PBN February 5-18, 2021

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

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CELEBRATING

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EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS Junior Jabbie | 15

FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021

FOCUS: HEALTH CARE Be Collaborative Care | 28

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CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

At many colleges, tour deleted from sales pitch

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

USING SMARTPHONES AND livestreaming, colleges and universities in Rhode Island have been able to bypass the COVID-19 pandemic to connect with prospective students, showing them around the campus, introducing them to key faculty members.

But they can’t replicate the smell of waffles in the dining hall or allow students to experience the rustling of autumn leaves on campus.

Virtual strategies have limitations. And across Rhode Island,

FOCUS: EDUCATION

SEE COLLEGES PAGE 26

ONE LAST THING

Lars Trodson Virtual sales lure visitors | 38

CLOUDED HORIZON T.F. Green leader says recovery could take years

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

CONSTANZA

ROSAS STEPPED OUT OF T.F. GREEN Airport in mid-January, exhausted from a series of flights. She carried two suitcases, a bright-pink neck pillow and the trappings of the pandemic-era traveler. In addition to a full-face shield, she wore a surgical face mask over an N95 mask.

Her flight from Charlotte, N.C., was the last leg of a three-stop journey that had started with an eight-hour flight from Santiago, Chile, to Miami.

Tested and found negative for COVID-19 three days prior, she was nervous throughout the journey. “I was afraid of COVID,” she said. “I was like this on the plane because I was scared,” she said, tightly tucking in her arms.

Rosas overcame the fear and had made it to Rhode Island, ready to begin a two-week quarantine and then an au pair job in Barrington. A member of her host family picked her up at the Warwick airport.

SEE AIRPORT

LONG HAUL: A JetBlue Airways flight leaves from the main runway at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick.

JetBlue’s operations resumed last summer after a brief suspension in the spring when the coronavirus hit the U.S. PBN FILE PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

PAGE 12

FEBRUARY 11, 2021 AT 9AM

FOR MORE INFORMATION, TURN TO PAGE 3

CONTENTS

PBN

COVER STORY CLOUDED HORIZON T.F. Green leader says recovery could take years...............................1

FOR STARTERS 5Q: Nicholas Ucci................................................................................ 4 Dining Out: New concept for NRG...................................................... 5 Spotlight: Atlas Pallet Corp................................................................. 6 Something New: Giving Beyond the Box LLC.................................... 6 Hot Topic: Many can’t meet new PPP guidelines.............................. 7 Business Women: She’s cooking up ways to overcome adversity....... 8 What’s Happening.............................................................................. 10

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ANOTHER LOOK

President & Publisher: Roger C. Bergenheim 680-4848 | Publisher@PBN.com

5Q | 4

‘Herculean effort’ needed for R.I. hospitality sector............................ 9 McKee to put own spin on budget.....................................................16

ADVERTISING

EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS

Advertising@PBN.com Fax: 401-274-0270

Mentor helped lift him to the top......................................................15

Director of Sales and Marketing: Annemarie Brisson, 680-4800

IT’S PERSONAL People in the News............................................................................ 33 Mackay’s Moral.................................................................................. 34 To Savor: Jessica Norris Granatiero................................................. 35 Editorials and Opinion....................................................................... 36 One Last Thing: Lars Trodson........................................................... 38

Marketing and Events Manager: Donna Rofino, 680-4832 Marketing, Events & Social Media Coordinator: Tracy Hoyt, 680-4818 Senior Account Managers: Linda Foster, 680-4812 Jim Hanrahan, 680-4816

FOCUS: EDUCATION

At many colleges, tour deleted from sales pitch

Advertising Coordinator: Joyce Rylander, 680-4810

With in-person campus tours off the table due to the pandemic, many colleges are finding ways to virtually recruit a robust first-year class in 2021...............................1

EDITORIAL

Will tuition-free program become permanent?

Editor@PBN.com Fax: 401-274-0670

BUSINESS WOMEN | 8

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio support removing the “sunset” provision on the R.I. Promise scholarship....................................... 25

Editor: Michael Mello, 680-4820 Managing Editor: William Hamilton, 680-4826

FOCUS: HEALTH CARE

Web Editor: Chris Bergenheim, 680-4886

Group treatments adapt to keep the dialogue going Intensive mental health group treatment programs across Rhode Island that rely on in-person group therapy for treatment have found ways to reinvent services during the pandemic.................... 28

Copy Editor: Matt Bower, 680-4824 Special Projects Editor/Researcher: James Bessette, 680-4838

Wellness programs for employees gain strength Companies have discovered participation in their digital wellness programs has strengthened during the pandemic, as people seek a virtual community they can’t safely join in person...................... 29

(EDUCATION, NONPROFITS)

Staff Writers: Nancy Lavin, 680-4822

Lists College Technology Programs.......................................................... 26 Diagnostic Imaging Centers.............................................................. 29 Health Care Educators.......................................................................30 Physician Group Practices................................................................ 32

(ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, FINANCIAL SERVICES)

Mary MacDonald, 680-4830

FOCUS: HEALTH CARE | 29

(HEALTH CARE, MANUFACTURING, REAL ESTATE/DEVELOPMENT)

Cassius Shuman, 680-4884 (GOVERNMENT, HOSPITALITY/TOURISM, WORKFORCE)

PRODUCTION

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED COMPANIES Angelo’s Palace Pizza

7

Johnson & Wales University

Rhode Island Black Business Association

15

Atlas Pallet Corp.

6

Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co. Ltd.

7

Rhode Island College

25

5

Avvio Ristorante

8, 27

Kenyon’s Grist Mill

5

Rhode Island Hospital

Banneker Supply Chain Solutions Inc.

15

McGeorge Architecture Interiors LLC

5

Rhode Island Hospitality Association

Be Collaborative Care

28

Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport

BH Link

37

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island

29

Boat House Waterfront Dining

5

Brown University

27

Bryant University

7, 14, 15

Butler Hospital

28

Chelo’s of Warwick Inc.

14

Community College of Rhode Island

25

CVS Health Corp.

16

Giving Beyond the Box LLC Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce

6 31

Newport Restaurant Group

33 5

28 8, 9

R.I. Airport Corp.

12

R.I. Commerce Corp.

16 28

Newport Vineyards and Winery LLC

35

R.I. Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals

On Time Taxi

14

R.I. Department of Labor and Training

9

Opportunities Industrialization Center of Rhode Island

15

Seven Stars Bakery

5

Pawtucket Credit Union Pranzi Inc. Providence College

7 8 26

Providence Marriott Downtown

9

Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau

14

WHAT’S HAPPENING? SUBMIT YOUR NEWS AT PBN.COM/PBNCONNECT/

The Mooring

15

Thrive Behavioral Health Inc.

28 27

Virgin Pulse Inc.

31

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2 | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

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©2021 Providence Business News Inc.

5

University of Rhode Island

www.facebook.com/providencebusinessnews

CIRCULATION

5

The Washington Trust Co. Trio Ristorante

Production Director: Anne Ewing, 680-4860 Art Director: Lisa Lagreca, 680-4868

Providence Business News is published every two weeks by Providence Business News, 400 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903 (USPS 002-254) (ISSN 0887-8226) Periodical postage paid at Providence, R.I. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to 400 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903.

#PBNStimulusSummit

JOIN PBN AND OUR PANEL OF INDUSTRY EXPERTS AS WE BREAK DOWN THE LATEST STIMULUS PACKAGE

February 11, 2021 | 9am PANELISTS TO DATE:

Some highlights to be discussed include: • What are the latest provisions of the $284B Payment Protection Program and who is eligible to apply?

• What you need to know to apply for funds and how to use these funds to most effectively support your business.

• What are the tax implications for anyone who received PPP funds in the first round?

• How is local philanthrophy helping to ensure that the stimulus funds are leveraged to serve the industries and the RI’ers most in need?

• What effect have the grants that Commerce RI executed in 2020 and extended to March of 2021 had on supporting small businesses during the pandemic?

Mark Hayward SBA, RI District Director

Jenny Pereira RI Foundation, Vice President of Grants and Community Investments

Kristin Urbach NK Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director

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REGISTER AT PBN.COM FOR THIS COMPLIMENTARY VIRTUAL SUMMIT For sponsorship or advertising opportunities, contact Advertising@PBN.com

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | 3

FOR STARTERS 5Q: Nicholas Ucci Commissioner, R.I. Office of Energy Resources

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

1

How has the pandemic impacted or potentially hindered the state’s ability to reach outgoing Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s renewable energy goals?

COVID-19 has not hindered our development of clean energy programs and pathways, including our goal of meeting 100% of our electricity demand with renewables by the end of the decade.

2

What do you see as the biggest, still untapped potential for renewable energy power in R.I.?

To reach Raimondo’s 100% renewable electricity by 2030 goal, Rhode Island will need to rely on a mix of renewable energy technologies at varying scales – both distributed (e.g., rooftop solar) and utility scale (e.g., offshore wind).

3

How will the change to a presidential administration that is very supportive of offshore wind and green energy impact progress at the state level?

Rhode Island is leading from the front: our renewable electricity portfolio has increased more than nine-fold since 2016; we are home to the first offshore wind farm in North America; and we have cost-effective energy efficiency programs to help Rhode Island homes and businesses reduce their energy consumption and utility bills. … [President Joe] Biden has made clean energy initiatives an important part of his platform and we look forward to working with the incoming administration to advance shared energy and environmental policy goals.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

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When you’re ready to fly again, T. F. Green Airport is ready for your next journey.

Flying made easy.

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4 | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

4

The state has started to offer more financial incentives for renewable energy projects in parking lots, landfills and other “atypical” locations that don’t require deforestation or loss of green space. How important are these types of projects to achieving 100% renewable energy?

Consumer affordability and environmental sustainability are important when considering the viability of our long-term clean energy goals. In addition to protecting our environment, we must also consider the higher development costs often associated with renewable development at these locations.

5

Using renewable energy has become a key selling point for many major companies as proof of their environmental stewardship. Do you see this taking hold among R.I. businesses?

There are many examples of Rhode Island companies embracing the benefits of clean energy. … These measures present unique value propositions by offering the potential to reduce and stabilize energy costs, insulate from energy market price volatility, and improve building and workplace comfort. They are also investments that put people to work right here in our communities. n

COVID-19 has not hindered our development of clean energy programs.

FOR STARTERS DINING OUT | BRUCE NEWBURY

New concept for NRG IN 2020 IT WAS CALLED “pivoting.”

In 2021, it’s called “innovation.”

The first innovation in the food world this year is being undertaken

by Newport Restaurant Group, which announced plans to build a specialty food market that will serve “restaurant food on demand.” The idea has been floating around for years as a solution to declining restaurant patronage by millennials. Some who fancied themselves on the cutting edge were ready to cater to those wishing to stay in their pajamas and have food brought to them.

Then came the coronavirus.

“We have considered the idea of an upscale prepared-foods market on Aquidneck Island in the past, but it was not until COVID hit, and it became clear to us that the food and beverage landscape was going to be permanently altered, that I became fully committed to the concept,” said Paul O’Reilly, CEO and president of Newport Restaurant Group. “We have owned the real estate where the market is being built for decades.

Due to the pandemic, we were not in a position to invest the capital needed for the project. We decided for the first time in our company’s history to bring on an outside investor who has capitalized the majority of the project while allowing us to ensure it remains a 100% employee-owned

business, which is our priority.”

Foodlove, to be located at 1037 Aquidneck Ave. in Middletown, will offer an extension of Newport Restaurant Group’s culinary philosophy. “Maintaining the integrity of our culinary program has been our guiding principle at our restaurants for decades, and Foodlove will be no different,” said Karsten Hart, the group’s director of restaurants. “The menu will feature a wide variety of offerings, from soups and sandwiches to satisfying meals to put on the family table at the end of a long day.”

So far, the concept may sound like a so-called “ghost kitchen.” Foodlove, however, will reflect the personality of the restaurant group.

Offerings will include prepared meals featuring Newport Restaurant Group favorites such as Avvio Ristorante chicken parmesan; Trio Ristorante meatballs, Boat House Waterfront Dining shrimp scampi, and The Mooring’s famous clam chowder.

Other local names will be prominent such as Kenyon’s Grist Mill corn meal polenta and Seven Stars Bakery breads. There will also be a sushi menu and poke and rice bowls.

The company does not have a sushi restaurant in its portfolio. But O’Reilly and Hart noted that there is an ample supply of creative chefs.

Wood-fired pizzas and sandwiches

PUSHING AHEAD: A rendering of what the Foodlove market is expected to look like when complete this summer in Middletown.

COURTESY NEWPORT RESTAURANT GROUP

and cast-iron pan pizzas will incorporate the local flavors of Rhode Island and New England. A variety of groceries and local produce and a full cafe with local coffee and fresh baked goods will be available.

Could this concept have come about without the pandemic?

“In some ways, it is counterintuitive to be expanding and building a new business unit during a time when we’re cutting expenses and shrinking the company,” O’Reilly said. “Frankly, it was hard for us to take on an investor to do this project, as we have always been independent

Foodlove … will reflect the personality of the restaurant group.

and self-sustaining, but the reality is that we could not capitalize what we felt was the smartest way to adapt to a rapidly changing market. The Foodlove concept was designed to shift our brand into an area of the food and beverage industry that was growing before the pandemic but is now actually thriving because of it.

This is something that eventually would have come about and a change we would have made as a company.”

The 3,600-square-foot space, designed by McGeorge Architecture Interiors LLC in East Greenwich, is scheduled to open this summer. n Bruce Newbury’s radio show and podcast, “Dining Out with Bruce Newbury,” is broadcast on WADK 1540 AM and several radio stations throughout New England. Email him at Bruce@BruceNewbury.com.

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FOR STARTERS SOMETHING NEW

SPOTLIGHT

MEANINGFUL GIFTS: Giving Beyond the Box owner Sandra Enos assembles a themed gift box with items from social enterprises.

PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

Thinking inside the box

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

AT 71 YEARS OLD, Sandra Enos thought her working days were over. But just months after she retired from her job as a Bryant University professor of sociology, she found herself back at work – in a very different kind of gig.

Born out of the success she saw of Bryant’s holiday pop-up markets featuring goods from local social enterprises, Enos decided to make consumers’ desire to give meaningful gifts into a year-round opportunity by starting her own business.

