PBN October 2-8, 2020

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

PBN pbn.com

OCTOBER 2-8, 2020

BUSINESS WOMEN

SPECIAL SECTION

Her career path hasn’t exactly gone by design | 8

PBN’s Best Places To Work 2020 Awards

YOUR SOURCE FOR BUSINESS NEWS IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND | VOL. 35, NO. 28 | $4

I-195 district plans altered by pandemic

FOCUS: TECHNOLOGY/ CYBERSECURITY

EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS

Colleges cater to demand for online protection

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 pandemic on commercial development has reached the I-195 Redevelopment District, where several projects are under construction, approaching groundbreakings or in design.

More than ever, the mix of what might be built on the former highway land is leading the public discussion.

For several years, observers have raised questions about whether too much residential development was heading to the district, meant to be a job-creation center for Rhode Island.

Now, some wonder if there isn’t too much retail space, too, as plans for new offices and research labs are put on hold.

HOT TOPIC

SEE HOT TOPIC

PAGE 7

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

‘THIS IS JUST THE

BEGINNING’

TAILORED INITIATIVES: Oscar Mejias, CEO of the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, says educational and financial support programs adapted to the specific needs of minority business owners are fundamental to boosting their success.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

WHEN THE FEDERAL government started stepping up enforcement of cybersecurity requirements for agencies and contractors, McLaughlin Research Corp. was in a bind.

The Middletown-based engineering and technical support firm was subject to the federal standards due to its contracts with the U.S. Navy. But instituting a complex, rigorous set of unfamiliar cybersecurity protocols was more than the two-person informationtechnology department could handle, said Christopher SEE PROTOCOLS

Latino business leader: Some barriers lowered, but more to go

PAGE 18

BY ALEXA GAGOSZ | Gagosz@PBN.com (Editor’s note: This is the second installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders.)

OSCAR

ONE LAST THING Willa Kammerer Our stories can help us connect | 30

Mejias didn’t have much choice when he and his f­ amily fled Venezuela in 2003 amid political persecution.

But that nightmare started a journey that eventually led him to Rhode Island, where he is now CEO of the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a business owner.

In Venezuela, Mejias had been a midlevel executive at Petróleos de Venezuela, a state-run oil company, when he joined thousands of his colleagues in a strike intended to force the resignation of then-Venezuelan SEE MEJIAS PAGE 12

SCREEN TIME: Mike Kelly, ­cybersecurity program director for the Community College of Rhode Island, performs a threat check.

PBN PHOTO/KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

BUSINESS

EXCELLENCE AWARDS

20

CELEBRATING

YEARS

Congratulations

to the

winners

Winners announced on page 31

CONTENTS

PBN

COVER STORY ‘THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING’ Latino business leader: Some barriers lowered, but more to go................................. 1

400 Westminster St. Providence, RI 02903

FOR STARTERS

Main Phone: 401-273-2201

Hot Topic: I-195 district plans altered by pandemic............. 1 Business Best-sellers..............................................................3 5Q: Gregory W. Bowman.........................................................4 Trending: Most-read stories on PBN.com, September 2020......................................................................5 Spotlight: Providence Kayak Co..............................................6 Something New: Enotap LLC..................................................6 Business Women: Her career path hasn’t exactly gone by design.....................8 News Briefs..............................................................................9 What’s Happening.................................................................. 10

Subscription Services: 855-813-5805

5Q | 4

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

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

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

ANOTHER LOOK Wexford OK’d to delay 2nd phase......................................... 14 Butler first to begin global drug trial.................................... 14

Marketing and Events Manager: Donna Rofino, 680-4832 Marketing, Events & Social Media Coordinator: Tracy Hoyt, 680-4818

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC Amid outbreaks, colleges fight to salvage semester........... 15

Senior Account Managers: Linda Foster, 680-4812 Jim Hanrahan, 680-4816

IT’S PERSONAL People in the News................................................................24 Mackay’s Moral......................................................................25 Guest Column: Peter George................................................26 Guest Column: Junia Howell and Elizabeth Korver-Glenn............................27 Editorials and Opinion...........................................................28 One Last Thing: Willa Kammerer........................................ 30

Advertising Coordinator: Joyce Rylander, 680-4810

SOMETHING NEW | 6

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

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

FOCUS: TECHNOLOGY/CYBERSECURITY

Colleges cater to demand for online protection

Web Editor: Chris Bergenheim, 680-4886

Local collegess have stepped up their cyber offerings and incorporated basic digital literacy into their curriculums to teach students about the risks of cyberthreats............................................... 1

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

Attention-grabbing tech in the works for cyclists Revolution Cycle Works is developing a wearable technology that is automatically detected by a vehicle’s collision-warning system to make bicyclists more visible to drivers.......................................... 19

List Cybersecurity Companies.................................................... 20

(EDUCATION, NONPROFITS)

FOCUS: TECHNOLOGY/CYBERSECURITY | 19

8

Butler Hospital

14

Center for Southeast Asians

12

Children’s Friend

7

ONE Neighborhood Builders

7

Peregrine Group LLC

7

Providence College

15

Providence Kayak Co.

6

Community College of Rhode Island

18

Revolution Cycle Works Co.

CV Properties LLC

14

Rhode Island Black Business Association

12

Rhode Island College

18

DiPrete Engineering Associates Inc. Emerging Studies Institute

8 12

Enotap LLC

6

Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp.

7

R.I. Commerce Corp.

18

19

Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Exeter Property Group LLC Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce

1, 12 8 9, 12, 22

R.I. Department of Environmental Management

9

Infinity Meat Solutions LLC

8

R.I. Department of Labor and Training

Jewelry District Association

7

R.I. Public Utilities Commission

McLaughlin Research Corp.

1

Salve Regina University

18

Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance

18

Multicultural Innovation Center National Grid Rhode Island

12 9 24

University of Rhode Island

NeQtar Labs LLC

18

Wexford Science & Technology LLC

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS AT PBN.COM/PBNCONNECT/

18

Nancy Lavin, 680-4822 (ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, FINANCIAL SERVICES)

Mary MacDonald, 680-4830 (GOVERNMENT, MANUFACTURING, REAL ESTATE/DEVELOPMENT)

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

CIRCULATION PBN@cambeywest.com 1-855-813-5805

ADMINISTRATION Fax: 401-274-6580 Business Manager: Tammy D’Antuono, 680-4840

©2020 Providence Business News Inc.

19 9, 15, 18, 19, 24, 29

www.facebook.com/providencebusinessnews @provbusnews www.linkedin.com/company/providence-business-news

2 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

PRODUCTION

9

The Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition

Naval Undersea Warfare Center

WHAT’S HAPPENING?

(HEALTH CARE, HOSPITALITY/TOURISM, WORKFORCE)

Researcher: Cassius Shuman, 680-4884

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED COMPANIES American Planning Association Rhode Island

Staff Writers: Alexa Gagosz, 680-4828

7, 14

Providence Business News is published weekly

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.

FOR STARTERS BUSINESS BEST-SELLERS How to Lead: Wisdom from the World’s Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers David M. Rubenstein From 2015-2020, Rubenstein spoke with the world’s highest-performing leaders about who they are and how they became successful.

He distills these revealing conversations into a leadership guidebook.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Illustrated Edition ISBN: 978-1982132156 | $22

How I Built This: The Unexpected Paths to Success from the World’s Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs

Your Hidden Superpower: The Kindness That Makes You Unbeatable at Work and Connects You with Anyone

Guy Raz

Adrienne Bankert

Raz interviewed more than 200 successful entrepreneurs and shares tips on formulating an idea, raising money and recruiting employees, dealing with competitors, earning a salary and reaping the benefits.

Bankert provides insight and advice about the act of kindness, citing examples from her research. She details how to make kindness a habit and experience more peace and inspiration in your life.

Time to Lead: Lessons for Today’s Leaders from Bold Decisions that Changed History

The Nuclear Effect: The 6 Pillars of Building a 7+ Figure Online Business

Jan-Benedict Steenkamp

Oldford writes about how to free oneself from a routine or cycle, scale a profitable, multimillion-dollar business and keep the money that is earned, using what he calls the six pillars of sustainable growth.

Winning Now, Winning Later: How Companies Can Succeed in the Short Term While Investing for the Long Term David M. Cote Cote writes from his experience as a CEO, offering 10 principles for achieving goals, sustaining longterm growth and fostering independent thinking.

Publisher: Lioncrest Publishing ISBN: 978-1544507057 | $25

Publisher: Fast Co. Press ISBN: 978-1734324822 | $28

NEWS

PBN

PROVIDENCE

BUSINESS

GIVING Guide 2019

opic Opportunities Regional Philanthr

Publisher: HarperCollins Leadership; Illustrated Edition ISBN: 978-1599510217 | $16

Calling all non-profits in Rhode Island

Don’t miss out on the chance to have over 24,000 readers learn more about your mission!

REGIONAL PHILANTHROPIC OPPORTUNITIES

SPONSOR

ISBN: 978-1400218141 | $18

Scott Oldford

Steenkamp provides a narrative of the decisionmaking processes of leaders who determined the course of human events and explains how their character traits helped them arrive at the solutions to their problems.

The annual PBN Giving Guide provides nonprofit organizations with the unique opportunity to have year-long exposure to the regions’ most influential leaders who are looking to support our most important community resources.

Publisher: HarperCollins Leadership

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ISBN: 978-0358216766 | $17

Sponsored by MISSION STATEMENT

oadsri.org 55 ❤ www.crossr , RI 02903 ❤ 401.521.22 160 Broad St. ❤ Providence

Rhode Island is The mission of Crossroads individuals and or at-risk to help homeless homes. Those we families secure stable range by engaging in our serve achieve this housing, basic needs, of services, including nt, referrals, and shelter, case manageme t services. education and employmen

WHO WE HELP

KAREN SANTILLI President & CEO

JACK McCONNELL Board Chair

: 189 NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES $16,697,862 2018 REVENUE: D: 1894 YEAR ESTABLISHE

BOARD

profile reservation: October 5 materials due: October 9

J. McConnell, Jr. Chair The Honorable John Chair Adam Hamblett Vice Chair William F. Hatfield Vice

Edwin Santos Treasurer Mary Leahey Secretary At Large Michael Fine, M.D. Member At Large Scot Jones Member At Large Mark Stewart Member Bree Member At Large Dr. Margaret M. Van Emeritus Howard G. Sutton Chair DIRECTORS M.D. Nicole E. Alexander-Scott, Jr. Alden M. Anderson, Eileen Howard Boone Virginia Branch Barbara Cottam Gonzalo Cuervo Jeffrey Dana, Esq. Karen G. DelPonte, Esq. Bradford S. Dimeo Julie Duffy, Esq. Larry Eichler, Esq. John Galvin Vera Gierke David M. Gilden, Esq. John P. Hooper, Esq.

provider of Island is the leading Crossroads Rhode than 370 residences our 125th anniversary, own or manage more Currently celebrating Rhode Island. We are experiencing to the homeless in and individuals who housing and services than 3,500 families them find year we serve more ultimate goal of helping statewide, and each violence, and those homeless, with the victims of domestic at risk of becoming homelessness or the chronically homeless, to serve. Our aim is to prevent our housing. We help permanent, stable those who are hardest the experience as homeless, to make needs, often serving if they do become our Education with the most acute but ss, through ility homelessne self-sustainab a place clients from experiencing seeking to achieve Islander deserves We also serve individuals believe every Rhode brief as possible.

At Crossroads, we Services program. and Employment to call home.

FUNDRAISING/EVENTS

businesses, of generous local the ongoing support do what we do without Crossroads couldn’t and services for and individual donors. supports programs charitable foundations of every dollar spent fact that 87 cents ss in Rhode Island.

We are proud of the awareness experiencing homelessne to raise money and individuals and families women together and Women on a business men and held in April. Men hundreds of local Our events bring Helping Women is ss in our state: Women about homelessne September.

Mission is held in fun, become a chance to have Each event provides families and and help homeless inspired, network, home. a safe place to call individuals secure information, For event sponsorship at 401-277-4330 contact Pat Campellone ri.org or pcampellone@crossroads

OPPORTUNITIES

TOP FUNDING SOURCE

S

40%

Fundraising

15%

Rental Income

43%

Grants

publish date: October 30 Find out more on how to include your profile in the 2020 edition.

GOALS

2%

Other

provides custom volunteer Volunteer Crossroads to businesses designed opportunities to local with meaningful volunteer engage their employees 401-521Ronny Figueroa at g for more information. opportunities. Contact events rfigueroa@crossroadsri.or one of our signature 2255, Ext. 706 or Crossroads.

Sponsor or attend a group project • or event to benefit a private fundraiser • Volunteer or organize donated items • Host to provide the would not be able • Host a drive to collect ss. of our donors, Crossroads their homelessne ongoing generosity of Rhode Islanders end Give Without the help thousands of We provide a variety that services and to a person in need. essential programs makes a difference how big or small, .

Monica Huertas Every gift, no matter alike to make contributions businesses and Rajiv Kumar, M.D. card. ways for individuals credit card or debit Jaclyn Leibl-Cote donation using your Magaziner Online: Make a secure General Treasurer Seth adsri.org. be sent may www.crossro at III, Esq. Rhode Island Visit our website Matthew T. Marcello, payable to Crossroads We accept VISA, and money orders Frank Mauran Providence, RI 02903.

7.

Mail & Phone: Checks 160 Broad Street, t, 401-277-432 Mello call Developmen Michael Attn: over the phone. Please to: Crossroads RI, Express information Terry Moran at www.crossroadsri.org MasterCard, or American on our secure website James Procaccianti monthly donation • Set up a recurring IRA distribution gift Tony Simon • Make a charitable • Make a stock gift tribute gift Suzanne Turcotte, Esq. Island Foundation with a memorial or Funds at the Rhode • Honor a loved one Thomas A. Verdi to one of our Endowment your company’s matching gift program Esq. • Designate a gift M. Teresa Paiva Weed, impact and give through Patrick Wholey • Make more of an m 2019 | www.pbn.co Gayle Wolf n GIVING Guide BUSINESS NEWS | PROVIDENCE 2019 10 | OCTOBER

MISSION STATEMENT

645 Elmwood Avenue ❤ Providence, RI 02907 401.784.8600 ❤ www.diiri.org ❤ info@diiri.org

Kathleen Cloutier Executive Director

NUMBER OF CURRENT EMPLOYE ES: 95 ANNUAL REVENUE : 7,145,365 YEAR ESTABLISH

ED: 1921

BOARD MEMBERS

Mary Morse President William Prichett Immediate Past President Michael Gillerlane Vice President Susan Ragano Treasurer Diego Rodriguez Assistant Treasurer April Chase-Lubitz Secretary W. Robert Kemp Assistant Secretary Judge Frank Darrigan Daniel Doucette Robert English Deborah Gonzalez Esq. Apurv Gupta, MD, MPH Robert Huseby Eileen Kwesiga Father Raymond Malm Anne Maxwell Livingston Margaret Meany Sister Irene Nerney Patricia Placencia Ralph Posner Mark Ross Philomena Teixeira Robin Torbron Warde William Twaddell

We provide services and resources to individuals working to overcome socioeconomic, systemic, and language barriers need for 125 Y E A R S so that incan they those Helping build sustainable lives and feel secure and supported in our communities.

The core goals of our programming are pervasive throughou t our agency: to help Rhode Islanders and newcomers feel welcome, gain access to opportunities, and to support and uplift some of the most vulnerable members of our communit ies.

We empower individual s and families, especially immigran ts, refugees, and underserved, to the become self-suffici ent and fully participating members of our diverse community through innovative programs and advocacy that promote education , training, and cultural understanding.

OPPORTUNITIES

Give a Gift Every investment helps change lives! Your for a refugee family generous gift could upon their arrival pay for the first warm to their new home GED, or cover a family-bas meal here in RI, help an ed green card application adult learner receive a .

Volunteer Dedicate your time to helping individuals from diverse, TOP FUNDING SOURC multicultural backgrounds; building ES the diversity and strength individuals takes a of 17% community!

Foundation Be an Ambassa and Private dor Help spread Grants and the word about our mission to help Donations immigrants, refugees, nonnative English speakers, and and community members low-income families as they journey toward 30% attaining their American Tuition Dream. and Earned 53% Clothing Collabora Income tive Donating new Grants and or gently used professional Contracts clothing to our donation center enables low-incom e clients to access work-appropriate Hire Our Clients attire when seeking We work one-on-on employment. e with individuals providing in-depth seeking employme training and guidance nt opportunities by to help them secure jobs.

FUNDRAISING EVENT

S

Every year, we celebrate newcomers, Immigrant Heritage Month, and World Refugee Day at our Welcoming Rhode Island Festival (WRIF). This festival includes live performances and a Maker’s Market of local artists who create and sell culturally diverse jewelry, clothing, and artwork. In 2019 WRIF was a part of PVDFest, and we held an official Naturalization Ceremony in Burnside Park.

For information on Corporate Giving or Event Sponsorship, please email diiridevelopment@ diiri.org or call 401-784-8 600.

14 | OCTOBER 2019 | PROVIDE NCE BUSINESS NEWS n GIVING Guide 2019 | www.pbn. com

Contact your account manager or Advertising@PBN.com. 401-680-4800

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 3

FOR STARTERS

5Q: Gregory W. Bowman Dean, Roger Williams University School of Law

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

1

What is the mission of the law school and how may that change with you as the new dean?

The mission of the law school will continue to be what it’s always been: to prepare the lawyers and leaders of the future for success in the public and private sectors, to serve the public, to pursue justice, and to promote the rule of law. It’s a mission I am proud to be part of.

2

The outlook for law school graduates has changed dramatically in the past 15 years. How do you advise third-year students to prepare for more competition?

At RWU Law, we work with each and every student to help them identify the career path of their choosing. Why did they come to law school? How do they want to make the world a better place?

What are the legal tools – the theoretical grounding and practical know-how – that they will need to pursue and realize their dreams? It’s a process that begins on day one.

3

What should business and community leaders expect from the law school? Is there a relationship that can be strengthened?

Success for the modern law school

PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

RWU Law has cultivated many mutually beneficial relationships in Rhode Island and beyond.

requires successful partnerships and collaborations with law firms, businesses, government entities, nonprofit organizations and communities. From its inception, RWU Law has cultivated many mutually beneficial relationships in Rhode Island and beyond, and we will continue to expand and deepen these ties.

4

In what ways has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the law school?

The pandemic has affected everything we do. We have adapted and innovated in our teaching, scholarly outreach and service. This fall, we’re holding classes both online and in person, with appropriate safety protocols in place. Student-organization meetings, faculty and staff meetings, employee visits, and symposia are being held online.

5

You have a background in economics and international trade. Will the pandemic have a long-term impact on Rhode Island’s economy?

The pandemic will affect our lives for years to come. People and businesses are questioning long-held assumptions about working from home, flex time and work-life balance, and we will see many changes in the way we do business as a result. A more digital and remote economy will present significant challenges, but a big potential upside is that the online market is truly global, and it is exciting to consider the possible benefits for Rhode Island. Those who best identify the risks and opportunities will benefit the most. n

SUMMIT & AWARDS DIVERSITY & INCLUSION JOIN PBN FOR OUR DIVERSITY & INCLUSION VIRTUAL SUMMIT & AWARDS EVENT DECEMBER 10 | 9-11AM FOR SPONSORSHIP & ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT 680.4800 OR ADVERTISING@PBN.COM

4 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

FOR STARTERS TRENDING

Most-read stories on PBN.com, Sept. 2020

1

R.I. added to N.Y., N.J. and Conn. travel advisory lists POSTED ONLINE: SEPT. 22 After nearly a month of Rhode Island being removed from a New York-Connecticut-New Jersey travel advisory list, N.Y. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Sept. 22 that the Ocean State would be placed back on New York’s list due to an uptick in coronavirus cases.

