Spotlight - Providence Business News

ALWAYS AVAILABLE: At Marc Allen Fine Clothiers in Providence, one of the team members is always available to help customers. Standing from left are Colin Ward, store manager; Marc Streisand, owner; Will Arvanites, director of operations; and Josh Jacob, director of tailored clothing.  PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Find rare specialty threads at Marc Allen Fine Clothiers

Entrepreneurship 06/09/2023

Call it an origin story. Marc Streisand, owner of Marc Allen Fine Clothiers, was a New York City teenager when an interaction at a local...

BUSY BEEKEEPER: In addition to maintaining her own hives, Little Rhody Beekeeping owner Cynthia Holt harvests and sells honey, teaches beekeeping classes, conducts pollen monitoring and works as a contractor for the state’s apiary inspector.  PBN PHOTO/KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

Beekeeping has her buzzing with excitement

Entrepreneurship 05/26/2023

From a young age, Cynthia Holt had a connection with nature, and recalls that her 8-year-old self dreamed of becoming a zookeeper. “I’ve always loved...

WAVE OF GROWTH: Since buying Allegra, a full-service printing, mailing and marketing company in Providence, in 2017, Bud and Karen McCann have quadrupled the revenue and tripled the size of the staff of the more than 50-year-old shop.  PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Pumping up a print shop

Entrepreneurship 05/12/2023

Bud and Karen McCann bought Allegra on Valentine’s Day in 2017. The date is a fun coincidence for the long-married couple, who were looking for...

ILLUMINATING WORK: Jon DeAngelo, owner of Renaissance Antique Lighting in Fall River and Tiverton, works on a 1940 French-made crystal chandelier. PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Shining a light on historic properties

Business Services 04/14/2023

If you’ve visited a notable historic property in Newport, such as the Elms and Chateau-sur-Mer mansions or Trinity Church, chances are you’re familiar with...

BRANCHING OUT: Shawn McAssey, president of Rhode Island Restoration Inc. in North Providence, which has expanded to 60 employees in recent years, says the company may open a second branch in places such as Warwick, Narragansett or Newport to service more of southern Rhode Island. PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Restoration company looking to expand scope of work, coverage area

Business Services 03/31/2023

For many, a winter storm means remote work and long days in bed. For workers at Rhode Island Restoration Inc., those can be some...

CLASSIC CONNOISSEUR: Ken Hudson, owner of Newport Classic Car Co., offers tours of Newport in vintage vehicles, as well as boat tours of Narragansett Bay via an antique motor yacht.  PBN PHOTO/KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

See the City by the Sea from the seat of a...

Entrepreneurship 03/17/2023

Ken Hudson spent 11 years as a merchant mariner before changing careers in 2018, the year he founded Newport Classic Car Co., which offers...

SCUBA SESSION: Brady Watson, center background, dive master with Dive On It Scuba, teaches members of Boy Scout  Troop 44 of Walpole, Mass., in the pool at Cumberland High School. From left are Danny Federer; his father, Chris Federer; and Mike Ahlfont. PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Fontaine-Trainor turns newfound scuba passion into second career

Entrepreneurship 03/03/2023

To say Allison Fontaine-Trainor was a reluctant scuba diver is an understatement. The Rhode Island native grew up avoiding the beach and refused to put...

NEW APPROACH: Bethany Duffy, owner of Space Salon in Warren, allows stylists to set their own rates, work at other salons on the side and offers unlimited time off and biweekly coaching as part of a business model intended to break down bias and outdated industry practices.  PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Stylists free to create at Space Salon

Entrepreneurship 02/17/2023

When Bethany Duffy opened Space Salon, she didn’t want to simply replicate what she’d experienced over 15 years in the business. The hair salon, which...

COOLING COMFORT: Bedjet LLC founder and CEO Mark Aramli developed a climate comfort sleep system to help keep him cool at night, then found success with a Kickstarter fundraising campaign and headquartered the business in Newport in 2014 to produce and sell the device. PBN PHOTO/DAVID HANSEN

Bed tech company finds firm support in Newport

Entrepreneurship 02/03/2023

It has been said necessity is the mother of invention. As an engineering contractor working on the NASA spacesuit program, Mark Aramli, founder and CEO...