Success Stories

Josiane Martinez

According to a new report “Powering Greater Boston’s Economy: Why the Latino Community Is Critical to Our Shared Future,[1]” by The Boston Foundation -- there are about 850,000 Latinos in Massachusetts, representing 12% of the total state population. Latinos are helping to power Greater Boston’s economy in the workforce and as entrepreneurs: 14% of the workforce in Suffolk County is Latino; 10% of privately-held firms are owned by Latinos. The Latino community has a massive effect on the local economy, amounting to approximately $9 billion of economic activity in Suffolk County.  

While nationally Latinos are predominately Mexican -- in Massachusetts, Puerto Ricans (42%) are the largest group of Latinos. After World War II, Puerto Rican migration to Massachusetts began in the Connecticut River Valley towns of Springfield and Holyoke before moving into the cities of Eastern Massachusetts.

Archipelago Strategies Group’s Founder and CEO, Josiane Martinez came to... Read More

Camio Custom Cabinetry

According to a 2007 study -- an estimated 40.3 percent of family business owners expect to retire by 2017 -- creating a substantial transition of small business ownership in the United States.  Of those retiring, less than half expecting to retire in five years have selected a successor.[1]

Camio Custom Cabinetry, a third generation family business – has managed to effectively navigate the succession planning dilemma and address the common pitfalls with support from SBA’s resource network along the way.

70 years ago, Mr. Domenic Constantino started his family business out of a 350-square-foot building in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood with little more than a handheld saw and a few dozen boxes of nails.  Camio is an old-fashioned manufacturer of custom cabinetry and millwork for residential and commercial projects consisting of office space buildouts, medical buildings, apartment and condo projects.  Camio is currently located in Canton and has become a leader in the... Read More

2016 Exporter of the Year

 

(Pictured: Seth Goodall, SBA New England Regional Administrator; Karyn Polito, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor; Robert H. Nelson, SBA Massachusetts District Director)

 

 

 

Lisa Chamberlain always dreamed of working in show business, never thinking she might someday be a small business owner.

 

Visual Effects to Mimetic Organs

A graduate of Princeton University and having attended the Yale School of Drama in the MFA program – Lisa’s passion was ultimately to produce live theatre. Her graduate internship took her to a special visual effects company based in New York City – where she spent six years as a producer of visual effects.  In the 90’s, she became vice president/executive producer for visual effects at a popular digital production company, managing a staff of eighty.  In 1995, Lisa joined Mass. Illusion in Lenox, MA – working alongside her now husband Eric Chamberlain, producing video effects for the studio’s work... Read More

Ralph Constantine, Owner of Jamie's Pub & Grill

Is it ready?  Is it ready?  Is it ready? 

That was the question owner Ralph Constantine asked his SBA Certified Development Company specialist, Barbara Arena for about 3 years after the temporary SBA 504 Refinance Program had expired back in September of 2012.

“One of the most rewarding parts about my job is demonstrating how accessible the SBA’s programs have become,” said Barbara, “assisting customers through the streamlined application process ensures a prompt delivery of capital to businesses and allows owners like Ralph to keep his focus where it belongs -- on running his business.”

Patiently waiting for its’ reactivation – Ralph organized his financial house so that Jamie’s Pub & Grill of Whitman would be the first small business in Massachusetts to utilize this money-saving program after being approved by Congress.  

 

CONGRESS PASSES SBA 504 REFINANCE PROGRAM
On December 18th of 2015, Congress passed the Consolidated... Read More

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