COURTESY CENTERS FOR DISEASE Shortly after CONTROL AND PREVENTION the announcement, New Jersey and Connecticut followed suit. bit.ly/30ew3lM

5 3

PBN FILE PHOTOS/DAVE HANSEN AND MICHAEL SALERNO

Lifespan, CNE move forward with letter of intent to merge POSTED ONLINE: SEPT. 9 After a 90-day exploratory period this summer, the leaders of Lifespan Corp. and Care New England Health System announced on Sept. 9 that they will move to the next step in their affiliation process.

Both boards of directors voted to move forward with a letter of intent to merge the two entities. bit.ly/30hhpdo

PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

6 7 8

Legal battle over Coventry solar development ends after parties reach settlement POSTED ONLINE: SEPT. 15 bit.ly/3kTHeYX

2

I-195 commission to consider two parcel transfers, new development for Parcel 9 POSTED ONLINE: SEPT. 21 Closings for two parcels in the I-195 Redevelopment District are expected, as the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission prepares to approve the transfer of deeds Sept. 23 for Parcels 28 and 6.

The commission will also hear two development proposals for Parcel 9. bit.ly/3jolnJ3

Rhode Island College to permanently lay off 35 union employees POSTED ONLINE: SEPT. 10 bit.ly/3jbY30X

COURTESY CAROL M. HIGHSMITH

4 COURTESY I-195 REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT COMMISSION

Waterfront Revival: East Providence advances redevelopment, but some plans spark ­opposition PUBLISHED IN PRINT: SEPT. 11 Nearly 20 years after East Providence started to reclaim 300 acres of its defunct industrial waterfront, new construction is changing the city’s landscape.

The momentum has been enough to help push the city’s financial picture into positive territory and bring forward a new vision about what its waterfront could become. bit.ly/3n0tc9K

Former R.I. law firm employee to plead guilty to federal fraud, identity theft charges POSTED ONLINE: SEPT. 9 Sarah Gaulin, a former bookkeeper and office manager for Hamel, Waxler, Allen & Collins, with offices in Providence and North Kingstown, will plead guilty to federal charges of bank fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island Aaron L. Weisman’s Office. bit.ly/3n2y0f4

Marshall Properties ends request to rezone Metacomet Golf Club, but vows to purchase and develop site POSTED ONLINE: SEPT. 25 bit.ly/3cE9FHq

9 10

COVID-19 cases in R.I. rise by 180, with 4 deaths, over holiday weekend POSTED ONLINE: SEPT. 8 bit.ly/3mX9sUw

Infosys announces plans to hire 500 more tech employees in R.I. POSTED ONLINE: SEPT. 10 bit.ly/3icGtbL

PANEL DISCUSSION The dramatic economic disruption resulting from the COVID-19 global pandemic and the unprecedented level of protests linked to racial injustice place greater pressure on companies to use Diversity & Inclusion initiatives to deliver meaningful cultural change and positive business results.

PARTNER SPONSOR

A panel of experts will share their personal stories of struggles and successes in implementing successful Diversity & Inclusion programs within their organizations.

TOPICS INCLUDE: • • • •

Defining & leveraging Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging in the corporate work environment Effective workplace conversations on racism vs discrimination The importance of community engagement in an overall D&I strategy Opportunities for people with developmental disabilities in the RI workforce

AWARDS RECOGNITION Applications now being accepted for companies and leaders who have made strides in leveraging Diversity & Inclusion to bring Workplace Excellence to their organizations.

• Education • Legal Services • Financial Services • Nonprofit • Health Care • Social Service Agency • Insurance Services • Diversity Champion

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN @ PBN.COM

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 5

FOR STARTERS SOMETHING NEW

SPOTLIGHT

ALTERNATIVE PACKAGING: James Davids and Marissa Stashenko, co-owners of negociant winery Enotap LLC in East Providence, say using more-responsible packaging, such as cans and kegs, is better for the environment and costs less for consumers.

PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

Winery on green mission

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

JAMES DAVIDS AND Marissa Stashenko have started a new business in Rhode Island with old roots. As a negociant, Enotap LLC works with small family winegrowers in multiple winegrowing regions. The business takes raw wine into a production facility in East Providence, where it is packaged for ­distribution.

Long active in the wine industry, Davids and Stashenko are also on an environmental mission, moving restaurants and Rhode Islanders toward more-sustainable containers. For restaurants, that means kegs.

Their work is available under the brands Anchor & Hope and nico & laura. The latter is sold in cans, the former in bottles. Their selections include a smooth, red table wine, Mendo, which is produced at a small family winery in Sonoma, Calif., and a crisp, dry riesling from the Rheinhessen region in Germany.

After running their own California-based winery for 10 years, Davids said they reached a conclusion that the future means wine in more-responsible packaging.

“You can put better wine in more-responsible packaging, like [a] lighter-weight glass that’s from a higher percentage of recycled materials,” Davids said.

“Alternative packaging, [such as] cans, and kegs for restaurants, leave a lighter footprint on the environment and also cost less for the consumer.” n

IN DEMAND: From left, Randall Ferdinand, Providence Kayak Co. employee; Kristin Stone, owner; and Tom McGinn, captain.

The company, which was started three years ago, exploded in popularity this past summer, as people wanted to get outside.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Livening up the downtown Kayak company offers rentals, tours

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

THE THREE BUSINESSPEOPLE who know the most about the Providence River as it courses through the downtown came to the same conclusion a few years ago: it needs more life.

Providence Kayak Co., created in 2017, brought together the people behind the Providence River Boat Co. and La Gondola Providence Inc., two established, river-based businesses.

to do.”

The kayaks used by the small business are sit-on-top style. People can rent singles starting at $20 for a 45-minute period, or $30 for 90 minutes. Double kayaks can be rented for $30 for 45 minutes or $50 for 90 minutes.

Most of her customers have limited experience with kayaking.

She can guide people as well, if they want tours of the downtown.

“We talk about the stuff you can only see from the river. We’re going to talk about the architecture, the confluence of the river, where the rivers split,” Stone said.

For people going on self-guided excursions, she recommends the 90-minute option because they’ll have a chance to see more. Once the river splits and heads under the Providence Place mall, it eventually reaches a lush area that few people on land experience.

Providence is another world from the river.

“People really seemed to enjoy it way more than the last three years,” Stone said. “I don’t know if it’s the pandemic. Our No. 1 goal here was to get people on that river and liven up the downtown. And I think we succeeded at that.” n

“Nobody knows the river better than we do,” said Kristin Stone, who co-owns the kayak-rental business with partners Tom McGinn and Matthew Haynes.

Self-propelled kayaks offer people a chance to get out on the river and explore on their own. And in the pandemic spring and summer of 2020, that idea took off.

Stone knew the option would be popular. She almost doubled the number of kayaks available, after a strong spring, and tried to order more for a second time but wasn’t able to. Like bicycles, production of kayaks got backlogged as people tried to get outside and away from other people.

Stone started the season with eight singles and three doubles. By June, she had 11 singles and six

doubles. The people kept coming.

“I thought we were going to crush it this year and I was absolutely right,” Stone said of the convergence of events. “We have never had such a great year. This was the one silver lining of the pandemic.

We’ve done very well.”

And good thing, too, because traffic at the Providence River Boat Co. was down. Stone, who owns the company with McGinn, said she thinks they lost customers this year because people perceived there would be crowds on the boat.

But with kayaks, there was no worry about getting too close to other people.

“It’s getting outside, getting the fresh air, and you’re in a kayak by yourself,” she said. “There’s not a more perfect social-distance thing

OWNERS: Kristin Stone, Tom McGinn, Matthew Haynes

ADDRESS: 15 Bridge St., Providence

YEAR FOUNDED: 2017

EMPLOYEES: 13

SALES: WND

TYPE OF BUSINESS: Kayak rentals 6 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

FOR STARTERS HOT TOPIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Wexford Science & Technology LLC, seen as the catalyst for attracting innovation-oriented companies to Providence, has extended its option for purchasing additional land by two years. The amendment to its purchase and sale agreement for a second phase was approved on Sept. 23.

That phase was to include labs, research facilities and offices meant to expand the ability of Providence to claim some of the bioscience and technology jobs that typically head to Boston and other cities.

Wexford built a nearly 200,000square-foot innovation building called Point225 in 2019, but it has yet to reach full occupancy. Still, Wexford says it is committed to the innovation district.

Aside from Point225 and a 175room Aloft Hotel under construction on an adjoining site, development in the I-195 district has leaned toward apartments and retail.

Exceptions include Parcel 6, on the east side of the Providence River

in Fox Point, where the development team plans to attract a 13,000-squarefoot grocery tenant.

Two developers are now competing for another available site, Parcel 9, also in the Fox Point neighborhood.

One of the proposals, by Providencebased ONE Neighborhood Builders, would include a child care center run by nonprofit Children’s Friend as the primary commercial tenant.

So, is the district developing as it should?

Sharon Steele, president of the Jewelry District Association, said she’s confident Wexford will follow through on its plans when the economy rebounds. “This reflects what a smart, facile developer does when the economic situation does a 180,” she said of the extension on the purchase.

As for residential construction, she is among those who say the I-195 commission is leaning much too heavily toward apartments and housing. And developers are also pitching too much retail space, she noted. She cited the Exeter Property Group LLC project, which will be developed on Parcel 28. The company’s plans call

‘Build housing.

We need people downtown.’

COLIN KANE, Peregrine Group LLC principal

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: Two developers have proposed creating mixedincome housing on the I-195 Redevelopment District’s Parcel 9 in Fox Point.

One of the plans, by ONE Neighborhood Builders, above, would include 58 apartments and a dedicated tenant, nonprofit Children’s Friend, that would run a child care center in the building.

COURTESY I-195 REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT COMMISSION

for 20,000 square feet of retail and about 250 apartments.

“Given the amount of vacant, unused space in the Jewelry District, what’s the probability they’re going to fill up that space?” she said.

Colin Kane, the former chairman of the I-195 commission, and a principal of the East Providence-based Peregrine Group LLC, said that if the

market calls for housing, then build housing. He heard arguments against residential construction when he started as chairman, he noted. A mass of people living downtown is economic development, he added.

“Build,” Kane said. “Build housing. We need people downtown.

Downtown, multifamily density is what we need.” n

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 7

FOR STARTERS | BUSINESS WOMEN

Her career path hasn’t exactly gone by design

BY SUSAN SHALHOUB | Contributing Writer

CAREERS

don’t always follow a predictable path, and that’s OK. Sheryl Guglielmo of DiPrete Engineering Associates Inc. may argue that it often works out better that way.

Promoted to senior project manager earlier this year, Guglielmo is a successful team member at the civil engineering firm.

But she’s not a civil engineer. She’s an architect, one who has been with DiPrete for 14 years. In that time, she and the firm have evolved, grown and excelled.

“We know what we are good at,” said Guglielmo.

The road to empowering realizations for both Guglielmo and the company has been paved with a healthy combination of opportunity, education, open-mindedness and industry involvement. But initially, Guglielmo wasn’t quite sure where her education or her role with DiPrete might take her.

A Warwick native, she earned a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering technology from Boston’s Wentworth Institute of Technology. Guglielmo tells of being met with a lackluster response from

the architecture field right out of college.

“I wanted to go into the design field when I got out of school in 2006,” she said.

“But there were not a lot of architectural jobs. I remember printing a list of architectural firms from the Yellow Pages, mailing them letters and then getting letters back saying that they weren’t hiring.”

There was, however, a civil engineer/ land planner opening at Cranston-based DiPrete, so she applied.

“I got the job,” said Guglielmo. “That changed the trajectory.”

Where her skills may not have been an exact fit with the land-planner opening at DiPrete, the company was a match with what she sought in an employer.

Guglielmo said the firm was growing and getting noticed for projects, fitting the bill as a company where she could have a career, not just a job.

She knew AutoCAD, design software used by architects, engineers and construction professionals. For many other parts of the job, however, “I didn’t know what I was doing,” she said. At least not at first.

There were very few other women at the company when she started.

Dennis DiPrete, company founder and president, has been a supportive mentor,

EMPOWERED: Sheryl Guglielmo, senior project manager for Diprete Engineering Associates Inc., joined the civil engineering firm as an architect but has worked her way up to become a senior project manager.

PBN PHOTO/ ELIZABETH GRAHAM

‘It’s faster-paced in terms of deadlines.

That tends to be my thing.’

SHERYL GUGLIELMO, DiPrete Engineering Associates Inc. senior project manager 8 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

she said. Colleagues were able to learn from her perspective, and she from them. The firm was doing a lot of residential work at that time, such as master planning of neighborhood subdivisions.

But when the housing crisis hit in 2008, the company, like so many others, had to pivot.

Residential work went away.

Guglielmo said that about half of the company’s 60 employees were laid off.

DiPrete began taking on commercial developments.

“With most commercial developers, there is a whole process they have to go through, with financing involved, other engineers involved, going from one point of contact to another. It’s faster-paced in terms of deadlines,” said Guglielmo. “That tends to be my thing.”

In this way, she found work that speaks to her: projects with lots of moving parts.

As it turns out, Guglielmo – and the company as a whole – have set the standard with not only commercial projects but now industrial projects as well. Guglielmo, who earned her Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification in 2009, said that commercial projects are now 80% of the company’s portfolio.

On the industrial side, Guglielmo worked on North Kingstown’s Infinity Meat Solutions LLC, a 200,000-squarefoot food manufacturing facility, as well as Broadrock Renewables LLC, a landfill-gas-to-energy project at Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp.’s Central Landfill in Johnston.

For Broadrock, DiPrete provided site and civil engineering, regulatory permitting, surveying and construction administration. Guglielmo tells of being at a project meeting, and someone saying, “Oh, Sheryl is our landfill and gas expert,” prompting reflection on how far she, and DiPrete, have come.

She estimates that there are now about 12 female engineers in the office, 25% in leadership roles.

DiPrete added an office in Newport in 2010, and another in Dedham, Mass., in 2013, where Guglielmo is now based. Representing the firm’s brand in southern New England, she is now a resident of Attleboro, and has joined the Attleboro Planning Board.

Being involved is another tenet of Guglielmo’s success. She is or has been a member of groups such as the International Council of Shopping Centers Next Generation, having worked on the Garden City Center shopping hub in Cranston and other retail projects. She was chosen as the American Planning Association Rhode Island President’s Award winner for Distinguished Service in 2013.

Guglielmo said women need to be empowered, even if they find they are the youngest one and the only woman in a conference room full of engineers whose experience may not line up exactly with theirs. There is room for everyone.

“I went to school for architectural engineering and I’m in a civil engineering world. Everyone I work with has a civil engineering background,” she said. “And I love it here.” n

NEWS BRIEFS | FOR STARTERS RIPUC approves 10% electricity rate increase WARWICK – National Grid Rhode Island customers will see their monthly electricity bills increase by roughly 10% beginning Oct. 1, according to new rates approved by the R.I. Public Utilities Commission on Sept. 29.

The approved residential rate of 10.37 cents per kilowatt hour would translate to a 10%, or $10.78, increase in monthly bills based on average use.

Commercial and industrial customers in the state would see their bills increase between 6% and 11% depending on their size and usage based on an average proposed fixed-price of 9.33 cents per kilowatt hour. Residential and commercial rates will remain locked through March 2021. The industrial rates last through December.

The commission’s unanimous approval came after a short discussion in which members acknowledged the economic and financial hardship posed by raising rates. However, its decision cannot be based upon economic circumstances but instead on whether the proposal meets standard requirements, Commissioner Abigail Anthony said. n

Restore RI program hits 1,000 grants

URI offers free training to administer naloxone

PROVIDENCE – Over 1,000 small businesses have received grants through the state’s Restore Rhode Island program, the R.I. Commerce Corp. announced on Sept. 29.

In total, the state has distributed more than $9 million in grants to help businesses offset COVID-19-related losses, including $1.5 million to minority-owned businesses, the release stated.

The state grant program, which began in early August and was recently expanded to make more businesses eligible, offers grants of up to $15,000 to businesses with one to 50 employees that can prove at least a 30% revenue loss from the pandemic. When the program was first launched, only businesses with one to 20 employees were eligible to apply.

The program was expanded to include sole proprietors and businesses without employees, as well as businesses with up to 50 full-time equivalent employees, R.I. Commerce said. n

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The University of Rhode Island has launched the Community First Responder Program, which offers free online learning modules on how to administer naloxone, the school announced Sept. 28.

Naloxone is a lifesaving medicine often carried by first responders that is used as an antidote for opioid overdoses.

“The free public modules are quick to take, and the lessons are vital to saving someone’s life in an opioidrelated breathing emergency,” Anita Jacobson, CFRP program director and a clinical associate professor at URI’s College of Pharmacy, said in a statement, adding participants who complete the module will be mailed a free naloxone kit, “so you’re always prepared.”

The program has begun reaching out to Rhode Island schools, community organizations and businesses, and is prepared to conduct 45-minute live group seminars over videoconferencing for those who are interested. Seminar requests can be submitted by visiting URI’s CFRP website at uri.edu/cfrp. n

DEM awarded air-toxics monitoring grant by EPA PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Environmental Management will receive $263,502 to monitor air-toxics emissions near the Port of Providence and characterize risk to the most highly affected populations, including surrounding environmental justice areas, schools and hospitals, the Environmental Protection Agency announced on Sept. 29.

The Port of Providence is one of 11 air-toxics monitoring projects selected by the EPA to receive funding under the agency’s Community-Scale Air Toxics Ambient Monitoring grants, according to a news release.

Air toxics, or hazardous air pollutants, are linked to cancer or other serious health effects, the release stated.

DEM Director Janet Coit said the grant will allow for air monitoring stations to be installed at five locations affected by emissions at the port.

“This project will provide valuable information about air pollution levels in neighborhoods near the Port and inform how best to limit current and future exposures to those pollutants,” Coit said in a statement. n

Fatima Hospital Wins National Stroke Care Recognition for 24 Consecutive Months…And Counting.

It’s always great to be nationally recognized for quality care. But we are especially proud to have received the Gold Achievement award for stroke care, awarded jointly by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. That’s because to receive this distinction, a hospital must meet stringent stroke care standards for, count them, 24 consecutive months or more!

Now that’s a quality performance that is sustained over time ratherthan a snapshot in time.

It is linked to how fast stroke care can be given to arriving patients and how care is provided throughout the hospital stay. And it is awarded by the nation’s two leading organizations that measure the quality of stroke care. Not bad for a hospital that has been certified as a Primary Stroke Center since 2014.

This is best-in-class quality care that you or a loved one can count on in the event of a stroke. To learn more, visit fatimahospital.com A Coordinated Regional Care Network • OUR LADY OF FATIMA HOSPITAL • ROGER WILLIAMS MEDICAL CENTER • ROGER WILLIAMS CANCER CENTER

• ST. JOSEPH HEALTH CENTER • BLACKSTONE VALLEY SURGICARE • SOUTHERN NE REHABILITATION CENTER

• CHARTERCARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES • CHARTERCARE PROVIDER GROUP RI, LLC • CHARTERCARE HOME HEALTH

R.I. has spent $948K on COVID tests for travelers PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island has spent close to $1 million on travelrelated coronavirus tests, WPRI-TV CBS 12 reported on Sept. 28.

With the exception of New Hampshire, Rhode Islanders traveling to other New England states, as well as New York and New Jersey, are now required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test if they don’t want to quarantine for 14 days. There are exceptions to the restrictions for workand medical-related travel.

This summer Rhode Island health officials announced they would offer free tests to anyone with imminent travel plans to any other state where visiting is restricted, WPRI-TV reported.

As of Sept. 25, the state had administered 7,903 tests at the R.I. Convention Center for people who said they planned to travel, health officials said.

The tests cost $120 each, bringing the state’s total spending on those tests to $948,360 as of Sept. 25. n www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 9

FOR STARTERS | WHAT’S HAPPENING Learn to build your business

EDITOR’S CHOICE

THE RHODE ISLAND COUNCIL for the Humanities is hosting its annual Celebration of the Humanities to mark National Arts & Humanities Month. The virtual benefit event will celebrate the Ocean State’s notable people and projects while recognizing the work of members of Rhode Island’s public humanities community.

Educator and civic leader Joyce L. Stevos; photographer, educator and writer Mary Beth Meehan; and archivist, librarian, artist and writer Janaya Kizzie will each be honored. Proceeds will support culture, history, education and civic engagement in the state.

