The Commonwealth Catalyst Award recognizes outstanding efforts over time to spur economic activity in Massachusetts. Commonwealth Catalyst awardees have been significantly involved in economic development activities, working in and across public, private, and non-profit sectors to propel economic growth. This award celebrates the spirit of transformation. The recipient has not only envisioned a brighter future for their community and Commonwealth but has sparked the change that makes it a reality. The 2026 recipient of the Commonwealth Catalyst Award is David Clem. David Clem, a founder of the Athenaeum Group and then Lyme Properties, was one of the most important figures in the development of the biotech industry in Massachusetts. Beginning in the late 1980s, David crafted a real estate model that supported scores of emerging biotech companies and led to the dramatic physical growth of the industry in Kendall Square. At Lyme properties, Clem expanded holdings, including renovated and new lab spaces, to over 3 million square feet in Cambridge and Boston. The properties included iconic lab buildings, including Genzyme Center, the Center for Life Science in Longwood, and the venerable One Kendall in Cambridge. His legacy is seen in millions of square feet of active commercial lab space in Cambridge and Boston. David Clem saw a future for the emerging biotechnology industry in Massachusetts, formulated a model that enabled fledging biotech companies to locate in Cambridge, and directed investments in a way that transformed the commercial laboratory industry in the greater Boston area. David Clem was a major factor in helping establish Massachusetts as the global epicenter for biotechnology research and development.