C-Speak: The Language of Executives

Perhaps there’s no one better to lead the academic institution ranked No. 1 in entrepreneurship by U.S. News & World Report than a serial entrepreneur who developed a small Utah business into a national franchise brand.

On this episode of the PNC C-Speak podcast, Stephen Spinelli, Ph.D., details “the intersection between business” and Babson College, where he is president. Spinelli’s entrepreneurial journey began right out of college when he and several partners crafted a plan to buy a quick-service oil change business they eventually rebranded as Jiffy Lube International.

After a slow start, Spinelli thought, “Boy, I’m either not good enough or I’m not educated enough. And so I made the decision. If I wasn’t educated enough, I could try to get some (entrepreneurial) education.” That led him to Babson, where he earned an MBA and, later, a doctorate in economics from the University of London.

Spinelli was named Babson’s 14th president in 2019.

“I think the education system, and in particular, the colleges and universities (in Massachusetts) are an exceptional network of intellectual, human, sociological, spiritual capital that is rare in the history of the world,” Spinelli says.

Listen to the episode to hear more from Spinelli on:

• His first job as a health care administrator. (2:08)
• “Hard lessons” learned about failure. (13:42)
• One thing people don’t know about him. (22:00)
• His wish for Boston. (24:32)

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For Sarah Iselin, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts, being raised by parents who led “lives of service” has had a huge impact on her career choices – including her current executive role with a mission-driven, not-for-profit health care plan.

“Our new mission is to show up for everyone like they're the only one,” says Iselin on this episode of the PNC C-Speak podcast. “And our core values are (to) be the example, do what's right, not what's easy, be kind, act with humility and heart, be courageous, ask questions, seek diverse perspectives, bring bold ideas and make them happen and be community focused, always.”

Listen to the episode to hear more from Iselin about:

• De-stigmatizing mental health. (9:44)
• How the company uses AI to provide care. (13:25)
• Her advice for career novices. (19:09)
• What’s driving her company’s commitment to DEI. (23:08)

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The arts’ contribution to the state’s GDP is significant, says Michael Bobbitt, executive director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

The sector in Massachusetts is a $27.2 billion industry, Bobbitt says on this episode of the PNC C-Speak podcast. That’s based on a 2021 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis report.

“We know that arts are great for supporting people's health needs and their education needs, but also great for business,” says Bobbitt. “The more we can build those relationships with our sector and those sectors, the more everyone will benefit from having this deep infusion of arts and culture.”

The council’s statewide initiatives range from providing grants for individuals, organizations and groups statewide to building relationships with industries and sectors to help support its activities.

Listen to the episode to hear more from Bobbitt about:

• His entry into the arts. [3:07]
• Past and current musicals he’s written. [4:47]
• The council’s Culture Rx arts “prescription.” [8:31]
• Why public support for the arts is important. [14:04]

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Glynn Lloyd has a passion for advancing entrepreneurship and community.
Lloyd is executive director of Mill Cities Community Investments (MCCI), a community development finance institution that helps to provide capital “where traditional capital usually doesn’t get to,” historically redlined communities of “folks of color,” he says on this episode of the PNC C-Speak podcast. And he founded City Fresh Foods, a mission-driven business feeding many people, including Boston public school students and Meals on Wheels recipients.
In this episode, Lloyd – who grew up in the suburb of Sharon – commends the contributions of the city’s “hidden heroes,” who, he says, have done “incredible work, built platforms and still to this day are impacting a lot of folks positively.”

Listen to the episode to hear more from Lloyd about:

• Pivotal entrepreneurial lessons from childhood through college.
• MCCI’s “high-touch advisory approach” for Black and Latinx businesses.
• What makes him laugh.
• His favorite spot in the commonwealth.

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If you’re in need of advice on how to emerge from corporate devastation, Rob Hale, CEO and president of Granite Telecommunications, has plenty to share.

In 2002, Hale’s thriving company, Network Plus, went bankrupt during the stock market crash. “That morning (Feb. 4) when we went bankrupt, that equity, which was $1.4 billion, officially finally became zero, never to return,” he recalls.

In this episode of the PNC C-Speak podcast, Hale details how he – with the unwavering support of his family – went about building Granite Telecommunications, a company with $1.85 billion in sales as of 2024.