THURSDAY, OCT. 15, 6 P.M. $20

SCORE RHODE ISLAND is hosting a virtual summit that will bring together female entrepreneurs to provide resources and information.

Three virtual events spanning four weeks will provide the tools, support and resources that entrepreneurs might need for building a business.

The event will feature two keynote speakers: Nellie Gorbea, R.I. secretary of state, and Katie McDonald, CEO of bnourished and a self-care strategist.

This event is geared toward smallbusiness owners and will include a networking component.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7, 8:30-10 A.M.; THURSDAY, OCT. 22, NOON TO 1:30 P.M.; THURSDAY, NOV. 7, 4:30-6 P.M. $30

Online webinar.

Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3hY4ymu

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3cuRDau

Celebrating the arts and humanities in R.I.

Making new connections HONOREES: The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities will honor, from top, Joyce L. Stevos, Janaya Kizzie and Mary Beth Meehan at its virtual benefit on Oct. 15.

COURTESY RHODE ISLAND COUNCIL FOR THE HUMANITIES

connections.

THURSDAY, OCT. 8, 5:30-6:30 P.M. Free Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/2RZqR0x

Unleashing analytics TECH COLLECTIVE is hosting a webinar to provide participants and business owners with lessons on leveraging the data or information that they collect in a cost-effective manner. Kyle A. Mueller, a data collection professional, will detail how organizations with a limited budget, data and/ or time can still gather information and leverage their existing resources to gain a competitive advantage. The webinar will be held on the Microsoft Teams virtual platform and will be followed by a Q&A forum.

THURSDAY, OCT. 15, NOON TO 12:30 P.M. Free Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/2GgmI5M

SCORE RHODE ISLAND is hosting a virtual happy hour event that is designed to connect female business owners for an hour of sharing ideas, information and resources.

This event will be interactive, with participants rotating through virtual rooms to network and make business

Interested in having your business-related event included in What’s Happening? Contact PBN Researcher Cassius Shuman at (401) 680-4884 or Shuman@PBN.com.

Responsive & Reliable Business Loans Easy Access to Experienced Lenders Local Decision Making SBA Certified

“ PCU is there for us whenever we need them with easy access to experienced lenders.“ Roger & Gwen Graham 3rd generation owners Miller’s Roast Beef

10PBN-MillersRB_final_07082020.indd | OCTOBER 2-8, 20201 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

401-729-4091 Some fees and credit restrictions may apply. Loans subject to credit approval.

Equal Opportunity Lender.

7/9/20 4:28 PM

WHAT’S HAPPENING | FOR STARTERS Tech mentors

Tax planning

TECH COLLECTIVE is hosting a webinar that is designed to connect women to foster a mutually beneficial relationship geared toward professional and leadership development.

The Mentor Program matches experienced and up-and-coming professional women to share best practices, answer questions, offer advice and leadership, and provide support in the tech industry. This session is for the mentee and the mentor, who are paired together based on a self-evaluation of their professional and personal strengths and areas of desired growth.

Both mentees and mentors will receive training prior to the start of their partnership.

THURSDAY, OCT. 15, 4-5 P.M. Free

SCORE RHODE ISLAND is hosting a webinar to provide information about filing year-end taxes, and the issues associated with a company’s finances related to employees, customers, equipment and operations. The webinar will address changes made by the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and other legislation, including the extension of the Paycheck Protection Program, as well as IRS pronouncements. Barbara Weltman, a small-business expert, will discuss which tax breaks apply to business entities and how to utilize them before missing deadlines. Participants will learn how year-end actions can reduce a 2020 tax bill; refund opportunities to recoup taxes paid in prior years; strategies for potential tax changes; and necessary actions to get ready for 2021.

TUESDAY, NOV. 3, 1-2 P.M. Free

Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/345hyC3

Work for yourself THE CENTER FOR WOMEN & Enterprise is hosting a webinar to help attendees gain knowledge, support and resources needed to make informed decisions about taking the right first steps toward self-employment.

MONDAY, NOV. 2, 2-4 P.M. Free Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/2GimXx4

Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3kVAs4U

Microsoft demo TECH COLLECTIVE is hosting a webinar in which it will conduct an interactive demo to provide information about using Microsoft Teams.

Participants will learn how to collabo-

rate more effectively by incorporating their daily routines and telephony into one virtual platform. Abby Hanson, a Microsoft Teams and Secure Collaboration expert at Ingram Micro Cloud in North Dakota, who has 17 years of experience working with Mircosoft Corp. technology, will host the workshop. The session will be followed by a Q&A forum.

TUESDAY, NOV. 10, 10:10-10:40 A.M. Free Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3icM165

Navigating uncertainty SCORE RHODE ISLAND is hosting a webinar to provide information about making decisions around cutting expenses, adjusting business models and finding new sources of revenue.

Morris Jackson II, a financial expert at U.S. Bank, and Amanda Brinkman, from Deluxe Corp., will provide advice about navigating the economic landscape. The topics will include: how to assess and understand operating expenses; business financial planning and decision-making; managing cash flow; understanding the importance of margins; accessing business purchasing/spending; business growth and expansion; and identifying opportunities for additional revenue streams.

THURSDAY, NOV. 12, 1-2 P.M. Free Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/2GlU6Ic

Building diversity SCORE RHODE ISLAND is hosting a webinar to provide information and resources about building diversity and inclusion into a small business.

Stephanie Felix, a cultural intelligence and intercultural communications expert, will share the best practices for small-business owners in implementing diversity and inclusion. Participants will learn how to effectively create inclusivity in a small business and its brand of products, leveraging the power of diversity to better meet the needs of a company’s employees and customers, and learning strategies for incorporating inclusion and diversity into a business.

THURSDAY, NOV. 19, 1-2 P.M. Free Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3kXrhBg

UPCOMING PBN EVENT: The 2020 Cybersecurity Summit will be held virtually on Oct. 7 at 9 a.m. To register, visit PBN.com.

NextFor PBN event: xxxxx sponsorship opportunities, contact Advertising@PBN.com.

YO U R R H O D E I S L AN D WO R K E R S’ CO M P E N SATI O N E XP E R T S

In the nation’s smallest state, we make a really BIG difference.

Discover why the majority of businesses in Rhode Island choose Beacon Mutual.

W W W. B E ACO N M UTUAL .CO M

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 11

EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS MEJIAS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

President Hugo Chávez. It failed, and when Mejias refused to cooperate with government officials who wanted information that could have been used to build criminal cases against his co-workers, he was forced into hiding.

A militia was stationed outside his home, ready to arrest him if he returned.

After filing for asylum in the U.S., Mejias and his wife decided to leave their homeland with their two daughters, who were 5 and 12 at the time. For four years in Florida, he struggled to make ends meet, taking jobs cleaning offices and delivering newspapers, magazines and pizzas.

“I never lost my horizon,” said Mejias, who had a degree in information technology. “It was my goal to have a business.”

At the urging of his brother-in-law, Mejias moved to Rhode Island in 2007, where he worked at a car wash until the nationwide financial collapse in 2008 that touched off the Great Recession.

In the crisis, Mejias saw an opportunity to help others in the Latino community who were struggling for success against barriers such as language, education and technology.

“I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to help or who was already helping,” he said.

“So I just did it myself.”

He created the Hispanic Technology and Education Program, a vocational school he operated in North Providence for nearly a decade aimed at helping Latinos improve their technology skills and find a job.

Today, Mejias is the founder and CEO of the Emerging Studies Institute, a bilingual vocational and technical school that opened in 2017, and he leads the Hispanic Chamber, which he established in 2016.

Mejias said the organizations exist to help Latinos and Latino-owned businesses get ahead.

Located in the Olneyville section of Providence, the Emerging Studies Institute offers certificate classes on bookkeeping, entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, leadership, among others. The business closed when the pandemic arrived in March, but Mejias plans to reopen in late October with about 120 to 130 students.

The Hispanic Chamber has 193 members, but Mejias still sees barriers for Latinos trying to venture into business, including a lack of connection with the larger business community and key government agencies. For example, R.I. Commerce Corp. recently announced the availability of Restore Rhode Island grants for struggling small businesses during COVID-19, but Mejias said many of his members still don’t know about them.

“That means there are not effective communication channels within the community,” said Mejias, who noted that R.I. Commerce began providing information in Spanish two years ago, and other state agencies are just starting to follow suit.

Mejias does see progress within the Latino community. “I could say that we are starting to break down barriers,” said Mejias. “But this is just the beginning.”

LATINO ADVOCATE: Oscar Mejias, CEO of the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, stands along Westminster Street in the Olneyville section of Providence that features an enclave of Latino-owned businesses.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

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

No. That’s what happened in the past. I can say that in recent years, from a business point of view, the situation has been slowly changing. The minoritybusiness community, especially Latinos, has been growing fast, and with them, several organizations that work for the benefit of minorities in Rhode Island, [such as the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce], which has helped to lessen this situation.

We also see a good intentionality from the state agencies that direct the economic aspect in Rhode Island.

How dependent are most Hispanic-owned businesses in the state on the support of fellow Latinos and other minority groups? Is that a sustainable model?

The Latino community has been characterized by supporting its businesses. The identification with the culture of their countries of origin has contributed to this trend. A very good example are restaurants and supermarkets/bodegas, where Latinos can buy meals and products that connect them with their roots. The ease of language is also a factor that influences this support. It is a sustainable business model to include Latinos and other minorities as their primary target.

What one thing could Rhode Island do to boost the odds for minorityowned business success?

Maintaining and creating new programs to support and promote minority businesses, [such as] some initiatives implemented by [R.I. Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor]. Educational and financial support programs adapted to the minorities’ specific needs are fundamental factors

12 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

to boost and promote the minority-owned business s­ uccess.

Have any of your members had to turn somewhere other than a bank for a loan? Do you believe the state’s lending institutions generally treat minorities fairly?

Yes, there are a number of cultural factors that promote this practice where a Latino entrepreneur prefers to turn to family members or other sources to obtain funding. But that’s another element that’s been gradually changing in our state. With the rise of banks that understand and work with our communities of color, this practice has been declining. Organizations [such as] the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce have been building partnerships with these financial institutions to help our entrepreneurs gain access to better funding from these institutions.

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

One of [the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s] major accomplishments is the creation of a network of organizations that collaborate to provide services to our constituents. We have established collaboration agreements with the Rhode Island Black Business Association, Center for Southeast Asians, Multicultural Innovation Center, government agencies, and other public and private organizations. So, when an entrepreneur approaches us to require support for their business, we refer them to the organization that can best satisfy [their] needs or we help directly if it is required. n

‘From a business point of view, the situation has been slowly changing.’

SUMMIT

HEALTH CARE

JOIN PBN FOR OUR VIRTUAL SUMMIT

OCT. 29TH | 9am

Panelists to date:

DR. JAMES FANALE DR. MATT COLLINS EVP & Chief Medical Officer, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI

AT PBN.COM

DR. ALAN KUROSE CEO Coastal Medical

MARIE GANIM

RI Health Insurance Commissioner

Join PBN and our panel of industry experts as we explore the latest news, forces and trends shaping health care in Rhode Island.

• Update on the The RI Cost Trend Project.

• How the election could potentially alter the health care industry and policies.

• How are companies doing returning employees to work safely?

• What is the impact of a potential Lifespan/CNE affiliation?

• The changing needs of Are such consolidations in Behavioral Health in light of the marketplace positive for COVID and mitigating long term businesses & patients? impacts.

• The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way health care is delivered and may change how it is financed. How do we become more resilient and continue to provide access to affordable, quality care?

PETER MARINO

DR. CLAIRE LEVESQUE

REGISTER TODAY

CEO Care New England

President & CEO Neighborhood Health Plan of RI

Chief Medical Officer Tufts Health Plan

Partner Sponsors

L E A D E R S I N H E A LT H C A R E

DR. KENNETH WOOD SIOBHAIN SULLIVAN

COO, Clinical Operations Rhode Island Medical Imaging

EVP and Chief Clinical Officer Lifespan

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 13

ANOTHER LOOK | PBN.COM Wexford OK’d to delay 2nd phase

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

(Editor’s note: A version of this story was first published on PBN.com on Sept. 25.)

PROVIDENCE – Wexford Science & Technology LLC will push back by two years its deadline for purchasing additional land in the I-195 Redevelopment District, and it will acquire a smaller amount of land.

The changes were included in a revision to its purchase and sale agreement. The revised agreement was approved by the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission on Sep. 23.

The development company cited a softening of the market for office space, which along with laboratory and research space was originally expected to be the focus of its second development phase, said Robert Davis, chairman of the commission.

“It wasn’t a surprise, given … the economy,” Davis said. “In all real estate deals of a large nature, they evolve. This was an evolution.”

Originally, the company intended to develop all of Parcels 22 and 25 in the district.

In its first phase, Wexford developed the office building and innovation center at 225 Dyer St., a building now known as Point225. The Aloft Hotel, now under construction, is a project of CV Properties LLC, and it occupies a portion of Parcel 22 that was subdivided for that building.

The remaining land, which is divided into three lots, is the subject of the revised purchase and sale agreement.

The company had faced a deadline for the closing on its second phase acquisition of Oct. 3.

Under the new agreement, the company will relinquish one of the three lots, giving back about 1 acre of land.

That property, which is at the corner of Clifford Street, opposite the Garrahy Courthouse parking garage, is enough to support a building, Davis said.

The commission will likely request proposals from other developers for the property.

Davis said the office market has softened as a result of the pandemic. And he noted the company,

CHANGE OF PLANS: In this 2019 rendering, the first phase of the Wexford Science & Technology build-out is shown at front, with conceptual buildings for the second phase behind.

COURTESY I-195 REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT COMMISSION

through its real estate arm, had previously purchased the office building at 1 Davol Square.

“They made a pretty substantial investment in the innovation and technology district,” Davis said. “They have a fair amount of office space in the district that is not occupied. They’re just being cautious.”

In other revisions, Wexford pushed back its right to make a first offer to purchase another office building, at 1 Ship St., to one year after its closing on the first of its two remaining lots, or until the purchase and sale agreement expires in September 2022.

In exchange for the revisions, the company has agreed to provide the I-195 commission with $500,000 for improvements to the district park, upon the leasing of 30,730 square feet of available

space in Point225.

That is not the full amount of available space within the building. But because the company is in discussions with other prospective tenants for that building, the commission expects the $500,000 commitment in the “near term,” Davis said.

After the commission meeting, a Wexford representative said the company appreciated the flexibility granted by the commission. Without offering specifics, Gregg Herlong, director of development, said Wexford will continue to pursue “additional projects that will strengthen and enhance the area in and around the Providence Innovation and Design District, and we remain committed to playing an integral role in the exciting transformation that is taking place in Providence.” n

Butler first to begin global drug trial

BY ELIZABETH GRAHAM | Contributing Writer

(Editor’s note: A version of this story was first published on PBN.com on Sept. 27.)

PROVIDENCE – Butler Hospital has become the first site to administer a drug that is being studied worldwide by researchers looking to prevent Alzheimer’s disease from developing in people who are at risk for it.

Butler is among hospitals in the U.S., Japan, Singapore, Australia and Europe to participate in the AHEAD Study, a trial for the drug BAN2401.

The drug, developed by Eisai Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of the Tokyo-based Eisai Co. Ltd., may delay or prevent memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

BAN2401 targets buildups in the brain of amyloid plaque, a type of protein that is linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

An Attleboro man was the first to receive an infusion of the drug as part of the study at Butler in September.

“Both of my parents were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. I can’t run away from that, but

I can help find a potential treatment,” said Dave Kalberer, 63. “I’m proud to be at the front of the line for this exciting opportunity and am hopeful this trial can change not just my life but millions more.”

Participants as young as 55 are being enrolled in the study, which is the first to take aim at preventing Alzheimer’s. Eligible participants do not have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or related memory loss.

Patients are divided into two groups based on the level of amyloid plaque in their brains and given monthly or twice-monthly infusions, or a placebo.

“The personalized approach for people years before memory loss has begun has the potential to be a breakthrough in Alzheimer’s prevention,” said Dr. Stephen Salloway, director of the Memory and Aging Program at Butler Hospital. “This new tailored approach can potentially serve as a model to improve clinical trials in Alzheimer’s research and other diseases.”

Butler continues to screen and enroll patients for the trial. For more information, contact the

14 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

LEADING THE WAY: Butler Hospital in Providence is the first site in the worldwide AHEAD Study to administer a dose of a drug that may delay or prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

COURTESY BUTLER HOSPITAL

hospital’s Memory and Aging Program Outreach Team at (401) 455-6402 or email memory@butler. org. To join the Butler Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry, visit butler.org/AlzRegistry. n

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS Amid outbreaks, colleges struggle to salvage semester

BY TODD RICHMOND AND HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH | The Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. – Colleges across the country are struggling to salvage the fall semester amid skyrocketing coronavirus cases, entire dorm complexes and frat houses under quarantine, and flaring tensions with local community leaders over the spread of the disease.

Many major universities are determined to forge ahead despite warning signs, as evidenced by the expanding slate of college football games.

The football-obsessed SEC began its season with fans in stadiums. Several teams in other leagues have had to postpone games because of outbreaks among players and staff.

Institutions across the nation saw spikes of thousands of cases days after opening their doors in late August, driven by students socializing with little or no social distancing. School and community leaders have tried to rein in the virus by closing bars, suspending students, adding mask requirements, and toggling between inperson and online instruction as case numbers rise and fall.

Tension over the outbreaks is starting to boil over in college towns.

Faculty members from at least two universities have held no-confidence votes in recent weeks against their top leaders, in part over reopening decisions. Government leaders want the University of Wisconsin-Madison to send its students home. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, alarmed by what he sees as draconian rules on college campuses, said he is drawing up a “bill of rights” for college students.

In Rhode Island, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo blamed outbreaks at Providence College and the University of Rhode Island for a surge of virus cases that boosted the state’s infection rate high enough to put it on the list of places whose residents are required to quarantine when traveling to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison had seen more than 2,800 confirmed cases in students as of Sept. 25. The school shut down in-person instruction for two weeks, locked down two of its largest dorms, and imposed quarantines on more than a dozen sorority and fraternity houses. The school lifted the dorm lockdown recently.

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi has demanded the university send all its students home for the rest of the academic year. “[The virus] was under control until the university came back,” Parisi said.

Chancellor Rebecca Blank has fired back, saying tens of thousands of students with off-campus housing would still come to the city. She accused Parisi of failing to enforce capacity restrictions in bars and off-campus parties.

“You can’t simply wish [students] away, nor should you,” Blank said in a statement directed at

GIVE HIM SPACE: Student Logan Armstrong works while sitting inside a painted circle on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, on the first day of fall classes in late August. The circles were intended to remind students to maintain their social distance.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH VIA AP FILE/JOSHUA A. BICKEL

Parisi.

Amid the fighting, thousands of students around the country have been quarantined in dorm rooms.

At Kansas State University, more than 2,200 students have been placed in quarantine or isolation since class began. Student Emily Howard was isolated in what students have dubbed “COVID jail” after she and her dorm roommate tested positive for the virus on Sept. 4, just three weeks after arriving on campus.

“Now you walk around campus [and] pretty much everyone says they’ve had it,” Howard said.

“Now we don’t really care as much because we know we had the antibodies.”

The University of Connecticut recently placed a third dormitory under medical quarantine.

More than 150 students have tested positive.

Despite the attempts at mitigation, student cases have sent local county infection numbers soaring. Schools’ decisions to push on with the semester have frustrated some faculty and local community leaders.

Faculty members at Appalachian State in August approved a no-confidence vote against Chancellor Sheri Everts over university finances,

‘You can’t simply wish [students] away, nor should you.’

REBECCA BLANK, University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor

morale and reopening plans. Everts has said she has received support from the school’s board of trustees.

The University of Michigan faculty took a noconfidence vote against President Mark Schlissel last month. Faculty felt Schlissel’s administration hasn’t been transparent about reopening decisions and hasn’t released any modeling gauging the health risks. Graduate students went on strike Sept. 8 to protest reopening. Schlissel has acknowledged that trust in his leadership had slipped, but the university’s governing board expressed support for him.

