Pbn 40th Anniversary - Providence Business News

NEXT GEN: Chaffee Industrial Roofing President Peter Chaffee, foreground, officially marks the fourth generation of family ownership in 2019, signing paperwork transferring ownership in the presence of an unidentified lawyer.  COURTESY CHAFFEE INDUSTRIAL ROOFING

A testament to craftsmanship

Business Services 08/14/2026

Chaffee Industrial Roofing (Published Nov. 22, 2008) YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1908, as T.K. Chaffee Co. TYPE OF BUSINESS: Commercial roofer THEN: OWNER: Steven H. Chaffee, president LOCATION: 193 Amaral St., East...

BALANCED APPROACH: Blaine’s Sewing Machine Center owners Kate and Tim Palaski maintain an old-school mentality of supporting the customer and offering unique services while adapting to change with the times. PBN PHOTO/STEPHANIE BERNABA

Sewing success with new owners 

Business Services 08/14/2026

Blaine’s Sewing Machine Center (Published Oct. 23, 2020) YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1950 TYPE OF BUSINESS: Retail sales and service of sewing machines, fabric THEN: NAME: Blaine Enterprises Inc. (dba Blaine...

HELPING HAND: Dan Wood, owner and founder of DWRI Letterpress LLC print shop, works in 2008 with Lois Harada, shop manager, on the Polyman 50 automatic-fed cylinder letterpress at the shop’s headquarters in Providence.  PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Still profiting from hands-on printmaking

Business Services 08/14/2026

DWRI Letterpress LLC (Published June 8, 2018) YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2003 TYPE OF BUSINESS: Letterpress printing company THEN: NAME: Dan Wood Rhode Island Letterpress OWNER: Dan Wood LOCATION: 40 Rice St., Providence EMPLOYEES:...

RICH TRADITION: David Grande, owner of Savon Shoes, at the company’s North Providence location. Grande bought Jamiels Shoe World in 2013.  PBN PHOTO/ STEPHANIE BERNABA

Savon continues Jamiels legacy

Digital Special Editions 08/14/2026

Savon Shoes (Published April 24, 1995) YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1982 TYPE OF BUSINESS: Shoe sales THEN: NAME: Jamiels Shoe World OWNER/PRESIDENT: Lily Jamiel LOCATION: Warren and West Warwick EMPLOYEES: 70 YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1983 ANNUAL REVENUE:...

TAKING OVER: Henry Lopez-Melgar, a longtime team member who spent much of his career working his way up from washing dishes and preparing food to management responsibilities at Tito’s Cantina in Middletown, is now the restaurant’s new owner.  PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

Melgar adding to winning hand

Digital Special Editions 08/14/2026

Tito’s Cantina (Published July 10, 1995) YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1989 TYPE OF BUSINESS: Restaurant THEN: OWNERS: Rich Reavis, president, and Vice Arcello, vice president LOCATION: 651 West Main Rd., Middletown EMPLOYEES: 15 ANNUAL...

READY FOR BATTLE: Gov. Daniel J. McKee takes the podium as state and labor officials join forces in August 2025 to protest President Donald Trump’s effort to halt work on the Revolution Wind offshore wind farm.  PBN FILE PHOTO/MATTHEW MCNULTY

On the workforce development front, headwinds persist

Economy 08/14/2026

In 2022, excitement surged in the state after Breeze Airways announced plans to establish a permanent base at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport...

TROLL SIGHTING:  Louise Bishop, South County Tourism Council CEO and president, visits one of the two trolls living in the woods of Ninigret Park in Charlestown. Bishop says the trolls, made of recycled materials, have drawn 100,000 visitors this year alone. Three more trolls have been installed recently in Rhode Island.  PBN FILE PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

The tourism sector sees new faces, but new challenges, too

Government 08/14/2026

Rhode Island’s tourism and hospitality sector has seen some new additions since 2021. Those searching for recreation and leisure now have the options of TopGolf,...

NEW DIGS: The 30,000-square-foot Ocean Sate Labs is located on the fourth floor of 150 Richmond St., Providence. The new building in the 195 District also houses the R.I. Department of Health laboratory.  PBN PHOTO/WILLIAM HAMILTON

Lab space could be a big draw

PBN 40th Anniversary 08/14/2026

Rhode Island has gone all in on life sciences, but it still remains to be seen whether the millions of dollars of investment will...

TAKING OVER: The Res American Bistro at Washington and Empire streets in downtown Providence closed in 2025, one of numerous restaurants that closed its doors in recent years, but 10 Prime Seafood quickly remodeled and moved in soon after.  COURTESY CHOW FUN FOOD GROUP

For small businesses, the uphill climb was never-ending

Economy 08/14/2026

For Rhode Island’s small businesses, the last five years have demanded constant adjustment. Pandemic shutdowns in early 2020, rising wages, labor shortages and new infrastructure...