Tuesday, April 23, 2024

TOPICS

Spotlight

HEALING HANDS: Wendy Taylor, owner and executive director of the West Place Animal Sanctuary in Tiverton, brushes one of her ponies. The animal sanctuary, which cares for neglected and abused farm animals and rehabilitates waterfowl and game birds, has helped more than 1,000 animals in its nearly 15 years of operation. / PBN PHOTO/KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

Taylor provides sanctuary for neglected, abused farm animals

When farm animals suffer severe neglect and abuse, animal rescue organizations often lack the resources to properly care for them. For almost 15 years,...
TREASURE SEEKER: Heidi W. Stevens is the owner of Re– Antiques & Interiors in North Kingstown. Her fascination with antiques and artifacts began when she was a child discovering such items at a nearby grange during the summers. The fascination continued to grow as she got older. / PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

Passion for unique antiques, interior design drove Stevens to open her...

Heidi W. Stevens was raised in a former sea captain’s home in the Watch Hill neighborhood of Westerly where fantasies of a long forgotten...
SELF-STARTER: Carl J. Sahady, owner of Diamond Cleaners Inc. in Pawtucket, left his position in management of a supermarket distribution company in Massachusetts to go into business for himself. The self-taught dry cleaner celebrated his 28th year in business in September.  / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Loyal customers, added services keep Diamond Cleaners shining during pandemic


Unlike the workers who traded in slacks for sweatpants during the pandemic, Carl J. Sahady’s COVID-19 wardrobe never changed. His neatly pressed shirt and...
LOCAL FLAVOR: Roger Lapierre is the founder, owner and key principal of Li’l General convenience stores. Lapierre started with one store in 1970 in Woonsocket and has evolved the business to six franchise locations throughout northern Rhode Island. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Local convenience store brand has staying power

The first night he came home after opening his first Li’l General store, having invested much of his money in the venture as a...
LEAP OF FAITH: Hoping to take advantage of what they saw as an untapped market, John Heelan and his wife, Beth, in 2015 opened Ripples Swim School, an aquatic operation providing swimming instruction for young children, with facilities in Bristol and West Warwick.  / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Heelans see waves of success after diving in to create swim...

The Heelan family dove into the swim school business while seeking a suitable swimming program for their three young children. It took John Heelan and...
KEEPING TABS: Victor Nunes, founder and principal owner of QMed Innovations Inc. in Middletown, showcases the company’s Quest tracking product, which uses internet-connected technology to provide location data so manufacturers can keep track of their surgical kits that are used in orthopedic procedures. / PBN PHOTO/KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

QMed tech device allows manufacturers to keep track of surgical kits

Real-time analytics and tracking of surgical kits used in orthopedic procedures is what QMed Innovations Inc. has become known for. The business, based in...
MAJOR GROWTH: From left, juicing company Fully Rooted Inc. co-owners Benjamin Aalvik, Angelo Mollis and Amanda Repose in their production space in Pawtucket. Although the retail store had to close and farmers market sales were cut in half during the COVID-19 pandemic, delivery across Rhode Island and Massachusetts grew exponentially. / PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

Trio juiced to provide healthy drinks

A small, handheld juicer resting on a set of wire shelves in the headquarters of Fully Rooted Inc. offers an ever-present reminder of the...
TRAVEL COMPANION: Paul Fleming is the owner of marketing communications firm Fleming and Co. in Newport. The firm also designs and sells products, including the Flight Companion that Fleming is holding, which is a kit he designed for people who travel infrequently and don’t have an established packing routine for carry-on items. / PBN PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS

After learning to sail, Fleming dove into sales

Sales and sailing have always been a part of Paul Fleming’s life. The son of an emigrant who moved from Ireland, Fleming learned to sail...
LINGUISTS: Be Moore Interpreting LLC co-founders and owners Zoila Bernal, left, and Shirley Moore stand outside of their office in Pawtucket. Moore, who often accompanied her parents and other adults on their visits to doctors, insurance companies and government offices to act as an interpreter, said the business was started to provide adult interpreters and translators so children wouldn’t have to take on that responsibility. / PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

Helping people be understood

Shirley Moore opened her language interpretation and translation business in 2016, with a friend, Zoila Bernal. But Moore really started that work in childhood,...
FAMILY MOLD: Francis H. Curren IV, right, vice president of Pease & Curren Inc., a family-owned precious-metal refinement company in Warwick that works with jewelers, pawn brokers, medical offices and recyclers, watches as David Silva, manager/operator, pours molten metal into a mold. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Curren ensures metal refining family business in capable hands

It’s hard to sum up Pease & Curren Inc.’s business in a single word. Much of the 40,000-square-foot building in Warwick suggests manufacturing: unfinished, concrete...
- Featured Event -

Latest News