“Colleges and universities are ... under immense pressure to remain open,” said Chris Mariscano, director of the College Crisis Initiative, a research project at Davidson College tracking the effects of the virus on higher education. “When the president of the United States starts tweeting [about staying open], you understand just how much politics is playing a role here and institutional survival is playing a role here.”

University officials across the country say they hope to bolster testing and contact tracing as the semester continues. But Mariscano said universities should expect college students to act like college students.

At Kansas State, Howard was not especially concerned about the virus and didn’t mind the “COVID Jail,” where students got free laundry service and their own bedrooms.

“I personally am not too worried about it, and everyone I have talked to is not that worried about it,” she said. “I think it is more like, you are going to get it. It’s just a matter of when.” n

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 15

a guide to

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

PBN

designed, made and built in Rhode Island

2020

A SPECIAL PUBLICATION FROM PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

WHO’S HELPING recruit tomorrow’s MANUFACTURING, CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN workforce in Rhode Island?

WE ARE E BUSINESS

NEWS

PBN

PROVIDENC

A guide to

Fall 2019

designed, made and built in Rhode Island

WHO makes WHAT here?

CAN I

find work there?

PLUS

BECOMING A MAKER pg. 8

Presenting Sponsor

BECOMING A BUILDER pg. 19

BECOMING A DESIGNER pg. 24

Profiles of local companies and the types of careers they offer pg. 44

Partner Sponsors

PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS AND RECRUIT YOUR WORKFORCE. CONNECTING PEOPLE AND JOBS.

16 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

With compelling stories and profiles of area companies, A Guide to Stuff, designed, made and built in Rhode Island showcases the cool stuff made right here in our state, and the job opportunities associated with them.

TH E TH I NG S WE MAKE

MILITARY APPAREL Combative Training Helmet There are 98 steps to make the helmet by hand

› The Amerisewn Combative Training Helmet was designed and is manufactured in Cranston and is used by the U.S. military for combat training

0, 2020 3 r e b o t c DATE: O N 2, 2020 O I r e T b A o C t I c PUBL TION: O A V R E S 7, 2020 E r e R b o E t C c A O SP S DUE: L A I R E MAT

nd

THE STORY: Amerisewn, a division of Desmark Industries that focuses on developing combat-training and protective gear for public safety and military personnel, has received nearly $100,000 in state Innovation Vouchers in support of its efforts. In the last two years it has roughly doubled its workforce to 42 to meet the growing demand for these types of products.

› The first one was made in 2014 › 1,200 are made in one year › It costs $900 per unit › Aside from its protective properties, the helmet is anti-microbial, adjustable for head size, can be wiped down, and the face shield opens for water breaks

› The helmet is made of a combination of six foams, molded high-density polyethylene, three resins, three vinyls, and four other textile products › It usually takes a team of three to four people five hours to make each helmet

Submarine Damage Control Suit

The suit fits any woman or man from 5 feet 2 inches tall to 6 feet 4 inches tall

THE STORY: Propel LLC

› Known as a steam suit, the Damage Control Suit is protective gear for emergency responders to steam line ruptures aboard submarines, according to the U.S. Navy › Seventy percent of the inputs to the steam suit is made in Rhode Island › The first prototype of the steam suit was made in early 2016 › Production of the suit will start in 2019, with 500 units expected to be made › Each suit costs $4,500 › Propel has six employees

develops textile-driven technologies for demanding clients, including the U.S. military and fire service.

And while final assembly of all this women-owned enterprise’s products is not done in Rhode Island, Pawtucket is at the heart of the business.

› Each suit takes about 70 man-hours to make › Propel has been awarded multiple Small Business Innovation Research grants, the results of which have contributed to the development of the steam suit PBN.com  A Guide to

ABOUT ABOUT US US

Associated Associated Builders Builders and and Contractors Contractors of of Rhode Rhode Island Island President: President: Maureen Maureen Grillo Grillo Maureen@abcri.org Maureen@abcri.org

PERSONAL PERSONAL THOUGHTS THOUGHTS II find find myself myself to to be be quite quite fortunate fortunate to to be be in in such such an an incredible incredible field field as as an an electrician. electrician. This This trade trade isis constantly constantly changing changing with with the the advancements advancements of of technology technology and and equipment equipment along along with with the the individual individual needs needs of of customers customers and and society society as as aa whole. whole. Electricians Electricians play play aa vital vital role role in in our our towns towns infrastructure infrastructure locally locally and and nationally. nationally. Whether Whether it's it's remodeling remodeling or or new new construction construction of of aa home home or or commercial commercial building, building, fitting fitting out out aa production production floor floor assembly assembly line, line, or or pooling pooling together together to to rebuild rebuild after after Mother Mother Nature Nature deals deals out out her her worst, worst, the the opportunities opportunities in in this this line line of of work work are are endless endless with with its its infinite infinite niches niches of of specialized specialized and and non-specialized non-specialized work. work. The The day day to to day day challenges challenges keep keep me me sharp sharp with with every every new new task task as as I'm I'm put put to to the the test test with with designing, designing, planning planning and and executing executing an an explicit explicit plan plan to to get get the the job job done, done, turning turning over over aa full full and and complete complete install install to to the the customer. customer.

Members Members of of ABC ABC build build and and provide provide professional professional services services that that support support the the construction construction industry. industry. Our Our member member companies companies offer offer construction construction management, management, design, design, telecommunication telecommunication systems, systems, security security systems, systems, equipment equipment leasing leasing and and rental, rental, electrical, electrical, site site excavating, excavating, facility facility remediation, remediation, hazardous hazardous waste waste handling, handling, masonry, masonry, framing, framing, waterproofing, waterproofing, roofing, roofing, sheet sheet metal, metal, insulation, insulation, painting, painting, pipefitting, pipefitting, sprinkler sprinkler fitting, fitting, hardware, hardware, piping, piping, windows, windows, doors, doors, HVAC, HVAC, plumbing, plumbing, insurance, insurance, legal, legal, advertising, advertising, marketing, marketing, accounting, accounting, payroll, payroll, temporary temporary help help services, services, computer, computer, fleet fleet management, management, leasing, leasing, and and fringe fringe benefit benefit management management services. services.

COMMUNITY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ENGAGEMENT

ABOUT ABOUT THE THE JOB JOB

ABC ABC Rhode Rhode Island Island hosts hosts events events throughout throughout the the year year including including educational, educational, social, social, and and golf golf to to name name aa few. few. ABC ABC isis aa charitable charitable partner partner of of Adoption Adoption Rhode Rhode Island Island and and the the Rhode Rhode Island Island Food Food Bank.

Bank.

Some Some requirements requirements II feel feel are are paramount paramount in in being being an an electrician electrician would would be be first first and and foremost, foremost, aa valid valid driver's driver's license. license. This This would would be be the the most most important important as as II find find myself myself traveling traveling aa lot. lot.

I'm I'm licensed licensed in in multiple multiple states states which which adds adds to to the the amount amount of of road road time time substantially. substantially. Next Next would would be be reliability. reliability. II need need to to be be able able to to perform perform my my job job every every day; day; rain, rain, snow, snow, hot hot or or cold. cold. II believe believe having having strong strong mathematical, mathematical, reading reading and and problem problem solving solving skills skills are are invaluable invaluable as as well well as as aa sound sound and and thorough thorough theory theory foundation. foundation. These These skills skills are are what what II feel feel most most employers employers look look for. for.

COOL COOL CUSTOMERS CUSTOMERS ABC ABC Member Member companies companies are are busy busy building building everywhere. everywhere. Here Here are are just just aa few few examples! examples! << Pepperidge Pepperidge Farm Farm Silo Silo && Automation Automation Project Project built built by

by Notch Notch Mechanical Mechanical Constructors Constructors

401-305-3510 401-305-3510 249 249 Roosevelt Roosevelt Ave. Ave. Pawtucket, Pawtucket, RI RI 02860 02860

<< Seasons Seasons Corner Corner Market Market built built by by Cornerstone Cornerstone Design/Build Design/Build Services Services

ABCRI.org ABCRI.org Employees: Employees: 44

THE THE CAREER CAREER PATH PATH To To plan plan your your path path as as an an electrician, electrician, one one would would start start as as an an apprentice. apprentice. Rhode Rhode Island's Island's electrical electrical apprenticeship apprenticeship program program isis four four (4) (4) years. years. During During this this time time the the apprentice apprentice will will acquire acquire on on the the job job training training along along with with classroom classroom education education through through the the state state approved approved school school Rhode Rhode Island Island Construction Construction Training Training Academy Academy (RICTA).

(RICTA). At At the the end end of of the the apprenticeship, apprenticeship, he/she he/she will will be be able able to to apply apply to to test test for for aa Journeyman Journeyman license. license. Once Once aa license license isis obtained obtained itit will will open open up up the the door door to to many many possibilities possibilities such such as as Project Project Manager, Manager, business business owner, owner, inspector inspector or or teacher. teacher.

Founded: Founded: 1990 1990 << North North Randolph Randolph Fire Fire Station Station built built by

by J.J. J.J. Cardosi Cardosi

<< Waterfire Waterfire Arts Arts Center Center built built by by Trac Trac Builders Builders Inc. Inc.

❸

<< University University Orthopedics Orthopedics at at Kettle Kettle Point, Point, excavating excavating by

by William William Anthony Anthony Excavating, Excavating, Inc. Inc.

MASTER MASTER ELECTRICIAN ELECTRICIAN $80,000 $80,000 -- $100,000 $100,000

JOURNEYMAN JOURNEYMAN $45,000 $45,000 -- $70,000 $70,000 APPRENTICE APPRENTICE $26,000 $26,000 -- $40,000 $40,000

48

A Guide to

45

YEARS YEARS AT AT COMPANY COMPANY 22

STUFF STUFF WE WE MAKE MAKE

COMPANY COMPANY INFO INFO

made and built in Rhode Island

JEFF JEFF WARD WARD Master Master Electrician Electrician and and Company Company President President

Associated Associated Builders Builders and and Contractors Contractors of of Rhode Rhode Island Island (ABC) (ABC) represents represents merit merit shop shop construction construction and and industry industry related related companies companies across across Rhode Rhode Island Island and and Massachusetts.

Massachusetts. ABC ABC helps helps our our members members develop develop people, people, win win work, work, deliver deliver work work safely, safely, ethically ethically and and profitably profitably for for the the betterment betterment of of the the communities communities where where our our member member companies companies work. work. Our Our mission mission isis to to create create an an environment environment that that provides provides merit merit shop shop contractors contractors equal equal opportunity opportunity to to bid bid on on and and perform perform all all projects. projects.

t your Spotligh in y compan tion.

0 edi the 202 AY!

VE RESER

CONTACT RICTA TODAY! Director Director of of Training: Training: Kristen Kristen Brescia Brescia Kristen@ricta.org Kristen@ricta.org

TOD

401-305-3510 401-305-3510 249 249 Roosevelt Roosevelt Ave. Ave. Pawtucket, Pawtucket, RI RI 02860 02860

❷

ricta.org ricta.org

❶

facebook.com/Rhodefacebook.com/RhodeIsland-Construction-TrainingIsland-Construction-TrainingAcademy-149025018469851/ Academy-149025018469851/

CAREER CAREER OPPORTUNITIES OPPORTUNITIES

ADDITIONAL ADDITIONAL TRAINING TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES OPPORTUNITIES

With With aa career career in in construction construction the the opportunities opportunities are are limitless. limitless. Each Each person person that that enters enters the the industry industry isis on on aa path path to to earning earning aa competitive competitive salary, salary, learning learning aa new new skill skill and and building building America America with with their their own own hands. hands.

RICTA RICTA also also offers offers apprenticeship apprenticeship training training in in carpentry, carpentry, craft craft laborer, laborer, HVAC, HVAC, commercial commercial painting, painting, pipefitting, pipefitting, roofing, roofing, sheet sheet metal metal and and sprinkler sprinkler fitting. fitting.

made and built in Rhode Island  2018

PBN.com  A Guide to

made and built in Rhode Island

BOATING

TH E TH I NG S WE MAKE

TracPhone LTE-1

49

THE STORY BEHIND KVH: Starting from creating the first digital compass for sailboat racing in 1982, KVH Industries Inc. has evolved into a creator of mobile communications and guidance systems and services for the leisure, commercial and military/ government markets on both land and sea.

› The TracPhone LTE-1 enables boaters to stay connected through phones and Wi-Fi devices up to 20 miles off the U.S. coast

 If you are a manufacturer…

› KVH employs 600-plus people worldwide and about 250 at its headquarters and satelliteproduct manufacturing facility in Middletown

 If you are an educaational institution…  If you are a business… ...showcase your business in the 2020 edition.

› The TracPhone LTE-1 is made in Middletown and was first produced for consumer sale in June 2018 › MSRP is $1,699 › The TracPhone LTE-1 can access two different cellphone carriers as opposed to just one as is typical

THE STORY: Bristol-based Zim Sailing was founded 10 years ago. It specializes in one-design sailboats, accessories and parts. The Collegiate FJ is primarily used for collegiate market and race teams, including Brown University’s team.

For more information, contact your account manager or Advertising@PBN.com | 401-680-4800

Collegiate FJ

(Flying Junior boat) › Collegiate FJ is made in Bristol › About 150 are made per year › Each Collegiate FJ costs $8,195, is made of fiberglass and polyester resin, and is 13 feet 3 inches long and weighs 230 pounds › Eighteen people work at Zim › A team of four people make each boat › Two-and-a-half to three FJs are made per week

Design is 40 years old, but has been refined for the college market PBN.com  A Guide to

COMPANY COMPANY INFO INFO

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

PBN

a guide to

SafeSafe Harbor Harbor NewNew England England Boatworks, Boatworks, LLC LLC A Subsidiary A Subsidiary of of SafeSafe Harbor Harbor Marinas, Marinas, LLC LLC 1 Lagoon 1 Lagoon RoadRoad Portsmouth, Portsmouth, RI 02871 RI 02871 Baxter Baxter Underwood, Underwood, CEO CEO RivesRives Potts,Potts, President President shmarinas.com shmarinas.com

designed, made and built in Rhode Island

401-683-4000 401-683-4000

2020

facebook.com/safeharbor facebook.com/safeharbor newenglandboatworks newenglandboatworks linkedin.com/company/ linkedin.com/company/ new-england-boatworks new-england-boatworks youtube.com/user/ youtube.com/user/ NEBoatworks NEBoatworks twitter.com/neboatworks twitter.com/neboatworks

Presenting Sponsor

NEB Employees: NEB Employees: 150 150 SHM SHM Founded: Founded: 20152015

ABOUT ABOUT US US Safe Harbor Marinas, LLC (SHM) is the largest owner and operator of marinas in the world. As a fast-growing private equity sponsored company, SHM cultivates a team dynamic of passionate individuals led by the sharpest minds in the industry in order to serve the vibrant boating community that encompasses the SHM network. SHM offers professional education and training opportunities including ABYC, manufacturers’ certifications and the chance to work with – and learn from – highly experienced marina professionals. There are 80+ marinas across the US and six properties in Rhode Island including the manufacturing facility at New England Boatworks (NEB) in Portsmouth, and marinas in Barrington, North Kingstown, Portsmouth and Warwick.

STUFF WE WE MAKE STUFF MAKE For over 30 years NEB has built, repaired, restored, optimized and upgraded some pretty amazing projects for personal, commercial, industrial, non-profit and government use. Our team has built well over 100 new boats, refit over 150 boats, built close to 20 art installations and numerous other smaller products from metal, wood or composites. We also repair and upgrade recreational and commercial boats from all over the country. Our team is world renowned for building record breaking racing sailboats.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS I was raised in the commercial fishing industry in South Eastern RI where I spent most of my summers as youth on the river. Recreational boating was also a major factor. I assisted my father at the age of 12 on my first refit to his 1967 Pacemaker. It was all over after that. I’ve always found working in the marine industry as rewarding and exciting, there is always something new to learn. Especially when working on refits/new construction. It’s rewarding to have the ability to provide members with exactly the vessel of their dreams. We excel at purpose built applications using the latest in manufacturing processes.

ABOUT ABOUT THETHE JOBJOB

People always ask, “What’s your typical day?” That’s easy, and the most favorable part of the job. There is nothing typical about any day here. With the seasonality of the industry I find the only change here is the urgency with how quickly we must complete projects.

There are troubleshooting and quick repairs during the summer season, whereas winter is reserved for more methodical approaches to the workload.

HRHR CONTACT CONTACT HollyHolly Ashton Ashton

YEARS AT COMPANY 1

PERSONAL THOUGHTS At 14 years old, I had my first job in the marine industry

SHM is focused on being an exceptional place to work. There are training and mentoring opportunities at all levels of the organization and an emphasis placed on promoting from within. In Rhode Island, SHM has a state registered apprenticeship program for marine technicians to ensure that entry-level employees get the training that they need. SHM offers a generous benefits package to eligible employees. In addition, SHM encourages employees to grow within the company and offers several tracks to management and opportunities to relocate across the country.

BENEFITS BENEFITS Health insurance • Dental insurance • Flexible spending account • Life insurance • Disability insurance • 401(k) • Bonuses • Paid vacation time • Paid sick time • Internships designed, made and built in Rhode Island  2019

YEARS AT COMPANY 14

GREG GREG KEHOE KEHOE Apprentice Mechanic

CAREER CAREER OPPORTUNITIES OPPORTUNITIES

A Guide to

JONJON ARRUDA ARRUDA Technical Foreman

I started here as a dockhand while attending NEIT in 2004 and have slowly worked my way up to being a lead electrician for NEB. It wasn’t an easy path, but a rewarding one since I thrive on providing problem solving solutions for marine systems and repair.

With hard work and a genuine interest in the field there are great opportunities to grow a career. Above all it is key to find a mentor and I have to thank the team at NEB for guiding me during my career path.

At NEB we have a long list of interesting customers including:  NYYC  American

Magic America’s Cup Team  City  of Staten Island, NY - 9/11 Memorial “Postcards”  TF Green  Airport - Yachting Display in the Arrivals Terminal  - Composite Products  Raytheon  Hole Oceanographic Institution - Composite Products  Woods   Blount Boats Inc. - Aluminum Commercial Yachts .... just to name a few

58

39

THETHE CAREER PATH CAREER PATH

COOL CUSTOMERS COOL CUSTOMERS

Partner Sponsor

made and built in Rhode Island

working the fuel dock at a local yacht club. This experience solidified my interest in working on boats and eventually I found my way to IYRS School of Technology & Trades. At IYRS, I enrolled in the 6-month Marine Systems program. While at IYRS, I earned my American Boat & Yacht Council Marine Systems, Electrical and Diesel certifications and completed my internship at Safe Harbor Cowesett, in Warwick, RI, where I have been working ever since.

401-287-2588 401-287-2588 hashton@shmarinas.com hashton@shmarinas.com

ABOUT ABOUT THETHE JOBJOB Each morning I check in with my team to assess and prioritize the workload. We all know that even if there is a solid plan for the day, things might change at any minute due to member needs or any number of things. For me, that’s what keeps things interesting! My favorite part of this job is troubleshooting because you are basically trying to solve a gigantic puzzle with some of the best people in the business. I find incredible satisfaction when the work is done, particularly when I can help fix a boat and return it back to a grateful member. I’m also a big fan of the location of my work, and how each and every day I have a water view from my “office.”

CAREER PATH THETHE CAREER PATH I first started working at Safe Harbor Marinas during my IYRS internship and then was hired full-time after I graduated as an apprentice. As an apprentice with SHM, I work with several different team members to learn about all aspects of marina operations. This structure works well for me because I am constantly shifting gears and getting moved around to different projects. The SHM Apprenticeship program is a registered apprenticeship with the State of Rhode Island and at this point, I have about one year left to go in this stage of my training. Looking forward, I hope to finish the apprenticeship program and keep working with more seasoned team members to become a trusted mechanic.