Giving Beyond the Box LLC, which launched in November 2019, lets gift-givers tap into their community-minded conscience through curated, themed boxes featuring items from local and national social enterprises. In addition to supporting socially minded businesses, a portion of the proceeds from each box sold is donated to charity.

While holiday purchases were what drove the idea, Enos has seen interest grow throughout the year, including in the October launch of a new box featuring local businesses owned by people of color.

Boxes cost $40 to $65, with four themed boxes, as well as a customizable “create your own” option. n

INTEGRAL ROLE: Heather Handrigan-Ross, third-generation owner of Atlas Pallet Corp. in Burrillville, says the manufacturer understood with the onset of COVID-19 “that if people wanted to get masks, wanted to get consumer goods, pallet supply lines would have to flow.”

PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

Pallet maker stacks up Manufacturer eyes expansion

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

IN A HOT-PINK MASK and blown-out hair, Heather Handrigan-Ross may not fit the stereotypical look of a manufacturer.

The pair still talk every day, and Handrigan-Ross repeatedly credited her father for transforming what was a two-person shop in Central Falls when he took the helm to one of the largest and oldest manufacturers of recycled pallets in New England, with a 40-person staff and a sprawling 16-acre property.

She credited the company success to her father’s business savvy, but she too has stepped up amid the unforeseen challenges brought on by COVID-19. Managing her employees’ anxiety and new child care needs amid distance learning – the son of one of her office workers attended school at the site – was stressful, as were the changes to operations and sanitation procedures, particularly given the surge in demand for pallets.

“We weren’t the face of the pandemic, the health care workers, or anything, but we knew that if people wanted to get masks, wanted to get consumer goods, pallet supply lines would have to flow,” she said.

Yet the company ended the 2020 year with as strong a performance as the year prior, she said. Hoping to capitalize upon the success of her company and “elevated place” pallets have taken on since the pandemic began, her business sights are set on growth – in revenue, as well as clients, employees and property. n

But as she strode into the production area of Atlas Pallet Corp., donning safety glasses and raising her voice to be heard over roaring chainsaws and thunderous hammer smashes, she was the picture of confidence. She pointed to one worker sorting through the stack of already-broken wooden boards the Burrillville company collects to repair and resell.

“That’s an extremely difficult job,” she said of the worker, who slams the boards against the ground to expose the already-broken parts without breaking the boards any further, before stacking them by type of grade. “To have that level of skill, adhering to quality over and over again ... is not easy.”

Her appreciation and respect for the skill and effort the industry demands comes from deep-rooted family ties. As the third-generation business owner, she grew up surrounded by the earthy wooden smell of the recycled pallets and clamor of construction. When she surveys the towering stacks of wooden boards across the site, she sees grades, specialty sizes, the combination of new components and recycled materials that go into each pallet the company

sells.

“Pallets are in my lifeblood,” she said.

Yet neither Handrigan-Ross nor her two sisters were expected to take over the family business. Her father, Earl Handrigan, didn’t want his three daughters involved in such a rough-and-tumble industry that even now is predominantly male.

She studied economics at Rollins College in Florida before returning to her home state to work in insurance, specifically workers’ compensation claims. Her emphasis on safety, especially in a high-hazard industry, comes directly from this work.

She loved her insurance job but took more than a decade off to raise her four children, filling spare time with active roles in parent-teacher associations and other community groups. These experiences, too, shaped her ability to take on company ownership, teaching her about grit and strength and juggling a busy schedule.

When she was ready to return to the workforce, her dad recognized the assets she could bring to the family business and brought her on.

OWNER: Heather Handrigan-Ross

TYPE OF BUSINESS: Recycled pallet manufacturer

YEAR FOUNDED: 1969

LOCATION: 50 Old Mill St., Burrillville

EMPLOYEES: 40-50

ANNUAL SALES: WND

6 | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

FOR STARTERS HOT TOPIC

Many can’t meet new PPP guidelines

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

THE NEWLY REOPENED Paycheck Protection Program sought to eliminate logistical hurdles and overly restrictive rules from its prior iteration, but some say it’s still missing the mark when it comes to helping hard-hit small businesses.

Specifically, the new guidelines for “second-draw” borrowers require them to demonstrate a 25% cut to gross revenue in 2020 – either the whole year or a specific quarter – compared with the same period in 2019.

That restriction takes Bill Kitsilis, owner of Angelo’s Palace Pizza, out of the running for a second loan. The Cumberland restaurant owner has faced revenue losses all year, but the up and down roller coaster of virus surges, changing weather and state restrictions means that while he has individual months with more than 25% revenue loss, he does not have that for three consecutive months in a designated quarter.

Kitsilis acknowledged that he fared better than many of his fellow restaurateurs, bolstered by a $340,000 PPP loan in the initial round, strong takeout and delivery service, and a large patio conducive to outdoor dining during the summer. But without a second payroll loan, he is now facing

hard choices of where to cut costs, including potential layoffs.

“My worst pain in this pandemic is right now, November to February,” Kitsilis said. “If sales stay the same as they are right now, I’m just not sure.”

Pawtucket Credit Union has heard similar stories from prospective second-time borrowers who realized

they cannot apply for more money because of the 25%-loss requirement, according to George J. Charette, CEO and president of PCU. He suspected this stipulation was a big reason why overall program participation had dropped roughly 40% compared with the previous round in 2020.

Anthony Mangiarelli, a partner and director of enterprise solutions for Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co. Ltd., estimated one-third of the firm’s customers with PPP loans were out of the running for more money because of this requirement. Another onethird of them met the minimum 25% loss, but because they were just at the threshold, they still hesitated to apply due to the “good faith” clause that they needed the loan to survive amid the current economic uncertainty.

“They’re nervous to take the loan,

‘They’re nervous to take the loan … it’s a huge issue.’

ANTHONY MANGIARELLI, Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co. Ltd. partner and director of enterprise solutions

and then have the [U.S. Small Business Administration] say they don’t need it, and then what that might do to forgiveness of their [first PPP] loan,” Mangarelli said. “It’s a huge issue.”

Despite hearing similar frustrations from some members of the local business community, Mark S. Hayward, district director of the SBA’s Rhode Island office, defended the program requirement, insisting it was an improvement over the prior version and effective for those who most need it – evidenced by the $163 million across 1,900 loans for Rhode Island applicants approved as of Jan. 24, the latest SBA update.

The revenue-loss requirement also serves an important purpose in protecting against fraud or lending to major corporations that don’t need the money, both of which were sources of criticism, according to Peter Nigro, Sarkisian chair of financial services for Bryant University.

“You can always pick out anecdotal examples and say the policy doesn’t work,” Nigro said. “As a whole, they made good changes in terms of how they rolled it out that showed they did learn something from the first round.” n

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FOR STARTERS | BUSINESS WOMEN

She’s cooking up ways to overcome adversity

BY SUSAN SHALHOUB | Contributing Writer

LISA

Mattiello has always loved food, beverages and occasions for people to gather.

Growing up in Warwick in a family with five children – she was the second-youngest child but the oldest girl – Mattiello has been cooking “full-blown” holiday dinners since she was 11. She went on to earn an associate degree from Johnson & Wales University at a time when few women were studying culinary arts, but she said she learned much more from other chefs in the field and by doing things on her own.

She is now CEO of Pranzi Inc., a catering and events-planning business she started 23 years ago in a small storefront in Seekonk.

Independence is a theme with Mattiello. She likes to take charge and is good at getting the job done.

When she got married herself – an event for 300 people on Newport’s Goat Island – she crafted her own wedding cake. It was tiered and heart-shaped with blue bows.

She delivered the cake to the reception venue on the day of her wedding, even before she put on her

bridal gown. She also shot video of herself making the wedding cake, which has been digitized “so my kids have proof,” she said.

Her children, now 30, 29 and 27, work in various divisions of Pranzi Catering & Events.

Since Mattiello launched the company in 1997 it has far outgrown the Seekonk location, now occupying more than 30,000 square feet of production space and 5,000 square feet of kitchen space at a location in the Silver Lake section of Providence.

Some of the employees are also family members. “Even my mother folds napkins and sorts silverware,” Mattiello said.

Mattiello – whose husband is a cousin of former House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello – said that in the height of wedding season, she has about 180 employees. That number is at about 55 or 60 now.

COVID-19 has upended the catering industry.

Mattiello said there were millions of dollars in business that was canceled when venues were not permitted to host weddings in the early

CREATIVE THINKING: Lisa Mattiello, CEO of catering and events-planning business Pranzi Inc. in Providence, has had to think outside the box to develop alternative sources of revenue amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

PBN PHOTO/ RUPERT WHITELEY

‘Some brides put their weddings in backyards, in which case, we do tents and rentals.’

LISA MATTIELLO, Pranzi Inc. CEO 8 | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

months of the pandemic last year.

“We had to refund,” she said.

All was not lost, however.

“Some brides put their weddings in backyards, in which case, we do tents and rentals,” Mattiello said.

“We appreciate our relationships with other venues. I feel as if there is enough business for everyone to play nicely together.”

Pranzi’s outdoor heater rentals have also been popular for events that have had to be moved outdoors.

When the coronavirus first struck, Mattiello said, there was confusion about the rules for caterers. “You could go to a restaurant with 200 people, but I could only have 10 [people] at an outdoor wedding? A wedding is different. You know who they are, their phone number, it’s like built-in contact tracing,” she said.

She credited Dale Venturini, CEO and president of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association, as being an ally for the industry during the pandemic. “There were lots of Zoom calls” as the association leadership worked to get caterers’ questions answered, Mattiello said.

Luckily, Pranzi had diversified its offerings years ago in order to give its staff winter hours, which has helped to soften the blow of wedding cancellations. For example, its graband-go line of soups, salads and sandwiches, Nicole’s Gourmet – named after Mattiello’s daughter – has been available at Seasons Corner Markets in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

With the main bread and butter of big gatherings gone for now, ­COVID-19 has forced Mattiello to think creatively. Pranzi’s Facebook page touts elegant micro-weddings, for example.

Pranzi also has boxed meals available for pickup or delivery for health care workers, families, work crews, or for large or small events. They are individually wrapped and COVIDsafe, Mattiello said. A company such as Amazon.com Inc. may order them to be delivered for an employee appreciation event, for example, or an older couple may need four meals delivered so they have them for the week ahead.

Pranzi is set up to supply boxed meals on a last-minute basis, making it possible to do such things as feed hard-working snow removal crews this winter, said Mattiello. That fastaction ability is helping to further offset COVID-19 event losses.

Mattiello knows that planning events in the Ocean State is different than elsewhere. Clients often want the event menu to reflect the New England coastal environment, with seafood, in-season vegetables, clam cakes and Del’s Lemonade.

She sees a promise of movement in the catering and events industry, feeling incoming Gov. Daniel J. McKee will help local businesses.

She said she is eager to continue the farm-to-table culinary trend at catered events. “Now, it’s all about cleaner food,” Mattiello said. “You make a dish, you want to taste it: fresh meat with salt, pepper and oil.

What’s better than that?” n

PBN.COM | ANOTHER LOOK ‘Herculean effort’ needed for R.I. hospitality sector

BY CASSIUS SHUMAN | Shuman@PBN.com

(Editor’s note: A version of this story was first published on PBN.com on Jan. 28.)

FAROUK RAJAB SAYS there is “no clear path forward” for economic recovery of his downtown Providence hotel that has been crippled by travel restrictions and health and safety guidelines.

Rajab, who is general manager of the Providence Marriott Downtown and chair of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association’s board of directors, said on Jan. 28 that the only hope right now is vaccination. He painted a dire picture for his hotel and the entirety of the hospitality industry during an interview with Providence Business News.

“I don’t think we will come back to employment levels any time soon,” he said. “Stimulus can help my associates who have been furloughed, and keep the lights on, but it can’t stimulate travel. I can’t convince people to travel.

“The road to recovery is through the vaccinations,” he added, while acknowledging issues associated with the rollout. “We have to work harder to make sure we have a clear plan.”

Rajab said he had 250 employees working for him before the pandemic.

“That is gone now,” he said, noting that his workforce has declined by 90% amid the crisis to 20 employees.

His hotel is filled to about 16% occupancy per day on average, “which is scary because that is not sustainable,” he said.

Compounding the difficulties is employees who were trained for roles at the hotel “have abandoned the industry” altogether. Another problem, he said, is that the pandemic has changed behavior, with people meeting via Zoom and other internet platforms instead of traveling.

“Is corporate travel going to come back?” he asked. “I think the corporations have a social responsibility to bring travel back to Rhode Island.”

Rajab said while there is hope with the vaccine, and typically an uptick in business during the summer season, Providence is not a big draw for visitors at that time of year. So, while hotels in Newport, Westerly and on Block Island might see 80% occupancy in the summer, he anticipates that his hotel will see about 60% capacity.

“How do we entice people to come to Providence at that time?” said Rajab. “There was no WaterFire last year. There were no theaters open or festivals. So, there are a lot of challenges we need to figure out.”

The latest data supports Rajab’s perspective.

The leisure and hospitality industry had the highest amount of job losses from February to December of

2020, as reported by the R.I. Department of Labor and Training on Jan. 22.

Its report noted that the industry lost 42% of its workforce, 30% higher than the next hardest-hit sector, health services, which reported a 13% decline.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association inaugural State of the Hotel Industry 2021 report predicts the addition of 200,000 jobs in 2021 in the United States, after shedding 670,000 due to the pandemic. However, the industry’s employment level is projected to remain nearly 500,000 jobs below its pre-pandemic number of 2.3 million employees.

Other findings suggest that hotel occupancy rates will drop to an average of just 52% in 2021, compared with 66% in 2019. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought U.S. hotel occupancy rates to a historic low of 24.5% in April 2020, while the annual occupancy rates fell to roughly 44% for the full year. Occupancy rates are projected to rebound more significantly in 2022, reaching 61.4%, and the number of rooms sold is expected to reach 1.23 billion, nearing 2019 levels.

Prior to the pandemic, the U.S. hotel industry’s 5.3 million guest rooms generated $168 billion in annual revenue, not including the revenue generated by meeting rooms and other sources. In 2020, hotel room revenue fell by nearly 50% across the country to $84.6 billion. That’s anticipated to increase by only $25.9 billion this year, still 34% below 2019 levels.

