Rhode Island

Rail Explorers

Location: Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Website: https://www.railexplorers.net/
30% increase in ROI YoY from Google Ads

Rail Explorers founders Alex Catchpoole and Mary Joy Lu ran a successful visual effects agency in NYC before they made an abrupt switch. Mary Joy was watching TV when she saw the actors climb onto “a strange contraption on the railroad,” pedaling off into the sunset. It was a rail bike. “I said to Alex, ‘This is brilliant! This is what we’re doing next,’” she recalls. In 2015, the couple left city life behind and founded their first Rail Explorers site in the Adirondacks; today, the company has six sites across the U.S. Visitors of all ages and abilities can enjoy a leisurely ride through unique landscapes as they pedal rail bikes on restored tracks. “It caught the imagination of so many people. Business just took off,” Alex says. “And now we have some fantastic groupies who try to ride in all of our locations.” They have 30 full-time employees–190 during peak season–and have two more sites planned for 2024.

Rail Explorers began using Google Ads in 2017 to bring customers to their website, which handles 80 percent of their bookings. They use AI-powered Performance Max campaigns to reach locals and travelers alike across Google channels. “The return on investment is astounding,” says Alex, noting a 30-percent increase in ROI in 2023. Each site has its own Google Business Profile, with reviews, photos, and maps to the often remote locations. Alex and Mary Joy are deeply committed to eco-tourism: “The Rail Explorers experience requires minimal new construction, with no new roads or development through sensitive ecosystems,” Alex explains. They’re also creating local jobs, and are proud to be driving tourism and economic development at each of their locations, which attract tens of thousands of riders a year. “Communities are coming to us now asking us to put in a Rail Explorer division,” Mary Joy says. “They can see from our history the impact we have in a community.”

Feast & Fettle

Location: East Providence, Rhode Island
Website: https://feastandfettle.com/
150 employees

Carlos Ventura has always been a financial whiz. After working for some of the world’s biggest banks and consulting firms, he returned home to New England to help friends Maggie Pearson and Nicole Nix with their startup meal delivery service. “I was blown away by the attention to detail and the quality of the food,” Carlos says. So he partnered with them to create Feast & Fettle. They deliver fresh, never-frozen handmade meals to subscribers across Rhode Island and Massachusetts from their HQ in Providence. Today Feast & Fettle employs over 150 people, serving nearly 4,000 households a week in a fleet of 30 branded, refrigerated vans. And as the business has grown, Google tools have helped them write their recipe for success.

With so many pots on the stove at once, Feast & Fettle uses Google Analytics to help them identify where their web traffic is coming from, and uncover surprising opportunities they may have missed. “Analytics alerted us that our name had been popping up on a parent-focused community for Boston families,” Carlos says. ”That allowed us to reach out to them and formalize a relationship, and now they’re one of our most valuable partners.” And their Google Business Profile helps them attract new subscribers by showcasing the glowing reviews left by happy customers. “It creates a level of trust and authority,” Carlos says. “We try to create special moments and experiences that customers want to talk about.” Feast & Fettle now plans to open a brick-and-mortar location in Providence so hungry fans can pop in and grab a meal on the go, and they’ll open a second kitchen facility later this year that will let them expand into New York City and beyond. That’s some delicious food for thought.

Mighty Well

Location: Newport, Rhode Island
Website: https://mighty-well.com/
40% revenue growth in 2021

A chronic illness diagnosis is like having a baby, says Emily Levy: “Your whole life changes and you need a whole new set of products.” After her own diagnosis had her searching in vain for effective and stylish protective covers for her PICC line (used for IVs), Emily and two college friends launched an online medical technology company they called Mighty Well. The company offers products like colorful PICC line covers, masks, and medical backpacks to help people face illness and disability with confidence. Now led by a team including Emily as chief brand officer and co-founders Maria Del Mar Gomez (marketing manager) and Yousef al-Humaidhi (CFO), Mighty Well is applying for FDA approval, aiming to add more items covered by insurance, and planning to expand into durable medical equipment and direct sales to medical facilities.

Flexible working conditions are a top priority for the team, many of whom are in different time zones and live with disabilities or chronic illness. They use Google Meet and Docs to collaborate, and Emily finds Calendar helpful as she coordinates work and health obligations. Google Forms and Surveys let the team gather input from customers, and Google Analytics helps refine their SEO strategy. Google Ads campaigns attract both national and international customers; Mighty Well has seen a 150 percent growth in web traffic, and overall revenue surged 40 percent in 2021. “Our business wouldn’t be as successful as it is today without the support of the Google products we access,” Emily says. The company also works with partner charities like the Global Lyme Alliance, and offers supportive medical content under their “Friend in the Fight” program. “At the end of the day,” Emily says, “we do this to help patients empower themselves to facilitate their medical treatment, and to keep them from feeling alone during this disruptive time in their lives.”

