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Sarah Francis

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EARLY START: Kenadee Houle, a sophomore at William M. Davies Jr. Career & Technical High School, serves up Korean chicken bulgogi as part of the Menu for Success food truck competition at Lincoln High School.
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

BRIDGING THE GAP: Programs connect culinary workers, employers in need

Rhode Islanders love good food, and our ­reward is a regular stream of new restaurants. “It’s fantastic from an entrepreneurial standpoint but every time you...
GROWTH PLAN: Karen Bacon has taken Diversified Resources LLC, a 40-year-old financial planning company started by her father, from $125 million in managed assets to $284 million since she became president in 2015. 
PBN PHOTO/­MICHAEL SALERNO

A financial wisdom refined by real-life experiences

Nothing teaches a life lesson like dealing with temperamental rock stars. Ask Karen Wright Bacon. She spent five years doing just that while making ad...
SOLID IMPACT: Julie Owens, CEO of Social Enterprise Greenhouse, feels that she is part of a community of change-makers in her role leading the business incubator. 
PBN PHOTO/PAUL J. SPETRINI

Julie Owens

PBN Leaders & Achievers 2024 Awards Julie Owens | Social Enterprise Greenhouse | CEO THE MOST IMPORTANT quality for being a successful leader is curiosity,...
CAREER CHANGES: Oscar Mejias, the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s executive director, first worked on servicing vehicles before fixing computers and opening a school for certified nursing assistants. 
PBN PHOTO/PAUL J. SPETRINI

Oscar Mejias

PBN Leaders & Achievers 2024 Awards Oscar Mejias | Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce | Executive director OSCAR MEJIAS BELIEVES in destiny. The proof:...

Part-timers getting fulltime support at Job Lot

PBN Healthiest Employers Awards 2024 1,500-4,999 EMPLOYEES #4. Ocean State Job Lot CEO (or equivalent): Marc Perlman, principal owner and CEO; Alan Perlman and Steve...

Happiness boosts workplace morale at Amica

PBN Healthiest Employers Awards 2024 1,500-4,999 EMPLOYEES #5. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. CEO (or equivalent): Edmund “Ted” Shallcross III, CEO and president Number of employees: 3,335 DEALING...
SOUTHERN FLAVOR: Julia Broome started Kin Southern Table + Bar in 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she was laid off from her event planning position. She’s returned to that job but still runs the restaurant full time. 
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

When she lost her job, Kin came to the rescue

Ask Julia Broome to name her favorite dish on her restaurant’s menu, and she thinks for a moment. “It’s the crispy chicken wings in honey...
TAKING ROOT: ­Gloria Chacón, a licensed arborist and owner of Green View Tree Service LLC, with her crew at a worksite in North ­Providence.
PBN PHOTO/­MICHAEL SALERNO

She went out on a limb, and her tree service has...

Gloria Chacón didn’t plan to become a tree doctor, dealing with all things related to shrubs and woody plant life. “My parents wanted me to...
CLEANING UP: Debbie Martitz 
took over ownership of the family business, Hope Cleaners in East Providence, in 2005.
PBN PHOTO/­MICHAEL SALERNO

Her reputation at Hope Cleaners? It’s spotless, of course

After 57 years in the family’s dry-cleaning business, Debbie Martitz has heard some unusual requests. For example: Can you dry clean a bra? Yes. How...
IN STUDIO: Alison Bologna purchased a 15,000-square-foot building in Pawtucket in January 2020 and turned it into a new home for her yoga studio, Shri Studio Inc. 
PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Bologna stretches for more with yoga

2024 Business Women Awards ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE: Alison Bologna Shri Studio Inc. founder and owner ALISON BOLOGNA’S GOAL for Shri Studio Inc.’s new home is to be...
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