Friday, April 19, 2024

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Everybody's Business

ON A ROLL: Muhammad Choudhry has built BK House of Cigars Inc. into a business that he says has helped him live the American dream after years of struggle. 
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

‘Struggling days’ sparked his desire to venture out

(Editor’s note: This is the 34th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each will be asked their views...
HER IMPRINT: Franchesca M. Fernandez was a civil engineer in the Dominican Republic, but when she moved to Rhode Island she decided to start a business that had little to do with engineering.
PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

Everybody’s Business: She made a change of country and career

(Editor’s note: This is the 33rd installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each will be asked their views...
REPEAT CUSTOMER: Joseph Becton, owner of F.I.N.A.O. Tattoo Ink in North Providence, designs an extension for Donna Ruggieri of West Warwick, who said Becton took very good care of her previous tattoo.  
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Everybody’s Business: Determined to leave his mark on community

(Editor’s note: This is the 32nd installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each will be asked their views...
INSPIRED TO HELP: Saikon Gbehan Isijola, owner of the Law Office of Saikon Gbehan LLC in Providence, launched the business in 2010 to represent and advocate for people from “communities that are disadvantaged, disenfranchised or under-resourced.”
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

She’s motivated to balance the scales of justice for people of...

(Editor’s note: This is the 31st installment in a monthly series ­speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each will be asked their views...
FAMILY MEETING: Andrew Torrado, left, and Luis C. Torrado, second from left, speak with their father, Luis A. Torrado, president of L. A. Torrado Architects Inc. in Providence. Torrado’s sons are project managers at the company.
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

An architect with designs on boosting minority firms

(Editor’s note: This is the 30th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each will be asked their views...
HITTING HIS GOAL: Nic Cortes, owner of Cortes BJJ LLC, leads one of the classes at his jiu-jitsu studio in Warwick, which offers self-defense programs, fitness and strength conditioning. Cortes realized his dream of starting his own academy when he opened his studio in 2017.
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Everybody’s Business: A display of fighting spirit to overcome obstacles

(Editor’s note: This is the 29th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each will be asked their views...
THROUGH HIS LENS: Xander Monge says he has not experienced overt discrimination in his business dealings since establishing his media services and video production company, but he’s aware of the differences between him and many of the people who hire him. 
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Everybody’s Business: ‘Oblivious to the risk,’ Monge went off script

(Editor’s note: This is the 28th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each will be asked their views...
CREATIVE SPACE: Subham Sett, pictured, launched Ohanga Inc. with his wife, Yuping Wang, as a digital marketplace and gallery for local artists and makers to connect with the public, as well as to connect technology and art, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. Last fall Ohanga opened a physical location at Garden City Center in Cranston.
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Everybody’s Business: Forming a marketplace for a diverse arts community

(Editor’s note: This is the 27th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each is asked their views on...
SEIZING THE MOMENT: After working as a technician in the printing business for more than a decade, Gary Wallace, owner of Hall of GraFX in Providence, jumped at the chance to start his own print shop when one of his customers decided to retire and Wallace purchased his printing equipment for $12,000.
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Everybody’s Business: ‘I had no business plan … I invested...

(Editor’s note: This is the 26th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each will be asked their views...
LOOKING FOR TIDY PROFITS: Daneshwar “Dan” Persaud, who operates Taj Commercial Cleaning LLC, says the state’s minority business enterprise program that guarantees a certain percentage of state contracts be awarded to minority-owned companies has a lot of room for improvement. 
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Everybody’s Business: ‘I really feel like I’m alone’

(Editor’s note: This is the 25th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each is asked about their views...
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