All Entries in the "SBA" Category
Minority Small Business Owner of the Year
Patience, Determination and Community; Alba Rios’ Recipe for Success Born in Colombia, Alba Lucia Rios immigrated to the United States in 2001, settling in Rhode Island where she met her husband Manuel Grajales. Together, their goal was to own a business, to prosper and be successful. In 2007, they began taking steps toward that goal by purchasing Tienda Alinary, a retail establishment providing specialty Colombian products to the community.
Under Alba’s ownership the store continued to prosper until, in 2008, the building she rented was foreclosed upon. The economic downturn proved harsh as Alba fought to continue her businesses existence. Understanding the significance of her location, and what the 24 year history of Tienda Alinary meant to her community, Alba began searching for guidance. She contacted the Small Business Development Center and The Center for Women Enterprise, inquiring about how to access the capital she needed to purchase the building. Working with Sandra McNamara she began educating herself on how to acquire what she needed. Over the course of that year Alba began approaching lenders but got used to the common answer of, “No”; frustrated but unwavering she approached Pawtucket Credit Union and finally heard the “Yes” she had been waiting for. With the funds in hand Alba purchased the building from the bank. Over the next three years Alba and Manuel began renovating the property. Facing hefty improvement bills they began expanding Tienda Alinary’s offering, first was the addition of the bakery. Every morning Manuel would bake the bread before going upstairs to work on repairs. Next was the addition of the restaurant and a full breakfast offering, before long the demand grew for a lunch menu as well. To address another community need they also began offering shipping services, allowing those looking to ship something back to their native country the opportunity to do so in a streamlined, culturally friendly process.
A community HUB, many people come to Tienda Alinary looking for legal advice or a place to refer a doctor. Rios’ understands the role her business plays and does what she can to refer those looking for help in the right direction. Often her support is more subtle, a bowl of soup to someone in need, a credit line to those who may be a little short that day – always with an understanding that community is about support, and a business can do so much more towards that end than simply being a place to shop. Proud of her success, Alba still stays grounded, choosing to focus on those who have helped her succeed. She continues to thank Alinary Salavarrieta – who had owned Tienda Alinary for 24 years before selling to Alba – for creating the community landmark the store has become. Alba also feels a deep connection with Sandra Cano, whose friendship and emotional support means so much to her. Mostly, she wants to share her message of success with those in her community, “If you want to succeed in your business you can, but first of all do things right. Get informed, there is plenty of help in the state, but you have to reach out and if you reach out and do the right things you are going to succeed with patience and determination.” Her message of success continues to be strengthened by her service to her community, a community that supports Alba right back.
For her demonstrated success, community support and potential for continued growth, the U.S. Small Business Administration pleased to honor Alba Lucia Rios, owner of Tienda Alinary, as the 2018 Rhode Island Minority Small Business Owner of the Year.
Microenterprise of the Year
“Worming” your way into a successful small business ss the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention” or, in the case of Nancy Ellen Hatch Warner, it’s a worm farm. Nancy, a 77 year old grandmother of four, owns and operates The Worm Ladies of Charlestown, which sell red wiggler worms, their castings, and other supplies to people interested in turning their food scrap into a soil enhancer – in other words, composting. The Worm Ladies also runs workshops and clinics and provides consulting services for individuals and businesses interested in using worms for organic waste management.
How did someone with a master’s degree, working in art education and therapy, end up with a worm farm? In Nancy’s own words, “it was a hobby that got out of hand.” A fiber artist, Nancy raised angora rabbits, whose hair she sheared, spun, wove, and knitted into her creations, which were exhibited locally and in galleries in Maryland and Washington, D.C. These rabbits, however, presented a challenge with how to manage the manure and flies under their cages. An avid gardener, Nancy had come across worm composting and, in the early 1990s, decided to see if it would help. It did. The worms ate the manure, the flies disappeared, and her problem was solved, “showing her how much good the worms did.”
Several years later, after reuniting with a long-lost childhood friend and giving her a bucket of worms for her garden, Nancy decided to turn her hobby into a money-making venture. They began The Worm Ladies. Nancy has since taken over sole operation of the business, along with the help of volunteers and an independent contractor.
Sensing both the educational and entrepreneurial potential of her discovery, Nancy worked with three U.S. Small Business Administration partners to move her business forward. Nine years ago, as a result of attending classes at the Center for Women & Enterprise, Nancy hired a lawyer and incorporated. With the help of a SCORE business counselor with whom she worked for more than 5 years, Nancy completed a business plan that positioned her to obtain a $30,000 microloan from Community Investment Corporation. Nancy also won SCORE’s 2017 American Small Business Championship.
Last year Nancy used that microloan money to buy equipment and expand operations from her backyard into a hoop house at Schartner Farms in North Kingstown. This expansion from a seasonal to a year-round operation ensures an uninterrupted revenue stream and increased production. The Worm Ladies will be selling to schools, nurseries, farmers, growers, and offices, and it will be enriching the soil of a 22 acre farm at a compost training facility being launched on Exeter Road in North Kingstown. Because of this growth, she also hopes to soon hire her first employee, and the help of interns who can earn college credit.
For her demonstrated success and potential for future growth, the U.S. Small Business
Administration is pleased to honor Nancy Hatch Warner, owner of The Worm Ladies of Charlestown, as the 2018 Rhode Island Microenterprise of the Year.
