Hitesh “Max” Kothari is the CEO of Express Kitchens, a regional leader in kitchen remodeling based in Hartford, with a retail business network of showrooms across Connecticut and Massachusetts. He founded Express Kitchens in 2002 after running Star Hardware Store in Hartford for several years. During his tenure as CEO, Max has received the Small Business Leader award from the Voices of Women of Color, and was named Connecticut’s Small Business Person of the Year by the Small Business Administration in 2014. He also serves as the Chair of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from SUNY Albany and received a management degree from Harvard Business School.