At the start of last week’s City Council meeting, Mayor Ted Bettencourt first took the floor to celebrate four of Peabody’s long-time businesses.
He first acknowledged Dance with Dena Owner Dena Thibodeau, who has been in business on Main Street for 30 years. Bettencourt said, “Dena is just an amazing person with a big heart, and she really has been able to inspire so many of her students and so many people across the city.”
Thibodeau said, “To all of the families… Thank you. You’ve trusted me with your children, their growth, their joy and creativity. You’ve helped build a place where dancers cheer each other on where discipline meets fun and where every student knows that they are valued. As we celebrate this milestone, I remain as passionate as ever about my mission. I continue to inspire with confidence, connection, and character, and I’ll do it one dancer at a time.”
Next to be recognized was Ideal Transportation Co. Owner Nadine DiGiulio for her 50 years in business. Bettencourt said, “It was great to hear they started their business right on Dooling Circle over in South Peabody and built up a wonderful family business. I know the challenges are many, and there’s many places you could have opened up your business, Nadine, and I’m so glad that you’re here as part of the City of Peabody business community.”
When DiGiulio took the mic, she noted that she has also recently received certificates from the State Senate, State House, and the Healey-Driscoll Administration. She joked, “I must be doing really great.” She added, “I’m very fortunate that I have employees that have been with me for years… and I’m just very glad that I still have the business, and I’m doing well, and we’re going to still be around for a while.”
Bettencourt then mentioned “a family that we all know extremely well in this city: the Gravel family.” When thinking about Dave and Cathy Gravel and their IT consulting firm Gravoc, Bettencourt said, “They’ve touched so many lives, and they’ve really made an impact in their business world… They all deserve great credit for the work that they do.” Bettencourt noted that Gravoc has been in business in Peabody for 32 years, but the City wanted to recognize Gravoc for “being named the 20th largest IT consulting firm in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal.”
Dave Gravel spoke on behalf of the family: “A family business can’t be a business without a family, and I am honored and blessed to have a beautiful family that has supported all the crazy ideas that we’ve had together.”
Lastly, Bettencourt recognized a business that has been in the City for 127 years: Patrick J. Woods Insurance Agency. He said, “This business has employed so many people in our city and contributed in so many ways to so many different successful parts of our city that we wanted to take a moment to again recognize a Main Street business and 127 years of operation in the City of Peabody.”
Billy Woods accepted the certificate and said, “I don’t have a big speech on 127 years, but I do want to say that Peabody is a special place to do business, to live in, and it’s because of everybody in this room.”