In 2022, room revenue is projected to rebound a bit further, hitting an estimated $144 billion, but still well below 2019 numbers. n

RESERVATIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE: Farouk Rajab, general manager of the Providence Marriott Downtown and chairman of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association’s board of directors, doesn’t see hotels rebounding quickly.

COURTESY RHODE ISLAND HOSPITALITY ASSOCIATION

Sometimes the most important connection is a human one.

Mike Clarkin SVP & Corporate Sales Manager

When you have money matters on your mind, talk with someone who understands.

For more than two centuries, our people have served as trusted advisors to Rhode Islanders.

In today’s technology-driven world, we believe human interaction and expert guidance are more important than ever.

Have questions about Cash Management or Small Business Banking?

Call Mike Clarkin at 401-654-4827.

8 0 0 - 4 7 5 - 2 2 6 5 ~ A s k Wa s h Tr u s t . c o m Member FDIC

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | 9

FOR STARTERS | WHAT’S HAPPENING In the cloud

MAIN ATTRACTION: Bank of America Corp.

Chairman and CEO Brian Moynihan will be the keynote speaker at the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce 30th Anniversary Celebration on Feb. 10.

PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

RHODE ISLAND TELEPHONE will hold a remote CloudWorx system management training session for business owners and managers, information technology managers and administrators who are considering using CloudWorx-hosted phone services.

Participants will learn multiple aspects of the system, including managing phone users, contacts, call forwarding to a cell phone and call history reports.

FRIDAY, FEB. 5, 9-10:30 A.M. Free Online.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: tinyurl.com/y3sf599v

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Legislative leadership

THE NORTHERN RHODE ISLAND Chamber of Commerce will hold its 30th Anniversary Celebration. The event will feature live music, and Brian Moynihan, chairman and CEO of Bank of America Corp., will be the keynote speaker. The Chamber will also have the presentation of the Barbara C. Burlingame and Ben Mondor awards. The event will be livestreamed from the Stadium Theatre Performing Arts Center in Woonsocket.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10, 3:30-5 P.M. $25/members; $35/nonmembers

THE GREATER PROVIDENCE Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Legislative Leadership Forum, featuring the top-elected officials within the R.I. General Assembly. The Chamber will hold a candid conversation with leaders from the House of Representatives and the Senate as they respond to questions regarding several critical issues currently being faced by the business community.

MONDAY, FEB. 8, 3:50-5 P.M. $40

Online.

Online.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: tinyurl.com/y356tfy9

INFO AND REGISTRATION: tinyurl.com/y4eras4d

Northern Rhode Island Chamber to celebrate 30th anniversary

Marketing alternatives THE RHODE ISLAND Manufacturers Association, along with Industrial Marketing, The Job Shop Co. and Design-2-Part Graphics, will host a workshop to help companies learn about alternative marketing methods and how to promote companies during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The workshop will also include information on how to overcome the restrictions of COVID-19 relative to selling and marketing your company to increase revenue.

TUESDAY, FEB. 9, 10 A.M. Free/members; $25/nonmembers Online.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: rimanufacturers.com/events

Learn about crowdfunding THE CENTER FOR WOMEN & Enterprise will hold a seminar titled “Leveraging Online Fundraising for Your Business with IFundWomen.”

Kate Anderson, co-founder and operaInterested in having your business-related event included in What’s Happening? Contact PBN Researcher James Bessette at (401) 680-4838 or Bessette@PBN.com.

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WHAT’S HAPPENING | FOR STARTERS tions director of IFundWomen, will lead the workshop on how to leverage crowdfunding for your business.

Participants will walk away with a honed pitch, a network map, a winning rewards strategy and marketing strategy for their crowdfunding campaign.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10, NOON TO 2 P.M. Free Online.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: tinyurl.com/yybzfm6r

Supercharging a solo business

Advice for your business budget

sion on how people can find out how their behaviors not only explain how people communicate, but also how people interact with others. By better understanding how people behave, people can be more sensitive to how others behave, which should lead to better relationships in all aspects.

Beth Carter, human capital leadership and development specialist for Beth Carter Enterprises, will lead the discussion.

THURSDAY, FEB. 11, 10 A.M. Free

THE RHODE ISLAND Small Business Development Center will hold a virtual walk-in advising session with a focus on budgeting. Jim Crisafulli, an RISBDC business consultant, will be

on hand for approximately an hour to answer participants’ questions about their business budgets.

WEDNESDAY. FEB. 17, 11:30 A.M. TO 12:30 P.M. Free Online.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: tinyurl.com/y2pvmxso

UPCOMING PBN EVENT: The 2021 Coronavirus Business Stimulus Summit will be held virtually at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11. For event information, visit PBN.com.

For sponsorship opportunities, contact Advertising@PBN.com.

Online.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: tinyurl.com/y638ukfz

WOMEN BUSINESS entrepreneurs are invited to participate in a single master class offering three ways to supercharge one’s solo business.

Participants will learn how to make money doing what they love by overcoming everything that is holding them back.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10, 2 P.M. Free Online.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: tinyurl.com/y5q76rvu

Engaging with entrepreneurs THE NORTH KINGSTOWN Chamber of Commerce will hold an online networking event as part of the Chamber’s “Engaging Evenings” series, in which participants will have the opportunity to meet fellow business leaders and entrepreneurs in a relaxed setting. Attendees will be provided a Zoom link and details on ordering pizza for the event. Attendees will receive two slices of pizza and either two beers or wine.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10, 5:30-6:30 P.M. $15

Eric S. Lichatin

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Online.

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Getting started NELLIE M. GORBEA, R.I. secretary of state, and her staff will hold their second annual “From Passion to Profit: Turn Your Hobby into a Business” series. SCORE Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center, as well as local business owners, will offer insight on how they turned their passions into a business.

The workshop will have participants learn the basics on business considerations and how to secure capital.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10, 6-8 P.M. Free

Now open – and lending – in Providence.

When our customers speak, we really do listen.

We’re here in Providence to show our appreciation to the many customers who asked for more access to our helpful personal loan officers and supportive commercial lending experts.

Contact Eric Lichatin or Nayeli Munrayos today to schedule an appointment and see what it means to experience banking the way you want.

Online.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: tinyurl.com/y3y4ojgy

Understanding your behaviors THE GREATER PROVIDENCE Chamber of Commerce will hold a discus-

Providence Loan Office

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www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | FEBRUARY 5-18,9/3/20 202112:16 | PM 11

AIR TRAVEL AIRPORT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

How willing others will be to brave the dangers and hassles of air travel during a pandemic, including public health protocols, will help determine how soon T.F. Green rebounds from a potentially devastating collapse in air travel last year.

While the final numbers are still being collected, airport management expects to see a 67% decline in passenger boardings for 2020, compared with the prior year. About 1.3 million travelers passed through the airport last year, down from nearly 4 million in 2019.

All airports in New England have suffered similar declines. But in one critical week recently – the holiday week ending Jan. 3 – Green outperformed Logan International Airport in Boston, reporting a 60% decline year-over-year compared with Logan’s 65% drop.

The final week of the year was an improvement over December, when a preliminary count had 79,468 people flying in and out of the airport, a 76% decline over December 2019.

Such steep declines have been commonplace since last March, when COVID-19’s presence in the U.S. made people fearful of traveling by airplane.

Total passenger counts at Green plummeted by nearly half that month, from 278,354 to 161,940. In April, the airport hit its low point, with just 10,306 travelers passing through its gates.

There was a resurgence of passengers, starting in May and through the summer, but with the second wave of infections in the fall and domestic travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, the numbers sank again.

‘YEARS TO GET BACK’ On a recent January day, the airport and surrounding areas looked desolate. The InterLink parking garage on Jefferson Boulevard had fewer than 15 cars. The airport’s long-term lot was empty. The short-term parking area was one-third full.

Inside the airport, about two dozen people – wearing masks and keeping their distance from one another – waited quietly for their bags at one of the carousels on the ground floor.

Momentum in rebuilding the passenger counts is inextricably tied to the course of the pandemic, says Iftikhar Ahmad, CEO and president of the R.I. Airport Corp., which operates Green.

“As the U.S. completes its vaccinations, hopefully by the end of the summer or early fall, it will instill confidence in traveling again,” he said. “But it will take years to get back to our 2019 passenger numbers.”

Even more so than in prior years, the issue is not so much the availability of efficient aircraft or flights to far-flung locations at the state’s largest airport, but demand.

Ahmad and aviation analysts say a portion of business travel may never come back. The pandemic forced many companies to quickly employ technology that makes meetings easier and more efficient, using low- or no-cost online platforms.

Michael Boyd, president of Colorado-based Boyd Group International Inc. and an airline consultant who has worked with Green, expects as

FEELING HEADWINDS: Jeremy Delfino, general manager at Chelo’s in Warwick near T.F. Green Airport, says his restaurant has seen a 20% decline in business since last spring, including seeing far fewer uniformed pilots and flight attendants inside.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

much as 10% of business travel won’t return.

“We meet, we talk, we share notes [online],” he said. “That means I don’t have to get on an airplane for 10 hours of travel time for a two-hour meeting. It was going to come anyway, but this just accelerated the process.”

The negative effects on international travel might be lasting, too. While Green has had limited connections to destinations outside the United States, it was an area the airport was trying to strengthen in recent years, after an extended runway in 2017 allowed for larger, long-range jets.

COVID-19 has stopped those efforts. And the disappearance of international travelers has impacted domestic flights, Ahmad said. One-quarter of all boardings in the U.S. relate directly or indirectly to international travel, he said.

“One of the things that is going to be important, besides how quickly the U.S. gets the vaccinations completed, is how soon the rest of the world can pull out of this pandemic,” Ahmad said. “For example, if the [United Kingdom] is closed, or if Africa is closed, it is going to impact those international numbers. So, we are going to be dependent on that recovery also.”

How long will it take? Years, based on the upheaval to aviation caused by the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and the Great Recession a decade ago.

In both cases, airports in major hubs such as Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Boston recovered in about four years, Ahmad said. Smaller airports, such as Green, potentially face a 10-year

‘There is no work anywhere ... nobody travels anymore.’

ALI OSMAN, On Time Taxi owner 12 | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

recovery, he said.

“A lot of things are interconnected in the economy,” Ahmad said. “When the economy comes in and starts taking momentum, the aviation industry would mimic that.”

That said, Ahmad sees reasons to be encouraged once the pandemic passes. The worldwide population is increasing, which will affect international travel. And more people are moving from large cities, such as Boston and New York, to less-densely populated areas, including Rhode Island.

MIXED SIGNALS In some small ways, there are signs of recovery at Green.

Right now, 10 airlines are offering flights at the airport. And Delta Air Lines Inc. is scheduled to restart daily service to Atlanta in March after it suspended flights out of Rhode Island last April.

“They could have been back by December, but you know we were No. 1 in the nation at that time,” Ahmad said of Rhode Island’s sky-high infection rate.

But while planes are returning to Green, the passengers are only filling about two-thirds of the seats, in part to allow for social distancing. Such a low “load factor” makes it difficult for airlines to turn a profit on flights, which in turn makes it difficult to justify scheduling more flights.

JetBlue Airways, United Airlines Inc. and Frontier Airlines suspended operations briefly last spring when passenger traffic dwindled to just a few hundred travelers a day. JetBlue and Frontier resumed their flights last summer, and United started again in October. Air Canada, a seasonal carrier, didn’t fly out of Green in 2020 and is evaluating whether it will return this summer, said John Goodman, a spokesman for Green.

The number of regular flights has varied across the past nine months, but for most of the fall and into the early winter, the carriers provided only about one-third of their previous numbers, he said.

When demand comes back, the airlines will CONTINUES ON PAGE 14

Taking care of teammates

In a year unlike any other, our company and teammates were called upon to address unprecedented challenges and headwinds in the broader environment, working in support of each other, our clients and the communities where we work and live.

In appreciation of these outstanding efforts, we are recognizing eligible employees with Delivering Together compensation awards. A cash bonus of $750 or additional stock award is the latest step our company has taken to invest in our employees during the health crisis.

We’ve also significantly invested in industry-leading solutions and resources. To help many of our teammates balancing family and work, we provided an enhanced benefit of up to $100 per day for in-home childcare — funding nearly 3 million days of support. And in 2020, we accelerated the move of our U.S. minimum hourly rate of pay to $20, more than a year earlier than originally planned.

Here in Rhode Island, my teammates and I are here to help. We’re proud of this community and remain committed to making it a better place for us all.

For the fourth time since 2017, Bank of America is recognizing teammates with a special award in cash or restricted stock.

This year, approximately 97% of teammates will receive a Delivering Together award.

These awards are in addition to any regular annual incentives that eligible employees may receive.

Bill Hatfield Rhode Island Market President

To learn more, please visit bankofamerica.com/community Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Credit Opportunity Lender. © 2021 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | 13

AIR TRAVEL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

respond, Ahmad insisted.

“Airlines are chomping at the bit,” he said. “It’s the passengers that are missing.”

One bright spot: cargo. By weight, cargo volume has increased every month for the past year, according to Goodman. More than 17 million pounds of goods moved through Green in 2020, up 14% from 2019, in part because the pandemic spurred a shift from ocean shipping to air freight but also due to increased online sales, according to aviation consultants.

“I don’t want to go to a department store. Go online and get it tomorrow,” Boyd said. “That was in place before the COVID-19 restrictions, it’s just been accelerated.”

‘SYMBIOTIC’ RELATIONSHIPS On the ground, R.I. Airport Corp. has navigated the coronavirus crisis without laying off or furloughing any of its 150 employees. Others haven’t been so fortunate. According to the quasi-public state agency, contractors, vendors and airlines employed 1,642 people at Green as of January, 275 fewer than 12 months earlier.

To help make ends meet, the airport corporation has reduced its budgeted operating expenses THIN LINE: The security checkpoint at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick has been quieter during the corona­ by 14% for fiscal 2021 to $27.4 million. The agency virus pandemic, as passenger traffic has dropped substantially after flights were pulled by major carriers also received $24 million in federal COVID-19 reand travel restrictions were implemented in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. lief, which will allow Green to defray the financial PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO burden of airlines leasing its terminal space for the next three years.

