Page 28 - BusinessWest April 1, 2024

WOMEN IN BUSINESS >>
Driving Ambition
Alex Balise
Took a
Different
Road to
the Family
Business
BAY GEORGE O’BRIEN
lex Balise always thought she would get involved in the family business.
She just thought that would happen when she was maybe 40,
not in her mid-20s, as things turned out. But since they did turn out that way (and
we’ll go back and explain way later), she is now eight years into what has become an intrigu- ing and wide-ranging career, one that has her engaged in everything from cars — the family business is Balise Motor Sales — to car wash- es; from two laundromats (one in Springfield and the other on the Cape) to whatever might come next for this 105-year-old enterprise.
“We’re doing a lot to highlight our people in the ads recently, and that makes sense. After all, they’re the people who make Balise ... Balise. Our teams are who make the difference, so why not have them be the face?”
Indeed, Balise, 36, representing the fourth generation of the family to assume leadership roles with the company, recently saw her role change, or, to be more precise, expand. While she’s still director of Marketing, she is now also director of Corporate Strategy, which means she will play a large role in helping to shape
Balise
Continued on page 30 >> 28 APRIL 1, 2024
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