It’s exciting when Providence Business News starts a new initiative, in this case the Fastest-Growing and Innovative Companies recognition program. And in a very real sense, this may be the most exciting one we do. more

In early 2011, Hasbro Inc. CEO Brian Goldner convened a team of designers, engineers and marketers to figure out the Next Big Toy. more

If there’s going to be an ode to “Gone With the Wind,” in the form of an elaborate, eye-catching artistic display, you’ve got to have the kiss. more

The custom bicycle frames being built by hand at Circle A Cycles in Providence combine the old and the new. more

The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities has announced Elizabeth Francis as its new executive director. more

Game designers work on the art and programming code for their game during the 2013 Global Game Jam at New England Institute of Technology. The 48-hour, game-design event was held Jan. 25-27 at 317 jam sites in 60 countries and included tens of thousands of participants. NEIT had 54 contestants, including from left, Matthew Karn, NEIT graduate, Chase Hermanson, NEIT graduate, Rhode Island School of Design senior Chris Culbertson and Allisandra Briggs, RISD senior. more

If you want to keep Shakespeare alive in Rhode Island, give a tax break to Hamlet – or more precisely, the actor who portrays him. more

The Trinity Repertory Company team has announced its 50th anniversary season line-up of plans, including “Grapes of Wrath,” “Oliver!” and “Intimate Apparel,” among others. more

Small models of sculptures often become very large works of art at Amaral Custom Fabrications. more

The Steel Yard in Providence is a unique combination of arts and technical training in welding, blacksmithing, jewelry and ceramics. Its new executive director, Helen Lang, stepped into the position in April, equipped with training in film and theater and extensive hands-on administrative and financial experience with nonprofits, as well as in the corporate world. As Lang puts down roots in Rhode Island and gets deeper into leading the Steel Yard, she’s sharing her vision on how to raise the Steel Yard’s community profile and maximize its potential as a catalyst for economic growth. more