PBN.com  A Guide to

designed, made and built in Rhode Island

59

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 17

FOCUS | TECHNOLOGY/CYBERSECURITY PROTOCOLS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Michaud, the company’s IT director.

That was 2013. Fast forward to today, and the company has not only met the federal requirements but it helped fund a spinoff company, NeQtar Labs LLC, staffed by McLaughlin former interns, that works specifically to help other defense contractors meet federal cybersecurity compliance standards.

That’s in no small part due to the Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance, which has since 2015 partnered with the R.I. Department of Labor and Training through its Real Jobs Rhode Island program, matching students at state colleges and universities with paid internships at its 140 member organizations.

Internship applications have doubled in the last five years, but so too has industry demand from members and those outside the defense industry, said Linda Larsen, SENEDIA’s director of outreach and education.

Indeed, computer and mathematical occupations – which includes cybersecurity-specific jobs – are among the fastest-growing employment sectors in the state, increasing 42% from 2009 to 2019 for a total of 14,500 workers, according to data collected by DLT. By comparison, total state employment has increased 5.4% in the same period.

And with the pandemic forcing more people online for work, school and day-to-day needs, the risk of cyberattacks will only grow, and with it, industry demand for a labor force skilled in all aspects of cybersecurity.

“Cybersecurity has moved from being a specific silo to everywhere,” said Mike Kelly, cybersecurity program director for the Commu-

nity College of Rhode Island. “That skill set and knowledge base is going to be in demand for some time.”

Enrollment in CCRI’s two-year associate degree, which boasts a National Security Alliance designation, has grown from 108 students in the fall of 2017 to a projected 201 this semester, according to data shared by CCRI. The college’s Division of Workforce Training also debuted a new cybersecurity training program in May, offering a 60-hour program to 23 business professionals through a partnership with the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.

Other education institutions have also stepped up their cyber offerings. Enrollment for a new minor in cybersecurity at Rhode Island College opened this semester, while the University of Rhode Island recently expanded its array of undergraduate and graduate cyber programs to add a five-year combined bachelor’s and master’s degree, according to Douglas Tondreau, lead information technologist within URI’s computer science department.

Allegra Angell is among the first students to enroll in the Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Program in cybersecurity. Having completed her bachelor’s degree in computer science and criminal justice at URI already, the 22-year-old said the ABM program was the quickest way to put her on the path to her dream job working in national security for a federal agency.

But the programs and courses aren’t just for those who aspire to work in national security.

From finance to health care to education, nearly every industry has recognized the need for trained cyber professionals – and is hiring accordingly, according to Tondreau.

It all boils down to money, in his view.

“Companies have started to realize, as they

‘The more we can offer, the more we can deliver for the state and our employers.’

DOUGLAS TONDREAU, University of Rhode Island information technologist

notice attacks happening, that it’s costing them millions of dollars to resolve versus hiring a cyber-trained professional who can prevent that,” he said.

While McLaughlin’s decision to beef up its cybersecurity workforce was not the result of a cyberattack, Michaud believes the company’s investments have positioned it well to protect against the rise in cyberattacks reported since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re only as secure as the person with the lowest level of knowledge of computer systems,” agreed Jessica Mayernik, a grant adviser with Real Jobs RI. To that end, colleges and universities, including CCRI, have also incorporated basic digital literacy into their curriculum, teaching students across disciplines the risks of cyberthreats they may not otherwise think about – such as on Facebook or other social media platforms, Kelly said.

Asked if growing cyber programming across local colleges and universities created competition, Kelly said no, at least not for CCRI. If anything, more options for students leaving CCRI to obtain a four-year degree and a master’s degree will only benefit the school, the students and the industry, he said.

Each school also offers a different focus: For example, URI centers on defending and protecting against cyberattacks, while Salve Regina University specializes in federal compliance and regulation, Tondreau said.

“There might be some competition, but the more we can offer, the more we can deliver for the state and our employers,” he said. n

HOME ON THE RANGE: Kevin Crawford, left, chairperson of the Community College of Rhode Island’s computer studies program, and Mike Kelly, CCRI cybersecurity program director, at the Rhode Island Cyber Range, where simulated cyberattacks can be conducted for training. The range is located at CCRI’s Newport campus.

PBN PHOTO/KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

18 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

TECHNOLOGY/CYBERSECURITY | FOCUS Attention-grabbing tech in the works for cyclists

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

MORE PEOPLE ARE RIDING BICYCLES during the pandemic, and collisions between cyclists and motor vehicles are also on the rise. In almost half of the cases where the crash happened because a car overtook a bicyclist on the road, drivers reported that they didn’t see the bike, according to a recent national study.

Technology making bicyclists more visible – not through reflective material, but by wearing something that is automatically detected by a vehicle’s built-in collision-warning system – could be a way to help reduce those crashes.

A wearable technology is being developed by Revolution Cycle Works Co., of Charlestown, working with the University of Rhode Island. The company’s idea, begun several years ago, has reached the prototype phase, according to Revolution Cycle Works President Joe Loberti.

Patents have been filed for the technology as well, he said.

The technology is two-fold. One part involves the development of a symbol worn by a cyclist that would be detected by a camera system, and

the detection would be improved with machine-learning systems. Such car-based technologies are becoming more common in new vehicles, and, where a driver might not see a bicyclist as the car approaches, the system would detect the wearable tech.

Another part of the technology would incorporate threads or subsurface materials into the symbol that would be detected by radar systems used by new motor vehicles to prevent ­collisions.

FOCUS

HEALTH CARE 2020 400 Westminster Street, Suite 600 Providence, RI 02903 PBN.com

The importance of making advances in bicyclist safety is driven by injury and fatality data, Loberti said.

Almost 900 people were killed in the U.S. in bicycle-vehicle collisions in 2018, the last year for which federal statistics were available.

The 857 people killed on bikes that year was nearly a 7% increase from 2017 and was the highest total since 1988, when 901 cyclists were killed, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Between 2007 and 2016, the number of nonfatal bicyclist injuries rose across the U.S. from 44,000 annually to 64,000, according to a recent Na-

tional Transportation Safety Board report.

The NTSB recommended that bicyclists be protected by infrastructure intended to physically separate them from cars, that technology in vehicles to detect them be advanced and that wearing helmets become universal.

The Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition, a cycling advocacy group, said the best way to protect cyclists is through dedicated bike ­infrastructure.

Kathleen Gannon, chairwoman of the coalition, said drivers are so disCONTINUES ON PAGE 22

‘We fully envision joggers, pets even, will have this technology.’

JOE LOBERTI, Revolution Cycle Works Co. president

Recent news and industry trends from this important segment of the region’s economy.

Reach your target audience with PBN. PRINT October 16 Top Lists: Hospitals; Addiction Treatment Centers December 11 Top List: Urgent Care Centers DIGITAL E-NEWSLETTER Every Monday Contact Linda Foster at 401.680.4812 or email Foster@PBN.com for details.

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 19

FOCUS | CYBERSECURITY COMPANIES (ranked by number of full-time local employees) FOCUS | CYBERSECURITY COMPANIES (ranked by number of full-time local employees) CLOSER LOOK

Company | Website CEO/President

Address Phone

No. of local FT employees Year founded

1

Carousel Industries of North America Inc. | carouselindustries.com Jeff Gardner, CEO

659 South County Trail Exeter, R.I. 02822 (800) 401-0760

211 1992

Incident response and businesscontinuity planning, security assessments, team augmentation

2

Rite-Solutions Inc. | rite-solutions.com Dennis McLaughlin

1 Corporate Place, 2nd Floor Middletown, R.I. 02842 (401) 847-3399

120 2000

Systemwide cybersecurity and information assurance services

CAI Software LLC 1 | caisoft.com Brian Rigney, CEO

36 Thurber Blvd.

Smithfield, R.I. 02917 (401) 232-2600

64 1978

Order entry and management, inventory control, production, delivery, customer management, financials, IT security

2019: 5

Vertikal6 | vertikal6.com Rick Norberg, CEO

30 Service Ave. Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 825-4400

50 2010

Backup and disaster recovery, cloud/ Azure, event management, IT compliance, IT vulnerability assessment, security information

5 2019: 4

Envision Technology Advisors LLC | envisionsuccess.net Todd S. Knapp, founder and CEO

999 Main St., Suite 715 Pawtucket, R.I. 02860 (401) 272-6688

48 1998

Data and endpoint security, employee security posture training and measurement, third-party validation

6 2019: 6

NetCenergy | netcenergy.com Donald R. Nokes, president

1125 Pontiac Ave. Cranston, R.I. 02920 (401) 921-3100

35 2003

Fully managed IT systems security solutions, which meet or exceed NIST recommendations and comply with industry-compliance standards

2019: 6

7

SyNet Inc. | synetinc.com Stephen P. Beauvais, president

205 Hallene Road, Suite 101 Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 736-6450

32 1987

Surveillance systems

8 2019: 9

Ananke IT Solutions | ananke.com John Conway

20 Main St. East Greenwich, R.I. 02818 (401) 331-2780

25 1994

IT services company providing professional, managed, cybersecurity and disaster-response services

9 2019: 11

Kyber Security | kybersecure.com Lynn Souza, CEO

1570 Westminster St. Providence, R.I. 02909 (203) 333-4444

24 2004

Manages cybersecurity and support services, including help desk, compliance services, network monitoring and security, BDR, MDR, cyber training

9 2019: 9

Brave River Solutions Inc. | braveriver.com Jim McAssey, president

875 Centerville Road Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 828-6611

24 2000

Cloud architecture and management, disaster recovery, email security, firewalls, IT governance, IT and security assessments, managed services

Freedom Tech Solutions | ftssupport.com George Jemery

920 Hartford Ave. Johnston, R.I. 02919 (800) 940-0040

22 2001

Security inspections, including antivirus and malware, breach policies and procedures, patches and updates, server hardening

Secure Future Tech Solutions | securefuturetech.com Eric M. Shorr, CEO; Lisa A. Shorr, vice president

475 Kilvert St., Suite 110 Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 921-2607

22 1992

24/7 computer and network management, business-continuity solutions, cloud computing, cybersecurity solutions, network security

13 2019:

IT Support RI | itsupportri.com Nick Bernfeld; Paul Riendeau, CEOs

70 Woodland Road North Smithfield, R.I. 02896 (401) 522-5200

21 2002

Cybersecurity training, encrypted emails, encrypted local and off-site backups, encrypted virtual private networks, security firewalls

14 2019:

Technology Advisory Group | techadvisory.com Gary Harlam, owner

250 Centerville Road, Building F Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 228-6400

19 1996

HIPAA, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S. Department of Defense-oriented compliance solutions for business-computer networks

Compass IT Compliance LLC | compassitc.com William DePalma, managing partner, senior vice president of sales; Jerry Hughes, managing partner, senior vice president of operations, senior executive IT auditor

2 Asylum Road North Providence, R.I. 02904 (401) 353-3024

17 2010

Compliance portal solutions, digital forensic services, General Data Protection Regulation compliance services, IT auditing and risk management

16 2019:

NeQter Labs LLC | neqterlabs.com Richard Astle, co-founder and CEO

163 Exchange St. Pawtucket, R.I. 02860 (401) 608-6522

10 2018

Cybersecurity compliance software (SIEM, vulnerability scanning, network monitoring, alerting), NIST SP 800-171 compliance solutions

17 2019:

Logicomm Inc. | logicomm-inc.com Jim Van, partner; Peter Petrovich, director of security

111 Irving Ave. Providence, R.I. 02906 (401) 369-8730

8 1997

Architecture, cloud, endpoint, firewall, network

17

RCC | rcc-pcsupport.com Michael Rudnick, president

40 Nashua St. Providence, R.I. 02904 (401) 272-9262

8 1989

Disaster-recovery services, firewall and network security, secure-password management

17 2019:

East Coast Technology Group | ectne.com Steven J. Gietz, president

1300 Highland Corporate Drive Cumberland, R.I. 02864 401-464-9005

8 2002

Business IT consulting, cybersecurity preventative solutions, firewall installation and monitoring, managedservices provider, virtualization services

Provdotnet LLC | prov.net Ron Sacks, CEO and managing partner

935 Westminster St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 441-5213

4 2003

Customer management, HR/accounting, marketing/sales, research/ development, staff communications

2020 rank

2019: 1

2019: 2

3

2019: 3

4

11

2019: 12

11 2019: 12

15

14

15 2019: 8 18

16

2019: 8

20

20 2019: NL

1 Also known as Computer Associates.

20 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

Cybersecurity services offered

Total number of full-time local employees:

772

Re-ranked by oldest companies:

1

CAI Software LLC Year founded: 1978

2

SyNet Inc. Year founded: 1987

3

RCC Year founded: 1989

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

UPCOMING LISTS Private Secondary Schools (Oct. 9); Hospitals, Addiction Treatment Centers (Oct. 16) WANT TO JOIN? For more information about participating in PBN’s Top Lists, or to make additions or corrections, call (401) 680-4884 or write to Shuman@PBN.com.

NL = Not listed last year.

FOOTNOTE j Also known as Computer Associates.

PBN, in partnership with The Tech Collective, presents our Cybersecurity Virtual Summit

Wednesday, October 7 | 9am

SUMMIT in partnership with:

With the current pandemic and more employees working remotely, we will provide important up-to-date information on a variety of threats and offer advice on securing network perimeters and preventing hackers from stealing client, customer, and employee information, as well as sensitive company data.

This year’s summit will feature three focused breakout sessions for attendees to choose from.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS: LEADERSHIP

|

PRACTITIONERS

|

SMALL BUSINESS

Visit PBN.com for descriptions of each breakout session to determine which one you should attend.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

CLOSING REMARKS BY

MR. TOM DOYLE

KIM CASCI PALANGIO

Cyber Intelligence Analyst, FBI’s Boston Field Office

For the past 10 years Mr. Doyle has investigated criminal and counterintelligence computer intrusions throughout New England. His investigative work includes computer forensic analysis during the Boston Marathon Bombing investigation, identification of individuals behind financially-motivated cyber-crimes, and attribution for computer attacks on critical network infrastructure. He is also 20 year veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve, which has included tours of duty in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Japan as a Military Intelligence and Cyber Operations Officer.

Assistant Vice President, Victim Services Program Cybercrime Support Network

A native of Rhode Island, Kim has worked since January 2019 as the R.I. Program Manager and more recently as Assistant VP of Victim Services for the Cybercrime Support Network. R.I. served as the pilot program for CSN and was the first state in the nation to offer cybercrime services for individuals and small to medium sized businesses in partnership with the United Way through the 2-1-1 phone system.

REGISTER AT PBN.COM PRESENTING SPONSOR

PARTNER SPONSORS

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 21

FOCUS | TECHNOLOGY/CYBERSECURITY

welcomes

PARTNER SPONSOR

SUMMIT

HEALTH CARE

FALL 2020

NOW YOU SEE HIM: Joe Loberti, president of Revolution Cycle Works Co. in Charlestown, goes for a bike ride along Boston Neck Road in Narragansett.

Loberti is working on technology that will improve the ability of collision-prevention systems in new cars to detect cyclists.

PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

Get Social

Join our conversation on social media and become an integral part of the news process.

Talk to us, recommend us, tell us what we’ve missed and tell us what you think.

LIKE us TAG us

TWEET us

FOLLOW us

22 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

tracted by warning systems and other technology in cars that she’s unsure that a collision warning involving cyclists would be effective.

“It doesn’t seem as helpful as separated, protected, bicycle infrastructure,” she said. “The most powerful thing is to separate bicyclists from motor vehicle traffic and to engineer intersections with all the road users in mind.”

For Loberti, the goal of increased safety isn’t just a theoretical solution.

Loberti, a cyclist himself, said he has frequent close calls while riding his bike. His business primarily sells bicycle components, such as brake pads and gearing cables, to bike shops, but more than three years ago he started thinking about technology that would make cyclists more visible to motorists.

The problem with existing, carbased collision-detection systems, he said, is they’re designed to see much larger objects than a bicycle. They have difficulty distinguishing a slender bicycle, particularly if the cyclist is moving in the same direction at nearly the same speed, and alongside the car.

In about 20% of collisions, he said, the car makes a righthand turn in front of a cyclist traveling in the same direction without being aware the cyclist is there.

“The problem is with the technology being able to assess the environment,” he said.

Modern vehicles may use some form of detection technology, such as camera systems or radar, he said.

Some systems have blind spots. Oth-

ers are affected by weather conditions. “To various levels, they’ll detect a pedestrian or a cyclist. But not very well,” he said.

The wearable tech could be applied to garments such as socks, shirts, jackets or shorts. It could also be applied to objects carried by pedestrians and dog walkers, or on a backpack.

Eventually, Loberti said he could see the symbols being worn by police officers on traffic details, by warehouse workers who may be working alongside computerized forklifts.

“We fully envision joggers, pets even, will have this technology,” he said.

In 2019, Revolution Cycle Works received a $50,000 “innovation voucher” from the R.I. Commerce Corp. to pursue its technology with expertise from URI. The company initially worked with a professor in the artificialintelligence lab at URI and will now work with a professor with a computer-science specialty. Loberti said the product could be expanded to the textile industry because the potential exists for a garment to have fibers that would make it more visible to vehicle-based radar.

The automakers would have access to the technology through a no-cost agreement, Loberti said. He would license the technology to apparel manufacturers.

“What we’re trying to do from a vision standpoint is to put a known element on the back of someone’s T-shirt, on their shorts if they’re a rider, or on socks or a backpack, that the vision system would know – that’s what that is.” n

One Investment Delivers All Year Long Advertise in the #1 publication decision-makers refer to throughout the year.

The PBN Book of Lists includes businesses names, numbers, services offered, names and titles of key decision makers, contact information and more. It is a compilation of PBN’s weekly lists, bringing all the information together in one place and found nowhere else.

Your ad in the 2021 Book of Lists keeps your company message in front of the people who count all year long.

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

PBN

BOOK LISTS of

2020

Sponsored by

BOL2020Covers.indd 1

12/12/19 8:43 AM

The Book of Lists is the single most comprehensive resource on businesses in RI and southeastern Massachusetts.

63%

of readers keep it for a year or more

73.5%

of readers refer to it throughout the year

ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS FIRMS (ranked (rankedbybynumber numberofofregistered registeredarchitects) architects) ARCHITECTURAL 2018 rank

1 2017: 3

2 2017: 5

2 2017: 2

4 2017: 1

4 2017: 5

4 2017: 4

7 2017: 7

8 2017: 8

9 2017: 10

Architectural Firm Principal(s)

Website

Registered architects Total staff Recent projects

Address Phone

Vision 3 Architects vision3architects.com Keith R. Davignon; David R. Prengaman, principals

225 Chapman St. Providence, R.I. 02905 (401) 461-7771

14 34

Cranston: R.I. Attorney General Customer Service Center; Warwick: Ortho Rhode Island Medical and Surgical Center

Union Studio Architecture & Community Design unionstudioarch.com Donald W. Powers, founding principal; Douglas P. Kallfelz, principal and managing partner

140 Union St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 272-4724

DBVW Architects dbvw.com Douglas Brown; Michael Viveiros; Martha Werenfels, principals

(rankedbybyacreage) acreage) RHODE ISLAND BUSINESS & INDUSTRIAL PARKS (ranked CLOSER LOOK

1 2017: 1

2

13 23

Newport: Hammett's Wharf Hotel and Waterfront master plan; Providence: Westminster Street buildings rehabilitation

128

111 Chestnut St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 831-1240

13 32

NA

LIST RESEARCHED BY James Bessette

Northeast Collaborative Architects LLC ncarchitects.com Synfoni Bailey-Green; John D. Scheib Jr.; Andrea T. Baranyk; Sean Donadio, principals

2 Marlborough St. Newport, R.I. 02840 (401) 846-9583

10 16

Newport: Innovate Newport; West Warwick: Lippitt Mill

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

LLB Architects llbarch.com Kathleen A. Bartels; R. Drayton Fair; Christian J. Ladds, principals

161 Exchange St. Pawtucket, R.I. 02860 (401) 421-7715

10 25

Providence: Lincoln School STEAM Hub for Girls, Rhode Island College Gaige Hall renovations

RGB Inc. rgb.net David L. DeQuattro, managing principal

50 Holden St. Providence, R.I. 02908 (401) 272-1730

10 26

Portsmouth: Portsmouth DOT Facility; Richmond: Chariho Alternative Learning Academy; Tiverton: Tiverton Schools

2017: 4

3 2017: 2

B

Brewster Thornton Group Architects LLP brewsterthornton.com Mary Dorsey Brewster, founding partner; Nathaniel J. Ginsburg; Barbara J. Thornton; Patrick M. Connors, partners

2018 rank

Total no. of registered architects:

4 2017: 3

5 2017: 5

6

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.

