a vice president now with Eastern Bank, said that Coakley 'just wants to do the right thing."
'He has the great qualities that Gorham had. Tim is always asking 'how can I help?' I think that's a powerful testament of who he is,' said DiLorenzo, himself a 2016 recipient of the award. 'Tim is simply a good man.'
Brigham held financial leadership roles, including as senior vice president of Citizens Bank. He helped found the Treasurers Club of Boston, and served as a volunteer and leader with numerous community organizations such as the Carroll School in Lincoln and the Salvation Army.
Coakley said that Brigham "had a way of understanding other people, of taking the time to get to know them and their needs, and that resonates with me deeply.'
'That's one of the things I learned most from him,' Coakley said.
Coakley helps lead an 89-year-old, family-owned business, headquartered in Boston's Fenway neighborhood, that makes uniforms and accessories for police, firefighters and other emergency responders.
He's worked as the Blauer CFO since 2013, but his contributions to Boston's business community go back even further.
Coakley previously served as CFO for Agfa Corp., an international imaging company, as well as its medical division, based in Wilmington. He also held a similar role at Island Oasis, a beverage business in Walpole.
A graduate of Boston College, Coakley has been active in the Treasurers Club and the local chapter of Financial Executives International, and has served as president of each. He also serves as the board treasurer of the Fenway Community Development Corp., a nonprofit working to provide affordable housing and preserve the vitality of one of Boston's most diverse neighborhoods.
He sees his participation in such groups — and in his company and his profession — as a way of giving back.
'It really comes down to community,' he said. 'How are you going to act as a member of the various communities you're part of? How are you going to be an active contributor? None of us can do it alone.'
One of Coakley's new communities is the small group of recipients of the Brigham Lifetime Achievement Award.
'I feel honored to be part of this remarkably accomplished group of people, including the award's namesake,' he said. 'Frankly, I'm just trying to carry on some of the things I've learned and admired in them.'
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3 days ago
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'None of us can do it alone': BBJ names Coakley top CFO for lifetime achievement
The recipient of this award is no surprise, according to another CFO and a previous honoree. The Business Journal is honoring Tim Coakley, chief financial officer of Blauer Manufacturing Co. Inc., with the 2025 F. Gorham Brigham Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is named after a distinguished Boston business leader, F. Gorham Brigham, its first recipient, who retired in 2005 and died at age 101 in 2016. Coakley, who knew Brigham well, said he's humbled by the comparison. 'For a guy like myself, who knew Gorham as much as I did, this honor means so much,' Coakley said in an interview. 'I've witnessed the person for whom the award is named.' Others agree that the comparison seems apt. Joe DiLorenzo, a former CFO with the Boston Celtics who is a vice president now with Eastern Bank, said that Coakley 'just wants to do the right thing." 'He has the great qualities that Gorham had. Tim is always asking 'how can I help?' I think that's a powerful testament of who he is,' said DiLorenzo, himself a 2016 recipient of the award. 'Tim is simply a good man.' Brigham held financial leadership roles, including as senior vice president of Citizens Bank. He helped found the Treasurers Club of Boston, and served as a volunteer and leader with numerous community organizations such as the Carroll School in Lincoln and the Salvation Army. Coakley said that Brigham "had a way of understanding other people, of taking the time to get to know them and their needs, and that resonates with me deeply.' 'That's one of the things I learned most from him,' Coakley said. Coakley helps lead an 89-year-old, family-owned business, headquartered in Boston's Fenway neighborhood, that makes uniforms and accessories for police, firefighters and other emergency responders. He's worked as the Blauer CFO since 2013, but his contributions to Boston's business community go back even further. Coakley previously served as CFO for Agfa Corp., an international imaging company, as well as its medical division, based in Wilmington. He also held a similar role at Island Oasis, a beverage business in Walpole. A graduate of Boston College, Coakley has been active in the Treasurers Club and the local chapter of Financial Executives International, and has served as president of each. He also serves as the board treasurer of the Fenway Community Development Corp., a nonprofit working to provide affordable housing and preserve the vitality of one of Boston's most diverse neighborhoods. He sees his participation in such groups — and in his company and his profession — as a way of giving back. 'It really comes down to community,' he said. 'How are you going to act as a member of the various communities you're part of? How are you going to be an active contributor? None of us can do it alone.' One of Coakley's new communities is the small group of recipients of the Brigham Lifetime Achievement Award. 'I feel honored to be part of this remarkably accomplished group of people, including the award's namesake,' he said. 'Frankly, I'm just trying to carry on some of the things I've learned and admired in them.'
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He's an impressive facilitator, frequently delivering dimes to teammates cutting to the basket. "I didn't even know he was a good passer, like such a good passer," Celtics teammate Jordan Walsh told Forbes at Summer League. "Eventually, I just started cutting, all the handoffs he was coming at me with, I just started back-cutting them, and he'd find it, and I was like, 'Oh, my goodness.' "I didn't know he was such a good passer. He's a really good passer. And he's bringing the ball up the court, too, and facilitating, it's nice." "It's been a lot of fun," voiced Baylor Scheierman about playing off a center with Williams's passing proficiency. "His vision and his passing ability is something that is unique." As he works to sharpen his strongest suit, Williams is modeling that part of his game after three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, an offensive hub with elite court vision and a Patrick Mahomes-like ability to deliver perfect passes from any angle. 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"I think he's able to give the game what it needs with respect to whoever his matchup is. And so whether it happens in Summer League or down the line, I'm sure he'll get plenty of opportunities to mix up coverages and matchups and all that kind of stuff. And I think he's going to do pretty well." Mark Pope agrees. He's already seen Williams come through for Kentucky because of his mobility on defense. "I think he's got the potential to be an elite-level defensive player switching one through five. And he certainly showed a lot of signs for that and did that well for us in important moments." It also helps that he has a seven-foot-five wingspan, allowing him to reject, alter, and deter shots at the rim. It's all part of a package that could one day elevate him from a two-way contract to a rotation fixture in Boston. Amari Williams is hard at work at a selfless trait The seven-foot, 262-pound center can impose his will as a screener. He did so with a punishing pick in the backcourt on Jaylen Wells during the Celtics' 92-78 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. But it's one of the areas where the rookie has appreciable room for growth. It's something he's hard at work at with Boston's coaching staff. "I try to do it anytime I can," said Williams of his bone-crunching screen on Wells. "Just to get the pressure off the guards most of the time, but that's something that Boston emphasized a lot. So, I was told a lot by the coaches, Coach Ross [McMains] and everyone here, [in] the first few weeks of training camp. So, that's something I'm taking pride in, and I'm definitely trying to get better at." As he does, he's applying a message from Tosan Evbuomwan, an NBA veteran from Newcastle, England. The former was with Williams when the Celtics drafted him. Suiting up for Brooklyn at Summer League, Evbuomwan has been able to watch Williams and the other British players in Las Vegas play, offering counsel along the way. His message to Williams? "Go out there and be aggressive. A lot of the games, I came out timid, but I learned as the game went on, I [have] got to be aggressive and trying to go get it myself sometimes." Williams has the potential to be a defensive force, a punishing screen-setter, and an offensive hub his team can trust as a facilitator that can make passes many players at his position can't. As he acclimates to the NBA, heeding Evbuomwan's advice and embracing an assertive mentality is essential to maximizing his talent and carving out his place in the league.
