Martin Gajda
I started out helping in my friends’ coffee shop back in Europe and have been hooked on espressos ever since. When I came to Boston and began thinking about starting my own business a coffee shop was my #1 choice. Fast-forward almost two years and three failed business plans here I am – a proud owner of Boston’s finest Coffee Trike. After the third unsuccessful business attempt I started thinking about revamping my original idea of opening a brick and mortar coffee shop by giving it some training wheels. Read more>>
Kathy Vines
I launched Clever girl Organizer in early 2013, after ending a 20-year career in Human Resources. Becoming a Professional Organizer had been my ‘Someday, Maybe” career for a long time, and when the opportunity to start came my way, I took it! I’ve always been good at helping other people figure out the most efficient and effective ways of getting things done. I’m the person who can look at a pile of boxes and know exactly how they’ll fit in a closet or the trunk of a car. Read more>>
Marcos V. Novais-De Camargo
My business model began while I was working at a hotel called the Crowne Plaza. I worked in many different areas of the hotel for example as a guest service representative in which my duties included interacting with clients in all their needs while they were staying with us. Concierge Service, bellman, and lastly but most importantly was being their van driver. With all the experience I gained in the hotel industry I have brought it with me to construct the basis to which my company is growing from now. Read more>>
Karuna O’Donnell
4 Corners Yoga + Wellness began as an inspiration in co-founders Christine Rose and Karuna O’Donnell’s shared bodywork space at The Meeting Point, A Center for Multidimensional Healing, in Jamaica Plain. Their individual businesses of massage and yoga were expanding beyond their shared room and they began to imagine a beautiful, vibrant, wellness center in Dorchester that could be both a thriving small business and widen access to those who could benefit from these resources yet can’t readily afford these services. Read more>>
Nina Tebaldi
I started out working for an international telecommunications company overseas, in finance and human resources. I loved the travel and living abroad, but was not a fan of the corporate culture. When my husband and I moved back to the States, I decided to take a break from it, to stay home and raise my two daughters. When I was researching preschools, I fell in love with the cooperative model, which allows parents to actively participate in their children’s education. Read more>>
Touradj Ameli
I started my practice (Aesthetic Reconstructive Implant Dentistry Boston) back in 2000 in Back Bay with an idea of providing the only Interdisciplinary team approach to dental care by team of Board Certified Specialists, something that did not existed in Massachusetts, as most of the dental practices at best used multidisciplinary platform and all team members being board certified did not and still not exist, except in my practice. In 2014 we made a big move to Wellesley MA and built a multimillion dollar private dental specialty clinic with a same multidisciplinary platform. Read more>>
Heather Stevenson
I started Thirst in 2014 as a way of merging my passions for health and great food in my home city. Prior to founding Thirst, I was a securities litigator at a large law firm in New York City. While I enjoyed my job, I realized that it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. A lifelong runner and vegetarian, during my time as a lawyer and before, I regularly used juices, smoothies, and acai bowls to fuel my long runs. Read more>>
Zoe Forbes
I took a long road to get to Fleuri Designs but am very grateful to have arrived here! My original plan was to work in the field of refugee assistance which led me to obtain a law degree and begin practicing immigration and refugee law. The arrival of my three sons put an end to that brief career but once my youngest was a year old I was ready for a new profession that would be compatible with my primary occupation as a Mom. It has been challenging to balance business and family but being my own boss and setting my own hours is well worth it. Read more>>
April Robertson
I grew up in Construction, my parents owned a roofing and siding company and I went to work with my father as a child; cutting siding and hauling bundles of shingles up ladders for him while he was roofing and then cleaning up the job site at the end of the day. While I loved spending time with him, I knew that roofing and siding wasn’t a career I wanted to pursue. I loved art and when I graduated high school in 1989, I immediately left for college to pursue a degree in graphic design. Read more>>