Gil’s Appliances

Location: Bristol, Rhode Island
Website: https://www.gilsappliances.com/
15 employees

Founded in 1961, Gil’s Appliances is a mom-and-pop operation that’s adapted to thrive in the digital age. Co-owners and sisters Lisa Sienkiewicz and Gail Parella conduct business with a tradition of trust, integrity, and value as set forth by their parents, Gil and Sarah Almeida. With showrooms in Bristol and Middletown, Rhode Island, Gil’s uses digital tools to keep pace with a constantly changing consumer marketplace. Since 2016, Google Ads have helped attract customers to their showrooms, while their Business Profile on Google offers directions, hours, photos, and customer reviews. Google Analytics provides insights on how traffic flows to and through their e-commerce website. Lisa says these products have helped drive steady, year-over-year business growth, as so many purchases begin with online searches and website research. “As a small business, we know that we must remain flexible and adapt,” Lisa says. “Google products help us to do just that.”

Understanding customer needs became even more critical when the coronavirus began driving more shoppers online. “Our Business Profile on Google has been extremely helpful to us during this time,” Lisa says. “It helps us keep customers informed about changes to our business hours, our COVID-19 health and safety protocols, and how customers can shop their way in our stores or online. We have also increased our posts and product listings to better reach a growing number of customers who are shopping online.” Gil’s continues to support local causes, from sponsoring little league teams to running their holiday toy drive. And Google products will help Gil’s keep business thriving. “It is so important for Gil's to maintain an accurate, consistent, and dynamic online presence,” says Lisa, who continues to streamline their e-commerce site to make it easier for customers to complete the entire purchase process online. “We’ve changed a lot to keep up with an evolving world,” she says. “But what’s at the heart of Gil’s never changes.”

Shore Soap Co.

Location: Newport, Rhode Island
Website: shoresoapco.com
6 employees

Shore Soap Co. was born in a small kitchen in Newport, Rhode Island when husband-and-wife duo Jake and Steph Kopper began experimenting with cold-process soapmaking. “We both had full-time jobs but we wanted a change, so we decided to take on a new hobby on the side,” said Steph. The Koppers gifted their products to friends and family and received so much positive feedback that they decided to quit their jobs and open a retail space in downtown Newport in April of 2013. The brick-and-mortar location quickly gained traction with tourists and locals, but getting the business online was different story. Despite launching a website as soon as they opened their store, the Koppers had trouble growing their e-commerce platform. “There wasn’t much action on the website at first,” said Jake.

To remedy this, the Koppers launched a Google Ads campaign to get the word out about Shore Soap Co. and stay in touch with customers who had visited the store. “It helps to get traffic to the website and drives conversions,” said Jake. “About 18% of our web traffic is from Google Ads.” Meanwhile, organic search generates around 35% of the company’s web traffic, and the remainder comes from direct or from email marketing. “The website’s really important, because nowadays a lot of people rely on the convenience of online shopping,” said Jake.

Today, almost 90% of the company’s ad budget goes toward digital. “With digital, we can see how many people called the store or got directions from our Business Profile on Google,” said Jake. “It’s nice to see hard numbers.” The Koppers also use Google Analytics to monitor and optimize their campaigns and G Suite to stay organized both online and in-store.

“Our goal is to make quality products that are natural, family-friendly, and affordable,” said Steph. Judging from the positive customer feedback they receive via their Business Profile on Google, Shore Soap Co. is achieving that goal. “Seeing how much our customers enjoy using our products is a good feeling,” Steph said. After years of hard work, the Koppers are finally seeing the fruits of their labor and plan to open a second location on the West Coast soon. “A lot of people thought we were nuts to quit our jobs and open a soap shop in a tourist-driven New England town,” said Steph. “But we went all-in, gave it 100%, and created this growing business that we’re really proud of.”

Crisloid

Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Website: www.crisloid.com
12 employees

Jeff Caruso’s great-uncles, Alphonse and Lucky Lodato, started Crisloid in 1948 out of their home in Brooklyn, New York. The two made and distributed high-quality classic games, such as backgammon, checkers, dominoes, and mahjong. Their company relocated to Providence in 1970, and in the years following grew into one of the largest classic-game manufacturers and volume wholesalers in the country. At the turn of the century, however, increased competition from overseas stifled the business. “It was difficult to succeed in the volume wholesale business with our premium, American-made products. We saw a downward path in sales for 10 years,” shares Jeff. Knowing that the company would need to adapt in order to remain competitive, Jeff shifted their business model from wholesale to direct-to-consumer. “I saw the future as being direct-to-consumer sales and started to focus on higher-end, handmade items where there was a good margin—and where we could directly reach the end consumer,” he says.