2017: 6

7 2017: 7

8

NL = Not listed last year.

150 Chestnut St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 861-1600

8 18

Bristol: Rhode Island Veterans Home, Roger Williams University Engineering Labs; South Kingstown: URI Bliss Engineering building

Saccoccio & Associates Inc. sa-architects.com Mark Saccoccio; Steve Guglielmo, principals

1085 Park Ave. Cranston, R.I. 02910 (401) 942-7970

7 11

Narragansett: Quest Montessori School; Providence: Rhode Island College Welcome Center

Kite Architects Inc. kitearchitects.com Albert Garcia; Christine M. West, principals

1 Central St. Providence, R.I. 02907 (401) 272-0240

6 10

Charlestown: Charlestown net-zero beach house; Providence: Room + Works II, South Street Substation

FOOTNOTE  Former principals J. Michael Abbott, Jeffrey D. Bianco, Glenn R. Gardiner, Ray Giolitto and John K. Grosvenor were named principals-of-counsel by the firm on Jan. 1, 2018.

2017: 8

9 2017: 9

10 2017: 10

11 2017: 11

9 2017: 9

11 2017: 11

12 2017: 12

12 2017: NL

14 2017: 12

14 2017: 12

16 2017: 16

16 2017: 16

16 2017: 12

16 2017: 16

16 2017: 16

16 2017: 16

n|e|m|d architects inc. nemd.com Mehdi Khosrovani, president; Joanne O'ConnellFoster; Sean Greene, principals

1 Virginia Ave., Suite 202 Providence, R.I. 02905 (401) 435-3532

6 19

Cranston: Roosevelt Benton Building, Virks building; East Providence: University Orthopedic Medical Center

Symmes, Maini & McKee Associates Inc. smma.com Jennifer Howe; John Scott; Nick Koulbanis, principals

275 Promenade St., Suite 275 Providence, R.I. 02908 (401) 421-0447

5 15

Providence: Gilbane Inc. corporate headquarters, Providence College Ryan Center for Business

Edward Rowse Architects Inc. edwardrowsearchitects.com Edward A. Rowse, president

400 Massasoit Ave. East Providence, R.I. 02914 (401) 331-9200

4 14

Central Falls: Blackstone Valley Community Health Care; Providence: Frank J. Licht Judicial Complex window restoration

ZDS Inc. z-ds.com Eric Zuena, managing principal

Ed Wojcik Architect Ltd. edwojcikarchitect.com Edward F. Wojcik, principal architect

12 2017: 12

13 2017: 13

14 2017: 14

15

86 Weybosset St. Providence, R.I. 02903 1 (401) 680-6699

4 10

NA

1 Richmond Square Providence, R.I. 02906 (401) 861-7139

3 9

NA

16

310 George Washington Highway Smithfield, R.I. 02917 (401) 232-5010

3 10

Jamestown: Jamestown Fire station remodel and addition; North Smithfield: Planet Fitness

18

2017: NL

16 2017: 17

2017: 15

Aharonian & Associates Inc. John A. Aharonian, owner

arch-eng.com

2017: 16

DUAL LLC thedualstudio.com Ian Baldwin; Jonathan F. Bell, principals

204 Westminster St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 830-0835

2 3

2017: NL

Burgin Lambert Architects Inc. williamburgin.com William L. Burgin; Robert H. Lambert Jr., principals

150 Bellevue Ave. Newport, R.I. 02840 (401) 847-3339

Blount Bennett Architects Ltd. bbaltd.com George A. Bennett Jr., president, secretary and treasurer

865 Waterman Ave., Unit B East Providence, R.I. 02914 (401) 431-1922

2 4

Bristol: Colt Farm Stone Barn restoration; Jamestown: Private residence; Providence: Multiunit housing at 189 Angell St.

JMBA+ Architects jmba-architects.com Joseph M. Booth, president; Rob Smith, vice president

47 North Second St., 4th floor New Bedford, Mass. 02740 (508) 999-6220

2 7

Boston: Kelly Field House; Foxborough, Mass.: Kennedy Donovan Center Headquarters; New Bedford: Port Society Complex

3SIX0 Architecture 3six0.com Kyna Leski; Christopher Bardt, principals

146 Westminster St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 421-4360

2 5

Providence: Brown University Jonathan Nelson Entrepreneurial Center; Woodstock, Conn.: Woodstock barn conversion

2 7

19

NA

20

NA

2017: 18

21 2017: 19

22 2017: 20

23 2017: NL

24 2017: NL

GMI Architects Gary L. Graham

gmiarchitects.com

412A Thames St. Bristol, R.I. 02809 (401) 396-9898

2 6

24

Middletown: Specs Eyecare; West Haven, Conn.: Yale Health and Hospitals, Psychiatric Hospital

2017: NL

Park name Address

Website

Quonset Business Park 95 Cripe St. North Kingstown, R.I. 02852

Acreage 3,207 B

GOLF COURSES COURSES (ranked (rankedby byUSGA USGA rating) slopeslope rating) GOLF

Representative occupants

Highway access

CLOSER LOOK

Dominion Diagnostics, Edesia, General Dynamics Electric Boat, Hayward Industries, Hexagon Metrology, Ocean State Job Lot, Toray Plastics (America)

Route 403 to Route 4 to Interstate 95

Total acreage:

The Centre of New England Centre of New England Boulevard Coventry, R.I. 02816

504

Applebees, BJ's Wholesale Club, Champion Window, Cracker Barrel, Home Depot, Neighborcare, Super Wal-Mart

Interstate 95

Fidelity Regional Campus 100-300-500-900 Salem St. Smithfield, R.I. 02917

503

Fidelity Investments

Route 7 to Interstate 295

The Pettaconsett Industrial Park & Howard Industrial Park Intersection of Route 37 and Pontiac Avenue Cranston, R.I. 02910

494

Alex & Ani, Golfer's Warehouse, McLaughlin & Moran, Pepsi Co., Siemans, Swarovski North America, Tasca, WJAR-TV NBC 10

Route 37 to Interstates 295 and 95

West Warwick Industrial Park Route 2 at Interstate 95 West Warwick, R.I. 02893

403

Amtrol, Arpin Van Lines, AstroNova, Cardi's Furniture, Cox Communications, Uncas International LLC

Interstate 95

Highland Corporate Park Highland Corporate Drive Cumberland, R.I. 02864

270

Cintas, CVS Health, Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, The Hart Cos., Tiffany & Co., TriLiteral

Route 99 to Route 146 to Interstate 295

Burrillville Commerce Park Broncos Highway Burrillville, R.I. 02830

250

Asiago Foods, Daniele Foods, Alashan Cashmere

Route 102 to Route 146 to Interstate 295

Richmond Commons Kingstown Road/Route 138 Richmond, R.I. 02898

249

NA

Route 138 to Interstate 95

Western Cranston Industrial Park Plainfield Pike Cranston, R.I. 02910

239

Dean Warehouse Services, Dream Big Gymnastics, Electro Standards Laboratory, Federal Electronics, Frito Lay, Penske, Pro Equipment Rentals

Route 14 to Interstate 295

Commercial Way Commerce Area Waterman Avenue/Commercial Way East Providence, R.I. 02914

233

Anco Tool and Die, Aramark, Don-Mar Creations, D3 Inc., IlluminOss Medical, M&G Materials Handling Corp., Signature Printing, Wood's Heating Service

Interstate 195

Elmwood-Wellington Corridor Wellington Avenue Cranston, R.I. 02910

230

AMF Cranston Lanes, Clean Care of New England, Harold Glass, Leonard Valve, Ocean State Job Lot, PriceRite, Scott Brass, Silver Spring Auto Body, TYCO

Interstate 95

East Bay Industrial Park Tupelo Street Bristol, R.I. 02809

215

C&C Fiberglass Components, Covalence Specialty Adhesives, George Patton Associates, Halls Spars & Rigging, Jade Engineered Plastics, TxV Aero Composites

Routes 114 and 136 to Interstate 195

Tiverton Business Park Route 24 at Fish Road Tiverton, R.I. 02878

172

Longplex Family Fitness & Sports Center, Tiverton Power (Emera)

Route 24 to Interstate 195

Lakeside Commerce Park Green Earth Avenue & Shun Pike Johnston, R.I. 02919

171

A. Duie Pyle, Ballard Truck Center, D'Ambra Construction, FedEx Distribution, Pick N Pull Automotive Recycling, Sims Metal Management

Interstate 295

Westminster Industrial Park Catamore Boulevard East Providence, R.I. 02914

159

(add)ventures, Brown Medicine, DSM NeoResins, PEP MicroPEP, Santander Bank, Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage, WPRI-TV CBS 12

Route 6 to Interstate 195

Highland Corporate Park Woonsocket Park East Drive Woonsocket, R.I. 02895

150

American Cord and Webbing, Colony Hardware, CVS Health, Hanna Instruments, Impreglon U.S., Jeweled Cross, Parkinson Technologies, Summer Infant

Route 122 to Route 99 to Route 146 to Interstate 295

Northwoods 1301 Atwood Ave. Johnston, R.I. 02919

150

American Arbitration Association, Dassault Systemes, New York Life, Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O'Gara

Route 6 to Interstate 295

Slatersville Industrial Park Industrial Drive North Smithfield, R.I. 02876

140

Comtorgage, CVS Health, Mondelez Global, New England Truck & Auto Shine

Route 146 to Interstates 90 and 295

113

AM Source, AP Navitus (American Printing), Bacon Construction, Contech Research, Hasbro, Kaufman Sales, Thomsen Food Services, Parker Construction

Route 1A to Interstates 195 and 95

Bullard Abrasives, General Cable, Orion, Stackbin

Route 123 to Routes 116 and 146 to Interstate 295

Narragansett Industrial Park Narragansett Park Drive East Providence, R.I. 02916 North Central Industrial Air Park Wellington Road Lincoln, R.I. 02865

8,384

119_123designconstructBOL19.indd 121

1 2017: 1

1 2017: 1

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

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.

3 2017: 3

4 2017: 4

4 2017: 4

6 2017: 7

FOOTNOTE  Includes a golf course and four public beaches.

6 2017: 7

108

Huntington Industrial Park Niantic Avenue Cranston, R.I. 02907

107

Dexter Road Manufacturing Center Dexter Road East Providence, R.I. 02914

100

Melville Marine District Stringham Road off Rt. 114, West Main Road Portsmouth, R.I. 02871 Burrillville Industrial Park Route 100 Burrillville, R.I. 02859 Woonsocket Industrial Park Fortin Drive Woonsocket, R.I. 02895

6 2017: 4

9 2017: 9

9 2017: 9

9 2017: 9

12 2017: 12

12 2017: 12

12 2017: 12

12 2017: 15

16 2017: 15

16 2017: 15

18 2017: 19

19

Allianence Security, Auto Rust Technichians, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Graybar Electric, Lang's Bowlarama

Route 10 to Interstate 95

AccuCare Supply, Aspen Aerogels, Coast Modern Construction, East Side Construction, The Fence Specialist, Gripnail Fastening Systems, Impco

Interstate 195

97

Cay Electronics, Hinckley, Hunt Yachts, New England Boatworks, Newport Dinner Train, Ocean Link, Portsmouth Yacht Refit Center, U.S. Sailing Association

Route 114 to Route 24 to Interstate 195

20

60

G.S., La Cantina, Lockheed Window Corp., Matrix Power

Route 44 to Interstates 295 and 395

20

60

CVS Health, Flock Tex, Holiday Inn, Tasca Chevrolet

Route 122 to Route 99 to Route 146 to Interstate 295

2017: 21

20 2017: NL

2017: NL

2017: NL

20 2017: NL

1 Former principals J. Michael Abbott, Jeffrey D. Bianco, Glenn R. Gardiner, Ray Giolitto and John K. Grosvenor were named principals-of-counsel by the firm on Jan. 1, 2018.

www.pbn.com | BOOK OF LISTS ■ PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | JANUARY 2019

2018 rank

| 121

12/26/18 2:45 PM

PUBLICATION DATE: JANUARY 22, 2021

Golf Course Website Club Manager

Address Phone

USGA slope rating USGA course rating Length of course (yds.)

PGA Golf Professional Public or private

Amenities

Newport National Golf Club | newportnational.com Robin Hyson, general manager

324 Mitchell's Lane Middletown, R.I. 02842 (401) 848-9690

139 74.1 7,244

Andrew Farrea, head golf professional Semi-private

Bar, carts, clubhouse, facilities, lounge, membership, pro shop and restaurant

Norton Country Club | nortoncountryclub.com Scott Humphrey, general manager

188 Oak St. Norton, Mass. 02766 (508) 285-2400

139 73.1 6,546

Kevin Altham, PGA golf professional Semi-private

Banquet facilities, bar, carts, lessons, meeting facilities, pool, pro shop, restaurant

Fall River Country Club | fallrivercc.com Donna Blaker, general manager/club controller

4232 North Main St. Fall River, Mass. 02720 (508) 677-9828

136 71.7 6,304

Don Daley, head golf professional Private

Bar, carts, clubhouse, facilities, memberships

Newport Country Club Mike Sullivan, clubhouse manager

280 Harrison Ave. Newport, R.I. 02840 (401) 846-0461

135 75.4 7,075

Barry Westall, head golf professional Private

Clubhouse, driving range and function rooms

Wannamoisett Country Club | wannamoisett.com Ed Hadfield, clubhouse manager

96 Hoyt Ave. East Providence, R.I. 02907 (401) 434-1200

135 72.8 6,732

Brad McCluski, head golf professional Private

Banquet facilities, bar, clubhouse, lounge, pool, restaurant and tennis

Ledgemont Country Club | ledgemontcc.com Joe Ruggiero, owner

131 Brown Ave. Seekonk, Mass. 02771 (508) 761-6600

134 73.4 6,801

Troy Pare, head golf professional Private

Clubhouse, function rooms, golf and tennis leagues, restaurant and swimming pool

Rhode Island Country Club | ricc.org Kevin Callahan, clubhouse manager

150 Nayatt Road Barrington, R.I. 02806 (401) 245-5700

134 73.4 6,734

Kyle Phelps, head golf professional Private

Clubhouse, halfway house, locker rooms, pro shop, squash, swimming pool and tennis

Shelter Harbor Golf Club | shgcri.com Gerry O'Callaghan, general manager

1 Golf Club Drive Charlestown, R.I. 02813 (401) 322-0600

134 74.3 7,032

Dave Tiedemann, head golf professional Private

Carts, fitness center, nine-hole short course and restaurant

Point Judith Country Club | pointjudithcountryclub.com Toni Owens, clubhouse manager

150 Windermere Road Narragansett, R.I. 02882 (401) 792-9765

133 73.2 6,691

David Marcotte, PGA professional Private

Driving range, practice areas, equipment rentals, function rooms, clubhouse, lockers

Quidnessett Country Club | quidnessett.com Philip Santomaro, general manager

950 N. Quidnessett Road North Kingstown, R.I. 02852 (401) 884-1100

133 73.6 6,935

John Del Bonis, head golf professional Private

Clubhouse, driving range, equipment rentals, function rooms and practice areas

Segregansett Country Club | segregansett.com Kym O'Sullivan, function manager

85 Gulliver St. Taunton, Mass. 02780 (508) 824-9110

133 73.3 6,713

Rob Baxter, head golf professional Private

Driving range, function facilities, practice facility, restaurant and lounge,

Fenner Hill Golf Club | fennerhill.com Mike Farrell, president

33 Wheeler Lane Hopkinton, R.I. 02832 (401) 539-8000

132 71.4 6,636

Jay Thompson, director of golf Semi-private

Carts, senior discounts, bar, lounge, clubhouse, restaurant, memberships

Meadow Brook Golf Club | meadowbrookgolfri.com Kelly Hendrick, club manager and co-owner

163 Kingstown Road Richmond, R.I. 02898 (401) 539-8491

132 75.4 7,468

NA Public

Breakfast and lunch, carts, full bar, longest public course in R.I., pro shop

The Carnegie Abbey Club | carnegieabbeyclub.com Harper Silbey, general manager

125 Cory's Lane Portsmouth, R.I. 02871 (401) 682-6000

132 72.5 6,675

Ed Kirby, director of golf Private

Clubhouse, deep water mooring, equestrian center, golf lodge, sailing, spa and tennis

Triggs Memorial Golf Course | triggs.us Karl Augenstein, general manager

1533 Chalkstone Ave. Providence, R.I. 02909 (401) 521-8460

132 72.3 6,522

Robert Tramonti, PGA director of instruction Public

Carts, clubhouse and practice range

Cranston Country Club | cranstoncc.com Tom Palmer, director of golf

69 Burlingame Road Cranston, R.I. 02921 (401) 826-1683

131 74 6,914

John Simmons, head golf professional Public

Banquet facilities, clubhouse, driving range and lessons

Whaling City Golf Course | whalingcitygolfcourse.com W/F Management LLC, facility manager

581 Hathaway Road New Bedford, Mass. 02740 (508) 996-9393

131 73 6,780

Greg Dennehy, PGA professional Public

Bar, practice facility, restaurant

Valley Country Club | valleycountryclub.net Melodi Caruso, general manager

251 New London Ave. Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 821-1115

130 72.5 6,673

Chad Spencer, head golf professional Private

Clubhouse, driving range, dining rooms and special event facilities

Alpine Country Club | alpinecc.com Ron Woods, general manager; Joshua A Bennett, director of membership

251 Pippin Orchard Road Cranston, R.I. 02921 (401) 943-2670

129 73.2 6,864

Naomi Nesenoff, director of golf Private

Agawam Hunt | agawamhunt.org Joshua Helm, assistant general manager/controller

15 Roger Williams Ave. East Providence, R.I. 02916 (401) 434-0980

128 69.8 6,156

Norman Alberigo Jr., head golf professional Private

Crestwood Country Club | crestwoodcc.com Joseph Moniz, club manager

90 Wheeler St. Rehoboth, Mass. 02769 (508) 336-8582

128 71.5 6,603

Greg Rounds, head golf professional Private

Banquet facilities, bar, carts, driving range, outdoor dining area, pool and restaurant

Potowomut Golf Club | potowomut.com Kellie Galvin, director of food and beverage and events

439 Ives Road East Greenwich, R.I. 02818 (401) 885-8700

128 70.6 6,380

Seth Force, PGA professional Private

Ballroom, golf shop, practice greens, restaurant and bar

Warwick Country Club | warwickcc.com Kevin Hanrahan, general manager

410 Narragansett Bay Ave. Warwick, R.I. 02889 (401) 739-0550

128 72.3 6,453

Matt Walsh, head golf professional Private

Banquet/wedding facilities, bar and grille, children's summer program and tennis

116 | JANUARY 2019 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS ■ BOOK OF LISTS | www.pbn.com

104_118realestateBOL19.indd 116

39%

CLOSER LOOK

Re-ranked by longest courses

1

130_146hospitalityBOL19.indd 141

••••••••••

Meadow Brook Golf Club Length of course (yards): 7,468

2

Newport National Golf Club Length of course (yards): 7,244

3

Newport Country Club Length of course (yards): 7,075 LIST RESEARCHED BY James Bessette NEED A COPY? To purchase a copy of this list, call (401) 273-2201 or visit PBN.com/lists.html for more information.

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.

Clubhouse, driving range, equipment rentals, function rooms and practice areas Dining facility, driving range, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, swimming pool

www.pbn.com | BOOK OF LISTS ■ PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | JANUARY 2019

12/26/18 2:43 PM

of readers keep it for years to come

| 141

12/27/18 10:05 AM

ADVERTISING DEADLINE: NOW THROUGH DEC. 11, 2020

Reserve your space today for a premium position.