Milinda McGraw
In 1984 I was managing a health spa, I came to work one day to find a big chain on the door & the owners had vanished! One of my members had always tried to get me to take the real estate course, she thought I would be great at it! Well, now that I unexpectedly had no job & 4 kids to feed, that’s exactly what I did. I worked for a few different companies, and got my Brokers license before deciding in 1994 to go out on my own and open M. J. & Associates. Read more>>
Lauren Forest
I started pole fitness in 2010 as a student. I went for a bachelorette party and I really didn’t think I was going to like it. I was very wrong. After the party, I started taking classes and met some people I really enjoyed. I had been really sick for a while before and was pretty weak. The supportive environment and the skills I was building gave me a sense of confidence I hadn’t had in a really long time and I felt like I was part of group. Many of those people I met then are now some of my best friends and have been there through a lot of hard times for me. Read more>>
Kristine Resendes
The founders of Social Drive, Kristine and Aubrey, met in 2011 at a brand incubator start-up in Cambridge’s Technology Square. At this company both Aubrey and Kristine favored the marketing aspects of digital media. Both armed with creative and analytics skills, they eventually embarked on this joint adventure. Social Drive, whose goal is to help local companies, both big and small, design agile, well-oiled online strategies, has done just yet. Working with an array of industries, they have built a stacked portfolio of local New England businesses. Read more>>
Jean Fuller Gest
I first traveled to Cuba many years ago with a food delegation and fell in love with the exciting and vibrant culture of the island and its warm welcoming people. Cuba Up Close was founded with the mission of introducing Americans to Cuba’s vibrancy. The island nation is unique and historically significant in its cultural roots. Cuba Up Close explores its uniqueness in its cultural and educational tours. Cuba’s tourism infrastructure is yet to be fully developed so there have been many challenges. Read more>>
Jack Dalrymple
The story of how I ended up with the dream job of most 7-year-old boys is not the traditional path. 15 years ago breaking into the game industry seemed nearly impossible. There were few higher education programs to prepare you for this kind of career. Self-taught coders dominated the field, honing their skills through nothing but practice. Besides the hard work of learning what was not taught, luck played the biggest part of breaking into the game industry. Read more>>
David Elias
Frank Hurley and Dave Elias where born and raised in Lowell Massachusetts and attended private and public schools respectively. In the late 70’s, the two formed a business partnership and dabbled in Christmas tree stands and the sale and installation of commercial sound products, to subsidize their full time jobs with Bendix and Xerox respectively. In 1983, they formalized there business partnership and after recruiting three other professionals , they formed a corporation that provided, Electronic Publishing services and Facilities Management of the same. Read more>>
Alec Hutson
I’ve always been creatively inclined; if I could have access to materials I could figure out a way to use them in a compelling way. That’s why, as a disillusioned graduate with a bachelor’s degree in architecture and no interest in the field, I began dip my feet into the world of freelancing. Warbird Creative started off five years ago as a way to keep my mind busy in between odd jobs and musical endeavors. It has since blossomed into a full design service, and though I primarily still operate everything solo, I have built up a network of contractors and collaborators to fill in the gaps in my skill set. Read more>>
Brooke Martindale
My grandmother suffered her first stroke at age 53, and I saw first-hand how difficult it was for my parents to find her care, let alone dependable care that was suitable or helpful to an individual in her condition. It was extraordinarily frustrating to hear and witness my family going through this struggle, and while I had never envisioned myself as an entrepreneur, I was somewhat angry and felt strongly that I could do better than the status quo in the industry. My work experience at the time was diverse, ranging from Financial Advising with Merrill Lynch, managing Alumni Relations at Trinity School in NYC (my alma mater), and multiple volunteer experiences in the field of health and human services (MGH, Red Cross, Duke Women’s Center, Ronald McDonald House, and so on). Read more>>
Marc Moramarco D.C.
