Page 30 - BusinessWest April 27, 2026

Alexandra Balise
Director of Corporate Strategy,
Balise Auto Group: Age 38
Alex Balise calls it her “happy place.”
This is the fishing camp in Quebec where she, her husband Trevor,
and children Connor and Emma spend a week each summer around
Connor’s birthday
“The phone doesn’t work ... it’s quiet, it’s relaxing, it’s fun — even if
you don’t catch anything,” said Balise, director of Corporate Strategy for
Balise Auto Group, adding that she has a number of happy places. Others
include Benjamin Swan School in Springfield, where she reads to students
as a Link to Libraries volunteer and also leads efforts to donate coats to
those students, continuing a tradition started by her uncle, Mike;
Square One, where she serves as a board
member but has also become heavily
involved in programs and fundraising,
especially for its new headquarters
building; and the Big E, where
they spend Emma’s birthday.
And then there’s 1441 Main St.
in Springfield, Balise’s corporate
headquarters. OK, maybe this
place isn’t as ‘happy’ as the
others, but it’s where she has
emerged as a true leader at this
106-year-old family business
started by her great-grandfather.
Since she came to Balise in
2015, Alex has taken on several
roles and assumed ever-greater amounts
of responsibility. She started as an analyst for
the company’s then-emerging car wash business and
later served as project manager for its new Kia franchise, before becoming
director of Marketing.
As director of Corporate Strategy, she has a wide range of duties,
including current work to oversee the company’s
conversion to a new document management system.
She also works on compliance and legal
matters — “all the fun things that happen
behind the scenes that are important to
the business but not glamorous.”
While managing all those
responsibilities, she remains very active in
the community — with the aforementioned
Square One, Benjamin Swan School, and
Link to Libraries; the Zoo at Forest Park,
where she played a lead role in facilitating the
donation of a vehicle, enabling its education
team to expand outreach programs; the West
Springfield Boys & Girls Club; and the Balise
company’s annual holiday giving and back-to-
school backpack campaigns.
“Anyone who knows Alex knows of her
soft-spoken demeanor,” Square One
President and CEO Dawn
DiStefano wrote in nominating
Balise for this honor. “But
behind her gentile smile is a
powerhouse of community
support and activism.”
A powerhouse indeed, both
as a leader at Balise and a force
for youth and families within
the 413.
—George O’Brien
40 UNDER FORTY
Best wishes to the 40 business and civic leaders in this year’s 40
under forty class. We celebrate your career achievements and
service to our Western Massachusetts community.
You’ll do better at Balise.
baliseauto.com
A8 2026
Business W est