Saturday, July 19, 2025

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Spotlight

REGIONAL FOCUS: Elizabeth Hulting, left, founder and president of hospitality apparel company KAPTVA Apparel LLC in West Greenwich, and her daughter, Alysha Hulting, designer and artistic director, have been providing uniforms for big-name clients across the casino and fine dining industries in Las Vegas and New York since 2019, but now the company is turning its attention to growing its New England client base.
PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

KAPTVA ready to dress up Rhode Island hospitality

There is a hospitality uniform and apparel company in West Greenwich that you’ve probably never heard of. That’s because KAPTVA ­Apparel LLC has been providing...
GATHERING PLACE: Scott McCullough loved books growing up and thought he would go into publishing after graduating college, but while working at a bookstore he became passionate about its role in the community and decided to open Symposium Books Inc. in Providence in 2004 with his wife, Anne Marie Keohane. 
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Bookstore plays vital role in downtown Providence community

When thinking of a name for his bookstore, Scott McCullough recalled his days learning about Plato’s Symposium as a philosophy student in college. Plato’s Symposium...
STILL GOING STRONG: Michael Gagnon, who founded Mike’s Estate Services in West Warwick in 1998, says much of his business these days comes from people looking to downsize their holdings or children of retired parents looking to unload inherited valuables. 
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

West Warwick consignment shop does the heavy lifting

Within a historic mill building in West Warwick, a treasure trove awaits. Founded in 1998, Mike’s Estate Services for more than 20 years has...
CHECKING UP: Michael Cahill, left, who owns BCX Energy Inc. and leads its air quality business unit, looks at the regenerative thermal oxidizer control panel installed at uniform service company Clean Uniforms and More! in New Bedford, one of BCX Energy’s clients. At right is Nino Valez, production supervisor at Clean Uniforms.
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

BCX Energy bringing companies sustainability solutions

As sustainability has come to the forefront of customers’ and business owners’ minds, many need help ensuring they are meeting their environmental goals. That’s what...
ALL ARE WELCOME: Military veterans David Lockhart, left, and Tony Moore, owners of the Hair Apparent barber shop in Newport, say they get a range of customers, including parents with their kids, locals and businesspeople, while also becoming popular among the city’s military community.
PBN PHOTO/KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

Armed with clippers, scissors, these military vets cut with precision

In the City by the Sea, competition for the haircutting dollar can be fierce. Newport measures less than 12 square miles, but residents and visitors...
SWEET SUCCESS: After some encouragement from family and friends, Becky Morris started Celebrated LLC, a vegan bakery specializing in wedding desserts. She is pictured at her Richmond shop with an array of her desserts.
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

No eggs or milk, but vegan bakery gets many raves

Becky Morris recalls getting rave reviews for the cookie dough samples she passed out at The Providence Flea LLC, the popular weekly flea market...
WARMING UP: Comedian Brad Pierce, right, warms up attendees on a bus tour provided by Comedy Bus LLC. Launched by husband and wife Mike and Jena Keller in Providence, the company offers bus tours of the city with stops at breweries and eateries with stand-up comedy being performed along the way.
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Comedy Bus keeps the laughs rolling by taking the show on...

In the business world, many successful ventures are born through a marriage of two compatible, proven ideas. That was the case for Mike Keller, who...
FROM STUDENT TO TEACHER: Alex Enamorado became a producer and engineer at TRIAD Recording in Warren after completing the studio’s 24-week TRIAD Recording Arts Certification program.  
PBN PHOTO/ARTISTIC IMAGES

Warren recording studio adapts to stay in tune with changing industry...

Stepping just a few feet from the hallway into the studio space at TRIAD Recording in Warren, there’s an undeniable change in the air. It’s...
STAYING POWER: Armand Toscano, owner of security system supplier Communications Systems Inc. in Lincoln, founded the business in 1974 as Atlantic Antenna Systems with Gerald Neylon, who has since retired. The business has expanded to offer additional services and rebranding as Communications Systems in the early 1980s. 
PBN PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS

Keeping customers in contact for decades

For years, Armand Toscano would approach fellow employees asking if they’d want to start a business together. Toscano, who worked for commercial antenna companies, wasn’t...
COASTAL COMFORT: Cigdem Turkomer first established her Le BonNton home décor and clothing boutique in Northampton, Mass., after moving to the U.S. about eight years ago, but having grown up and worked in Istanbul for 15 years, she missed the seaside lifestyle of the city and last May relocated her shop to Warren. 
PBN PHOTO/ARTISTIC IMAGES

Home décor and clothing shop brings taste of Istanbul to Warren

When customers tell Cigdem Turkomer that visiting Le BonNton feels like traveling, she knows she’s accomplished her vision for the globally sourced home décor...
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