Crisloid launched their first e-commerce website in 2011. “We weren’t the most savvy online sellers in the first couple of years,” Jeff admits. “But with the right help and tools, it certainly has turned around nicely.” The company uses AdWords, Google’s advertising program, “to find customers that we otherwise would never have found," he explains. Jeff attributes nearly a quarter of their online sales to AdWords and says that they see a 500 percent return on their ad investments. With 90 percent of their marketing budget going to digital, Crisloid also uses Google Analytics to “understand what we’re doing with our advertising dollars, why we’re doing it, and how it’s impacting our business,” he adds. And G Suite tools, such as Gmail, Docs, and Drive, help keep their internal operations running smoothly.

Crisloid ships their products to over 5,000 customers annually. From their quiet-cork playing surfaces to their hand-crafted and polished checkers, every detail is designed and built in their 25,000-square-foot facility. Jeff is especially heartened by the younger generation of enthusiasts who are putting aside their digital devices to play the classic games. “I see this brand really sinking in across the country,” he says. “It serves a great purpose. It brings families together. These games are not going to get thrown out. They’re multigenerational—they're passed down, and they all have great stories built into them.” When he thinks about his great-uncles, he adds, “their legacy is near and dear to me, and I’m proud to be able to continue it.”

Drupal Connect

Location: Newport, Rhode Island
Website: www.drupalconnect.com
65 employees

John Florez and his wife Karen Sironen launched Drupal Connect from their home in 2009, when the American economy was mired in what John calls “a state of sheer calamity.” They started off providing staffing services to web development companies and, within six months, had over 30 clients. Inspired by the demand for Drupal Connect’s software expertise, the husband-and-wife team decided to expand their business and offer web development services of their own. Drupal Connect now builds and manages websites for a growing number of customers, from large multinational companies to government agencies. “I would say 85 percent of all that growth is attributable to Google,” John says.

About 80 percent of Drupal Connect’s marketing budget goes to digital ads. The company began using AdWords, Google’s advertising program, after their first year in business. “AdWords was like having a sales person in every state, in every major metropolitan area we wanted to serve, without actually having a person there,” John says. “That helped us get started, and it still helps us get a lot of business. Over three-quarters of our sales comes through it.” In addition to helping them acquire new clients, AdWords also builds brand awareness for the company. “Without AdWords, the business would not be where it is today,” he adds.

With 2016 revenue topping $7 million, Drupal Connect is thriving. And thanks to a new West Coast office, growth is expected to continue. This success is to the benefit of not only the company, but also the local community. “As we expand, I want to make our city of Newport a better place,” John says. Drupal Connect sponsors high school invention contests to get students excited about innovation and awards scholarships to the winners. He marvels at what he calls “this constant reinvention, this constant growth,” of his company. “I get to make a positive impact on many people's lives, including people within our community,” he explains. “That's something I am very fortunate to have.”

Sureflow Rooter

Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Website: www.sureflowrooter.com
70% of Sureflow Rooter's customers find them online

Brian Wood grew up around a family-owned business. When he decided to strike out on his own in 2012 and start Sureflow Rooter, he wanted to make his business easy to find and easy to trust. He started out doing all the work himself and built Sureflow from the ground up. In addition to affordable, 24/7 emergency response, they provide drain cleaning and rooter services throughout Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. “I take great satisfaction in our reputation and interactions with our customers,” Brian says.

Brian attributes his success to a decision to use Google tools early on. “I created our website because I realized that everybody searches,” he says. “I don’t think there’s any growth for us without Google.” He uses Google Search Console to help him optimize his site in search results and Google Analytics to help him track and improve his website’s effectiveness. His Google My Business listing makes it easy for potential customers to see his phone number and where he’s located. “When people see that we’re local, they’re more likely to go with us,” notes Brian. His customer reviews on Google have been nothing short of “amazing,” he adds. “It’s almost like they’re multiplying. When someone calls us in the middle of the night and we go out there, the first thing they say is, ‘Oh, we were on Google and your reviews were fantastic.’ We simply thank them and the reviews just keep coming in.”

Brian credits Google with increasing Sureflow Rooter’s sales 15 to 20% per year. “There are so many ways that Google has impacted my business. This is such a competitive market. Without these tools, I really don’t know how I would’ve done it.” His success gives Brian great confidence in the future. “I'm extremely happy and proud of my company,” he says. “We’re really creating something that we can continue to build on.” Brian knows where he will turn to help him reach his next long-term goals, which are to add more employees and more vehicles. “Google is the key to growth,” he says. “The sky’s the limit.”