Latest news with #Donohue
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
John Donohue steps down from CEO role at Arbella
Today, Donohue estimates Arbella collects about $1.2 billion in premiums each year, across four New England states, compared with $200 million at its outset. Advertisement While Donohue chaired the Arbella board since the company's inception, he didn't step in as chief executive until 2001, taking over for Richard Brewer . Donohue says he's looking forward to focusing more on Arbella's foundation, which doles out $2.2 million a year to hundreds of organizations, and that he will be its chief executive, a part-time job. Donohue has confidence in Brady's leadership abilities after 12 years of working with him. Brady, who also has a decade of experience at Liberty Mutual, knows how the 1,100-person company is run and has built solid relationships with many of its outside agents. Arbella remains committed to its 'independent agent' model, despite the rise of direct, online insurance sales, in part because of the guidance the agents provide to customers. Advertisement For Donohue, the final months at Arbella have been a bittersweet time, without Bellotti, his mentor and friend. 'I would sit down and bounce ideas off him and talk strategy ... up until the end,' Donohue said. 'We got to work together for 44 years. ... We always said it was longer than most marriages.' Final piece for Fan Pier The Fallon Co. celebrated a topping-off ceremony for its 122-condo tower at Fan Pier on May 23. Photo courtesy of The Fallon Co. It all started with a helium balloon ride. Al Vaz , then the head of real estate at Vertex Pharmaceuticals , was visiting Fan Pier nearly two decades ago. At the time, the 21-acre site was not much more than a windswept stretch of parking lots. Developer Joe Fallon 's namesake firm used the balloon to show off its potential. Vaz, as Fallon recalls today, called Vertex's then-chief executive Josh Boger right away. Boger then visited the site and was smitten, too; he eventually inked a deal to bring the biotech and more than 1,000 of its employees to Fan Pier from Cambridge. The move in turn kicked off Fan Pier's redevelopment, jump-starting the Seaport's building boom. Last week, Fallon and colleagues joined the Iron Workers Local 7 and general contractor Turner Construction to help put the final piece of Fan Pier into place in a topping-off ceremony. They raised a steel girder to the top of the 14-story frame of what will be a 122-unit luxury condo project, dubbed 'One Harbor Shore.' ( Bank OZK provided financing last year, and MassMutual is Fallon's equity partner.) Advertisement When it opens in mid-2026, the building, designed by CBT Architects , will be among the first major privately developed structures in the city to rely almost entirely on electric heat. (Gas fired boilers will kick in when temps get close to zero degrees Fahrenheit.) Fan Pier now includes the two Vertex towers, the One Marina Park Drive tower where Fallon's company is located, as well as office buildings for MassMutual and Goodwin . Plus: more than 200 luxury waterfront condos at 22 and 50 Liberty. The Collaborative Companies will start marketing the units at One Harbor Shore in the coming weeks. 'We're proud of what we have, and we're proud of what it did for the city,' Fallon said. 'This site really became the catalyst for the whole Seaport.' Banking on Boston's Pride The scene at the Boston Pride for the People parade and festival last year. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Pride parades from Not in Boston. One of the leaders hosting Boston's Pride parade and festival to celebrate the region's LGBTQ+ community said fund-raising is now on a similar pace to last year, when around $700,000 was raised. So far, the total is in the $600,000 range, with more expected as the June 14 date approaches. Gary Daffin , of Boston Pride for the People's executive committee, says nearly half of that amount last year came from corporate sponsorships, and nearly half came from registration fees. (The group is affiliated with the Advertisement Daffin expects a similar budget this time around. So far, big sponsors are back — a list that includes Delta Air Lines , MFS Investment Management , the Boston Foundation , Beth Israel Lahey Health , Eastern Bank , MassMutual , Rockland Trust , Dana-Farber Cancer Institute , Eversource , and National Grid . Big-ticket corporate sponsorships range from $10,000 to $50,000. He said a few previous sponsors have not yet committed, but they're not among the big contributors. Daffin said the organizers had been concerned that fund-raising could take a hit because of economic uncertainties and the anti-DEI rhetoric in Washington. 'There was a fear that people were not going to reply to our requests,' Daffin said. 'But almost everyone who was there last year is back. ... It's a relief, though we still need a little bit more money. We're not there yet.' US Chamber to Boston: Be more welcoming Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce chief executive Jim Rooney chatted with US Chamber chief executive Suzanne Clark at the Boston Chamber's annual meeting. Photo courtesy of the Greater Boston Chamber US Chamber of Commerce chief executive Suzanne Clark has some advice for Boston's business leaders: Don't be afraid to be more welcoming to outsiders, particularly those with a different viewpoint. The suggestion emerged after Clark's speech at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce 's annual meeting, which drew around 1,400 people to the Omni Hotel in the Seaport last week. Greater Boston Chamber chief executive Jim Rooney asked Clark to talk about how Boston and Massachusetts are viewed around the country in terms of competitiveness and business friendliness. Clark, whose group is more conservative than the Boston chamber, had many good things to say about Boston, praising everything from Fenway Park to the local innovation ecosystem. But her answer to Rooney's question prompted one of the evening's few unscripted moments. 