Although airlines received their own federal aid, the airport’s funding had to be spent on reduc20% decline in business. While some of that can be ing more integrated, by becoming part of a supply ing operating costs for air carriers. In exchange, attributed to the pandemic depressing inside sales, chain, by buying, or shipping goods overseas,” he airlines were required to provide minimum levels he has seen far fewer uniformed pilots and flight said. “Airports are a strategic asset in the supply of service to those airports, Goodman said. attendants since last spring. The same goes for chain. If we hope to be at the frontier of technologiMeanwhile, the impact of a desolate airport diners telling the wait staff they need to watch the cal development, if we hope to be an innovative radiates beyond its terminal. A slow comeback time or miss a flight. economy, we need to be connected in these netfor the air hub will mean reduced revenue coming “The airport definitely affects my restaurant,” works.” into Warwick and surrounding communities.

Delfino said.

The pain is also being felt just a few hundred The state’s convention and tourism business is “It’s empty, as you can see at this point,” he yards off the end of Green’s runways. reliant on Green having available flights to and said one recent afternoon, pointing to a few diners.

Several restaurants along the throughfares surfrom major hubs. And, in turn, those sectors feed “You would normally have a lot of people picking rounding Green have seen sparse evidence of air demand to establish flights. up or dropping off people at the airport.” travelers in their establishments.

In 2020, the convention and large-events inA short distance away, just outside the airport At Chelo’s of Warwick Inc., located across the dustry collapsed because of the pandemic and terminal, three cab drivers waited in their cars, street from the Post Road entrance to Green Airstringent crowd limits. Conventions in Providence eyeing the front doors for passengers who might port, General Manager Jeremy Delfino reported a are no longer providing the need a lift. airport with passengers.

Already hit by the ride“The relationship between sharing industry, the cabbies the Providence Warwick Consaid the pandemic has been vention & Visitors Bureau and devastating to their busiWhen the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020, the number of passengers arriving the airport is very symbiotic,” nesses. and departing from T.F. Green Airport plummeted by almost half compared with a month said Kristen Adamo, bureau Ali Osman, a cab driver for earlier. Things grew much worse in April, when the airport recorded an average of about 340 CEO and president. “We need 21 years, said he’s lost more them to have the right air lift than half his income since passengers a day. By comparison, Green averaged 11,240 daily passengers in April 2019. and direct routes to make us before the pandemic. He now MONTHLY attractive, but then we also drives his cab an extra day nnnnnnnnn 2019 nnnnnnnnn 2020 PASSENGER need to bring in business that each week, hoping to close the COUNTS will support that kind of air shortfall. It hasn’t made much 400,000 lift. It’s a mutually beneficial difference. sort of relationship.”

“I have to do that, but there 350,000 Adamo sees hope on the is no work anywhere,” he horizon if the pandemic fades said. “We come here. We first quickly enough. “We have a have to pay for the parking.

300,000 nice chunk of business on the We go to the train station, but books for 2022, ’23, ’24,” she nobody travels anymore. So, 250,000 said. “We have enough where we make $40, $50, sometimes if the vaccines work and we $100. In order to make money, 200,000 continue to get back to norI have to be on the road.” mal, then we’ll be able to start Osman, a one-man business 150,000 ramping up again.” who owns On Time Taxi, is Edinaldo Tebaldi, a profesmaintaining his car, keeping sor of economics at Bryant up with insurance payments 100,000 University, says the airport and making do with the help is essential infrastructure, of savings and his wife’s in50,000 as important to the state’s come. He sees an end when eveconomy as its deep-water eryone “gets vaccinated – and 0 ports. With every disruption, gets over that coronavirus.” the economy is jolted.

“Hopefully, everything gets “The economy is becomback to normal. I just hope for that,” he said. n SOURCE: T.F. GREEN AIRPORT, USING PASSENGER DATA REPORTED BY AIRLINES. ce

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FIGURES FOR DECEMBER 2020 ARE PRELIMINARY.

14 | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS Mentor helped lift him to the top

BY CASSIUS SHUMAN | Shuman@PBN.com

(Editor’s note: This is the sixth installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each will be asked their views on minority-business conditions in the state and for ways to improve those businesses’ chances for success.)

JUNIOR JABBIE DIDN’T HAVE a long-term career plan when he started an internship at Banneker Supply Chain Solutions Inc. as a Bryant University student in 2005.

“My thoughts initially were to make sure I had a steady job to pay for my incidentals,” Jabbie recalled recently. Soon he found Banneker offered something more: The “liberty to explore, ask questions, be myself and be rewarded for hard work and effort,” he said.

The rewards certainly have come.

In 2018, Jabbie became CEO and president of the North Smithfield-based provider of warehousing and supply-chain management and logistics – a rise to the top of the multimillion-dollar company that he credits to its late founder, Cheryl W. Snead.

Jabbie, who is Black and a native of Silver Spring, Md., had enrolled at Bryant, participating in the school’s football program while studying for a degree in business management.

The Banneker internship led to an introduction to Snead, who became his mentor.

Snead had her own set of accomplishments, including becoming the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in mechanical engineering. She went on to work as an engineer for General Electric Co. before earning a master’s degree in business from Purdue University.

Later, she managed a small machine shop in Rhode Island and, in 1991, launched Banneker.

“Cheryl and her husband, Roland, who was a visionary, served as a catalyst – and I adopted the concept of being ready, and quickly advanced to the executive leadership team,” Jabbie said.

After graduation, Jabbie was hired full time as sales and marketing manager. Two years later, he was promoted to operations, where he worked for three years. Jabbie said the Sneads were impressed with his can-do attitude, and they made it their mission to groom him for leading the company.

In 2018, Snead died at age 59 of complications from a surgical procedure. Before the surgery, she had named Jabbie interim CEO and president, a title that became permanent after her death.

Jabbie said he feels that Snead is still with him at Banneker, which now employs 68 worldwide.

“I’m merely a custodian of this business,” he said.

His leadership role includes providing inspiration for other minorities. Jabbie said he speaks about four times a year to various groups and is a guest lecturer at Bryant.

“I’m just a kid who got an opportunity,” he said.

“My dream of owning Banneker was an incredible milestone, but my dreams and ambitions are ­bigger.”

While I think significant progress has been made … there is much work to do.

CLIMBING THE LADDER: Junior Jabbie started as an intern at Banneker Supply Chain Solution Inc. in North Smithfield in 2005. Now he is the company’s top executive.

PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

Junior Jabbie

Banneker Supply Chain Solution Inc. CEO and president

1

Do you believe racism is keeping minorities from starting businesses in the Ocean State or succeeding when they do?

I believe institutional racism and white supremacy have infected every vein and artery in American society. Rhode Island, despite its small size and origins rooted in tolerance and protective care of God, has not been immune to that infection. And while I think significant progress has been made on many fronts, there is much work to do.

2

How dependent is your business on the support of other minority groups? Is that a sustainable business model?

All companies depend on business groups and coalitions in some way. That continues to be critical as global commerce and technology continue to bridge us all together. National/international minority business groups [such as] the National Minority Supplier Development Council have been as important to our growth and development as have local organizations [such as] the Rhode Island Black Business ­Association.

I do not think these groups are part of our business model, but rather help us execute our business model and provide access to resources and networks to grow minority-owned ­businesses.

3

What one thing could Rhode Island do to boost the odds for minority-owned business success?

I think a low-hanging fruit the state could easily do to help level the playing field, versus boosting the odds, is to adhere to the 10% state requirement for minority-business purchases/participation.

For many years and many administrations, this requirement has not been enforced or compliance has been achieved by ways that may hit a specific goal but do not do anything to help scale and grow minority businesses.

Rhode Island should increase the minimum required spend to 30% of all contracted dollars. The state needs to set higher ambitions, not succumb to lower expectations.

4

Have you had to turn to an entity other than a bank for a loan? Do you believe the state’s lending institutions generally treat minorities fairly?

Thankfully, we have a great relationship with our bank, The Washington Trust Co. But there have been times in the past where access to capital was limited to only a few nontraditional lenders with much higher interest rates. Cheryl Snead did tell me stories of how traditional lenders did not want to lend her money to start Banneker in the early 1990s. One of the organizations that did help her was the Opportunities Industrialization Center of Rhode Island.

5

If another minority entrepreneur asked you where they could turn for support for their business, where would you direct them?

If any entrepreneur, minority or not, asked for my help, I would start by listening to what their challenges are and then directing them to people and organizations that have experience and resources to help with their set of issues. At the end of the day, it is really all about people helping people for the common good. n

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | 15

ANOTHER LOOK | PBN.COM McKee to put own spin on budget

BY CASSIUS SHUMAN | Shuman@PBN.com

(Editor’s note: This is a condensed version of a story that was first published on PBN.com on Jan. 27.)

IT’S BEEN A WHIRLWIND FOR LT. GOV. DANIEL J. MCKEE since Gov. Gina M. Raimondo was named as President Joe Biden’s nominee for U.S. secretary of commerce on Jan. 7.

The news left McKee poised to become Rhode Island’s next governor, succeeding a fellow Democrat with whom he has not worked closely since they were both first elected in 2014.

He’s been feverishly preparing for the transition, while getting up to speed on everything from state budget planning, education and the COVID-19 vaccine rollout to a potential easing of business restrictions and the long-term focus for R.I. Commerce Corp.

McKee spoke with Providence Business News on Jan. 26 about what the business community can expect from his administration.

Can you talk about how the fiscal 2022 state budget plan is being put together? Will you be delivering a budget plan that was mostly put together by your predecessor, or have/or will you be able to make any significant adjustments to reflect your own priorities?

The bulk of the budget is a constant. It doesn’t change. So, you are really talking about maybe a small percentage that is somewhat arbitrary between the House and the Senate and my office.

So, it would be my budget. We are trying to get our arms around what that looks like right now. Our transition committee group, which has experience with state budgets, is in the early stages getting up to speed as much as we can so that when I am sworn in, we can hit the ground running.

So, you are not going to simply carry forward your predecessor’s priorities in the budget, such as legalizing recreational marijuana for adults, Rhode Island Promise scholarship program?

I have been on the record saying that the time has come to legalize marijuana. I’m not on board with the New Hampshire plan. I think there should be more of an entrepreneurial type of plan that is regulated. So, that should be a piece of the budget, if it gets in there, and the General Assembly approves that. As far as R.I. Promise goes, the community college level is something I think makes a lot of sense. And, federally, they are talking about increasing the Pell Grants. So, if they increase the Pell Grants, what does that mean in terms of how much we need in the budget for it?

As far as the budget goes, there are so many unknowns that it is difficult to say where you are going to be and where you are not going to be in terms of whether you have to generate more income or not. I’m not going to support more taxes just for the sake of adding extra programs right now over and above what is there.

been restricted and address them so there can be an incremental easing of restrictions.

Are you satisfied with R.I. Commerce Corp.’s approach to growing jobs and economic development?

I was involved in probably the largest expansion of a Fortune 25 company in the country in CVS [Health Corp.], in terms of an expansion of over 600,000 square feet and 1,000 jobs that came into that campus built in Cumberland. (Editor’s note: McKee was the mayor of Cumberland at that time.) So, I believe there is a spot for these blue chips and the big companies, and I think that has been the focus of Commerce. And you want to continue to have that focus, but the small-business community has been clearly left out. There has been some work done in that area. We know the small businesses have been struggling. We need to put an additional focus on that, making sure that there is an equal consideration.

What sector of the economy do you see leading the state out of this recession, and what should the state’s role be in helping it?

I think we are positioned pretty well with some of the renewable projects, with the offshore-wind sector. There are some big projects coming, and we are going to take full advantage of that. That is certainly a sector that we would want to continue to work on that, as long as we are not getting ahead of

the technology. And we should not turn our back on the hospitality and tourism sectors. That is going to continue to be one of the really important areas in the state.

It’s been reported that you are considering changes to the state’s COVID-19 vaccine priority phases, potentially moving up teachers and state lawmakers in priority. How can occupations other than essential workers be prioritized while still saying the state agrees with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that seniors 65 and older need to be the priority?

I have said 65, to follow the Biden administration. Remember, we are not going to be sitting on 14,000 vaccines forever. The president of the United States says he wants to do a million doses a day for a hundred days. That is going to increase our supply significantly.

I thought the educators would be prioritized for reasons that are fully attached to the economy and other purposes. I also said they would not be stepping over the groups that have been established as a priority. So, to move up the teachers, where they were not in the second phase, or whatever it might be, just makes sense to me. But it should be done in a strategic way that anticipates additional supply, which is coming.

(Editor’s note: R.I. Department of Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott on Jan. 28 said people ages 65-74 could begin to receive their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine later this month, but that teachers are not being set aside as a special class in phase 2 of the state’s distribution plan.)

Is there anything else you would like to share?

We want to make sure that we give every community the opportunity to grow their economy in a way that they want to see it grown. I think the real challenge right now is to include all the networks that I developed in a way that they feel as though they are important. So that is our biggest challenge right now – to make sure everybody I have been networking with – we continue to do that … to add more people to the mix to create the state we want to see. n

What is the most important thing state government needs to do for small businesses right now?

The most important thing is to make sure we do everything we can to get as much [Paycheck Protection Program] money in the state as possible.

Last time, close to $2 billion in forgivable loans or grants came into the state. That is the top priority right now – to make sure we maximize that, and we let every business that qualifies know that they qualify, and we do everything we possibly can to get as much of those dollars into the state that is possible.

You have mentioned the potential easing of restrictions on small businesses when you take office, when the health data supports it. What do you see as priorities in easing restrictions?

There needs to be incremental flexibility for the businesses we have restricted in some ways.

We should identify what those businesses are that have been restricted. All the businesses have been impacted by COVID, but not all have been restricted. So, we must identify those businesses that have

STEPPING UP: Lt. Gov. Daniel J. McKee says he’s looking to “hit the ground running” as he takes over as governor.

COURTESY R.I. OFFICE OF THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

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EDUCATION | FOCUS

Will tuition-free program become permanent?

BY CASSIUS SHUMAN | Shuman@PBN.com

TALIA

Thibodeau faced an uncertain future as she prepared to graduate from Cranston High School West last June.

Thibodeau, a standout basketball player, wanted to attend college but worried about how she and her family would pay for it. It was a meeting with the women’s basketball coach at the Community College of Rhode Island that put her on a path to enrollment last fall.

Doug Haynes advised her to apply for the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship program, which offers graduating high school seniors the opportunity to earn an associate degree from CCRI tuition-free if they enroll full time, maintain a 2.5 GPA and graduate in two years.

Now she is starting her second semester at CCRI, working toward a degree in communications without being saddled with debt.

