Partnership allows local small business to invest in future

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 12, 2016

Contact: Blake Collins, bcollins@woonsocketri.org, office: (401) 762-6400 ex: 2963, cell: (508) 838-3371

 

 

WOONSOCKET, RI: Local small business, Missy’s Family Restaurant, held a ribbon cutting in celebration of their purchase of the building where their popular restaurant has called home for the past year. The ceremony was held on July 7, which also marks the one-year anniversary of the restaurant owned and operated by Woonsocket native Judy Beauchemin and her family.

 

“Celebrating the first anniversary of Missy’s is a dream come true,” said owner Judy Beauchemin. “Our business is driven by our love of the community and our family and we are proud to make a further investment in the City of Woonsocket. I would like to thank the partnership of folks from City Hall, Navigant Credit Union, and the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center for being a part of this moment.”

 

Through a collaborative effort between the City of Woonsocket, Navigant Credit Union, and the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center, Judy was able to execute a business plan and secure financing for the purchase of the building where her restaurant is located. The RI Small Business Development Center worked with Judy to create a viable business plan, which was an essential step in securing financing for the purchase of the building. Financing originated in part from a Small Business loan from the City of Woonsocket, a program funded with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars and overseen by the City’s Planning and Development Department. Rhode Island based Navigant Credit Union, provided the main business loan financing.

 

"I am thrilled that a small business like Missy’s Place Restaurant is investing in our community," said Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt. “Opening and operating a small business is a major undertaking and I am glad the City was able to partner with Judy, Navigant, and the RI Small Business Development Center to streamline the process. Congratulations to Judy and her family and I wish them future success.”

 

Missy’s Place Restaurant is known locally for their menu of classic American diner favorites served in a family friendly atmosphere. Judy, her husband Roland and her four children operate as a team to run the growing business, now entering its second year.

 

“We are incredibly proud of the success of Missy’s Place, and we are honored to have had the opportunity to support such a great local business,” said Gary E. Furtado, President/CEO, Navigant Credit Union. “Ribbon-cutting celebrations are the culmination of a business owner’s talent, hard work and dedication to their craft.  We feel very fortunate to work with talented people like Judy, and we thank Mayor Baldelli-Hunt and the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center for their commitment to making Woonsocket a better place to live and work.”

 

"I loved working with Judy because she puts so much heart and soul into her business,” added Dennis McCarthy of the RI Small Business Development Center.

The City of Woonsocket offers a toolbox of incentives for businesses seeking to open or expand within the City. In addition to the Small Business Loan Program, the City unveiled their Downtown Business Overlay District earlier this year. The overlay district plan encourages development throughout the heart of the City’s historic downtown. Key changes to City zoning ordinances within the District were made to promote residential development by easing residential parking requirements, allow for interim uses of currently vacant commercial space, and create specific zoning targeted towards artists and art galleries.

 

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