Entrepreneurship

CHARTING HER COURSE: Cheryl DiGennaro, owner of Newport Yacht and Home LLC in Middletown, says the desire to design living spaces in houses and boats is something she was born with.  PBN FILE PHOTO/DAVID HANSEN

On land or sea, her mind is always on the décor

Entrepreneurship 05/22/2026

PBN Business Women Awards 2026 ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE: Cheryl DiGennaro, Newport Yacht & Home LLC When Cheryl DiGennaro was growing up, she’d watch her mom, an interior designer,...

COOL UNDER FIRE: Rebecca Zhukov, co-owner of Blackstone River Glass Center LLC in Cumberland, works with the furnace at the glass studio, which she started with her business partner about six years ago.  PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Zhukov is building a community out of blown glass

Entrepreneurship 05/22/2026

PBN Business Women Awards 2026 ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE: Rebecca Zhukov, Blackstone River Glass Center LLC A furnace the size of a Mini Cooper presides like an industrial centerpiece...

GUIDING LIGHT: Erica Davies got her boutique travel firm, The Well Traveled Soul LLC, off the ground in 2022 after years of working in corporate America.  PBN FILE PHOTO/DAVID HANSEN

She’s on a journey curating trips for clients

Entrepreneurship 05/22/2026

PBN Business Women Awards 2026 ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE: Erica Davies, The Well Traveled Soul LLC Cranston native Erica Davies spent two decades in the corporate world – from...

IN STITCHES: Lindsay Degen is the owner of Knit Club in Providence, which offers knitting and crocheting classes, as well as tools and yarn. PBN FILE PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS

She’s not one to follow the familiar pattern

Entrepreneurship 05/22/2026

PBN Business Women Awards 2026 ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE: Lindsay Degen, Knit Club Knitting is having a moment. Your granny’s favorite hobby is now a Zen-like pastime in an...

GETTING CREATIVE: Sascha Roberts, left, and Laura Afonso, co-owners of marketing and content creation company Honey Buns Social in Providence, look over photos during a session at a local studio space. PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

She’s made it her business to show companies how to use...

Entrepreneurship 05/22/2026

PBN Business Women Awards 2026 ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE: Sascha Roberts, Honey Buns Social In the “digital Dark Ages” of 2005, 14-year-old Sascha Roberts passed the time building a...

GAME PLANNING: Lori Manni, center, president of Capital City Construction & Management Services Inc., goes over documents with Al DeRobbio, left, project supervisor, and Oliver Carias, operating engineer of Local 57, at the company’s Cranston office. PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Manni not daunted by challenges of commercial construction

Entrepreneurship 05/22/2026

PBN Business Women Awards 2026 ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE: Lori Manni, Capital City Construction and Management Services Inc. Lori Manni knows her way around a sewer system. She’s...

Getting down to business: Elizabeth Catucci, executive director of the Partnership for Rhode Island, has rapidly become a key player in shaping Rhode Island’s economic landscape.  PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

From Chamber leader to economic strategist

Entrepreneurship 05/22/2026

PBN Business Women Awards 2026 WOMAN TO WATCH | PROFESSIONAL SERVICES: Elizabeth Catucci, Partnership for Rhode Island executive director When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Rhode Island in...

A realtor’s realtor: Christina Rouse, director of marketing and operations at Sweeney Real Estate and Appraisal, not only works in her own company but also helps colleagues in the industry.  PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

Shaping the commercial real estate landscape

Entrepreneurship 05/22/2026

PBN Business Women Awards 2026 WOMAN TO WATCH | REAL ESTATE: Christina Rouse, Sweeney Real Estate & Appraisal director of marketing and operations Christina Rouse has spent...

Reusing real estate: Joy Riley, founder and principal broker at Westcott Properties, believes in adaptive reuse, most notably when she represented the space that became Providence’s Steel Yard. COURTESY WESTCOTT PROPERTIES

Westcott Properties’ Joy Riley invests the time into her business

Entrepreneurship 05/22/2026

PBN Business Women Awards 2026 INDUSTRY LEADER | REAL ESTATE: Joy Riley, Westcott Properties founder and principal broker Joy Riley, founder and principal broker of Westcott Properties,...