The 2012 Constantine S. Macricostas Entrepreneur of the Year recipient Ray Boa 

On October 3, WCSU honored Ray Boa, owner of A & J Construction, as the fifth Constantine S. Macricostas Entrepreneur of the Year, joining a distinguished list of former honorees, Dr. John Murphy (2011), president and chief executive officer of the Western Connecticut Health Network, Paul Dinto (2010) founder and owner of Paul Dinto Electrical Contractors, Joseph Platano (2009) president at Westco Scientific Instruments and Lucie Voves (2008), founder and president of Church Hill Classics.

 The Entrepreneur of the Year Award was established by Brookfield industrialist and philanthropist Constantine “Deno” Macricostas and his wife Marie. Boa, in his acceptance speech, said he was excited to learn how much he has in common with Macricostas – the two share not only an entrepreneurial spirit, but both are the sons of hard-working immigrants and were raised on farms.

For more than 20 years, Boa has worked to build his business, now a major paving company in the state, from the ground up. The son of Portuguese immigrants, Boa is a first-generation college graduate. He earned his Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Western in 1977, where he also was inducted into the WCSU Soccer Hall of Fame.

After spending much of his childhood on a farm in Africa, he moved with his family to the United States at the age of 12. A graduate of Danbury High School, where he also was inducted into the DHS Soccer Hall of Fame, he worked his way through Western.  In 1989, he joined his brother-in-law, Arlindo Augusto, at A & J Construction. Boa said the number of employees in his company has grown from 35 to 50 in recent years, and he’s introduced three new product lines to his construction and asphalt paving business. Today’s tough economy, Boa said, means that he needs to work harder than ever to find business and make sure that his customers are receiving the best service he can provide.

“I try to be innovative and work harder in this economy,” said Boa, who lives in Brookfield with his wife Zulmira, also an entrepreneur who owns Bambi’s, a children’s clothing store. The couple has three grown children: Kelly is a sales training manager for Sealed Air; Lori is a nurse in the cardiac unit at a Boston Children’s Hospital; and, following in his father’s footsteps, Joseph heads up A&J’s asphalt milling division.

One benefit of his success as a businessman is Boa’s ability to give back to the community. He currently serves on the Board of Union Savings Bank and is past chairman of the Compensation Committee. He has served on the Board of Directors of Danbury Hospital and is a past president of the Portuguese Cultural Center and its Board of Trustees. A member of the Economic Advisory Committee of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Boa was recently honored by the Danbury Old Timers.

Ray Boa's entrepreneurial success shows the power of hard work and perseverance. With his induction, Western has proudly welcomed another esteemed alumnus whose story can inspire future students and members of the university.