My wife and I are Boston University grads. Neither of us are Massachusetts natives but we both loved Boston so we decided to settle here after I became a chiropractor. We had ties to the north shore and a location accessible to 93 and 95 seemed like good place to set up shop. That was 1987. For the past thirty years, I’ve had the privilege of serving the community north of Boston from Woburn. Our philosophy has always been to work hard, be available and offer healthcare of the highest standard along with the best customer service possible. We’ve been fortunate that model has always worked for us and my practice grew quickly. Read more>>
Keri FitzGerald
I have always chosen leadership roles in my career where I was able to use my hospitality, management, and sales expertise skills. I started as a sales director for El Al Airlines (then a cruise ship company) and then went on to serve in a sales role at the Marriott in Dartmouth, followed by ten years as General Manager at multiple sites. There will always be some challenges when you’re managing large hotels. During my time at the Rockland (now called the Double Tree by Hilton) I managed a staff of 60 and we juggled everything from weddings, to corporate events, to sports teams, blood drives, and baby showers. Read more>>
Eilish Havey
Arrived in Boston from Dublin, Ireland in 1988, began my restaurant career in the kitchen of an Irish Pub in Boston’s Financial District climbing the ladder to becoming the Controller of a Restaurant Group with 10 locations, involved in all operations of each location. In June of 2013 an opportunity was presented to me to open my own location and after a lengthy process, Bunratty Tavern opened its doors to the public on June 19th, 2015. Everything permanent in the premises, which were handed to us with cinder block walls, no utilities etc. Read more>>
Cheryl Rosenberg
I started ROI Design in 2012 because I wanted to create inspiring, organized homes for families with young children. As a parent in a small, city home, I was constantly juggling the endless changes inherent in raising two boys, and I made simple changes in my own home and routines that helped tremendously. I believe that your home’s layout, materials, and flow, should be based on your families’ lifestyle, not the other way around. I started helping friends with their playrooms, living rooms, and family spaces, and my business grew from there. Read more>>
Donna Fitzgerald
I came from a large Boston family, where having a strong work ethic was always something to strive for. I was fortunate enough to attend college, get a degree and find a job as soon as I graduated. While I worked for a number of organizations, I also dreamt of owning my own business one day. During those early years, my career included working on labor management relations in local government, and human resources and staffing in the private sector. Through these experiences, I gained as much knowledge of the employment industry I could and from all different perspectives, from recruiting the best people, to hiring and firing employees. Read more>>
Eddie Carlino
I started building guitars when I was 13 years old. I couldn’t afford what I wanted to get on an allowance so I got a paper route and went to buy my first guitar at store and it was a 1977 Ibanez Paul Stanley Model IC1000. I had just discovered the band KISS, and I wanted to play those songs so I bought that guitar and I ordered it. My mom took me to this store called Tavian Music in Cambridge, Mass and we ordered it. I paid it off weekly from my paper route and for graduation, my dad took me to the store and he paid off the balance for me and I took the guitar home. Read more>>
Arra Derderian
Cloud Construct started as group of 4 looking to mix cutting-edge web development technologies with excellent user experience and design concepts. We worked part-time building our portfolio and spending nights and weekends building strong client relationships to get our client base started. Over the past 9 years we have worked with many different companies spanning healthcare, financial services, education, and fantasy sports. We got a big break when working with DraftKings in its infancy and helped them with their initial product offering and responsive mobile web application. Read more>>
Dr. Harold Altvater
I had attended medical school at the University of Vermont and completed my residency in Anesthesiology at Shands teaching hospital part of the University of Florida. Since 1999 I have been practicing Anesthesiology both as a provider and as a department leader. By the time 2010 income around I was burned out – bored – disenchanted with the state of medicine in terms of bureaucratic imposed standards of care that were completely unrelated to patient safety, politicians no expertise in the field deciding rates of reimbursement etc… Read more>>
Linda Riera and Bob Damiano
Linda and Bob started sailing when they moved to Boston 11 years ago and fell in love with the sport immediately. We took many classes and sailed extensively on a variety of different types of sailboats for several years before buying their own sailboat. After a couple more years on their own boat, they desired to share their love of sailing by starting All Hands Sailing Charters and providing private, customized sails around Boston Harbor, the Boston Harbor Islands, and beyond. Read more>>
Matthew Honan