'I would say that it's almost all positive,' Clark said. '[But] there is something going on right now where you have to decide what inclusive means to you, you know? Does diversity include conservative thought? Because there are a lot of people in this country who aren't sure, right? There's a lot of conversation about: Would I be welcome in Boston? Would I be welcome at some of the elite institutions? Would my viewpoint be welcome?' Advertisement On taxes and deregulation, the US Chamber is in strong alignment with President Trump. But they differ on tariffs, and the chamber recently sent a request to the Trump administration asking for exemptions for small businesses. Mostly, in her chamber speech, Clark made the case for stoking economic growth, saying that while it can't solve all of the nation's problems, it's tough to solve many of them without that growth. The chamber also honored its latest set of 'Distinguished Bostonians' for contributing to Boston's economic and social fabric. Honorees included Jane Steinmetz of Ernst & Young , Michael Curry of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers , and Anne Klibanski of Mass General Brigham . The chamber's previous board chairs, along with current chair Corey Thomas , feted Rooney with a video for his 10 years as chief executive. And Governor Maura Healey bounded up on stage to provide some encouragement to the business leaders while also making the case why she should be elected again in 2026. 'In a time of crisis, use it as an opportunity,' Healey said. 'We proved that 250 years ago when shots rang out by a bridge in Concord and a green in Lexington. That's Massachusetts. That's in our DNA. ... We're going to get through this and we're going to be stronger for it.' Advertisement Jon Chesto can be reached at
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Builder fired after calling his boss a "sneaky rat" to his face
A builder fired after calling his employer a "sneaky rat" in a row on site has won €9,000 for unfair dismissal. David Donohoe secured the award under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 on foot of a complaint against SJK Civils Ltd, where he had worked for 13 years until he was sacked in April 2024. Mr Donohoe told the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) at a hearing in January that he was sacked on the spot from the €50,000-a-year job when he got into a dispute with his employer about working hours on Friday 5 April 2024. The complainant said he had been told to start work at 5.30am that day, an hour and a half earlier than his usual 7am, and to go to Dublin, collect building materials and bring them to a site. He said that when he arrived with the material, he was told that despite the early start, he was expected to work until his usual finishing time of 3pm rather than 1.30pm. He declined to do so, upon which his employer "started giving out", he said. "I called him a sneaky rat, that he had it all planned," Mr Donohoe said in his evidence. "He lost it again and said: 'Go home and don't come back in Monday,' so I tipped up the material and went home," Mr Donohue said. The company's director, who was not identified in the decision, maintained that Mr Donohoe had only been sent away from the site on 5 April 2024 but was not dismissed from his employment until 19 April. He said that after Mr Donohoe wrote to him looking for a letter for the social welfare office to say he "was sacked or whatever", he tried to arrange a meeting and called him to a "capability hearing". When Mr Donohoe failed to attend, the director wrote to him again and told him his failure to attend the meeting was "failure to follow a reasonable management instruction" and that his job was being terminated for "gross misconduct" during the 5 April incident. Mr Donohoe's solicitor, Frank Taaffe, argued the letters sent by the firm to his client were only "seeking to mend the respondent's hand" by "retrospectively applying a dismissal process after the fact of dismissal". Adjudication officer Anne McElduff wrote that both parties "contributed to the escalation of matters to the point of dismissal" on 5 April and that it was "regrettable" there was no attempt to enter into dialogue after that. Ms McElduff's view was that Mr Donohoe should have engaged when there were attempts to launch a formal process. However, she said the company failed to refer him to the correct company policy and set an "unreasonably short and unfair" deadline to either attend a hearing or have non-attendance be added to the charges against him. The only option for appeal was to the company director, who had been directly involved with the incident of 5 April, she added. "I consider the respondent has not discharged the burden of demonstrating the Complainant's dismissal was fair, reasonable or proportionate or that the process was conducted in accordance with fair procedures," she wrote. Mr Donohue had claimed losses of €15,977 between April and August 2024, at which point he went into business for himself, the adjudicator noted. Ms McElduff decided €9,000 was "just and equitable in all the circumstances" and directed SJK Civils to pay Mr Donohoe that sum.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Telling our story
