PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS
PBN pbn.com
MAY 13-26, 2022
BUSINESS WOMEN
Culinary-goods retailer nurtures community vibe | 8
EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS
George Metz G. Metz Moving and Storage owner | 15
YOUR SOURCE FOR BUSINESS NEWS IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND | VOL. 37, NO. 1 | $5
Mass. business incubator arrives in Providence
SHADES OF
GREEN
BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com
GETTING A BUSINESS off the ground is no easy feat, especially for people of color. And if Rhode Island’s undersized share of minority-owned businesses is any indication, the Ocean State needs to do more to pave the way. Which is why a Massachusettsbased nonprofit that specializes in free programs for minority entrepreneurs is expanding into Rhode Island. Entrepreneurship for All’s entrance into Rhode Island was heralded with praise and funding from state and nonprofit groups. But not everyone is sold on the new venture.
FOCUS: SMALL BUSINESS
SEE INCUBATOR
OPEN PATH: Linda Perri, a longtime resident of the Washington Park neighborhood in Providence, stands at a narrow public access point on the Providence working waterfront that she and other residents fought to establish. PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
Can Providence’s working waterfront be both livable and an economic engine?
PAGE 18
BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com
OWNING ONE LAST THING
A HOME NEAR THE WATER ISN’T ALL IT’S CRACKED UP TO BE. At least not for Linda Perri, who lives a mile west of the Providence River. She’s not close enough to see the river from her windows. Even if she were, all she’d see are the mountains of scrap metal and tarp-covered salt piles lining Allens Avenue on the riverfront. Rumbling trucks and beeping cranes are the soundtrack of her days. Chemical fumes often waft in windows that are left open. “It’s that kind of noxious, industrial oily smell,” Perri said. “Some days it just hangs in the air forever.” For generations, manufacturing and marine companies have staked their claim along a 2-mile stretch of the river in Providence, drawn by the 40-foot-deep shipping channel and access to rail lines, highways and the city itself. The companies say it’s the perfect spot – in many cases, the only spot – to run their businesses, and the city has encouraged them with a special zoning designation for maritime and industrial uses. SEE GREEN PAGE 12
Yesenia Rubio Take a chance on yourself | 30
Celebrate
MAY 25 | NOON-2PM | PROVIDENCE MARRIOTT
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