The business was started by my uncle Richard Honan after he returned from Vietnam in 1971. He created a striving Carved Sign company which also included hand painted signs of all kinds and lots of gold leaf work. Most of the work was for businesses in the Boston area. As the sign industry changed, the company also needed to change and lead to the purchase of our first vinyl cutting machine in the late 80’s. Technology changed the industry from hand drawing layouts to computer generated art and also sped up the response time customers were expecting. Read more>>
Cheryl DiGennaro
I attended Massachusetts College of Art in Boston and hold a BFA in Design, which allowed me to turn my creativity into a successful career. My Yacht Interior Design career began in 2004, after a number of residential clients requested that I update their yacht interiors. I instantly fell in love with designing yacht interiors and accepted the position as the designer for a local yacht interior manufacturing firm. For over 8 years, I immersed myself in all aspects of yacht interior design and manufacturing. Read more>>
Ali Singer
I had the idea for Yoga Hub when I was in my 200 hour teacher training. I saw that the yoga industry was growing- there was more and more people becoming certified to teach, and also a growing demand for yoga services. The challenge that people face with adopting a regular yoga practice is that studio memberships are expensive, and the locations and class times are not always aligned their work and home life. In addition to this, I saw opportunities to offer yoga teachers professional development and ongoing education- most of us work as independent contractors, and there’s not much collaboration beyond teacher trainings and workshops. Read more>>
Richard Hawke
Richard is a video specialist with twelve years’ professional experience and twenty years personal experience as videographer and photographer. Richard was born in England and moved to the U.S. in 1993 gaining dual citizenship in 2004. He now works collaboratively with clients across North America, The U.K., and Europe. At thirteen he started making short films, trading a box of Magic Cards for a video camera and VTR (that only shot in grayscale/ sometimes green). With his friends, he started experimenting, from then on it became his passion. Read more>>
Shelley Rae Schiloski
We are a shared professional executive office facility with 46 offices. We provide reception, administrative support, and cater to our tenants Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 5:00, although tenants have 24/7 access. I started at The Suites almost 8 years ago as a receptionist with very little office skills. The owner at that time took me under her wing and taught me a great deal. A little more than three years ago, I was promoted to General Manager. She has since sold the business and I now run the business for the new owners of The Suites. Read more>>
Jon Wells
I was introduced to flying trapeze in 2006 and immediately fell in love. Within 6 weeks of taking my first class I had been hired as a catcher and haven’t looked back since. I started Revolution Trapeze in 2014 after spending three years working full time for a large flying trapeze school and disagreeing strongly with their desire to fit every student into the same mold. Revolution was born from my belief that every student is different, everybody is different and everyone learns in a way unique to them. Read more>>
Joanne Mercaldi
As an Occupational Therapist of 20+ years I worked in various aspects of the healthcare field including the Home Care setting. In my experience I noticed that management would support management and often times the employees were not fully recognized. I became frustrated that these corporations could not see that customer service came from the bottom up. The employees on the lowest tier of their organizational chart had the most influence in customer service, the company’s reputation and overall growth of the industry. Read more>>
Timothy Lutts
My father, Carlton Lutts, started the business with one newsletter, the Cabot Market Letter, in 1970, driven by a desire to help ordinary people become better investors, and that’s still our mission today. We publish investment advice aimed at the non-professional investor, taking care to avoid the jargon of the industry and instead communicating in plain English. The majority of our readers are in the U.S, but more than 10% are in Canada and others are in virtually every other English-speaking country in the world. Read more>>
Cori DiDonato
Prior to owning Silver Tiger Consulting, I held various leadership positions in the high-tech and finance world, including VP, Strategic Product Sales for Washington Mutual, VP, Infrastructure and Engineering/CIO at Medem, Inc., and management positions at Oracle Corporation, PeopleSoft, and Wells Fargo. Most recently, I owned and operated Avalon CrossFit, a gym in Charlestown, MA for 10 years. In the summer of 2016, I sold the gym to Aaron Landes, who owns the CrossFit Lando family of gyms in and around the Boston area. Read more>>
Joe Carreiro
We are a family run restaurant, started and still run by the Interiano family. Still today the restaurant is run and managed by family, extended family and close relations, at all three locations. Our first location opened in Somerville in 2006, and then in downtown Lowell in 2013, and in Malden in 2015. Our mission is to provide an authentic taste of Mexico to all of customers, by providing a warm, inviting environment reminiscent of when you eat dinner at a family’s home. Read more>>
Howie Haywood
I have always wanted to be a chef, started cooking at very early age. My grandfather was a chef in the navy and was an unbelievable cook, so I was exposed to good food at an early age. My aunts were also great chefs, they worked for the wealthy families in Wellesley and west newton hill. They made great home cooking put the also were trained in cooking the fancy stuff as well, my aunt Odell’s beef stroganough is insane. Her pastries can rival any French trained pastry chef. Read more>>