Contact your account manager or EMAIL Advertising @PBN.com PHONE 401-680-4800

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 23

IT’S PERSONAL U.S. Navy honors Vaillancourt DAWN M. VAILLANCOURT, head of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport Strategic Planning Office, received the Department of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award during a virtual ceremony in July for her strategic planning achievements from June 2011 to January 2020. The third-highest honorary civilian award bestowed by the U.S. Navy, it is given to civilian Navy employees for meritorious service or contributions resulting in high value or benefits for the Navy. Vaillancourt started at NUWC in 1985 as a clerk typist, prior to earning a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering in 1993 and a Master of Science in mechanical engineering in 2000 from the University of Rhode Island.

What are your thoughts about being awarded the Department of the Navy’s Meritorious Civilian Service Award?

I am extremely honored to have received this prestigious award and to receive recognition amongst my peers for work that I am very proud of. I cannot take credit for all of this work myself, as I lead a very small team of highly performing individuals that contribute to our group’s success, and together we work collaboratively with all of our business and technical departments to get the job done.

What inspired you to become an engineer, and how did you end up working at NUWC? I applied to work at NUWC at the request of my mom, who worked at NUWC in the protocol office. My mom has been the most amazing role model to me and my three sisters, instilling in all of us her determination, work ethic and compassion. As I learned more about the organization …

I became interested in the exciting and challenging work the engineers were doing in support of our undersea warfare mission, and I knew that becoming an engineer was something I wanted to do. Over the next several years, I was successful in competitively applying for, and being selected into, several NUWC training programs, including an upward mobility program, which allowed me to

complete my bachelor’s degree.

How has the coronavirus impacted your life personally and professionally?

I have been fortunate to be able to telework throughout the pandemic, going into the office when needed. I miss face-to-face interactions at work, lunches with co-workers, people stopping by my office to chat. On a personal front, I am thankful my family has continued to stay healthy.

How important is mentorship to you and what role do you play in providing direction to newly engaged engineers at NUWC? Mentoring, both formal and informal, has played such an integral part of my journey. I have been fortunate to have some amazing mentors throughout my career.

These mentors were at all levels of the organization: my husband, who also works at NUWC and who has been my rock through the years; my co-workers; my supervisors; and leaders in the organization. I have also had the opportunity to mentor many individuals throughout my career and pay it forward to others that are looking for guidance and direction in their own journeys. n

E-NEWSLETTERS

welcomes

PARTNER SPONSOR

Sign up for one or all of PBN’S FREE E-NEWSLETTERS at PBN.com

THE NEWS YOU NEED

delivered to your inbox daily.

Content straight from the PBN newsroom, plus industry-specific news and insights.

• MORNING CALL: Monday - Friday at 6:30 am.

Summarizing major business items of the day.

• DAILY EDITION: Monday - Friday at 2 pm.

The day’s top business news.

BUSINESS

EXCELLENCE AWARDS

20

CELEBRATING

•HEALTH CARE: Every Monday •BANKING & FINANCE: Every Tuesday •TECHNOLOGY & MANUFACTURING: Every other Wednesday • NONPROFIT & EDUCATION: Every other Wednesday •REAL ESTATE: Every Thursday

YEARS

Add Events@PBN.com and Info@PBN.com to your address book to ensure that our newsletters get to your inbox.

24 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

IT’S PERSONAL MACKAY’S MORAL | HARVEY MACKAY

Lessons from the diamond AS MUCH AS I LOVE BASKETBALL and football, there’s a certain magic about the great national pastime.

For me, baseball is a learning experience, full of life lessons!

In one “Peanuts” cartoon, Charlie Brown is having a bad day. He strikes out for the third straight time.

Back in the dugout, he laments to Lucy, “I’ll never be a big-league ballplayer. All my life, I’ve dreamed of playing in the big leagues, but I just know I’ll never make it.”

Lucy responds, “You’re thinking way too far ahead, Charlie Brown.

What you need are more-immediate goals.”

“Immediate goals?” asks Charlie.

“Yes,” says Lucy. “Start right now with this next inning. When you go out to pitch, see if you can walk out to the mound without falling down.”

Moral: Goals need to be realistic: beyond your grasp but within your reach in the foreseeable future.

A high school baseball coach was frustrated with his first baseman, who made error after error. At practice, the coach grabbed a glove to show the player how it should be done. The first grounder took a bad hop and clobbered him in the chest. Next came a pop-up that he lost in the sun, and it

smashed into his forehead. Later, a wild throw from the shortstop caused him to stretch, tearing his pants.

Exasperated, the coach turned to his first baseman and shouted, “You’ve got this position so messed up, even I can’t do a thing with it.”

Moral: The person who wants to do something finds a way; the person who doesn’t finds an excuse.

We all have weaknesses, whether it’s baseball or business.

Baseball great Stan Musial was having a field day against the Chicago Cubs’ pitcher, Bobo Newsom. Stan “the Man” first slammed a single, then a triple and a home run. When he came to bat for the fourth time, the Chicago manager decided to yank Bobo and take a chance on a rookie relief pitcher. The rookie took the ball from Bobo, and asked, “Has this guy Musial got any weaknesses?”

“He can’t hit doubles,” Bobo said.

Moral: The greatest of all weaknesses is to be conscious of none.

Maintaining a good reputation can help you in bad circumstances by giving you the benefit of the doubt.

Rogers Hornsby, considered to be among the greatest right-handed hitters in baseball history, had a lifetime batting average of .358. He also had a reputation for excellence, good judgment and integrity.

The story goes that Hornsby came to bat one day against a flashy rookie pitcher with a blazing fastball.

Whoosh went the first pitch to Hornsby, who kept his bat cocked.

“Ball one,” said the umpire.

Second pitch and third pitches, same story.

Angry and frustrated, the young pitcher shouted at the umpire, “Those three pitches were all strikes!”

“Young man,” said the umpire, “when you throw a strike, Mr. Hornsby will let you know.”

Moral: You can’t buy a good reputation; you must earn it.

I often get asked when I am going to

Maintaining a good reputation can help you.

retire. I’m still active as chairman of MackayMitchell Envelope Co., I maintain a schedule of corporate speeches, write this nationally syndicated weekly column, manage my Harvey Mackay Academy and I recently finished my eighth book. In short, I’m too busy to retire.

Pittsburgh Pirate outfielder Paul Waner was asked when he would know when it was time to quit.

“Well,” said Waner, “as you get older, you slow down and the infielders back up, because they’ve got more time to throw you out at first base. At the same time, you lose a little power, so the outfielders move in because you aren’t hitting the ball so far.” Then he added, “When they can shake hands, you’ve had it.”

Moral: A person doesn’t become old until regrets take the place of dreams.

Mackay’s Moral: No matter when the season begins, start business “spring training” so you can win the World Series. n Harvey Mackay is the author of the New York Times best-seller “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.” He can be reached through his website, www.harveymackay.com. | SPONSORED CONTENT |

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE MANUFACTURING Christopher Roy has been promoted to the position of Executive Vice President of Toray Plastics (America), Inc., and now oversees the company’s Torayfan® and Lumirror® divisions. His leadership role in providing support to Toray’s sister company Toray Films Europe has also been expanded. Roy has most recently served the company as the Torayfan Division’s Senior Vice President and General Manager. He joined Toray in 1998 and has held several positions, including Director of National Sales, Director of Sales and Marketing, Senior Director of Sales and Marketing, and General Manager. Roy is a resident of North Kingstown, RI.

For additional information or to submit a Standard listing, go to PBN.com/pbnconnect.

Announce new hires, promotions and special accomplishments to the Rhode Island business community.

The STANDARD listing includes 1 photo, 90-100 words of text, clickable links to your website, social media sharing and keywords to optimize search, and is: • published on PBN.com within 24 hours and archived on our site.

• printed in PBN. • featured on a PBN Daily Edition newsletter.

MANUFACTURING Matt Brown is now Vice President and General Manager of the Lumirror® Division at Toray Plastics (America), Inc. Brown was appointed General Manager of that division in 2015. Prior to that he was the General Manager of the Torayfan® Division’s industrial film business, a position he had held since 2010. Brown joined Toray in 2003. He resides in South Kingstown, RI.

Featured Listings The FEATURED listing includes all Standard listing elements, in a larger format, with company logo and 100 additional words of text (sample at left).

For a Featured listing, contact your account manager or Advertising@PBN.com 401.680.4800

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 25

IT’S PERSONAL GUEST COLUMN | PETER GEORGE

Using silence as a tool WHEN YOU’RE DEVELOPING a presentation, there’s no doubt that you give thought to the words you will use to convey your message. But how often do you consider when you will pause during your talks?

My guess is seldom, if ever.

Hopefully, that will change after learning how the often-ignored pause can transform what would otherwise be a rambling monologue into an engaging and interactive presentation.

Let’s look at seven examples of pauses and how they help you deliver more-compelling presentations.

Pause at the beginning of your talk.

Taking three to four seconds before speaking allows you to initiate eye contact, establish confidence and develop engagement with your audience. Do this for your next few presentations. You will see how effective this technique is.

Pause after you share a point. Give your audience time to internalize and digest salient information. You know what you will say and how it relates to your message; your audience does not. If you do not pause, your listeners will be confused and either disregard what you said or try to figure it out and miss what you say next. Either way, you will either confuse them or

lose them altogether.

Pause instead of using fillers.

Inserting fillers is prevalent because many presenters are uncomfortable with the silence and fill it with unnecessary sounds and words, including “umm,” “ah,” “you know,” and “right.” But it is not the fillers that audiences find so irritating; it is the lack of silence.

Again, pausing allows your listeners to internalize and digest what you’ve said. However, when you use fillers, you interrupt their thought process. Doing this once or twice will not necessarily reduce your presentation’s effectiveness, but when it becomes noticeable, it can be as disturbing as fingernails scraping a chalkboard. Remember, people regularly complain about how often a presenter used fillers, but seldom

complain about how often a presenter paused.

Pause for emphasis. Pause before sharing a word, thought, or idea that you want to emphasize. This lets your audience lean in and listen, knowing they are about to hear something noteworthy, exciting or even shocking. To add to even more significance, pause directly after saying it.

Pause after asking questions. Asking questions – actual or rhetorical – is a powerful yet subtle tool for influencing your audience. But for this to be most productive, you must provide a sufficient amount of time for your listeners to answer the questions in their minds. If you do not allow this time, your questions serve little purpose. If you repeatedly skip this time, you risk annoying your listeners and consequently losing them.

Pausing allows your listeners to internalize and digest what you’ve said.

Pause when advancing to another slide. It is natural to start referencing a slide immediately. However, this is ineffective. Pause for two or three seconds, so your audience has sufficient time to see and understand the slide.

Then, when you begin speaking, the slide supports your words instead of asking the audience members to listen to you and decipher the slide simultaneously.

Pause to invite interaction. Do you want to involve your listeners in your presentations? Then pause to invite them to insert a word or finish a sentence. You can make this invitation even more apparent by accompanying your pause with a gesture or other body language.

Include pauses in your upcoming presentations. You will gain more confidence, and your listeners will experience higher levels of comprehension and retention. Because, as Mark Twain said, “The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.” n Peter George is president of Peter George Public Speaking Inc. in Providence and specializes in helping attorneys and executives improve their public speaking skills.

PROFILES OF SUCCESS Profiles of Success is designed to help you promote:

Share your story

• An anniversary, accomplishment or milestone event • A new product line or service

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

PBN

PROFILES OF SUCCESS 2020 CELEBRATING MILESTONES & ACHIEVEMENTS

• Uniqueness and competitive edge • Brand and image in the community • Your team of professionals www.pbn.com | PROFILES OF SUCCESS n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | DECEMBER 2019

| 1

To participate in this year’s edition, contact your Account Manager or Advertising@PBN.com | 401-680-4800 MATERIAL DEADLINE: November 20, 2020 26 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

PUBLICATION DATE: December 18, 2020

IT’S PERSONAL GUEST COLUMN | JUNIA HOWELL AND ELIZABETH KORVER-GLENN

Race still a factor in home values RACIAL INEQUALITY in home values is greater today than it was 40 years ago, with homes in white neighborhoods appreciating $200,000 more since 1980 than comparable homes in similar communities of color.

Our new research on home appraisals shows neighborhood racial composition still drives unequal home values, despite laws that forbid real estate professionals from explicitly using race when evaluating a property’s worth. Our study in the journal Social Problems finds this growing inequality results from both historical policies and contemporary practices.

In the 1930s, the federal government institutionalized a process for evaluating how much a property was worth. Often called redlining, this process used neighborhood racial and socioeconomic composition to determine home values. Homes in white communities were deemed more valuable than identical dwellings in communities of color.

Legislative action in the late 1960s and 1970s prohibited this practice. But the law allowed appraisers to use past sale prices to determine home values.

Our research shows how using old, race-based sale prices ensured ap-

praisers continued to define homes in white neighborhoods as worth more than similar homes in Black and Latino communities. Racism was baked into the system.

Real estate professionals compound these historical inequalities by assuming communities of color are undesirable, even when real estate demand suggests otherwise.

For most U.S. families, their home is their greatest asset. As their home appreciates in value, their wealth increases, enabling them to fund their retirement, their children’s college educations or unexpected expenses like large medical bills.

The racial inequality in home values and appreciation rates has created a large and increasing racial wealth gap. On average, U.S. white families have 20 times more wealth than families of color. Our research

identifies increasing racial inequality in home values as a key reason this gap persists and has doubled since 1980.

These growing gaps don’t affect just homeowners. They also affect renters.

Since 1980, real estate prices have risen far faster than inflation, incomes and prices of consumer goods such as food or clothing. As a result, housing costs now make up a larger proportion of residents’ expenses.

Families who have historically owned homes in white neighborhoods can afford these increased costs because their appreciating home values have expanded their relative wealth.

But for everyone else, high housing costs are a burden. For many renters, high housing costs combined with stagnant wages have created an acute and worsening affordable-housing crisis. Many struggle to remain housed

– including during the pandemic – and very few can save enough to transition into home ownership.

Finally, because the property taxes that pay for physical infrastructure, public services and other amenities are determined based on real estate values, the higher home values in white neighborhoods enable betterfunded schools, libraries, parks and utilities – even essential services such as clean water.

Researchers are still investigating which governmental policies and industry incentives might eliminate ongoing and severe inequalities across the U.S. housing market.

Reparations for those hurt by racist federal housing policies and new legal standards for property appraising are proposals that could make important first steps toward equity. But fully addressing racism in real estate will require reshaping the very foundations of the U.S. housing market. n

Inequality in home values ... has created a large and increasing racial wealth gap.

Junia Howell is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Pittsburgh. Elizabeth Korver-Glenn is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of New Mexico.

Distributed by The Associated Press.

Your company’s profile in this section features a two-page spread of text, photos and an info box highlighting your company’s vital statistics.

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

PBN

PROFILES OF SUCCESS 2020 CELEBRATING MILESTONES & ACHIEVEMENTS

Look around.

What do you see?

People creating enterprise right here in Rhode Island.

Yet with today’s negativity maybe you think, “Why am I here?” Why not Boston, Virginia or growth cities like Atlanta or Austin?”

Then perhaps you smile and think, “Because I really, really like it here!”

You’re not alone.

YOU’RE YOU’REMAKING MAKING THINGS THINGSHAPPEN HAPPEN IN INRHODE RHODEISLAND ISLAND

RI Lighthouse Picture: Bonnie MacMaster Hawksley

One thing that keeps

Like you, they live in or near where they work.

As do their families, employees and maybe even customers.

Like you, we believe in Rhode Island. We believe in the idea that we can be a great place to live and work. That this place is a wonderful blend of approachable size, wonderful amenities, and yes…. opportunity.

www.pbn.com | PROFILES OF SUCCESS n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | DECEMBER 2019

Island Chamber has had your back.

We take a whole system approach, focusing first on you, supporting your success with all the tools at our disposal. Then we include community.

So that your life and that of your employees and customers is as fulfilling as it can be.

Our community is a better place because the Chamber brings synergy to the activities of area

IN 2019 our focus on members included 125 opportunities for them to make new and productive contacts…. 48 in person and web based continual learning opportunities…. 14 fun events. We represented businesses in our efforts with the Chamber Legislative Coalition … exercised our right to speak out in defense of free markets… and found solutions to 427 specific member problems or concerns.

RHODE RHODE ISLAND ISLAND INFRASTRUCTURE INFRASTRUCTURE BANK BANK

Rhode Island going is that, with all our challenges,

Sure, every day you face challenges galore.

businesses. Small actions multiplied across the

it’s a great place to live.

Finding staff; financing; learning how to compete

entire Chamber are having big impacts on quality of life and

in an environment that seems to change daily.

success in enterprise.

A beautiful Bay, rolling ocean waves, sandy beaches, fields and forests, businesses of all shapes and sizes,

Uncertainty.

We like finding resources we can share with you. When you

beautiful architecture. History. Food (some of the

But you work it every day.

most creative chefs live in this foody paradise). And

We believe in you and in your ability to create both

so close to everything.

Which benefits all of us.

But they’ll remember you long after you’re gone.

Our members are community leaders who believe

Neighborhoods you call home.

have a minute, invest in yourself and your company.

10 | DECEMBER 2019 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS ■ PROFILES OF SUCCESS | www.pbn.com

 

O O

LEGACY

If you like the ideas, please sharethe with your colleagues.

Agency, Infrastructure Bank’s mission was significantly expanded in 2015 to include energy,

mandate has significantly enhanced to Washington in August for the ‘I have a Dream Speech?’its ability to provide competitive financing to a broad variety of

 

• Ever see the movie, “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle?”

HOW HOW WE WE WORK WORK

the same. They’ve told us.

S*** HAPPENS! And when it does, The Central RI Chamber responds. During floods we’ve found members pumps and generators. When phone lines went down, we’ve arranged for phones at the Chamber.

When the system bites back, we know who to call. And we’ll make the call. We work with FEMA, RI Emergency Management Agency, U.S. SBA, municipalities, nonprofits, and other members to help bring relief.

Visit www.centralRIchamber.com/brilliant and check out the following. riginally established by the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1989 as the Clean Water Finance brownfield and climate • Want to know how Martin Lutherremediation King got 500,000 peopleresiliency initiatives. The Infrastructure Bank’s expanded infrastructure-based projects.

(Pre internet and without a budget!)

successful companies and successful communities.

People might sometimes be slow to warm up.

| 1

And for the last 40 years, The Central Rhode

BUILDING COMMUNITY supports your success both personally and professionally.

Events like the Rocky Point 5K raised over $61,787 for community non-profits.

Movies in the Park has engaged and entertained over 10,000 area residents.

Our annual holiday activities have touched the lives of over 300 children.

Learn a key lesson from ‘Brownie Marketing’ in this story.

Rhode RhodeIsland Island STEP 1 Infrastructure Infrastructure Bank Bank • Know what you’re really selling? Hint: it’s probably not • Generally, we partner with communities and isisRhode RhodeIsland’s Island’s state agency tovideo identify viablemore. infrastructure what you think. Watch a this 13-minute to learn projects central centralhub hubfor for • Do your eyes deceive you? Here’s another short video that financing financinginfrastructure infrastructure

• The state agency determines project eligibility, might just change your while mind.the Bank determines financing structure improvements improvements for formunicipalities, municipalities, We salute you for doing what STEPyou 2 do! We believe in you and businesses, businesses,and and your ability to thrive in the years toand come. we’reagency constantly • The Bank its So partner work homeowners. homeowners.We We collaboratively borrowers prepare innovating to be there when you need us -with for another 40 to years. leverage leveragecapital capitalininaa project applications revolving revolvingAfter fund fundto tooffer offer all, it’s about your business, you community, your life. innovative innovativefinancing financingfor for STEP 3 Partner with a team who gets it…. an anarray arrayofofinfrastructureinfrastructure• Project applications are submitted to the partner based basedprojects projectsincluding including water waterand andwastewater, wastewater, PROGRAMS PROGRAMS COMPANY INFORMATION ADDRESS road roadand andbridge, bridge,energy energy 3288 Post Road It’s About Your Business, Your Community, and Your Life.