“I am at such an advantage,” said Thibodeau, who noted that she is able to work while attending school. “It’s one of the benefits of attending CCRI. I’m excited about my future.”

Since the program was first enacted in 2017, R.I. Promise has provided a pathway to a college education for students such as Thibodeau who might not have the financial means to finance their education. Yet,

questions remain about how long that path will stay open.

In December, Rhode Island lawmakers approved a $12.7 billion state budget for the current fiscal year that appropriated $7.2 million for R.I. Promise. That extends the program until spring 2023, allowing high school seniors who graduate in June to participate for two years, starting next fall.

Now General Assembly leaders are looking to make R.I. Promise permanent, even though a projected state budget shortfall of $513.7 million next fiscal year will have lawmakers looking for places to trim spending during this year’s budget process. The annual cost of the program is about $7 million.

House Speaker K. Joseph Skeharchi and Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio introduced joint legislation on Jan. 29 that would remove the “sunset” provision that would have closed the tuition-free program to new participants after the fall of 2021.

“The best investment we can make to help individuals achieve their goals is to give them the access to a college education, which is the pathway to a brighter future,” said Shekarchi, D-Warwick.

Ruggerio, D-North Providence, said the R.I. Promise has proved to be effective in improving access to higher education for families who would otherwise struggle to pay tuition bills. “Removing barriers to

‘I think about how lucky I am to have this opportunity.’

TALIA THIBODEAU, Community College of Rhode Island student

EARNING A SHOT: Talia Thibodeau, a standout basketball player in high school, worried how she would pay for college after she graduated but is working toward an associate degree tuition-free from the Community College of Rhode Island thanks to the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship program.

PBN PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

higher education … makes our workforce more attractive to employers and strengthens our economy,” he said.

Gov. Gina M. Raimondo initially championed the R.I. Promise program in 2017 and made a failed attempt in 2019 to expand it to juniors and seniors at Rhode Island College. Lawmakers balked at the additional $5.3 million cost.

As Raimondo steps aside as governor to become U.S. commerce secretary, the General Assembly leadership has thrown its support behind R.I. Promise.

R.I. Promise also had the backing of incoming Gov. Daniel J. McKee, who said last month that the scholarship program at the community college “makes a lot of sense.”

Even before the announcement by Shekarchi and Ruggerio, CCRI President Meghan L. Hughes was optimistic about the future of R.I. Promise.

“We have spent four years engaged in conversation with our state’s legislators about the importance of this program to their constituents and to the state,” Hughes said last month.

Hughes and other program supporters have pointed to improved metrics in CCRI’s enrollment and graduation rates as evidence of the program’s success.

While R.I. Promise requires recipients to graduate within two years, CCRI officials say it has had a ripple effect on the school’s threeyear graduation rate, a standard performance metric for community colleges. CCRI’s three-year rate has doubled from 15% to 30% since R.I. Promise launched in 2017, according to Sara Enright, CCRI vice president for student affairs and chief outcomes officer. The national average among community colleges is 25%, Enright said.

Enright said CCRI also has doubled enrollment among students “coming straight out of high school.” In the fall of 2017, enrollment was 1,584 for students who had graduated high school the previous spring. By fall 2019, the number had climbed to 2,599.

School officials blame the COVID-19 pandemic for the enrollment of newly graduated high schoolers dipping to 2,271 last fall.

Not counting last fall, “there has been substantial growth in first-time, full-time straight-out-of-high-school Rhode Islanders,” said Enright.

For Hughes, that’s proof that R.I. Promise should be permanent.

“One of the things that I am proudest about with this program is the kind of dramatic performance improvement that Promise has catalyzed at the college,” she said. “You will look in vain to find an example of another community college that has seen this kind of dramatic improvement.”

For Thibodeau, she said she hopes that, despite the state’s financial woes, lawmakers will be sympathetic to aspiring college students when deciding the future of the program.

“I think it would put a lot of people at a disadvantage if the program were to end,” said Thibodeau. “It would mean a lot of people would not be able to attend college. I think about how lucky I am to have this opportunity.” n

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | 25

FOCUS | EDUCATION COLLEGES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

many universities are pulling out the stops to recruit a robust first-year class in 2021.

The timing is critical. Application deadlines at many colleges have already passed, and students need to make a choice by May 1. If the pandemic continues to prevent schools from offering in-person tours and events on campus this spring, getting those student commitments is all the harder.

So far, several colleges and universities say they are keeping pace with, if not exceeding, the number of applications received in 2020. Transforming those interested students into accepted students will happen in the months ahead.

At Providence College, the administration hopes to enroll 1,075 students in the fall, said Raul Fonts, associate vice president and dean of admission and financial aid. As of the Jan. 15 deadline, 11,004 applications were received, up 2% from the number in 2020.

Getting that increased number required a lot of work. Like most universities, Providence College had to abandon its traditional approaches, the student-guided tours of its campus and buildings and the large

GROWING INTEREST: Raul Fonts, associate vice president and dean of admission and financial aid at Providence College, says the administration hopes to enroll 1,075 students in the fall and had received 11,004 applications as of the Jan. 15 deadline, up 2% from a year ago.

PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

FOCUS | COLLEGE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS | FOCUS COLLEGE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS (ranked by number of undergraduate technology students)

2021 rank

1

School | Website President

Address Phone

Tech undergrads Tech faculty

Technology degree programs

13,684 982

$4,414 $12,492

1,579 114

1,579 114

$30,000 $30,000

Architectural building engineering; cybersecurity/networking; digital media production; electronics, robotics and drones

968 59

5,122 546

$13,833 $29,578

Bioengineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer and information science, data science

2020: 3

400 East Ave. Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 825-1000

1,696 280

3 2020: 1

New England Institute of Technology | neit.edu Richard I. Gouse

1 New England Tech Blvd.

East Greenwich, R.I. 02818 (401) 739-5000

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | umassd.edu Mark Fuller, interim chancellor

285 Old Westport Road Dartmouth, Mass. 02747 (508) 999-8000

4

CLOSER LOOK

Biotechnology, computer programming, cybersecurity, engineering systems technology

Community College of Rhode Island | ccri.edu Meghan L. Hughes

2020: 4

In-state tuition Out-ofstate tuition $15,004 $32,578

35 Campus Ave. South Kingstown, R.I. 02881 (401) 874-2116

2

Total undergrads Total faculty

Biomedical engineering, biotechnology, computer engineering, computer science, data science, industrial and systems engineering

University of Rhode Island | uri.edu David M. Dooley 1

2020: 2

(ranked by number of undergraduate technology students)

2,110 119

12,591 801

Total tech undergrads:

8,335 LIST RESEARCHED BY James Bessette NEED A COPY? To purchase a copy of this list, call (401) 273-2201 or visit PBN.com/lists for more information.

UPCOMING LISTS Feb. 19: Public Companies in Rhode Island; March 5: Residential Real Estate Agencies, Rhode Islandbased Banks, Chief Financial Officers

5

Roger Williams University | rwu.edu Ioannis Miaoulis

1 Old Ferry Road Bristol, R.I. 02809 (401) 253-1040

604 NA

3,828 455

$37,944 $37,944

Computer science, construction management, cybersecurity and networking, engineering

6

Bryant University | bryant.edu Ross Gittell

1150 Douglas Pike Smithfield, R.I. 02917 (401) 232-6000

465 37

3,255 301

$45,966 $45,966

Actuarial math, applied math and statistics, business analytics, data science, information systems

Johnson & Wales Univeristy | jwu.edu Marie Bernardo-Sousa, president, Providence campus

8 Abbott Park Place Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 598-1000

457 38

4,622 456

$34,376 $34,376

Biomedical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, cyber threat intelligence and defense, electronic engineering

WANT TO JOIN? For more information about participating in PBN’s Top Lists, or to make additions or corrections, call (401) 680-4838 or write to Research@PBN.com.

Rhode Island College | ric.edu Frank D. Sánchez

600 Mount Pleasant Ave. Providence, R.I. 02908 (401) 456-8000

290 13

5,998 319

$8,835 $13,252

Computer information systems, computer science, digital media, technology education

FOOTNOTE j David M. Dooley will retire in June.

Salve Regina University | salve.edu Kelli J. Armstrong

100 Ochre Point Ave. Newport, R.I. 02840 (401) 847-6650

166 6

2,084 269

$42,220 $42,220

Graphic design, illustration, interactive media arts, medical technology

2020: 5

2020: 8

7

2020: NL

8 2020: 6 9

2020: 7

26 | M. FEBRUARY 5-18,in2021 1 David Dooley will retire June. | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

EDUCATION | FOCUS in-person events that drew together students and parents.

Instead, the university is now 99% virtual in its appeals and m ­ arketing, Fonts said. This includes virtual campus tours, information sessions, tours of residence halls and outreach to high school juniors just beginning to weigh their options.

His staff of 17 typically fans out across the country.

“That was one of the biggest losses, certainly in my career,” he said. “It was the first time in my career I’ve not been to a high school in person.”

The college tried initially to allow campus visits, in small numbers, with just two families assigned to a student guide. But the spike in transmission of the coronavirus forced the school to go virtual.

Campus tours play a powerful role in influencing student choices of colleges, particularly at smaller schools such as PC. Fonts said he hopes that the college will be able to reintroduce campus visits this spring.

Top-tier universities are not facing the same challenge in recruitment during the pandemic.

“The schools with the great brands, they’re going to continue to enroll their classes,” Fonts said. “The Ivy Leagues, the Boston Colleges, the Georgetowns, the Notre Dames, they don’t have to worry. But once you get to our level … it’s so important we be able to tell our story, tell them why we’re unique.”

Indeed, even though Brown University has not held in-person campus tours during the pandemic, undergraduate applications to the Ivy League school are up 25% over last year. A university spokesman said the increase is likely attributable to the uncertainty created by the coronavirus crisis.

‘It was the first time in my career I’ve not been to a high school in person.’

RAUL FONTS, Providence College dean of admission

Akhil Gupta, vice president of enrollment management at Johnson & Wales University, said the university has hosted smaller in-person tours, and there have been some cancellations.

Because of the limitations, the university has created an “explore from home” experience, including self-guided tours of the campus and virtual college nights, in which prospective students can talk with professors.

The university hopes to gain a 10% to 20% increase in enrollment from last fall to fall 2021.

At the University of Rhode Island, administrators shifted marketing and recruitment strategies to make better use of the technologies that could reach students and their families.

Beyond that, the university offered students more direct assistance in the application process, said Dean Libutti, vice provost for enrollment management. For example, it worked with students, guidance counselors and parents to provide workshops on filling out the college application, on how to write an entrance essay and how to apply for financial aid.

“Students still need to learn about universities,” Libutti said. “Firstgeneration students need to learn about applying to college. Parents need help and support.”

URI has taken note that international applications are rising. The university also has seen a slight uptick in students seeking to transfer to URI. For the incoming class in fall 2021, the goal is to enroll 3,250 students.

The university had received about 22,000 applications as of Jan. 20.

The pandemic has forced creative decisions. In some cases, the admissions team is employing old-school approaches, running TV ads in local markets and sending out mailers.

“We’ve actually doubled our mailed pieces,” Libutti said.

Other approaches align with how Generation Z and their parents communicate. Students already enrolled at URI are available to text with prospective students. And the university established a Facebook site for parents.

Virtual events have included interactive sessions for international students, for students with military backgrounds and live tours of the campus led by a student using a streaming platform.

“What makes URI so special is the people,” said Erin Earle, the university’s director of campus visit experience. “I can connect them to our amazing faculty. I can connect them with our students.”

The one thing she hasn’t been able to figure out: “How to get people to taste our amazing food,” Earle said. n

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FOCUS | HEALTH CARE

Group treatments adapt to keep the dialogue going

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

NEVER

again will Randi Beranbaum take for granted the simple act of weighing one of her patients.

“Blind” weigh-ins – in which someone steps on the scale backwards so only the medical provider can see the number – were a routine part of Be Collaborative Care’s intensive outpatient program for teenagers and adults with eating disorders.

But when COVID-19 hit, the entire program that Beranbaum, as founder and director, had crafted no longer worked.

After an abrupt switch to a virtual program, Beranbaum and her dietitians and therapists had to figure out how they could check if participants were gaining or maintaining weight. What she came up with was far from ideal.

At an appointed time, she set the scale down outside the door of the Be Collaborative Care’s Providence location. A participant waiting outside scurried up to the scale to step on while Beranbaum watched through a window.

As soon as the patient walked away, Beranbaum raced outside to jot down the number on the screen before it disappeared.

That awkward version of a blind weigh-in is just one example of how intensive mental health group treatment programs across the state have reinvented services during the pandemic, particularly challenging since these programs rely upon intimate in-person group therapy for treatment.

The R.I. Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals tried to issue guidance in keeping with state and federal health protocols. But striking a balance between safety and “fidelity” of the programs was difficult, said Ryan Erickson, department director of strategy and public affairs.

Beranbaum and her staff made it work, turning to more-interactive online group sessions to combat the Zoom fatigue. Before the pandemic, participants ate a meal together each day, with supervision from staff dietitians. Instead, participants took phones and laptops into their own kitchens so dietitians could monitor what they were eating and whether it met caloric requirements.

“It served a purpose. People did get better,” Beranbaum said.

SHIELDED MEAL: Randi Beranbaum, founder and director of Be Collaborative Care in Providence, stands in the dining area at the center where people undergo group therapy for eating disorders. Barriers have been installed at a table so those under treatment can have in-person meals.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

‘We thought we would see a decrease in services.

But the opposite actually happened.’

GRETCHEN ANDERSON, Butler Hospital’s Outpatient Behaviorial Health Services clinical director 28 | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

But in her view, it was not as effective, which is why the program resumed in-person treatment in August.

Plastic partitions now separate the places around the table for mealtimes, and there is a new ventilation system, regular COVID-19 tests, social distancing and capacity limits.

Meanwhile, Rhode Island Hospital continues to focus on a completely virtual version of its Partial Hospitalization Program.

Dr. Mark Zimmerman, who serves as director for the program and the hospital’s adult outpatient psychiatry, said the decision to go virtual was easy, given the alternative: drastic cuts to the average 60 daily participants to accommodate social distancing, and a reduction in the two dozen psychiatrists and therapists on staff.

So far, the online program is working – so well that program providers submitted their findings to a medical journal for publication.