Angela and Michael Galvin
Michael and Angela both grew up in Waltham, Massachusetts. They have always had a love for animals. Working with animals has always been their dream. They currently have two children – a husky mix, named Hugo and a lab mix, named Oki. They love to be in nature and go on hikes with their dogs. They know how hard it is to find someone you can trust to take care of your pet when you are going away so they wanted to build a pet care business that people could trust to treat their furry loved one as one of their own. Read more>>
Shefali Jobanputra
I started my practice, Aligned Chiropractic, in Newton Highlands just last year, however I have 16 years of experience as a chiropractor. Prior to establishing my office in Newton, I worked as an independent chiropractor in Beacon Hill for several years and previous to that owned a practice in New Jersey before I moved to Massachusetts in 2011. I have always known that I wanted to be in healthcare and have always lived and believed in a holistic lifestyle. Read more>>
Sol Sidell
Was a waiter a cook it was my dream to be an owner. The neighborhood was in its infancy of a red light district, today it is gentrification that noise and business growth is a concern. South street diner is Boston’s only 24/7 restaurant we specialize in community, that customers become friends, friends become family. We are famous for grandma’s banana bread, gravy cheese fries, chicken fingers, Boston cream pancakes, and 15 types of eggs Benedict. Read more>>
Miriam Cohen Franzen
I was born in Boston, but grew up in North Carolina. As an adult, I have lived in both Massachusetts and North Carolina. Massachusetts is really a wonderful place and I plan to spend the rest of my life here. My professional background is in both finance and administration. Personally my husband and I live in Waltham with our three teenage children. All the experience I have gained both professionally and with raising children has given me the knowledge and confidence to run a business. Read more>>
Maria Molina
I am originally from Argentina. I studied Tourism at “Universidad del Salvador” in Buenos Aires and worked in the travel industry for several years I had visited the USA twice for skydiving trainings but moving definitely to be with my husband was a huge decision. A month after I immigrated, I was working at a law office where I worked for 15 years as a paralegal. I attended the paralegal program at Northeastern University. I enjoyed working with people from around the world as we specialized in immigration law. Read more>>
Dalia Valencia
Since we moved to the north of Boston in 2010, the first thing we did over the weekend was to scout the area for a good independent coffee house to sit in. Eventually we found some very good places in Melrose and Winchester but we always wanted to have something closer, in our own neighborhood, Woburn/Stoneham. The seed to start our own coffee house started growing, and one evening, in the crazy cold of winter, we discovered the perfect location five minutes from home at the Heritage Building near Stoneham Square. Read more>>
Jonathan Sherman
When I was a youth I always gravitated towards art and music. But it was not until my mid-20s that I fully awoke to my calling as an Artist. It occurred amidst the rumbling sounds of avalanches 16,000 feet up a mountain in Chamonix, France – where if you fall, you will likely tumble to your death. It was there that I experienced an awakening, an insight into my true nature and purpose. In that moment I realized that I wanted to make Art more than anything else in the world and that I was meant to do it – the kind of Art that fills you up with all of the love in this Universe. Read more>>
Antonio Portugal
Being a small business owner was never one of my aspirations, I have been in the airline industry for almost 30 years and quite content with it. My love affair with Spain’s national dish started during one of my first visits to Spain around 1995, from that point on Paella has been my dish of choice to this day. Seven years ago while talking to a friend the idea a paella catering came to the conversation and there the concept of Paellas at your place by Antonio came to fruition. Read more>>
Michael Doerrer
Chisel Stoneworks began with a dud, four years ago. At that time, I was working as a stone mason for a landscape design & build firm out of Newburyport during the week and working on side projects on the weekends, building small patios & walkways. I’d finish a job and a neighbor would ask me if I can build something similar for them. It got to a point where I was working 70 hours a week and I had to choose between the security of weekly paycheck and starting my own business. Read more>>
Sol Gordon
With a long history of acting, theater, and video games, I stumbled onto a new emerging trend called “Live action escape rooms”. Evolving from the point and click adventure games on the PC like Myst and Sam and Max into an interactive live entertainment venue. Originally started in Asia they made their way over to the US in 2013. When I first discovered Escape Rooms in the Boston area there were less than 10 in the whole state. After playing a few I found what was lacking in some of the rooms I had played was the ability to make it into an interactive story. Read more>>
Imogen Rossi