Small Business Manufacturer of the Year
“Successful deployment is the ultimate quality metric in the defense industry”
Founded in 1945 by Arthur Boyle, Jade Manufacturing Company began as a traditional machine shop serving a variety of industries. In the late 1970’s Arthur’s son, Don Boyle took over as Jade’s President. Don recognized the vibrant manufacturing environment in Rhode Island, and began outsourcing some of his production demands to local businesses to expand both Jade’s capacity and capabilities. With new found production avenues and an ever watchful eye on quality, Jade focused on supplying the growing yet demanding defense/aerospace industry. Utilizing an extensive supply chain of local manufacturers, Jade expanded services offered to include not only precision machined components, but also plating, anodizing, painting, welding, fabricating heat-treating, and Mil-Spec hardware. These additional services enabled Jade to compete for more challenging projects and concentrate on building complete assemblies rather than just individual components. Don’s vision of expanding Jade’s production beyond his in-house capabilities resulted in significant sales growth for both his own company and also those local businesses who’d joined his
supply chain.
Don feels strongly that, “Supplying products to U.S. warfighters is a noble effort and requires
manufacturing at the highest quality possible.” Production tolerance demands to 10,000 th of an inch and rigorous inspection/certification requirements are daily challenges met by the team at Jade. Don takes great pride in his products being deployed around the world by the U.S. military. “Successful deployment is the ultimate quality metric in the defense industry. We’ve consistently achieved that standard of excellence.” Their consistent delivery of deployable product has led to their inclusion on a multitude of high-profile projects, mostly in the radar and missile detection arenas. Boyle specifically highlighted their continual work on the Patriot and Aegis systems; The Patriot program is a ballistic missile defense system used since the first Gulf war and is currently used by 14 NATO nations as their primary missile defense system, while Aegis is a radar platform used extensively in the U.S. Navy fleet. Jade also contributes work to “next generation” programs like the Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) and Zumwalt Class Destroyer; AMDR is considered to be the heir apparent to AEGIS and while the Zumwalt is merging the B2 stealth bomber technology with surface ships to create a radar resistant vessel.
As Jade continues to grow its reach they look for partners to help with the burden that comes
with expansion. Through Polaris MEP and the Chafee Center for International Business – the Rhode Island State Trade Expansion Program Grantee – Jade was supplied with extensive market research, identifying eight potential new companies that they could attain in the coming year. The Chafee Center has also connected Jade Manufacturing with potential new customers in Dubai, Jerusalem, and Canada. For his demonstrated success and longevity, continued manufacturing excellence, and potential for future growth, the U.S. Small Business Administration is pleased to honor Donald J. Boyle, President of Jade Manufacturing Company, as the 2018 Rhode Island Small Business Manufacturer of the Year.
Joseph G. E. Knight Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence
Christine Francis, Owner of Carmen & Ginger
Christine Francis, owner of Carmen & Ginger. Photo Credit to Rachel Hulin.
Christine Francis’ parents are collectors, so she attributes their example to her love of “everything old.” She always worked for other people and didn’t aspire to be a business owner because, as she says, “I’m not really a risk-taker.” Fate had a different plan.
Laid off from her full-time job in construction management at the end of 2008 and mostly as a way to generate some income, in January 2009 Christine started an Etsy shop called Carmen & Ginger. Carmen was one of her cats, and Ginger was a friend’s dog – hence, the business name. Christine had originally thought it would be easier to specialize and to do so in cat and dog-related goods, but she ultimately spread out to all things vintage. The Etsy-based shop quickly grew, supported by her active blog and a solid on-line customer base. Two years in, Christine was in the top 100 sellers on the Etsy site specializing in vintage goods.
After returning to full-time work, she continued to operate the on-line shop and, a couple of years later, she was ready for some risk: she left her full-time corporate job and opened Carmen & Ginger as a brick and mortar store in the newly-renovated Arcade building in downtown Providence. That was “Black Friday,” 2013. After the first year, the store doubled its size, expanding into adjacent space. Carmen & Ginger has thrived in that larger space, selling primarily vintage goods in categories as varied as clothing, jewelry, games, and housewares, but also new items such as greeting cards, hand cream, and Rhode Island and Providence-themed goods. In addition to the increased footprint, Carmen & Ginger now has 2 employees.
Having worked in the corporate world, Christine knew she needed a brand and needed to cultivate it. She has done so while creatively supporting her community. Although she returned to full-time corporate work in 2011, that fall she began the Urban Vintage Bazaar. The Bazaar is a semi-annual event featuring a variety of vintage resellers from Rhode Island and surrounding states. Moved to the Arcade in the spring of 2014, each event typically features approximately twenty visiting vendors and attracts more than 1000 visitors, benefitting other businesses in the Arcade and a non-profit organization that receives as a donation a portion of the vendor fees. The next Urban Vintage Bazaar will be held on April 28, 2018. In addition, in 2014, Christine produced the first ever Guide to Providence Vintage. The free guide, expanded in size and content in 2015 – including the production of an on-line version – was released again in 2017 and is available at locations throughout the city.
Christine’s awards and recognitions have grown as steadily as her business. For example, Rhode Island Monthly magazine twice recognized Carmen & Ginger in its “Best of Rhode Island” awards: readers voted it “Best Vintage Store” in 2016, and last year it was the editor’s pick for “Best Vintage Shopping in the City.” In December 2016, Carmen & Ginger’s holiday windows were featured in an on-line article in Country Living magazine, whose Facebook page has more than 5 million followers; the article has been shared more than 600 times.
For her entrepreneurial spirit, resourcefulness, and contributions to community-oriented projects, Rhode Island SCORE proudly honors Christine Francis, owner of Carmen & Ginger, as the recipient of the 2018 Joseph G. E. Knight Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence.