The psychiatrists and therapists compiled feedback from 200 participants who completed the virtual Partial Hospitalization Program – measuring satisfaction, symptom improvement, resolution of suicidal ideation and “ability to cope and function” – and compared it to feedback from a control group that attended the in-person program a year earlier. The results were almost identical, Zimmerman said.

The virtual format has also eliminated barriers such as transportation, child care and social anxiety.

Zimmerman noted that the virtual program has much higher numbers of participants with social anxiety disorder, possibly an indication they felt less anxious about remote group discussion.

Butler Hospital, which has offered a mix of in-person and virtual versions of a dozen partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs since COVID-19 began, also saw overall participation increase. That surprised Gretchen Anderson, clinical director for Butler Hospital’s Outpatient Behavioral Health Services.

“We thought we would see a decrease in services across the board when people were not able to attend in person,” Anderson said. “But the opposite actually happened.”

But maintaining those operations comes at a cost to the providers – laptops and tablets, for example. Resources such as time, money and staff vary among providers.

Lack of resources forced Thrive Behavioral Health Inc. to shutter its intensive outpatient program for adults with substance and mental health disorders when the pandemic began. The Warwick-based community health center said it hopes to resume the program once the coronavirus crisis has passed.

The biggest cost increase for Be Collaborative was in wages – Beranbaum asked staff to work more hours to try to better serve participants. But she considered the financial sacrifice well worth the value of helping people during a mental health crisis.

“We’re not in this for the money,” she said. “We’re here because we want to give exemplary care.” n

HEALTH CARE | FOCUS Wellness programs for employees gain strength

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

THE MOST ISOLATING YEAR that many Americans have experienced has ended and another one has started.

Amid all the forced-alone or family-unit time, companies that run wellness programs have discovered something interesting about how their employees and patrons are “gathering” together. Their participation and engagement in digital programs has only strengthened in the pandemic, perhaps because people are seeking a virtual community that they can’t safely join in person.

And large companies and small businesses have responded to the economics of the pandemic, not by jettisoning wellness programs from their benefits packages but by keeping them, if not expanding the options.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, which operated wellness programs and educational activities out of its four Your Blue Stores, initially was set back when they had to close last spring.

“There were obvious challenges in any kind of community activity, any kind of event involving putting people in the same room at the same

time,” said Paul Ryan, director of retail strategy and operations for Blue Cross in Rhode Island.

But the yoga and stretching classes that had taken place in the retail stores soon found an even bigger audience online.

Ten months after dipping a toe into the livestreaming world of Facebook with a single yoga session, in April 2019, the health insurer now hosts five classes a week. The instructors work alone in the store, facing a camera, streaming each class.

Because the programs have moved onto Facebook, the audience has

expanded beyond Blue Cross customers to include anyone who wants to watch, either live or on-demand.

Ryan said organizers noticed early on that people enjoyed participating, were commenting and reconnecting online. It was reestablishing the same community benefits that the traditional class had offered.

“It became very clear very quickly that we had something,” he said.

“One session turned to two. Two turned to four. Next thing we knew, we had five-day-a-week programming.” By the end of 2020, 180 sessions had been recorded in which Facebook followers could participate.

For Blue Cross, the engagement metrics in its wellness programs told the story in another way. “Our video engagement was up 3,000% over the prior year,” Ryan said.

For the “Your Blue Store Studio” audience, Facebook was the appropriate social media outlet. The audience for the in-class sessions had tended to skew older. The same is true for its online audience, attracted to 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. yoga sessions with names such as “Coffee Break Shake” and “Living Room Latin Moves.”

For older Americans, Facebook is a comfortable introduction to social media. “We didn’t want technical CONTINUES ON PAGE 31

‘Our video engagement was up 3,000% over the prior year.’

PAUL RYAN, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island director of retail strategy and operations

FOCUS | |DIAGNOSTIC DIAGNOSTICIMAGING IMAGINGCENTERS CENTERS(ranked(ranked by number local staff) by number of localofstaff) 2021 rank

1

2020: 1

Company | Website Director

Address Phone

Lifespan Corp. 1 | lifespan.org Jonathan Pine, administrative director

167 Point St. Providence , R.I. 02903 (401) 444-4000

Total local staff No. of local medical professionals

Total number of patients in 2020 Number of locations

619 471

398,447 9

CLOSER LOOK Services offered

CT scan, mammography, MRI, nuclear medicine, PET scan, ultrasound, X-ray

Total local staff listed:

1,349 LIST RESEARCHED BY James Bessette

2

Rhode Island Medical Imaging Inc. | rimirad.com Dr. John Pezzullo, president

125 Metro Center Blvd.

Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 432-2400

2020: 3

3

XRA Medical Imaging Inc. | xramedicalimaging.com Dr. David Rowe, president

65 Sockanosset Cross Road Cranston, R.I. 02920 (401) 886-4830

127 NA

NA 11

CT scan, mammography, MRI, ultrasound, X-ray

4 2020: 4

Advanced Radiology Inc. 2 | advanced-radiology.com Dr. Roman Klufas, medical director

525 Broad St. Cumberland, R.I. 02864 (401) 727-4600

50 NA

NA 10

CT scan, MRI, ultrasound, Xray

Open MRI of New England Inc. 2 | openmriofne.com Dr. Roman Klufas, medical director

525 Broad St. Cumberland, R.I. 02864 (401) 725-6736

50 NA

NA 10

CT scan, MRI, ultrasound, Xray

Coastal Medical Imaging | coastalmedical.com/imaging-center Katrina Thompson-Burnett, director, laboratory and imaging services

900 Warren Ave., Suite 100 East Providence, R.I. 02914 (401) 383-9662

14 11

NA 1

CT scan, ultrasound, X-ray

2020: 2

4

2020: 4

6

2020: 6

539 366

NA 12

CT scan, mammography, MRI, ultrasound, X-ray

NEED A COPY? To purchase a copy of this list, call (401) 273-2201 or visit PBN.com/lists for more information.

UPCOMING LISTS Feb. 19: Public Companies in Rhode Island; March 5: Residential Real Estate Agencies, Rhode Islandbased Banks, Chief Financial Officers WANT TO JOIN? For more information about participating in PBN’s Top Lists, or to make additions or corrections, call (401) 680-4838 or write to Research@PBN.com.

FOOTNOTES j Lifespan Corp. includes Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital, Newport Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital/Hasbro Children’s Hospital and The Miriam Hospital.  Advanced Radiology Inc. and Open MRI of New England Inc. were incorporated on June 4, 1999, and are owned by Dr. Roman Klufas.

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | 29

FOCUS | HEALTH CARE EDUCATORS (ranked by number of students enrolled) FOCUS | HEALTH CARE EDUCATORS (ranked by number of students enrolled) 2021 rank

1

2020: 1

2

2020: 4

3

2020: 2

4

2020: 3

5

2020: 5

School | Website President

Address Phone

Total health care students enrolled Health care faculty/ staff

University of Rhode Island | uri.edu David M. Dooley 1

35 Campus Ave. South Kingstown, R.I. 02881 (401) 874-2116

5,090 182

Health sciences, kinesiology, nursing, nutrition and dietetics, pharmacy, psychology, speech and pathology

Brown University | brown.edu Christina H. Paxson

1 Prospect St. Providence, R.I. 02912 (401) 863-1000

2,089 469

Warren Alpert Medical School, emergency medicine physician extender development program, health and human biology, neuroscience, public health

Most popular programs

Rhode Island College | ric.edu Frank D. Sánchez

600 Mount Pleasant Ave. Providence, R.I. 02908 (401) 456-8000

2,004 61

Health care administration, health education, health services, medical imaging, nursing

Community College of Rhode Island | ccri.edu Meghan L. Hughes

400 East Ave. Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 825-1000

900 88

Clinical lab tech, dental hygiene, EMT, nursing, phlebotomy, physical and occupational therapy, radiography, respiratory therapy, sonography

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | umassd.edu Mark Fuller, interim chancellor

285 Old Westport Road Dartmouth, Mass. 02747 (508) 999-8000

828 80

Medical laboratory science and nursing

CLOSER LOOK

Total health care students enrolled:

12,880 LIST RESEARCHED BY James Bessette NEED A COPY? To purchase a copy of this list, call (401) 273-2201 or visit PBN.com/lists for more information.

UPCOMING LISTS Feb. 19: Public Companies in Rhode Island; March 5: Residential Real Estate Agencies, Rhode Islandbased Banks, Chief Financial Officers WANT TO JOIN? For more information about participating in PBN’s Top Lists, or to make additions or corrections, call (401) 680-4838 or write to Research@PBN.com.

NL = Not listed last year.

FOOTNOTES j David M. Dooley will retire in June.

6 2020: 7

Salve Regina University | salve.edu Kelli J. Armstrong

100 Ochre Point Ave. Newport, R.I. 02840 (401) 847-6650

724 77

Applied Behavioral Analysis, health care admin, holistic counseling, nursing, rehabilitation counseling

New England Institute of Technology | neit.edu Richard I. Gouse

1 New England Tech Blvd.

East Greenwich, R.I. 02818 (401) 739-5000

421 39

Health science, medical assistant and administration, medical lab technician, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, surgical technology, respiratory care

Johnson & Wales Univeristy | jwu.edu Marie Bernardo-Sousa, president, Providence campus

8 Abbott Park Place Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 598-1000

394 24

Dietetics and applied nutrition; health sciences; occupational therapy; physician assistant studies; public health

Wheaton College | wheatoncollege.edu Dennis M. Hanno 2

26 East Main St. Norton, Mass. 02766 (508) 286-8200

152 11

Biochemistry, neuroscience, public health

2020: 8

911Programs Career Training Institute | 911programs.com William Howe

175 Metro Center Blvd., Unit 1 Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 773- 7716

100 15

Certified nursing assistant, EMT, medical assistant, medical coding and billing, patient care technician, phlebotomy

11

Bryant University | bryant.edu Ross Gittell

1150 Douglas Pike Smithfield, R.I. 02917 (401) 232-6000

92 53

Master of science in physician assistant studies

2020: 11

12

Roger Williams University | rwu.edu Ioannis Miaoulis

1 Old Ferry Road Bristol, R.I. 02809 (401) 253-1040

46 NA

Emergency medical services, health care administration, healthy communities, public health, social and health services

13

Providence College | providence.edu Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard

1 Cunningham Square Providence, R.I. 02918 (401) 865-2487

40 NA

Health care administration pre-medical, health professions certificate

7

2020: 6

8

2020: NL

9

2020: 9

10

2020: 10

2020: NL

30 | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com 1 David M. Dooley will retire in June.

2 Dennis M. Hanno will leave Wheaton College as president late in the 2021 calendar year. The college is currently searching for Hanno's replacement.

 Dennis M. Hanno will leave Wheaton College as president late in the 2021 calendar year. The college is currently searching for Hanno’s replacement.

HEALTH CARE | FOCUS

GET THE NEIT Health Sciences Degree Programs

Medical Assisting & Administration (AS) Medical Laboratory Technology (AS) Nursing (AS, RN to BSN, MSNP) Occupational Therapy (AS, MS, OTD) Paramedic Technology (AS) Physical Therapist Assistant (AS) STAYING CONNECTED: Yoga instructor Jackie Hattoy leads a virtual yoga class on Jan. 21 at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island’s Your Blue Store in Cranston. By the end of 2020, the health insurer had recorded 180 online yoga sessions and its video engagement had increased by 3,000% over the prior year.

PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

skill to be a reason why people didn’t participate,” Ryan said.

Ivette Luna, Blue Cross manager of consumer engagement, said other in-person activities also successfully transitioned to digital formats.

The company has moved education programs online, including programs on positive thinking and building resiliency.

People can get alerts when a new topic is available, she said. The idea is to rebuild a community to help people soldier through what for many can be an isolating experience, living through a pandemic.

Before the pandemic, a group formed out of the retail stores that had 300 members participating in a fitness challenge. It has continued through 2020, Luna said, with 50 people now participating in a virtual walking group.

“We wanted to figure out ways to provide support,” Luna said. “What are the needs of our membership, for their overall health and well-being?”

Other wellness companies with established programs have reached out to members scattered far from traditional workplaces, to keep them engaged.

Virgin Pulse Inc., which has its headquarters in Providence, did not respond to requests for an interview. But in its online materials, the company suggested ways its client companies could continue to get their employees engaged in healthy habits,

including by launching a challenge to keep remote members involved.

In literature aimed at health plans that offer Virgin Pulse as a benefit, the company encouraged proactive communication. Virgin Pulse members engage with their apps an average of 21 days a month, according to the company.

In late January, sensing a need among its member companies, the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce announced it would help businesses gain access to a low-cost suite of wellness and telemedicine benefits as an add-on to an employer’s existing medical plan.

The “concierge service” would provide useful resources that can be used in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chamber said.

Laurie White, Chamber CEO and president, said the pandemic has encouraged companies to adopt technologies that make it easier for people to connect professionally and personally, and has created more demand for services that used to be traditionally provided in person.

“At the top of the list for employers is the ability to provide their employees with access to different kinds of wellness programs,” White said.