We opened the doors to our restaurant in October 2016, our first location in Boston in the heart of the buzzing Seaport. We serve up Japanese Izakaya dishes and fresh sushi via our conveyor belt running throughout the restaurant and so we were excited to offer the city an exciting dining experience. Since opening the restaurant, we’ve loved getting to know the people who live and work in the Seaport – there is a real sense of community and we already have our regulars. Read more>>
Emily Jabbawy
I grew up dancing at my family’s dance studio in Newton, The Dance Academy of Siagel Productions. I always had a passion for dance and kids. I taught dance to little kids, babysat, started my own ‘backyard day camp’ in college, took early childhood education in high school, I love kids and how dance could make everyone rediscover their inner-child. When I thought about my career goals, I knew kids would be in my future but I wasn’t sure how. I graduated from the Boston University College of communication and worked for a hip, trendy consumer insights consulting firm called Communispace (now Cspace). Read more>>
Tim Gover
To begin, I am a fourth-generation veteran of a US Military branch. After high school with no vision of what I wanted to do, my father, who was a Navy veteran, steered me toward joining the US Coast Guard. It was there that I fell in love with the water, ships, and lore. After 4 years in the USCG, I became a firefighter for the next 30 years; I was promoted to Captain and operated the fireboat The Howard Fitzpatrick for the last 17 years of my career. In 2009 I bought my first boat, an ex-US Navy Yard Patrol Boat, named it The Revolution, and started running public tours out of Winthrop, MA. Read more>>
Mary Beth Alger
AHCM grew out of informally organized recitals originally presented in Dorchester homes, starting in the 1970s. We now present concerts of world-class chamber music in the acoustically beautiful venue of Peabody Hall of All Saints’ Church in Dorchester. The mission of Ashmont Hill Chamber Music is to build community through the shared experience of music. We present accessible, affordable, and intimate concerts of the very highest caliber that reflect and celebrate the diversity of our community – both onstage and in the audience – and engage young people in programs that uplift and inspire. Read more>>
Kathleen Morgan
Like many, I came to the hospitality business as support for my academic pursuits, putting myself first through Wheaton College, then through graduate school at the University of Chicago. While working on my PhD in History of Christianity, I started my catering and coffee shop business, aptly named “Ambrosia,” the “Food of the Gods.” While I was a student at the University, Rick Bayless, who ironically was a PhD candidate in linguistics at the University of Michigan, opened his first endeavor, Frontera Grill, with the adjacent soon-to-be-recognized 4-star restaurant, Topolobampo. Read more>>
Jennifer Stoner
I graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.S in Early Childhood in 1983 and knew after teaching in the EEC lab school that I wanted to someday own my own preschool business. I worked at two nursery schools for the next 4 years while earning my Masters Degree in ECE and Administration and graduated from Wheelock College in 1987. I met a woman in one of my Wheelock classes who was selling her preschool so I bought Echo Falls Preschool in December ’86 and began running it the following Fall for the 1987-88 school year. Read more>>
Robert & Raquel Mullaney
We owned a Home Healthcare company for 15 years based out of Plymouth, MA we sold in 2015 and saw that the Plymouth Winery (est. in 1975) was up for sale. We stopped in to look and thought that the location would make a great Wine Bar, but not a winery. So we bought it, gutted the place, moved the wine making operations a mile down the road to Cordage Park and turned the old Plymouth Winery into the 1620 Wine Bar. The bar features our wines and wines made all over Massachusetts as well as craft beers and a full cocktail menu. For food we offer gourmet Cheese and Charcuterie boards, Homemade Hummus Boards and homemade deserts. Read more>>
Sarah Marchetti
We started back in 78 when my grandfather Angelo decided to buy a gas station repair shop. Only to have them turn the repair shop eventually to an oil company haha and we’ve had some of the lowest prices for over 35 years we’ve been keeping the competition honest with a great family business that’s on the third generation we are known for our beautiful flowers and Also lowest gas prices around. Recently renovated over a half of million invested we plan to stay here for many more years to come giving the people of north shore great customer service oil deliveries and beautiful flowers. Read more>>
Ben Nosek
After seven years in the financial services industry, I needed a change. I enrolled at Gibbs College, earning Associates Degrees in both Graphic Design and Digital Media Production. After graduating, I found myself back in finance, but this time as a graphic designer. From there I went on to work in the printing, mailing and technology industries. Flexibility was ultimately the driving motivator for me to leave my corporate job and venture out on my own as a freelance graphic designer. At the time, my son was 6 months old and my wife was returning to work in a demanding occupation. Read more>>
Jim Santoro
My wife, Zackari and I started the business as SecondLife Exhibits in 1991 selling used Tradeshow Displays on consignment. We received them into our warehouse, sold them to new clients, and refurbished them to meet the needs of the new client. We also installed new graphics. That’s where the name came from. Over the years we have transitioned to new displays. We are the local distributor for several national display manufacturing companies such as “Classic Exhibits,” and “Abex Displays.” We focus on aluminum frame displays with tension fabric or rigid graphic insert panels. Read more>>
