M/WBE Success Stories

This is a series of profiles that feature the people who operate successful Minority Business Enterprise and Women Business Enterprise companies in Rhode Island.

MBE Profile: Henry Hodge – HCH Enterprises, LLC

Hodge is the founder, president, and CEO of the Warwick-based HCH Enterprises, LLC, an information technology company that he has owned and operated for over 20 years.

HCH was recognized as the number one MBE company in Rhode Island in the 2022 Book of Lists that is published by the Providence Business News.

READ MORE about Henry Hodge by clicking here.

 

MBE Profile: Ko Ishikura, Green International Affiliates, Inc.

Ko Ishikura has served as president and CEO of Green International Affiliates, Inc., an engineering firm that has an office in Lincoln, for 17 years.

The company is ranked number two as a minority business in Rhode Island in the 2022 Book of Lists.

READ MORE about Ko Ishikura by clicking here.

 

MBE Profile: Manish K. Gupta, GM2 Associates, Inc.

Manish K. Gupta is the president, director, and CEO of GM2 Associates, Inc., an engineering firm with an office in Pawtucket that his father conceived in the basement of the family’s home in 1988.

The company is ranked number three for minority businesses in Rhode Island in the 2022 Book of Lists. 

READ MORE about Manish K. Gupta by clicking here.

 

MBE Profile: Jeffrey Bryant, Bryant Associates, Inc

Jeffrey Bryant has served as CEO of Boston-based Bryant Associates, Inc. for seven years, a multidisciplinary engineering and construction company with an office in Lincoln that was founded by his father in 1976.

The company is ranked fourth for minority businesses in Rhode Island per the 2022 Book of Lists. 

READ MORE about Jeffrey Bryant by clicking here

WBE Profile: Shirley X. Moore, Be Moore Interpreting

Pawtucket-based business owner Shirley X. Moore is founder and president of Be Moore Interpreting, a business she has operated since 2016.

Moore said that being certified as a Women Business Enterprise through the state’s Division of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion leads to business opportunities for women-owned businesses. 

READ MORE about Shirley X. Moore by clicking here.

WBE Profile: Alison Steere, Steere Engineering, Inc.

Alison Steere is the CEO and co-owner of Warwick-based Steere Engineering. Inc., an engineering company her mother, Patricia, launched as a one-woman company in 2010. 

Steere said that certification as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) through the RI Division of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion has led to many opportunities for her business.

READ MORE about Alison Steere by clicking here.

WBE Profile: Charise Wilson, Workforce Ready Solutions, LLC

Charise Wilson is the managing director and founder of her Lincoln-based Workforce Ready Solutions, LLC, launched her business in 2019 and hasn’t looked back due to the help of DEDI’s MBE program.  

Wilson said that being certified by the RI Division of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as a Women Business Enterprise gave her both a personal and business confidence boost. 

READ MORE about Charise Wilson by clicking here.

WBE profile: Rosanna M. Ortiz, RMO PR/Project Resources

Rosanna M. Ortiz, who is president of RMO PR/Project Resources, feels a sense of community by being certified as a Women Business Enterprise through the state’s Division of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.  

Ortiz said that DEDI and its resources helped connect her business to industry professionals and employment opportunities. 

READ MORE about Rosanna M. Ortiz by clicking here.