Rhode Island Company of the Year for 2014
GoLocalProv Business Team
Rhode Island Company of the Year for 2014
Their brilliant idea was one of the simplest -- make T Shirts cool again, and let other people be your sales force. For Walker Williams and Evan Stites-Clayton, the secret to their success has been they continue to flatten the entire manufacturing, sales and marketing process.
GoLocal tapped Betaspring to get the beat on Teespring when we named them a "14 to Watch in 2014" company last year. "Teespring is going big time. BIG TIME," Betaspring's Melissa Withers told GoLocal. "It's amazing to have a top tier company in our midst."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTLike Uber (but, nicer guys), Teespring is a a classic disruptor - taking the old-line model of T-shirt shop and perfecting it.
Disruptive innovation is the term developed by Clayton Christensen, describing the "process by which a product or service takes root initially in simple applications at the bottom of a market and then relentlessly moves up market, eventually displacing established competitors."
If the Model Works Across a Range of Products
Forbes magazine writes the big opportunity for these guys is, "Where Teespring could make a bigger impact, however, is if its model can work across a range of products. Right now, the company says it’s happy to stay focused on its booming shirt business. But the back-end system that Teespring has built internally to handle its payments and logistics could prove valuable for many more types of entrepreneurs."
Teespring is just what Rhode Island has always wanted to be good at - smart kids who come for a great education, then they come up with a big idea, they make it work, and they raise $55 million in capital to blow it out. Congratulations to Teespring, their mentors, and their funders.
Now Rhode Island, let's spark 20 more in 2015.
RUNNER UPS:
Swipely - When you manage billions of pieces of data and grow like a rocket you are doing something right.
Alex and Ani - Recently, it was announced the company has a $1 Billion valuation. Not bad for a company that did less than $5 million in revenue five-years ago.
CVS - the ban cigarettes and improve profits.
BENRUS - Gio Feroce may be building the next mega-lifestyle brand.
NanoSteel - making products stronger, lighter, and cooler
2013 Rhode Island Company of the Year: Twin River
15 to Watch in RI in 2015
Brett Smiley
The "man with the plan" during the 2014 Providence Mayoral campaign is now the man behind the man -- Brett Smiley, who was once Mayor-elect Jorge Elorza's staunch adversary, is now his Chief Operating Officer.
Arc Iris
Arc Iris is a Rhode Island band poised to break out in 2015. In fact, as far as critics are concerned, they may have actually broken out in 2014 -- and GoLocal's music reviewer Ken Abrams has the low-down.
Helena Foulkes
This past January, Foulkes became President of CVS/pharmacy -- and promptly found herself launched to the #26 spot on Fortune Magazine's Most Powerful Women in Business for 2014.
Ogie's Trailer Park
The new addition to the West Side drinking-and-dining scene will be one to watch in the coming year.
The bar slash restaurant slash beer garden, which just opened (with a clean inspection bill from the Department of Health) will feature late night fare into the wee hours, for those looking for a midnight snack -- or brew or two.
Luis Aponte
The Providence City Council veteran has represented Ward 10 since 1998, and appears poised to have the votes to assume the role of City Council President in January, taking the place of previous president -- and mayoral candidate - Michael Solomon.
James Monteiro
The Mt. Hope community leader already had a busy 2014, touting a new business in the neighborhood (Moroccan Hair Design) and receiving the NAACP Providence Branch Joseph LeCount Award for his work.
Kris Dunn
Can PC's star guard shake off injuries -- and turnovers -- to lead the Friars to a repeat Big East title?
Anna Johnson
The head of the Wolf School in East Providence, Anna Johnson is a product -- and success story -- of the best Rhode Island's colleges have to offer. After getting her BA in Psychology from Brown, Johnson went on to get her Master's in Elementary Education at Brown, followed by a Master's in School Administration from Providence College.
Jonathan Savage
Nominated by Governor Chafee to head up the Rhode Island Airport Corporation board in February 2014, Providence-lawyer Savage replaced Dr. Kathleen Hittner as the new chair.
Carolyn Thomas-Davis
Carolyn Thomas-Davis, who heads up OneVoice RI (which bills itself as "mobilizing, empowering and engaging communities throughout the State of Rhode Island...encouraging political awareness and involvement, on all levels of government") was an active force in Providence in 2014, and will no doubt be at the forefront of community issues in 2015.
Carlos Tobon
After losing in 2012 to incumbent Representative William San Bento, Tobon emerged victorious this past election cycle in Pawtucket, besting independent opponent Jonathan Vallecilla with over 80% of the vote to represent the 58th House District in the General Assembly.
Todd Martin
There are a lot of changes taking place at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, as it is currently undergoing a major renovation and expansion -- and 2015 will mark the first full year with its new CEO, former world #4 Todd Martin, at the helm.
Providence Councilwomen
Individually, they would take up four out of the 15 to Watch list, but we're keeping an eye on the group as a whole. On November 6, the number of women on the Providence City Council increased by 100%. In the span of 24 hours, women on the City Council went from 2 out of 15 members last term, to four of the 15 members this term.
Hassenfeld Institute
The Hassenfeld Institute for Public leadership at Bryant University provides public officials and others involved in the development, management, and execution of public policy with the "tools and skills needed to make informed decisions and manage responsive organizations in order to govern and lead public sector and non-profit organizations effectively" -- and according to Founder and Director (and GoLocal MINDSETTER) Gary Sasse, is about to step up its presence advising in policy matters in the state.
Stephen Neuman
Since being elected Rhode Island's first female Governor in November, Governor-elect Gina Raimondo has made a number of key staffing announcements leading up to her inauguration on January 6 -- including two staffers from Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley's Administration.