Bill Rabbitt and Matthew S. Carpenter
After graduating from Stonehill College in 2004 I realized my parents and I made a lot of mistakes in navigating the college admission and financial aid processes. There had to be a better way. I did not want my parents to repeat the mistakes they made with my sister (Laura, UCONN 2006) and I, when they tackled this process with my little brother (Jeffrey Penn State, Class of 2015). I knew that millions of families faced this same challenge. After collaborating with an an established professional in the field (Bill Kelly, President of Verity Management, LLC) CFS was born in 2005. Read more>>
Eileen Riestra
I still remember the day I designed my first piece of graphic design. It was in my third-grade class in 1990. Computers were introduced in my classroom and the teachers asked us to play with the software Paint already installed in the Apple Macs. I came up with a fish made out of big pixels, and I remember the teacher showing it off to the rest of my classmates. I went home proud and gave my mom my first computer generated artwork. Throughout high school, I often helped my friends design covers for their presentations. And by the time I was applying to college I knew I wanted to be a graphic designer. Read more>>
Carol Ann Small
When you grow up chubby with the last name “Small”, you learn to develop a sense of humor. Ha! Ha! I always wanted to be an entrepreneur but it wasn’t the straight line to success. When I was 16, dad came home from work and said, “Those court stenographers work part time and make a ton of money!” I said “Job for me!” Didn’t realize sitting in the corner being quiet wasn’t for this loquacious blonde. I should have known court reporting wasn’t for me because when you’re in the third year of a two-year program, it might not be a match. Read more>>
Miles Masci
Founded by Nicolas Warren and Miles Masci in 2011. Nicolas developed the initial idea for energy chocolate after not having his ginseng and cacao available before a triathlon. The Perfect Fuel Chocolate- Ginseng product launched in 2012 and was greeted with great retail success, expanding to all the Whole Foods in the North Atlantic region by the end of the year. The notion of healthy snacking chocolate for energy was born. In 2013 an Indiegogo Crowdfunding campaign raised $16,907 to help launch two new products to the Perfect Fuel product line, Espresso and Chia. Read more>>
Richard Adelman and Trudi Perry
We all would benefit from a “Third Place”; A “Great Good Place” Come find one with us. Alfalfa Farm Winery is situated on one of the oldest historic farms in New England and has been owned and operated by the Adelman family since 1974. Surrounded by lush green fields, rolling hills and stunning vineyards, the winery is an excellent illustration of the vital and growing field of educational agritourism in rural Topsfield, Massachusetts. We produce a variety of hand-crafted wines and also host customized wine tastings for small groups and more, up to 99 guests in the light and airy White Pine Tasting Room, rustic Silo Room and spacious Outdoor Patio. Read more>>
Paula Terenzi Byrne
I have been dancing since the age of 2 and started teaching at 16…mainly in part that my mom was a dance teacher… Eleanor Rubino(inducted into the Dance Teachers Hall of Fame) who owned and operated her dance studio in East Boston for over 60 years and still teaching ballet at 88 years young. I was fortunate to have a dance teacher who knew what I needed to learn to become a confident technical dancer as well as strong teacher. I earned national dance championships, pageant titles, and professional dance experience that is now passed down to my students. Read more>>
John Stone
The roles of marketing and sales have fundamentally changed with the advent of the Internet and the new buyer realities. Revenue Architects brings the perspective of a single “revenue value chain” across marketing and sales for a more integrated front office. Revenue Architects provides consulting and agency service to help business generate more predictable and sustainable revenue growth by combining our strategy, systems and programs services. My background and work is at the intersection of sales, marketing and technology. Read more>>
Jeff Winsper
I honestly never really thought I would have a career in any sales and marketing field, though many people told me that I had an inane knack for it all throughout my early adult life. My father owned a Boston marketing communications agency, and I saw the toll took on him when I was growing up. It was rare he was every home before 8PM every night. But he loved what he did. After a few years out of college, he asked if I wanted to work for the firm in a new business capacity. Read more>>
Jimmy Duong
I was born in Vietnam. At the age of 1, my family and I fled our home country due to the oppression of the Post Vietnam War era. We settled here in Massachusetts. My great-grand father was a highly regarded barefoot doctor in central Vietnam who treated many patients with numerous diseases well into his 80’s. I’m on a mission to bridge the gap between four generations of Oriental medicine. I am a Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine licensed acupuncturist, licensed massage therapist, certified Polarity therapist, Reiki master and teacher and a student of life! I am the founder and Chief Clinician of New England Wellness Solutions of Hanover and Norwell specializing in Pain Management. Read more>>
