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July 9, 2018

The Power 50: Michael Dundas

MICHAEL DUNDAS

President & CEO

Sira Naturals, Inc., Milford

Residence: Newton

Colleges: University of California, Berkeley; University of San Francisco School of Law

Dundas is quickly becoming the face and the brain behind Massachusetts recreational marijuana. In late June, Sira became the first company on the East Coast to obtain a license to grow retail marijuana products. Dundas, named Sira CEO in 2014, employes 65 people in his Milford cultivation facility, including high-skilled jobs like food scientists, lab technicians and horticulture experts. Although the town voted to ban recreational marijuana companies, the vote was amended to allow Sira to produce its cannabis products in Milford and sell at its stores in Cambridge, Needham and Somerville. Since the recreational marijuana business is difficult to break into, Dundas developed an incubator at Sira to give entrepreneurs access to products and equipment. He makes policy recommendations to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission through his role on the Cannabis Advisory Board and serves as president of the trade association Commonwealth Dispensary Association, a group he helped found.

What advice would you give up-and-comers? Be yourself, work hard, fail fast, and fail often.

Voice of China: I spent three years as the host of a national radio talk show program in Beijing, China.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article said Sira Naturals has retail operations in Newton. The shop is actually in Neeham.

Read about the WBJ’s 2018 Power Players:

Retail

Harry Kokkinis, Table Talk Pies

Steve Rotman, Rotman’s Furniture & Vystar

Ernie Herrman, TJX Cos.

Michael Dundas, Sira Naturals

Ralph Crowley Jr., Polar Corp.

Christopher Baldwin, BJ’s Wholesale Club

Amy Lynn Chase, Crompton Collective & Haberdash

Food & Culture

Robb & Madeline Ahlquist, Worcester Restaurant Group

Troy Siebels, The Hanover Theatre

Karim El-Gamal, Rail Trail Flatbread Co., New City Microcreamery, Less Than Greater Than

Eric, Sam & Jack Hendler, Jack’s Abby Brewing

Lynn Cheney, Lettuce Be Local

Sandy Dunn, DCU Center

Higher Education & Nonprofits

Ann T. Lisi, Greater Worcester Community Foundation

Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, College of the Holy Cross

Javier Cevallos, Framingham State University

Michael F. Collins, University of Massachusetts Medical School

Jill Dagilis, Worcester Community Action Council

Dr. David A. Jordan, Seven Hills Foundation

Laurie Leshin, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Corner Office

Kate Sharry, Group Benefits Strategies

Tina M. Sbrega, GFA Federal Credit Union

John C. Roche, The Hanover Insurance Group

Elaine Osgood, Atlas Travel

Michael P. Angelini, Bowdtich & Dewey

Susan Mailman, Coghlin Electrical Contractors

Edward F. Manzi Jr., Fidelity Bank

Manufacturing

Dinesh Wadhwani, ThinkLite

Ravi Vig, Allegro Microsystems

Nobuhiko Tamura, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals

Daniel McGahn, AMSC

Michael Mahoney, Boston Scientific

Jeannie Hebert, Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce

Valentin Gapontsev, IPG Photonics

Chris Coghlin, Coghlin Cos.

Health care

Kevin O’Sullivan, Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives

Kurt Isaacson, Spectrum Health Systems

Tarek Elsawy, Reliant Medical Group

Jeffrey M. Welch, Saint Vincent Hospital

Eric Dickson, UMass Memorial Health Care

Holly Chaffee, VNA Care

Richard P. Burke, Fallon Health

Economic Development

Ann K. Tripp, Opus Investment Management

Robert Walker, RA Ventures

Yvonne Spicer, City of Framingham

Cliff Rucker, Worcester Railers Hockey Club

Sherri Greene Pitcher, Fidelity Bank

Timothy P. Murray, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce

Anthony Consigli, Consigli Construction Co.

Jennie Lee Colosi, E. T. & L. Corp.

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