Latest news with #Beverly-based
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Stephanie Vanderbilt Named SBA Business Person of the Year as Coastal Windows & Exteriors Celebrates 15 Years and National #1 Ranking
Beverly-Based Woman-Owned Business Named #1 Woman-Owned Contractor in the U.S. by James Hardie BEVERLY, Mass., May 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Coastal Windows & Exteriors, a Beverly-based woman-owned remodeling company, is celebrating its 15th anniversary with national recognition. James Hardie has named the company the #1 Woman-Owned Contractor in the U.S., marking a major milestone in Coastal's journey from a one-desk startup to one of New England's most awarded exterior remodelers. Owner Stephanie Vanderbilt, recently honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration as Massachusetts' Small Business Person of the Year, leads one of the most awarded companies— a milestone made even more meaningful by their deep community roots and regional impact across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. Founder Stephanie Vanderbilt launched Coastal in 2010 after a career teaching the deaf, bringing her passion for education into the remodeling space. "Our success started in a classroom," says Vanderbilt. "That mindset of putting education first is still the foundation of everything we do. We lead with empathy and transparency to help homeowners make confident decisions." Over the past 15 years, Coastal has installed thousands of energy-efficient windows, doors, roofing, and siding systems across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. These accolades reflect a long-standing commitment to exceptional workmanship, customer satisfaction, and team excellence. "Coastal has demonstrated impressive job creation and community impact through programs like Roofs for Heroes." said SBA District Director Robert Nelson. "Stephanie is the finest example of a small business in today's business world," added Michael Bevilacqua, VP of the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce. "Her dedication to her customers and community — especially veterans — is especially noteworthy." But for Vanderbilt, recognition is only part of the story. "Our mission is to serve," says Vanderbilt. "We just happen to install siding, roofing, windows, and doors." That service-first mission extends to the broader community through programs like Roofs for Heroes, which provides free roof replacements to local veterans, and Coastal has also donated over $375,000 in products and services to Habitat for Humanity. With a 4.8-star Google rating and 7,000+ homes transformed, Coastal continues to build more than just beautiful exteriors. "When you lead with passion and empathy," Vanderbilt adds, "you create real impact, break barriers, and shape a legacy." About Coastal Windows & Exteriors Founded in 2010, Coastal Windows & Exteriors is a woman-owned, family-operated home remodeling company based in Beverly, Massachusetts, serving homeowners across MA, NH, and ME. The company specializes in energy-efficient replacement windows, insulated/James Hardie fiber cement siding, GAF-certified roofing, and fiberglass/steel entry doors. Coastal is nationally recognized for excellence and customer satisfaction with awards including: SBA Massachusetts Small Business Person of the Year, James Hardie President's Club, GAF President's Club, Qualified Remodeler HIP Top Satisfaction Leader, Inc. 5000 #1 Woman-Owned Replacement Company in New England, and Family Business of the Year. Coastal combines industry-leading products with a mission to educate and empower homeowners. Contact: Stephanie Vanderbilt (Owner)Coastal Windows & Exteriors395817@ Cabot St, Beverly, MA 01915(978) 304-0495 View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Coastal Windows & Exteriors Sign in to access your portfolio
Boston Globe
19-04-2025
- Boston Globe
How the Cambridge brothel ring case could stop future illegal sex businesses
But Lee's network has also drawn public scrutiny like no other — largely because of state authorities' decision to bring charges against dozens of the alleged customers, what women's advocates called an unprecedented level of public shaming. Advocates and law enforcement officials hope her case will finally serve as a deterrent to others who engage in the exploitation of women, as well as those who bankroll it. Advertisement 'Men have been able to do this and never been held accountable,' said Cherie Jimenez, a Boston-based advocate for exploited women and the head of Survivors of Prostitution Abuse Calling for Enlightenment. 'This was a big deal and this needs to continue.' Advertisement Lee, 42, who emigrated from South Korea about a decade ago and worked in the sex industry on the West Coast and then in Boston, built one of the most lucrative brothel networks on the East Coast, profiting millions, according to court records. Last month, Lee was sentenced to four years in prison, a harsher penalty than the operators of the previous network received, and one that the judge hopes will send its own message of deterrence. But the After These men represent a small fraction of the 2,800 contacts that were listed on the brothel phone, and the criminal charges they face are misdemeanors that typically don't result in jail time. Still, advocates say, the shame and potential career and social consequences that came from identifying the men are the best deterrents, said Mary Speta, the head of Amirah, a Beverly-based organization that helps women leave exploitation. Advertisement 'It just comes back to economics,' said Speta, who was formerly exploited in the illicit industry. 'Without sex buyers, there wouldn't be a sex trade.' Speta referred to From left to right: James Hunt and Morgan Bae , both from Beverly, protest with with EMMA Coalition-Amirah Inc outside the Cambridge Juvenile Court building in Cambridge. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Advocates cheer what they say is a slow-moving but real trend toward punishing the buyers rather than the women selling sex. None of the women who were working in the brothels were charged, and authorities have said The case continues to roil Cambridge, a city of around 120,000 that is home to some of the world's most prestigious universities. Kimberly Sansoucy, head of the Cambridge Commission on the Status of Women, said she's been leading a group that includes business owners, city officials, and property managers focused on curbing the sexual exploitation of women and also elevating the conversation of why it thrives in Cambridge. Should there be training for front-desk agents at hotels to identify the sex trade? Should more about the industry be taught in schools? 'How do we inoculate the community?' she said. There aren't clear answers yet, she said, but the group aims to find some. The Cambridge City Council also plans to hold a hearing on sex work and sex trafficking. The goal, said Councilor Patricia Nolan, the lead sponsor for the hearing, is to begin to answer questions about why the illicit sex trade continues in Cambridge, and what legislative solutions there may be. Advertisement One of the men facing charges is 'Was there something that happened in our city that made this a prime target?' said Nolan, who has called for Toner's resignation. 'Are there ways that the city can do more to make sure this doesn't happen again?' Toner has said he 'won't contest' what's being said about him, but he insisted, 'All Americans, including elected officials, are entitled to the right to due process.' What is clear is that Lee's network largely resembled the In that network, the operators shuttled immigrants who spoke little English between apartments here and in northern Virginia and Atlanta. Men who wished to buy sex were instructed to fill out a form so the network could verify their employment, according to court documents. Federal authorities said the brothel would call the employer to ensure they were telling the truth. Once the men had signed up, they were told to communicate with the brothel's cell phones — the operators in each city had their own, with a local number — through text messages to schedule appointments and negotiate prices. The operators would text instructions, urging discretion. Don't knock on the door — just come in, or text if it's locked. After you're done, exit the apartment building through a side door, not back past the leasing office. Advertisement In 2018, federal authorities arrested five people, including ringleaders Yoon and Taehee Kim, a married couple living in Virginia, as well as two people who had been running the Cambridge brothels. Federal authorities celebrated the arrests, but the case made few headlines locally, and no customers were publicly named. The operators After their arrests, Lee saw the potential to run her own operation in the same mold. Her attorney, Scott Lauer, said she had emigrated to the United States to flee an abusive family and began working in the sex industry herself. She continued selling sex after beginning to operate her own brothels, Lauer said. Court documents call Lee's network 'strikingly similar' to the Kims'. She required One of the apartments Lee used was a few hundred yards from one the Kims used near Alewife, and Lee's booker communicated by text to negotiate with wealthy men. A doctor, a dentist, a councilor, the head of a pharmaceutical company. They all are accused of seeking the same sex services. 'Ms. Lee, stepped into that void and followed the same playbook,' Lauer wrote in a recent court filing. Sean Cotter can be reached at
