Building the Future: Economic Development in Massachusetts and the Greater Boston Region

Dustin is an award-winning business journalist, bestselling author, and the chief content officer of Smart Business. Over the past 30 years, he has interviewed thousands of business and civic leaders, and helped more than 50 CEOs and entrepreneurs transform their ideas into books. A trained investigative politics reporter and former digital media entrepreneur, Dustin joined Smart Business in 1997 after serving as an editor at several daily newspapers.

Janak is a 3 time founder-operator of VC funded companies in the healthcare/pharma tech space. He is currently leading digital initiatives for the Commonwealth of MA. He also serves as an advisor to 3 ventures in health tech space spanning early stage to growth equity and often works with private equity firms on the buy side.

Steven P. Kelly, brings over 30 years of entrepreneurial and industry experience, having founded and led multiple successful businesses. His leadership is characterized by a commitment to excellence, client satisfaction, meticulous attention to detail and a dynamic, high-energy approach to every project. His dedication to professional excellence and personal commitment is encapsulated by the guiding principle: “Exceptional. No exceptions.” This philosophy shapes his leadership and motivates those around him to pursue the highest standards in all endeavors.

Steven began his career in commercial construction working for Payton Construction in the Boston market throughout the 1990’s. In 2002, he reached a significant milestone by acquiring Timberline Construction which at the time was focused solely on the wireless telecommunications infrastructure industry. Under Steven’s leadership, Timberline performed significant wireless communications projects including Boston’s Big Dig and Logan Airport connecting the city. Through his strategic vision for growth, Timberline diversified its sector portfolio beyond wireless alone adding multiple commercial sectors to become a full-service, client-centric construction management firm. With continued success providing exceptional services for the wireless telecommunications and construction management divisions, Steven separated Timberline into two companies, Timberline Construction Corporation (TCC) and Timberline Communications Inc. (TCI) in 2017 to better serve customer-specific needs.

Under Steven’s strategic leadership, financial acumen and commitment to excellence, TCC and TCI have earned strong reputations as best-in-class construction management and telecommunications infrastructure companies in New England. Steven continuously invests in his companies, focusing on recruiting top talent in business, customer service and construction operations. Known for building robust relationships, precise budgeting, diligent scheduling, comprehensive communication and reliable project execution, Timberline has attracted high-profile clients and organizations within the life sciences, technology, healthcare, commercial, residential, academic, hospitality and wireless telecommunications sectors.

Expanding his entrepreneurial ventures, Steven purchased Tenney Mountain in Plymouth, New Hampshire, in the spring of 2022. His vision is to transform and enhance the beloved mountain into a four-season resort, encompassing workforce and market-rate housing, hotels, hospitality, retail and a business park with a dedicated focus on the growing life sciences sector in New Hampshire. Millions of dollars in improvements have already been invested at Tenney, with further improvements planned to elevate the resort experience. Steven’s leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence continue to drive the success and growth of his ventures, leaving a lasting impact on the industry and the communities they serve.