May 25—Book, projects tell history of Lawrence County as part of America 250 Ohio As part of Ohio's America 250 program, the Lawrence County organizers have been working to involve the schools in gathering local history. "One of the projects we are doing is the Lovely Lawrence County project," said Rich Donahue, the chairman of American 250 Lawrence County, adding the goal was to get people to find out Lawrence County history that may have been overlooked. He said that he met with the county's school superintendents about 15 months ago to get students involved. Chesapeake superintendent Doug Hale took the idea back to his school and two of the teachers, Brea James-McClung took the idea and created "Lovely Lawrence County," an A-Z book that includes such entries as "I is for iron furnaces," "N is for Nannie Kelly Wright," and "R is for Rome Beauty apple." Each entry is a four-line poem about the subject with a photo James-McClung took to illustrate it. James-McClung also turned the Lovely Lawrence County project into a class project as well, having her 10th grade class talk to family members and research local history that other people may not know about. "The idea was to get their relatives engaged and find historical places in Lawrence County, focusing on their communities," Donohue said. Donohue and Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge Christen Finley went to the school to see the projects. Donohue said he was thrilled with the projects the students did, which included the old Chesapeake jail and a nightclub. "I think it was a home run," Donohue said. "I liked that all students were involved. I like hearing their stories. It was just a wonderful day and the kids were all excited to tell their stories, the history of their community." Donohue said the goal is to take the Lovely Lawrence County project to every school and have more students tell their own stories. The whole project is part of Ohio's America 250 project which is a celebration of the 250 years since America was founded. "This is our opportunity for us to tell our story," Donohue said. "Everything we do here is to send back to Columbus to the historical center for America 250 Ohio. We want to tell our story and these kids are the vehicle, the future. And they are telling it as they see it." You Might Like News Parade events set for weekend News This year's leaders (WITH GALLERY) News Parade events kick off Thursday News A storied career
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Everstory Partners Earns 2025 Great Place To Work Certification™
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla., May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Everstory Partners is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place To Work® for 2025. The prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at Everstory and its family of brands. Great Place To Work® is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation. "Over the past 24 months, we have been investing in our team — listening, learning, and evolving together," said Everstory Chief Executive Officer Lilly Donohue. "I am incredibly proud to lead this company and to work alongside such dedicated and passionate individuals." A few of the initiatives Everstory has implemented during this time: Increased the company-wide minimum wage. Launched Everstory University to enhance professional development. Implemented user-friendly technology platforms streamlining workflows. Launched advisory councils where our general managers, sales managers and funeral home managers provide insights and advice, ensuring the company makes informed decisions for its business and its people. Held town halls and implemented direct access to its executives for transparent communication. "Every step has been focused on creating a better workplace," Donohue added. "These efforts exemplify our dedication to an open, collaborative culture because we believe by fostering a supportive and engaging environment, we can truly be the best in family service." To be certified, the company earned the real-time feedback of employees regarding their company culture with approximately 80 percent of Everstory's 2,600 employees returning surveys sharing their thoughts on working at the company. "Great Place To Work Certification is a highly coveted achievement that requires consistent and intentional dedication to the overall employee experience," says Sarah Lewis-Kulin, vice president of global recognition at Great Place To Work. "By successfully earning this recognition, it is evident that Everstory Partners stands out as one of the top companies to work for, providing a great workplace environment for its employees." Everstory Chief People Officer Karen Sheean added: "Employee engagement is a key component of a multi-year commitment to listening to and understanding the voices of our employees through this program. We are thrilled to become Great Place To Work-Certified™ in our first year, however, we recognize that the real work is just beginning." "We owe our continued success to our team of dedicated employees at all of our Everstory locations and Support Center. We celebrate and thank them for all they do in earning this incredible recognition," Sheean said. Explore a Career at Everstory PartnersLooking to grow your career at a company that puts its people first? Visit our careers page at: About Everstory Partners Everstory Partners' mission is to create supportive spaces where individuals and families can find solace, meaning, and hope in the midst of loss. Since 1999, the company has grown to include 463 cemetery, funeral, and crematory locations serving more than 65,000 families a year across the United States (including Puerto Rico) on both a pre-need and at-need basis. Everstory is the brand promise, created in April 2023, to destigmatize death care with a unique blend of long-standing traditions of caring for the deceased with a fresh perspective that death is a natural and beautiful part of the human experience that should be planned and celebrated. Visit to learn more and for a list of properties and contact information. About Great Place to Work Certification™ Great Place To Work® Certification™ is the most definitive "employer-of-choice" recognition that companies aspire to achieve. It is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience – specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace. Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply to get Great Place To Work-Certified. About Great Place To Work® As the global authority on workplace culture, Great Place To Work® brings 30 years of groundbreaking research and data to help every place become a great place to work for all. Their proprietary platform and For All™ Model helps companies evaluate the experience of every employee, with exemplary workplaces becoming Great Place To Work Certified™ or receiving recognition on a coveted Best Workplaces™ List. Learn more at and follow Great Place To Work on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Contact: Karen Sheean, Chief People Officer Phone: 503-841-7423 Email: kshee@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Everstory Partners Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Everstory Partners Earns 2025 Great Place To Work Certification™
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla., May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Everstory Partners is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place To Work® for 2025. The prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at Everstory and its family of brands. Great Place To Work® is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation. "Over the past 24 months, we have been investing in our team — listening, learning, and evolving together," said Everstory Chief Executive Officer Lilly Donohue. "I am incredibly proud to lead this company and to work alongside such dedicated and passionate individuals." A few of the initiatives Everstory has implemented during this time: Increased the company-wide minimum wage. Launched Everstory University to enhance professional development. Implemented user-friendly technology platforms streamlining workflows. Launched advisory councils where our general managers, sales managers and funeral home managers provide insights and advice, ensuring the company makes informed decisions for its business and its people. Held town halls and implemented direct access to its executives for transparent communication. "Every step has been focused on creating a better workplace," Donohue added. "These efforts exemplify our dedication to an open, collaborative culture because we believe by fostering a supportive and engaging environment, we can truly be the best in family service." To be certified, the company earned the real-time feedback of employees regarding their company culture with approximately 80 percent of Everstory's 2,600 employees returning surveys sharing their thoughts on working at the company. "Great Place To Work Certification is a highly coveted achievement that requires consistent and intentional dedication to the overall employee experience," says Sarah Lewis-Kulin, vice president of global recognition at Great Place To Work. "By successfully earning this recognition, it is evident that Everstory Partners stands out as one of the top companies to work for, providing a great workplace environment for its employees." Everstory Chief People Officer Karen Sheean added: "Employee engagement is a key component of a multi-year commitment to listening to and understanding the voices of our employees through this program. We are thrilled to become Great Place To Work-Certified™ in our first year, however, we recognize that the real work is just beginning." "We owe our continued success to our team of dedicated employees at all of our Everstory locations and Support Center. We celebrate and thank them for all they do in earning this incredible recognition," Sheean said. Explore a Career at Everstory PartnersLooking to grow your career at a company that puts its people first? Visit our careers page at: About Everstory Partners Everstory Partners' mission is to create supportive spaces where individuals and families can find solace, meaning, and hope in the midst of loss. Since 1999, the company has grown to include 463 cemetery, funeral, and crematory locations serving more than 65,000 families a year across the United States (including Puerto Rico) on both a pre-need and at-need basis. Everstory is the brand promise, created in April 2023, to destigmatize death care with a unique blend of long-standing traditions of caring for the deceased with a fresh perspective that death is a natural and beautiful part of the human experience that should be planned and celebrated. Visit to learn more and for a list of properties and contact information. About Great Place to Work Certification™ Great Place To Work® Certification™ is the most definitive "employer-of-choice" recognition that companies aspire to achieve. It is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience – specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace. Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply to get Great Place To Work-Certified. About Great Place To Work® As the global authority on workplace culture, Great Place To Work® brings 30 years of groundbreaking research and data to help every place become a great place to work for all. Their proprietary platform and For All™ Model helps companies evaluate the experience of every employee, with exemplary workplaces becoming Great Place To Work Certified™ or receiving recognition on a coveted Best Workplaces™ List. Learn more at and follow Great Place To Work on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Contact: Karen Sheean, Chief People Officer Phone: 503-841-7423 Email: kshee@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Everstory Partners Sign in to access your portfolio
