Meet Polaris, Neighborhood Champion

You might not have heard of Polaris MEP, but chances are good that you know a company they’ve helped. They’re a nonprofit organization that provides competitive business improvement programs to grow Rhode Island’s manufacturing industry.

“Our team got so excited about your plan to spotlight local businesses for Independents Month,” Marketing Manager Erin Read described. “Naturally, we have dozens of clients we think make their communities special.” Here’s one of Polaris MEP’s suggestions: Katrinkles, which makes buttons and tools for fiber artists.

Katrinkles team
That’s Polaris MEP Project Manager Nathan Bonds holding the sign in this photo with the Katrinkles team.

Katrinkles is an independent, female-owned business that provides crafters with high quality buttons and tools for their projects. The team at Polaris MEP loves working with Katrinkles “because they are a true community of creative employees whose creative products reach makers of all kinds.”

As true Neighborhood Champions, the Katrinkles team makes monthly donations to groups that are committed to social change, such as Color of Change and the NAACP. They source materials locally whenever possible, seek out and promote BIPOC-owned businesses, and welcome interns from The Met School.

So many good reasons to buy #MadeInRI!