Saturday, December 13, 2025

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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...
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...
EXPANSION-MINDED: Russell and Sterling Spellman operate Incred-A-Bowl Food Co., a food truck company that is preparing to open a restaurant in East Providence in the fall. 
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Everybody’s Business: Building a company with eye toward greater good

(Editor’s note: This is the 24th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each is asked their views on...

Shoemaking allows Kurd to connect to his culture

(Editor’s note: This is the 23rd installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each is asked their views on...
FAB FOUNDER: Fabiola Brunache changed careers in 2012, moved to Rhode Island and established her own real estate agency. She acknowledges that there have been some awkward moments for her in a real estate industry that doesn’t have many people of color. / PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

She sees her firm as change agent in real estate

(Editor’s note: This is the 22nd installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each is asked their views on...
HE’S STILL STANDING: It’s been a struggle, but Jhonny Levya has kept his business, Heroica Construction Inc., operating during the pandemic. As head of the Black Contractors Association of Rhode Island, he’s unsure how other minority-owned businesses will weather the crisis. 
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Crisis ‘insurmountable’ for some minority businesses

Jhonny Levya is president of Heroica Construction Inc., growing what was a family business when he purchased it in 2009 into a multimillion-dollar company....
A BIG DEAL: Louis Yip stands outside a mill building in Central Falls that his real estate group purchased and converted into a 175-unit apartment complex called M Residential.  / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO


Everybody’s Business: In a new country, he wasted no time

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