“At this point in time, after a year’s worth of experience with ‘virtual everything,’ there’s heightened acceptance about embracing telehealth and telemedicine platforms. That’s the new delivery model, and we’ll be doing a lot more with it in 2021.” n

(MS) Public Health H

Rehabilitation Sciences (BS) Respiratory Care (AS)

NEW ENGL AND

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Surgical Technology (AS)

neit.edu | 401-467-7744

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FOCUS | PHYSICIAN GROUP PRACTICES (ranked by number of local physicians) FOCUS | PHYSICIAN GROUP PRACTICES (ranked by number of local physicians) CLOSER LOOK

Company | Website CEO/President

Address Phone

No. of local physicians No. of locations

1

Lifespan Physician Group Inc. | lifespan.org Dr. Steven Lampert, president

167 Point St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 444-4000

682 78

Cardiology, dermatology, neurosciences, pediatric and primary care, psychiatry and behavioral health, women's health

2

Care New England Medical Group | carenewengland.org Bryan P. Liese, interim chief operating officer

45 Willard Ave. Providence, R.I. 02905 (401) 681-2818

292 52

Breast health, cardiology, emergency medicine, family medicine, gastroenterology, orthopedics, surgery, women's health

2020: 3

3

Southcoast Physicians Group | southcoast.org Dr. Elizabeth Smith, president

450 William S. Canning Blvd.

Fall River, Mass. 02721 (844) 744-5544

284 65

Cancer care, cardiology, dermatology, family medicine, OB-GYN, orthopedics, pain medicine, urgent care

4 2020: 4

Brown Medicine | brownmed.org Ann M. Kashmanian

110 Elm St., 2nd Floor Providence, R.I. 02903 (877) 771-7401

272 9

Allergy and clinical immunology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, geriatric and palliative medicine, hematology/oncology

Coastal Medical Inc. | coastalmedical.com Dr. G. Alan Kurose

10 Davol Square Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 421-4000

95 20

Primary health care practice

2021 rank

2020: 1

2020: 2

5

2020: 5

6

Specialties

Total number of local physicians:

2,185 Re-ranked by number of locations:

1

Lifespan Physician Group Inc. No. of locations: 78

2

Southcoast Physicians Group No. of locations: 65

Performance Physical Therapy | performanceptri.com Michelle Collie, owner and CEO

21 Division St. Pawtucket, R.I. 02860 (401) 726-7100

83 13

Physical therapy and athletic training services

7

Rhode Island Medical Imaging Inc. | rimirad.com Dr. John Pezzullo, president

125 Metro Center Blvd.

Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 432-2400

79 12

CT, DEXA, mammography, MRI, ultrasound, X-ray

8

CharterCARE Medical Associates | chartercare.org Michal Frejka, vice president of practice operations

50 Maude St. Providence, R.I. 02908 (401) 456-2636

67 26

Endocrinology, family practice, gastroenterology, infectious disease, neurology, pulmonary and sleep medicine, rheumatology

2020: 9

Providence Community Health Centers Inc. | providencechc.org Merrill R. Thomas

375 Allens Ave. Providence, R.I. 02905 (401) 444-0400

64 10

Provides adult medicine, asthma-allergy care, behavioral health, dental care, family medicine, health education, podiatry and urgent care

10

University Surgical Associates Inc. | usasurg.org Dr. William Cioffi, president

2 Dudley St. Providence, R.I. 02904 (401) 272-1800

54 21

Breast surgery, general, pediatric, surgical oncology, thoracic, transplant, vascular surgical and critical care

NEED A COPY? To purchase a copy of this list, call (401) 273-2201 or visit PBN.com/lists for more information.

2020: 8

Thundermist Health Center | thundermisthealth.org Jeanne LaChance

450 Clinton St. Woonsocket, R.I. 02895 (401) 767-4100

47 3

Medical, dental and behavioral health care for patients of all ages

12

University Orthopedics Inc. | universityorthopedics.com Dr. Edward Akelman, president

1 Kettle Point Ave. East Providence, R.I. 02914 (401) 443-5000

46 9

Hand therapy, orthopedics and physical therapy

UPCOMING LISTS Feb. 19: Public Companies in Rhode Island; March 5: Residential Real Estate Agencies, Rhode Islandbased Banks, Chief Financial Officers

Orthopedics Rhode Island 1 | orthopedicsri.com Dr. Michael P. Bradley

200 Crossings Blvd.

Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 777-7000

25 9

Hand, wrist and upper extremity, joint preservation and replacement, orthopedics, outpatient therapy and advanced imaging

2020: 13

Medical Associates of Rhode Island Inc. | medassociatesofri.com Dr. Pamela Harrop, president

1180 Hope St. Bristol, R.I. 02809 (401) 253-8900

23 2

Dermatology, internal medicine, pediatrics, podiatry

15

University Gastroenterology | universitygi.com Dr. Eric P. Berthiaume, president

33 Staniford St. Providence, R.I. 02905 (401) 421-8800

22 4

Gastroenterology

2020: 16

16

Anchor Medical Associates | anchormedical.org Dr. Nathan B. Beraha, CEO and medical director

1 Commerce St. Lincoln, R.I. 02865 (401) 793-8484

19 3

Primary care services for family medicine: echocardiography, pediatric cardiology

17 2020: 17

The Rhode Island Eye Institute | rieyeinstitute.com Dr. R. Jeffrey Hofmann, managing partner

150 East Manning St. Providence, R.I. 02906 (401) 272-2020

11 4

Corneal diseases and transplants, diabetic retinopathy, LASIK procedures, pediatric ophthalmology, reconstructive surgery of the eyes and face

Barrington Pediatric Associates Inc. | barringtonpediatrics.com Ronni Peltz, managing partner

334D County Road Barrington, R.I. 02806 (401) 247-2288

8 1

Pediatrics

Rhode Island Ear, Nose & Throat Physicians Inc. | rient.net Barry Rafanelli, administrator

148 West River St., Suite 2A Providence, R.I. 02904 (401) 728-0140

6 4

Allergies, hearing aids, ear, nose and throat

NorthMain Radiation Oncology | usoncology.com/patients/ practices/northmain-radiation-oncology Nicklas Oldenburg, president

825 North Main St. Providence, R.I. 02904 (401) 521-9700

5 2

Radiation oncology

Cardiology Consultants LLC Dr. Ara Sadaniantz

1 Randall Square, Suite 305 Providence, R.I. 02904 (401) 223-0223

1 1

Cardiology

2020: 7

2020: 6

2020: 10

9

2020: 11

11

2020: 12

13

2020: 15

14

2020: 14

18

2020: 18

19

2020: 19

20

2020: 20

21

2020: 21

1 Also| known as Ortho 5-18, Rhode 2021 Island. | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com 32 FEBRUARY

3

Care New England Medical Group No. of locations: 52

LIST RESEARCHED BY James Bessette

WANT TO JOIN? For more information about participating in PBN’s Top Lists, or to make additions or corrections, call (401) 680-4838 or write to Research@PBN.com.

FOOTNOTE j Also known as Ortho Rhode Island.

IT’S PERSONAL Greineder wins presidential award STEVE GREINEDER, a retired Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport senior technologist for acoustic signal processing, has won a 2019 Meritorious Senior Professional Presidential Rank Award.

The award, which is presented by the president of the United States, recognizes a small group of career senior executives who demonstrate extraordinary professional, technical and scientific achievements on a national or international level. Greineder won the award based on identifying a critical gap in national security centered on maritime critical infrastructure.

What was your reaction to being awarded a 2019 Meritorious Senior Professional Presidential Rank Award?

Surprised, appreciative and thankful. Throughout my entire career, I had one simple goal: to use my gifts and education to assist those that have chosen a career in the military. Toward that end, my focus has always been on improving existing systems or creating entirely new approaches to help reduce the uncertainty associated with undersea warfare. I believe I have been successful in that regard. That said, being honored by this award means that other people believe that as well. That feels good.

What inspired you to work in your field?

As a teenager growing up in Waterford, Conn., I routinely crossed over the Gold-Star Bridge up the river from the submarine base in Groton. As such, I frequently saw submarines returning to or leaving the base. I remember thinking what a cool job that would be. I began working at NUWC as a junior engineer developing and testing automated multi-target acoustic tracking algorithms. As I got older and did well academically, the seed of becoming an engineer was planted by my guidance counselor.

Since I liked tinkering with electricity, electrical engineering was suggested as something I might enjoy. After

my first semester at the University of Connecticut, I realized I really still had no idea what a career in electrical engineering would entail. During Christmas break, a friend of my mother’s suggested that I apply to the Naval Undersea [Warfare] Center for a summer job. There I found lots of challenging problems to think about and after almost 40 years later, I retired from that summer job.

How has the coronavirus impacted your life personally and professionally?

When COVID hit, the house became an office building to my wife, a newly hired first grade teacher and a semi-commuting junior in college. Since I had originally planned to return to NUWC as a retired annuitant to work part time, this provided the impetus to do just that.

What do you hope you have left behind as your legacy at NUWC? I believe it is as simple/difficult as this. To be successful at anything: Know who you are and what you want; know what you know and what you don’t; learn what you need to know; understand that engineering, or work in any organization in general, is a team sport; and understand effective communication is essential in all team sports [and] learn how to communicate effectively. n

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE STAFFING Brian Leite, a leader in the local staffing industry, has been promoted to Managing Executive at The Greysmith Companies.

He has been a driving force in the company for 16 years. Now, as a shareholder, he is responsible for establishing goals and strategic objectives to drive corporate growth.

Greysmith is a highly regarded strategic search and staffing firm and Brian is committed to delivering the highest level of satisfaction to its clients. Brian is also the Vice President of the Rhode Island Staffing Association where he leads legislative initiatives on behalf of the staffing industry and local business community.

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of The Groden Network, a 501© 3 non-profit that has supported individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities since 1976. Pearis will now oversee the management of The Groden and Cove Centers, both in Rhode Island and The Halcyon Center in MA. He holds a BA from Florida A&M and an MBA (Finance) from Pepperdine University. Throughout his career, Pearis has held executive positions at several RI non-profits

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www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | 33

IT’S PERSONAL MACKAY’S MORAL | HARVEY MACKAY

Recipe for success A SIXTH GRADE GIRL was running for the post of secretary of her school class. A major part of her campaign was a speech to be given to her classmates, but she had no idea what to say. So, she asked her mother for ideas.

“Well, you love to cook,” her mom said. “Why don’t you look in a cookbook?”

It was the stupidest idea she’d ever heard, but, desperate, the young girl followed her mother’s advice. Then, flipping through the pages, it hit her: Why not write a recipe for what would make a good class secretary? Two cups of good handwriting, one cup of dependability and so on.

Jan Bolick, now a management coach, won the election. And she also learned to look in unusual places for creative solutions. As it turns out, creativity is part of the “recipe” for attaining success.

What is success? The answer might depend on whom you ask and the particular stage of their own journey.

Yet, no matter your age, occupation or dream for the future, achieving success comes down to a few basic factors that will likely shape your future. n Know what you want. Build your dream, craft your vision, write down

your goals and then create a plan.

Whether or not you ask for advice, never let someone talk you out of something that you have your heart set on doing. n Search for creative approaches.

Sticking to the old formula will produce old results. If you can find a new or better way to build the proverbial mousetrap, more power to you. Even little tweaks and bright ideas can make the difference. n Avoid comparisons. You have goals and aspirations that have little to do with what your friends, neighbors or colleagues are doing. Focus on what you are trying to accomplish and your plan for making that ­happen. n Cultivate patience. Worthwhile success takes time. If you’re in a rush, you’ll cut corners and ignore warning signs. Take a step-by-step approach that’s focused on long-term results.

Go for quick wins only when they’re realistic and valuable. n Cut out negative self-talk. Perfec-

tion often gets in the way of achievement. Successful people stick to a path of continual growth and self-improvement; they are constantly working to become a smarter, better version of themselves. n Admit your mistakes. Failure/ mistakes are not fatal. When they happen, learn from them. Figure out what went wrong if you can. Then pick yourself up, get back on your feet and keep moving forward. n Don’t go it alone. Network. Get involved with a group or professional organization of individuals in your field. Include people at all stages of their careers. Stay connected through social media channels and make an effort to meet in person regularly. Don’t take these relationships for granted.

“Life should teach you who you are,” Oprah Winfrey said in a commencement address at Wellesley College. The media mogul and former talk show host says for a long time she spent her life wanting to be someone

Perfection often gets in the way of achievement.

else. She recalled wanting to be like legendary television personality Barbara Walters, and discovered she was not when she could not pronounce “Barbados” on air.

She said she started to laugh on air, which was not very Barbara-like.

From that moment on, Oprah says she knew that she could be a better Oprah than a Barbara, and she decided to pursue just being herself.

Her phenomenal success was the result of being “demoted” from news anchor to talk show host. She said, “I am just thrilled that I get paid so much money every day for just being myself. But it was a lesson long in coming, recognizing that I had the instinct, that inner voice that told me that you need to try to find a way to answer to your own truth, was the voice I needed to be still and listen to.” n Mackay’s Moral: Success is the difference between jumping on the bandwagon and leading the band.

Harvey Mackay is the author of the New York Times bestseller “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.” He can be reached through his website, www.harveymackay.com.

Honorees will be selected as industry leaders & women-to-watch in these six categories: CREATIVE SERVICES

Do you know a POWERFUL & INFLUENTIAL

omen

BUSINESS Don’t miss your chance to NOMINATE HER TODAY.

Advertising Design Marketing The Arts

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Hospitality Insurance Legal Real Estate

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Accounting Banking Financial Advisors

SOCIAL SERVICES Education Government Nonprofits

Administrators Nurses Physicians

TECHNICAL SERVICES

Architecture Construction Engineering IT | Manufacturing

Additionally, one woman will be chosen for career achievement & another for being an outstanding mentor to other business women.

applications now being accepted at

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IT’S PERSONAL TO SAVOR | JESSICA NORRIS GRANATIERO

Awesome-sauce pairings AT THE START OF EACH YEAR, we often put forth resolutions, vowing to make changes – eat and cook better, exercise more, try new things. I refer to these declarations as intentions, which to me seem more directed and mindful. For me, one of those intentions has been to learn how to make various sauces, not doctoring up store-bought ones.

During the pandemic, I’ve been forced to cook more at home. I used new ingredients – maca powder, for example, totally unknown to me before the pandemic. I paired new wines with my new dishes. I incorporated learnings from my mother, and from my good friend Katie Roberts, an established chef in Providence.

This year, I look forward to pairing and sipping wine with my newly developed sauces, which are the key components of dishes when considering with which wine to pair. Here is my cheat sheet of various sauces and the best wines to pair with them. Important sauce considerations include acid, spice, herbs, body and cheese.

Save it for future reference.

Primavera, herb and pesto sauces.

The acid in these sauces is best paired with crisp, stainless-steel fermented whites or unoaked red wines. Try

Italian whites – vernaccia, falanghina, vermentino or arneis or a French Loire Valley sauvignon blanc. For reds, pair with higher-acid Italian red options – unoaked Chianti, dolcetto or nebbiolo – or lighter unoaked cabernet franc, such as those from Rhode Island, upstate New York or France.

Creamy sauces. Carbonara sauces pair with whites that have a medium body and are not oaky. Try pinot blanc, pinot gris, unoaked chardonnay or the Italian white Soave. For a richer, cream-based dish, enjoy merlot or barbera.

Tomato-based sauces. For fresh, whole tomato sauces, try crisp, dry, no-oak whites, like those from Switzerland, Slovenia and northern Italy’s Alto Adige. Unoaked, vibrant, fresh reds with acid work great, like sangiovese, nebbiolo or dolcetto. If you are having a slightly heavier tomato sauce, try montepulciano d’Abruzzo.