Listen to the episode to hear more from Hale about:

• Mentors including his entrepreneurial father and titans Robert and John Kraft.
• His family’s history of philanthropy.
• DEI and creating “a platform where leaders excel” at Granite Telecommunications.
• The key ingredient to innovation.

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Dr. Kevin Tabb’s self-described “eclectic background” includes service in the Israeli military, completing medical school and a residency, and roles in health care IT on the east and west coasts in the U.S.

Over the years, he’s witnessed an evolution in patient care that he notes, “will always be needed in hospitals, but more and more care is provided outside of the four walls of the hospitals.”

“We're rapidly moving towards a place where we will be providing more than 70% of the care that we provide outside of the confines of the academic medical centers,” said Tabb, president and CEO of Beth Israel Lahey Health.

In this episode of the PNC C-Speak podcast, Tabb highlights an example of this shift in patient care – Hospital at Home – an initiative Beth Israel Lahey Health has launched.

Listen to the episode to hear more from Tabb about:

• Beth Israel Lahey Health’s partnership with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
• How the health care system is creating a more diverse workforce and fostering inclusivity.
• Tabb’s personal half-marathon “bucket list.”

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JD Chesloff credits a diverse range of mentors, and experience, for his ability to transition from public service to the private sector. A former state and federal employee, Chesloff began developing key insights that continue to shape his approach to work.

“Showing up, getting out of your lane and bending toward collaboration are three lessons that I have lived by,” said Chesloff, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, which works with state public policy makers on various issues.

Chesloff, CEO of the roundtable for 13 years, details his career journey in this episode of the PNC C-Speak podcast.

Listen to the episode to hear more from Chesloff about:

• Lessons learned during the height of the Covid pandemic and the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder.
• How this self-described “son of hippies” morphed into a leader in the business community.
• His favorite spot in Boston.

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Paul Ayoub, chair and partner of the law firm, Nutter, grew up in West Roxbury (Ward 20) in a Syrian and Lebanese American family that instilled strong values in him. In this episode of the PNC C-Speak podcast, he says his family never took anything for granted and his dad taught him, “The privilege of whatever you receive is to give back.”

Ayoub’s dad is the reason he has invested more than 30 years serving on the board at St. Jude Research Hospital.

“Service to others is the greatest of contributions that we can make. And it is the most important of legacies we can leave,” Ayoub said. “Younger people may not be thinking about their legacy, but they should be thinking about their present and their reputation, and how they're showing up in the world around them — whether in their family, community or work.”

Listen to this episode to hear more about:

• Ayoub’s upbringing in Boston and how his dad helped write the bylaws for St. Jude Research Hospital alongside actor Danny Thomas.
• His role at Nutter, where he specializes in business and commercial real estate finance and development, and what makes it fulfilling.
• Forming the CRE-DEI Collaborative.
• Some of the hard lessons Ayoub has learned in life.

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Kendalle Burlin O’Connell relishes a challenge. That’s just what she got her first day leading the purchasing consortium in 2008 with the company now known as MassBio – when a vendor said she was “not the right person for this job” because she lacked experience in biotechnology.

Burlin O’Connell, an attorney, ended up negotiating what’s now MassBio’s largest supplier agreement. “I think that because I wasn't from industry, I was more brave and more willing to take risks in making a really big change at the time,” said Burlin O’Connell, now CEO and president of MassBio, a premiere biotech trade organization.

Burlin O’Connell details her experience with the company’s “amazing team” in this episode of the PNC C-Speak podcast.

Listen to the episode to hear more about:

•The company’s rapid growth in the span of a few years.
•MassBio’s commitment to DEI.
•Burlin O’Connell’s “hobby and guilty pleasure.”

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Passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 proved to be the catalyst for Cain Hayes’ pivot from the financial services sector to health care.

“What I saw is that people would oftentimes do a great job of building financial health in retirement only to get to retirement and have a poor quality of life,” said Hayes, now president and CEO of Point32Health.

Hayes details his experience in the industry, including how he stays focused and positive when encountering major obstacles, in this episode of the PNC C-Speak podcast.

Listen to the episode to hear more about:

• How Point32Health defines and addresses health equity.
• Why Hayes, a self-described optimist, subscribes to the late Colin Powell’s definition of optimism.
• His fondness for baseball – “the ultimate team sport.”

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