Seafood sauces – tomato- and butter-based. Red sauce with shellfish or fish or bouillabaisse are best with lighter, unoaked whites such as Portugal’s vinho verde (most are less than $10), France’s muscadet or picpoul de Pinet and dry Italian or French rosés. Light butter sauce with lobster or crab pair with whites such

MATCHMAKER: The homemade meat sauce on this dish of pasta can be paired with a glass of primitivo or barbera.

COURTESY THE SAVORY GRAPE

as viognier, chardonnay and aligoté from the Burgundy region of France and sauvignon blanc/semillon blends from Bordeaux.

Meat sauces. Bolognese, meatball and sausage-based sauces are great with primitivo or nero d’avola from Italy’s Sicily and Puglia, respectively, due to their higher acid levels and

medium to full body. Likewise, red Bordeaux from France, comprised of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc, work great.

Mushroom sauces. Enjoy earthy or spicy-style wines such as riesling (local Newport Vineyards and Winery LLC makes a great one), gewürztraminer and chenin blanc for whites, and cabernet franc, gamay noir or barolo for reds.

Spicy sauces. A fruity wine is best for cooling down a spice’s heat, such as riesling and torrontes or reds such as zinfandel and Valpolicella ripasso.

Stay away from high-alcohol wines; they will make the sauce taste spicier.

Teriyaki sauces. Teriyaki sauces can be salty, so try a low-tannin, fruity-style pinot noir, malbec or zinfandel. For whites, pair with a sweeter riesling or pinot gris.

Brown gravy. A classic brown gravy pairs well with light- or mediumbodied reds such as pinot noir, cotes du Rhone and even fruity zinfandel.

For whites, try chardonnay or even a medium, off-dry sparkling. n Jessica Norris Granatiero is the founder of The Savory Grape, a wine, beer and spirits shop in East Greenwich.

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www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | 35

OPINION EDITORIALS

Gray areas in vaccine distribution lead others to fill in blanks

LINING UP: People ages 65 to 74 could begin to receive their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine this month, but state health officials say they also want to prioritize people in several hard-hit c­ommunities.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF MEDICINE VIA AP

Rhode Island’s plan to prioritize COVID-19 vaccine distribution by age, underlying health conditions and geography makes sense conceptually. For it to be effective, however, the state must eliminate gray areas in its guidance that to this point have left too much to interpretation by community groups eager to get their constituencies vaccinated.

Many residents were stunned to hear that the state’s two largest hospital groups, Lifespan Corp. and Care New England Health System, were offering vaccines to workers positioned well behind the front lines in the health care crisis, including board members.

In a state where leaders cite a limited supply of vaccine yet profess to support federal guidelines to vaccinate residents aged 65 and older now, this is a clear and potentially disastrous conflict of priorities. Yet state Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said publicly that Lifespan and CNE were given leeway to decide which individuals among their thousands of employees needed the vaccine.

The state was right, however, in deciding teachers would not be a priority in the next phase of vaccine distribution. That’s not because teachers don’t deserve it – it’s because there isn’t enough vaccine to go around.

But Dr. Alexander-Scott also said people in parts of several communities hard-hit by the virus will be prioritized this month. How the state plans to do this, while also shifting to vaccinating a larger group of seniors statewide, remains unclear.

Such gray areas only frustrate residents, while encouraging inequities in distribution that state leaders say they are eager to avoid. n

State can help fill PPP gaps The latest round of Paycheck Protection Program funding has not generated the same frenzy and confusion for local banks or borrowers as occurred last year.

But a new provision designed to root out abuse that was prevalent in the two previous rounds of funding, while ensuring money gets to those who need it most, is still leaving some deserving businesses frustrated.

Borrowers seeking a second loan from the program must show a 25% cut to gross revenue compared with 2020, either for the whole year or a specific quarter.

Such a provision does help ensure the money doesn’t run out too quickly for companies that suffered the most last year.

But it can leave out businesses that treaded water last year but might still go under this winter.

No program is perfect. This is where state programs need to be tweaked to explicitly target the new gaps in PPP funding.

Companies that clawed their way through 2020 will help lift this state from recession, if they can find the support they need now. n

POLL CENTRAL EXECUTIVE POLL

Shot in the arm Do you feel the new vaccines will reduce or help eliminate COVID-19?

Are you optimistic the vaccines will be available to all by the end of 2021?

Yes: 100%

Yes: 86%

No: 0%

Unsure: 14% No: 0%

Will your company require employees to be vaccinated?

PBN.COM POLL

Should Rhode Island businesses offer employees on-site COVID-19 tests?

JAN. 22-28

Yes, it is another way to help limit the spread of the virus

40%

Yes, but only if it is voluntary for employees

No, that could raise legal issues for already overwhelmed employers

40%

No, only health care professionals should administer such tests

7%

12%

No: 57%

What is your opinion on the early vaccine rollout?

Unsure: 29%

It’s going too slow: 86%

Yes: 14%

It’s going faster than expected: 14%

Yes, but only on a case-by-case basis: 0%

It’s going at the right pace: 0%

The Providence Business News Executive Poll is a weekly survey of 70 business leaders throughout the state, representing small and large companies in a variety of industries.

I don’t know 0%

THIS WEEK’S POLL: Is R.I. Commerce Corp. well-positioned to help the state climb out of the pandemic-induced recession?

•Y es, its mix of economic incentives and programs to grow jobs is just what the state needs to emerge from the pandemic • Yes, though it will need to continue temporarily shifting its focus toward smaller businesses for at least the next year • No, the agency’s pre-pandemic focus on larger employers is out of touch with the state’s economy • No, it needs a complete overhaul • I don’t know To vote, go to PBN.com and follow the link on the home page

36 | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

OPINION OPINION

It’s time to take control where we can

A. KATHRYN POWER GUEST COLUMN

We knew from the start that the COVID-19 pandemic was going to do more than make people sick. Just days after our country’s first cases last year, experts were warning that this could have a dire impact on our mental health.

Twelve months later, COVID-19 and its upheaval have caused what some are calling a mental health pandemic.

But I caution against an overly pessimistic view.

Yes, COVID-19 is causing stress and anxiety, not only about our physical health but jobs and livelihood, the well-being of loved ones, children who are not in school, and the many ways this scourge has interrupted and complicated our lives.

The medical community has responded with precautions and, more recently, vaccines to help us reduce the risk of infection.

It is important to remember that we must also respond in ways that reduce the risk of adverse impact on our mental health.

We are seldom asked how we would define our mental health status, or how we would describe our emotions and the ways we are expressing ourselves. Yet we should be hav-

ing these discussions. Our behavior, after all, is a reflection of our mental and emotional state.

For some, the COVID-19 pandemic, with its prolonged stress and interruptions, has felt overwhelming. But sometimes lost in the discussion about the dangers is the importance of thinking about how we respond and how we cope. I have found that even when we are inclined to think a particular challenge is too much, that we can’t get through it, the truth is that in the long run, we are much more resilient and adaptive than we think. Even the most anxious human beings can adapt to an unusual situation and do so with tremendously successful emotional mastery. In the process, they become much more creative and discover new aspects of themselves.

To do this, we must take control of those things that we can control. Even if we are out of work, or working at home, we can establish and maintain a schedule – getting up in the morning and organizing our day, saying this is where I am going to proceed. This can be as simple as getting dressed, setting goals and making sure we have the essentials

Fear and anxiety should not eclipse healthy patterns and routines.

(food, medications, etc.) that we need.

Taking control can also mean other steps such as eating healthy foods, exercising, getting enough rest, staying in touch with others and making time to have fun. It can mean avoiding alcohol and drugs and avoiding too much news. Of course, we want to know what’s happening, but we don’t want to drown out the message about how we respond and cope, and how we sustain hope.

Fear and anxiety should not eclipse healthy patterns and routines. If they do, it is important to seek help. In Rhode Island, that is as simple as calling 401-414-LINK (5465), which takes callers to BH Link, the state’s 24/7 behavioral health triage center.

We know the pandemic, and this latest surge, will eventually end. But we also know that we will feel its impact for a long time.

That is why we must embrace practices that will help us get on our feet and stay there.

Coping in healthy ways can help us get through the pandemic and help us as we face the next challenges that come our way.

At some point, having made the decision to cope and take charge during this difficult time, we will look back and see that we are stronger than we realized, and stronger for having taken that path. n A. Kathryn Power is the director of the R.I. Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals.

Next vaccine hurdle: Persuading people to get it TIMOTHY CALLAGHAN AND MATT MOTTA GUEST COLUMN

Today, more Americans hope to receive a COVID-19 vaccine than current vaccine supply will allow. Consequently, although President Joe Biden’s initial promise to dole out 100 million vaccine doses in 100 days would require a ramp-up in vaccine allocation, some consider the promise to be insufficient to meet current levels of demand and put the pandemic’s spread into decline.

The current mismatch between vaccine demand and supply, however, may be short-lived. Despite concerns about lagging vaccine allocation for front-line health care workers and other vulnerable groups, health experts are optimistic that public demand for a COVID-19 vaccine will remain high in coming months as more vaccine doses become available.

While it is clear that many political leaders expect public demand for a coronavirus vaccine to be strong, whether or not expectations can live up to reality is an open question. In fact, there is some evidence to suggest instead that large segments of both the public and health care workers do not intend to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Figuring out whether or not some people are less likely to get vaccinated – and their reasons for not getting vaccinated – can help political leaders and health professionals better anticipate vaccine demand. If some social, political and other demographic groups are more (or less) likely to intend to get vaccinated than others, demand for a vaccine may be higher (or lower) in vaccine distribution networks that primarily service vaccine-hesitant groups.

Additionally, understanding why some

individuals are more likely to refuse vaccination than others can help inform health communication efforts to increase vaccine uptake.

In a recent peer-reviewed study, we provide important insight into what public demand for a coronavirus vaccine could actually look like, once most Americans have the opportunity to get vaccinated. Just as important, we detail reasons certain Americans do not intend to get vaccinated.

We studied Americans’ COVID-19 vaccination intentions in a large, demographically representative online survey of 5,009 U.S. adults, conducted in June 2020. We measured vaccination intentions by asking respondents whether or not they would pursue getting vaccinated for the coronavirus if a COVID-19 vaccine became available.

Our study found that almost a third (31.1%) of respondents did not intend to pursue vaccination. This is concerning, given that recent epidemiological estimates suggest that up to 70% of Americans must become immune to COVID-19 in order to put the pandemic’s spread into decline.

We also found strong differences in vaccination intention between key demographic groups. Notably, we found that 35.7% of women (vs. 26.3% of men), 42.9% of Black people (vs. 28.6% of white people), and 37.8% of conservatives (vs. 33.4% of independents and 24.1% of liberals) intended to forgo vaccination.

Our study provides new insights into the reasons that some Americans do not intend to get vaccinated. We found that concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the

vaccine were the most consistent reasons for forgoing vaccination. We also found that portions of the American public did not intend to pursue vaccination because they lack health insurance, lack the financial resources they believe they need to be vaccinated or because they have already had COVID-19.

Our findings point to two key takeaways.

First, political leaders and public health experts need to recognize that what appears to be considerable public demand for the COVID-19 vaccine right now may be more modest in the coming months, as more Americans have the opportunity to get vaccinated.

In its place, experts will be faced with the new challenge of convincing hesitant groups to get vaccinated in order to reach herd immunity and end the pandemic.

Second, our results demonstrate that in these efforts to vaccinate the hesitant, a one-size-fits-all approach to health communications will be insufficient. While health communications aimed at emphasizing the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine will be important, for some groups, it will be just as important to emphasize that Americans can be vaccinated against COVID-19 for free, regardless of insurance status. Developing these communications and identifying appropriate messengers to deliver this information will be vital to stopping the pandemic. n Timothy Callaghan is an assistant professor at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health. Matt Motta is an assistant professor of political science at Oklahoma State University. Distributed by The Associated Press.

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | 37

ONE LAST THING Virtual sales lure visitors

THE

most significant change in business this past year has been the exponential growth in online buying.

Hundreds and hundreds of packages began arriving on Block Island every day throughout the shutdown, notably representing purchases that people had made online that otherwise would have been made in person.

Online buying is not something that is going away, even after the pandemic does.

The challenge we face is that Block Island, like any other tourism destination, is not a virtual experience. People want to be here, put their toes in the sand, visit our shops, eat at our restaurants and stay at an inn or hotel.

Why I think it’s important for a business of any size to have a strong digital presence is not necessarily to only provide a way to shop online. It’s to offer any potential customers an opportunity to take a virtual tour of your store or shop in order to see what your product line is.

It’ll be an enticement to hurry up and get here.

This is the way we look for hotel rooms and resorts. And I think we can orient shoppers to do much the same thing when looking for that perfect Block Island gift or product.

A strong online presence will allow people anywhere in the world to visit your business long before they get here. n

Lars Trodson Block Island Chamber of Commerce executive director Lars Trodson last month was named executive director of the 300-member Block Island Chamber of Commerce.

He’s a former editor of The Block Island Times who also served as publisher, managing editor and editor of several other New England publications.

COURTESY BLOCK ISLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

38 | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

PANEL DISCUSSION

Local business experts from various industry sectors providing thoughts on the Ocean State’s economic trends and forecasts for 2021, as well as industry-specific viewpoints.

TOPICS INCLUDE

• Congress has approved a second stimulus package. What is the impact to the markets? What industries could be helped that were excluded from the first round?

• What are the trends going forward in the commercial real estate markets?

KEYNOTE SPEAKER THOMAS TZITOURIS Head of Fixed Income Research, Strategas PANELISTS KRISTEN ADAMO

President & CEO, Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau (PWCVB)

ALDEN ANDERSON JR.

• What is the tone of the current bond market? What should we expect near-term? And how will the results of the presidential race influence fixed income in 2021 and beyond?

Senior Vice President/ Partner, CBRE/New England | Brokerage

• What are some of the notable provisions from the proposed Biden tax plan and what could be the impact be to companies and individuals?

President & COO, Washington Trust

• How could the change in state leadership impact the RI economy?

• What will it take for the RI hospitality industry to rebound?

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MARK GIM

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For sponsorship and advertising opportunities, contact Advertising@PBN.com | 401.680.4800 www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | FEBRUARY 5-18, 2021 | 39

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