BROWNFIELDS REVOLVING efficiency, efficiency, brownfield brownfield Warwick, RI 02886-7131 Partner with a team who gets it...”

LOAN FUND remediation remediation andclimate climate Everything we do, we believe in building and strengthening WANT TO JOIN? and The Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund provides our community. We’re the stable and dependable partner you resiliency. resiliency.These Thesequality quality 401.732.1100 financing for the remediation of contaminated turn to for help or ideas. ofoflife lifeprojects projectsimprove improve brownfield sites to return these sites to CentralRIchamber.com We strengthen our community by providing predictable the the State’s State’s infrastructure, infrastructure, leadership. Plus you get all the familiar business benefits from productive use. business@centralrichamber.com networking to continual learning and marketing support. create createjobs, jobs,promote promote CentralRIchamber We’ll also take a stand… make a call… solve a problem… a economic economicdevelopment development CLEAN WATER STATE friend to turn to in tough times. We just happen to be called CentralRI REVOLVING FUND and andenhance enhancethe the your chamber of commerce.

The Clean Water State Revolving Fund is a environment. environment. program through which local governmental Jeffrey JeffreyR.R.Diehl DiehlBUSINESS units, quasi-public agencies 2019 and private www.pbn.com | PROFILES OF SUCCESS ■ PROVIDENCE NEWS | DECEMBER | 11entities Executive ExecutiveDirector Directorand and can access affordable, long-term financing for the Chief ChiefExecutive ExecutiveOfficer Officer completion of wastewater, stormwater and other water pollution abatement projects.

ry o t s r u o y Share

agency, which ranks all applications using a scoring criteria to produce a Project Priority List (PPL) STEP 4 • The Bank will strategize with prospective borrowers to determine the most efficient way to finance the project STEP 5 • The Bank makes periodic disbursements as the project proceeds in conjunction with site reviews conducted by our partner agency • Loans are repaid over time and the recycled funds are used to make additional loans

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY ASSESSED CLEAN ENERGY The Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program provides 100% long-term fixed rate financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements to commercial and industrial buildings.

COMMUNITY SEPTIC SYSTEM LOAN PROGRAM The Community Septic System Loan Program provides interest free financing to homeowners for the repair or replacement of failed, failing or substandard septic systems, or to replace a cesspool with a septic system.

3030 YEAR YEAR ANNIVERSARY ANNIVERSARY Officials Officialsbreak breakground groundto tomark markthe theconstruction constructionof ofWarren’s Warren’s Wastewater WastewaterTreatment TreatmentFacility, Facility,aaproject projectfinanced financedthrough through the theBank’s Bank’sClean CleanWater WaterState StateRevolving RevolvingFund.

Fund.

DRINKING WATER STATE REVOLVING FUND The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund is a financing program through which RIIB makes low-interest loans to community public water systems, non-profit noncommunity public water systems, privatelyorganized water suppliers and local governmental units to complete drinking water infrastructure projects.

EFFICIENT BUILDINGS FUND The Efficient Buildings Fund makes lowinterest, long-term financing available to municipalities and quasi-public agencies for the completion of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

FACILITY PLAN LOAN PROGRAM The Facility Plan Loan Program provides financing to local governmental units for the completion of water pollution abatement project facility plans, and amendments to such plans.

MUNICIPAL RESILIENCE PROGRAM The Municipal Resilience Program (MRP) provides direct support to Rhode Island cities and towns to deploy a planning process which identifies the local climate change vulnerabilities and community strengths.

Upon successful completion of the planning process, municipalities will be designated as a “Resilient Rhody Municipality” which enables the cities and towns to apply for dedicated action grants to implement priority projects, which address the vulnerabilities uncovered through the initial phase.

RHODE ISLAND WATER POLLUTION CONTROL REVOLVING FUND The Rhode Island Water Pollution Control

MUNICIPAL ROAD AND BRIDGE REVOLVING FUND The Municipal Road and Bridge Revolving Fund is a program through which local governmental units can access below market, long-term financing for transportation infrastructure projects.

USExtruders, Extruders,aamanufacturer manufacturerof ofscrews screws US andextruders extruderslocated locatedininWesterly, Westerly,financed financed and theinstallation installationof ofaa210.4 210.4kW kWrooftop rooftopsolar solar the installationusing usingthe theCommercial CommercialProperty Property installation AssessedClean CleanEnergy Energy(C-PACE) (C-PACE)program. program.

Assessed

Providence ProvidenceWater Watercrews crewsreplace replaceaaresidential residential customer’s customer’slead leadservice serviceline. line.AAproject projectmade madepossible possible through throughthe theBank’s Bank’slead-pipe lead-pipereplacement replacementprogram. program.

8 | DECEMBER 2019 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS ■ PROFILES OF SUCCESS | www.pbn.com

COMPANY INFORMATION Our mission is to actively support and finance investments in Rhode Island’s infrastructure. The Infrastructure Bank does so through a variety of means, including the issuance of bonds, originating loans and grant making. Through its activities, the Bank fosters infrastructure improvements that create jobs, promote economic development and enhance the environment.

Revolving Fund provides financing for projects that reduce water pollution and may not meet the eligibility requirements of federal programs, such as the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.

SEWER TIE-IN LOAN FUND The Sewer Tie-In Loan Fund provides interest free financing to homeowners wishing to connect their residence to a local sewer system and to properly abandon an existing septic system.

STORMWATER PROJECT ACCELERATOR The Stormwater Project Accelerator provides upfront capital for green stormwater infrastructure projects that will eventually be funded through state and local reimbursement grants.

2019 2019

ADDRESS

235 Promenade St. Suite 119 Providence, RI 02908 NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES

401.453.4430 riib.org info@riib.org

14 RIinfrastructure/ YEAR ESTABLISHED

1989

RI_InfraBank

www.pbn.com | PROFILES OF SUCCESS ■ PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | DECEMBER 2019

| 9

PROFILES OF SUCCESS

AND AND WE’VE WE’VE GOT GOT YOUR YOUR BACK BACK

CENTRAL CENTRALRHODE RHODEISLAND ISLANDCHAMBER CHAMBEROF OFCOMMERCE COMMERCE

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 27

OPINION EDITORIALS

I-195 commission must follow the market on district development

BIRD IN THE HAND? ONE Neighborhood Builders has proposed a mixed-use project in the I-195 Redevelopment District that would include apartments and a child care center.

COURTESY I-195 REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT COMMISSION

If you build more housing and retail amenities in the I-195 Redevelopment District, will the employers come?

Before COVID-19, it was increasingly a question being asked around Providence about the future mix of development in the 40-acre district, where most active projects and proposals have centered on residential and retail projects.

Now, amid a pandemic, it may be the short-term best hope for creating significant jobs through the redevelopment of the former highway land.

Due to a softening market for office space, Wexford Science & Technology LLC recently announced it will push back by two years its deadline for purchasing additional land in the district. Wexford has already built an office building and innovation center in the district that’s yet to reach capacity.

Its next phase of development was to include laboratory and research space for the type of high-paying jobs city and business leaders have long watched spur the Greater Boston economy.

Wexford’s cautious approach makes perfect sense for the company, and it remains interested in additional development in the district and city.

But the commission charged with redeveloping the district’s 19 acres of buildable land must now more seriously consider the possibility that the district’s biggest contribution to new jobs in the next few years may be indirect.

Now more than ever, the commission must follow the market and hope new housing and park space, along with amenities such as the Providence Pedestrian Bridge, will help attract new employers to the city once the economy rebounds. n

TSA changes would slow development It will be interesting to hear how developers react to newly proposed changes to tax-stabilization agreements.

As proposed by Providence City Council President Sabina Matos, the new ordinance would “create a tax-stabilization system that not only protects our city’s financial interests but also incentivizes new development.”

The proposal, which Matos already has majority support on the council for, responds to critics who’ve called for stronger enforcement of hiring, wage and reporting requirements.

But it is not clear how it will encourage more development.

Existing policy for the I-195 Redevelopment District will not be changed. But all other projects will now require City Council review and approval.

Increasing the council’s role in reviewing and approving projects to include even smaller neighborhood projects now subject to administrative approval only slows development.

And it increases the odds of politics derailing badly needed development, as nearly happened with the Hotel Hive Providence project last December.

The council needs less of a role for all but the biggest projects, not more. n

Read even MORE business news on PBN.com

POLL CENTRAL EXECUTIVE POLL

PBN.COM POLL

How does your company allocate paid time off?

How has your PTO policy changed? (Select any that apply)

Did state Democratic leaders make the right call delaying decisions on this fiscal year’s budget until November? SEPT. 18-24

Based on length of service: 55%

We have not changed our policy: 80%

Paid time off It differs by job title: 27% All employees get the same amount of PTO: 18% It increases based on job performance: 0% We do not offer PTO beyond holidays and sick time: 0%

Has your company’s paid-timeoff policy changed during the pandemic?

No: 73%

We have increased the amount of PTO available to employees: 20% We have capped the amount of PTO offered: 0% We have adopted a “use-it-or-lose-it” policy: 0% We no longer allow PTO to carry over annually: 0%

Is your company’s current PTO policy permanent?

Yes: 64%

Yes: 27% No: 18% 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.

Not known at this time: 18%

Yes, they need to wait until it is clear whether Congress will provide any direct funding to states

No, they are simply delaying tough decisions until after lawmakers get reelected

76%

21%

I don’t know 3%

THIS WEEK’S POLL: Does Rhode Island need more charter schools, given the educational challenges faced by public schools in Providence and other urban communities?

•Y es, they can more quickly target student strengths and weaknesses • No, more charter schools means less funding and support to improve public schools • I don’t know To vote, go to PBN.com and follow the link on the home page

28 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

Your subscription to our print edition includes unlimited access to current articles and archives on our website.

PBN publishes an average of a dozen new stories each day.

See what you’re missing by signing on today, and every day!

Go to PBN.com and click on Sign In/ Register on the top of your screen.

For assistance, call 401-680-4810 or 855-813-5805.

You can also sign up for free daily e-newsletters featuring breaking news, top stories and industry specific reports: PBN.com/email

OPINION OPINION

Fragility of R.I. economy has been exposed

LARRY GIROUARD GUEST COLUMN

I love Rhode Island. I grew up here and expect to spend my final days here. It is all about memories. I remember Salty Brine coming to St. Pius School back in the 1950s.

I was in the crowd when U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy gave his address in front of Providence City Hall while on my way to Hope High School the Monday before Election Day in 1960. It was just before calculus class in 1963 at the University of Rhode Island when I heard about his assassination.

I left Rhode Island in 1966 to work for DuPont in Delaware but eventually moved back to my home state in the 1980s, where I rekindled past friendships, made new ones and enjoyed the bounty of history, beaches, the bay, restaurants, events, proximity to Boston and New York, the four seasons, and everything else that Rhode Island has to offer. It is a great place to live and should be a destination location for running a business in the Northeast. All that said, our state remains plagued with fiscal and policy mismanagement by leadership.

Providence Business News recently printed an article entitled “R.I.’s Aug. unemployment rate 2nd highest in U.S.” (Sept.

18) Rhode Island’s unemployment rate was 12.8%, with only Nevada higher at 13.2%.

Other New England states are faring better: Massachusetts (11.3%), Connecticut (8.1%), Maine (6.9%), New Hampshire (6.5%) and Vermont (4.8%).

Why is Rhode Island always ranked near the bottom of almost every key economic indicator? For years Rhode Island has been beating up business and, as a result, has earned the dubious reputation as being one of our country’s most business-unfriendly states, frequently ranking No. 48, No. 49 or dead last in many respected national rankings. With all the assets that Rhode Island has, it begs the question: why? It doesn’t take leadership to manage the state into last place.

While this unfriendly business culture has discouraged investment, Rhode Island continues to play to its single strength – tourism. That said, there is a risk in driving this single-minded strategy, similar to a business that is exposed because one customer represents 25% of their business. If that customer goes south, then the fiscal stability of the company is undermined.

COVID-19 has decimated Main Street around the state, and no community knows that better than Newport, where every single event was canceled this summer. Weddings, festivals, tennis and golf tournaments ... it was all canceled. As the shopworn statement goes, “You live by the sword, you die by the sword.” This is the story of Rhode Island.

We depend on tourism to drive our economic engine. And now unemployment in Rhode Island is the second highest in the nation because of our high reliance on tourism. Candidly, I do not see this bouncing

Our state remains plagued with fiscal and policy mismanagement.

back quickly because of the negative impact that the pandemic has had on the discretionary income used by all of us for travel and entertainment. This is the Achilles’ heel for Rhode Island. When you heavily depend on one market segment, your economy is highly exposed.

University of Rhode Island economist Leonard Lardaro has often stated that Rhode Island is the first state into a recession and the last state out of a recession. The current $10 billion state budget is in dire straits, and there are few income generators available to feed this insatiable beast. A sad state of affairs to be sure.

Unless our leaders have the courage to develop a culture that is more business-friendly and welcoming, Rhode Island will never attract significant investment. The fragility of our economy cannot be overstated. Continuing to rely heavily on tourism to buoy our state’s economy is not a long-term solution to support the business community.

While leadership has made all the promises to change over the last 10 to 15 years, little has been accomplished. Our state continues to rank at the bottom in the national rankings for business friendliness. The COVID-19 crisis has exposed our state’s weaknesses.

The question remains on the table: what is leadership going to do about it? If history is an indicator, nothing will be done.

Something to think about on Election Day. Significant changes are required, or many of us who truly love this state will be forced to move. n Larry Girouard is founder and president of the business consulting firm The Business Avionix Co. LLC in Newport.

Fiscal crisis may hit women’s wallets hard JUNE CARBONE, NANCY LEVIT AND NAOMI CAHN GUEST COLUMN

States are seeing enormous budget shortfalls because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the consequences for teachers and other public school employees could be dire. At least 640,000 education jobs in state and local government vanished between February and August.

The states, which provide an average of about 47% of U.S. public school funding, are cutting school spending because their tax revenue is declining and they have no easy recourse to balance their budgets.

Negotiations continue around another federal pandemic relief bill, which would include money for states to spend on public education. But lawmakers have passed no measures since May. We study families, employment, corporations – and gender. We are tracking how the coronavirus pandemic is underscoring the disproportionate financial burden women bear when states slash their budgets in times of recession.

Without sufficient federal aid, recessions have historically prompted job losses, pay cuts and high turnover that burden school districts for years. Because most public school teachers are women, they are affected more.

What we’ve found so far is that women in almost every field have lagged behind men in pay, promotions and leadership oppor-

tunities. And in K-12 schools, this issue can appear starkly.

Historically, the federal government has implemented policies aimed at keeping the economy afloat during recessions.

During the Great Recession, for example, the 2009 stimulus package included money that cushioned the impact of the recession on the states. The spending bolstered state budgets, helping to prevent massive layoffs and prompt the start of a recovery.

Nationwide, education spending averages about 30% of state budgets, with two-thirds of the funds supporting K-12 education. More specifically, the average state expenditures are 21% on elementary and secondary education and 10% on higher education.

After Republicans swept Congress in 2010, however, the flow of federal aid related to the recovery was dramatically reduced. There was an immediate impact on the nation’s schools. Collectively, the states spent billions less in K-12 education in 2012 than they had in 2011.

As of the 2017-18 school year, 12 states were still spending less on K-12 education than a decade earlier. In their communities, fewer teachers were employed and schools were scrimping on school maintenance and supplies. Many public school teachers’ wages stagnated and their pension benefits were cut.

During recent decades of squeezed state budgets, the percentage of K-12 teachers who are women has grown, rising to 76% in 2018 from 67% in 1981. Therefore, the refusal to fund state budgets has fallen disproportionately hard on women.

Today, teachers earn about 21.4% less than people with the same level of education do in other fields. Female teachers also earn lower salaries than male teachers.

We believe the low pay and relatively low status of teaching help explain the increasingly high percentage of women in teaching and the declining percentage of men who join their ranks.

We see a solution. It is for countercyclical assistance – giving more government assistance when times are tough – to the states, and making this support automatic.

That won’t happen, however, without greater political recognition that the federal role in state budgets is essential to the health of public schools – and the national economy. n

June Carbone is a professor of law at the University of Minnesota. Nancy Levit is associate dean and professor of law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Naomi Cahn is a professor of law at the University of Virginia. Distributed by The Associated Press.

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 29

ONE LAST THING Willa Kammerer Firestarter Interactive president Willa Kammerer is president of Firestarter Interactive, a Providencebased film and storytelling agency that she founded in 2014.

IN

the past six months, our story has changed. All of our stories.

In March we had just begun planning the red-carpet premiere of our documentary film, “Starting at Zero.” Then, the world shut down. We began to transition our event, like so many, to a virtual format, with its own set of new challenges, learning and decisions.

Our stories can help us connect

The hardship of the pandemic has been very real. But like so many things in life, the impact has been multidimensional. My team has used it to pioneer new platforms and technologies, and to engage with audiences in a way that previously would not have been possible. It’s also changed the stories we’re telling, and how. From my office, I have traveled the country via Zoom, interviewing governors and early-education leaders from Montana to Virginia, in an effort to gather insight and hope for parents, educators and leaders. I have been stunned by the intimacy of these conversations, and immediacy of the technology that enabled them.

We all suffer from screen fatigue, but our new collective comfort with video also offers such potential: for storytelling and story-sharing.

As our lives have become more distanced, we crave connection and shared experience now more than ever. Unlike facts, figures and statistics, storytelling triggers empathy and emotional engagement. Through sharing our authentic experiences, challenges and unique perspectives with each other – our clients and customers, teams and colleagues, networks and new connections – we can build and deepen relationships.

To share our stories is to be vulnerable in a new way, but they are the currency of genuine connection, and our most powerful asset. I can’t wait to hear yours. n

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

30 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

BUSINESS

EXCELLENCE AWARDS

20

CELEBRATING

YEARS

Virtual Awards Event SAVE THE DATE: November 18th | 4pm

#PBNBIZEXCELLENCE

Celebrate the best of the best CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP KIM KECK Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI

BUSINESS LEADERSHIP JAMES FANALE Care New England

ENTREPRENEURSHIP SquadLocker

EDUCATION & LEARNING William M. Davies, Jr. Career & Technical High School

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT SWAP, Inc.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Blount Fine Foods

WOMAN / MINORITY OWNED BUSINESS What Cheer Flower Farm

FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESS M.R.T. Jewelers

SOCIAL-SERVICE Rhode Island Free Clinic

NON-PROFIT (SMALL) The Wilbury Theater Group

NON-PROFIT (LARGE) Brown Medicine

ENTERPRISE COMPANY Gilbane Inc.

MID-SIZE COMPANY United Way

LARGE COMPANY BankNewport

SMALL COMPANY Envision Technology Advisors

partner sponsor

register now at PBN.COM For sponsorship and advertising opportunities, contact 680.4800 or Advertising@PBN.com

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | 31

RETHINK reconnect REIMAGINE With flexible Internet, Voice and WiFi packages tailored to meet your new needs, you’ll have the solutions you need to get back to business.

GET 50 MBPS INTERNET AND IP CENTREX SELECT FOR

69

$

/mo*

for 6 months, wifi equip. add’l

• NO ANNUAL CONTRACT • FREE SELF-INSTALL • 30-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE

Paperless billing and auto-payment enrollment required

Call (866) 240-4798 or visit coxbusiness.com to switch today *Offer ends 12/31/20. Available to new commercial data subscribers (excluding gov’t agencies and schools) in Cox service areas. $69/mo includes Cox Business InternetSM 50 and IPC Select for months 1-6 and free self-install; $10 step-up in month 7. Rates subject to change after month 7 or if you cancel Auto Pay or Paperless Bill. Offer requires Auto Pay and Paperless Bill. Price excludes equipment, professional installation, construction, inside wiring, taxes, surcharges and other fees, unless indicated. Offer is nontransferable to a new service address. “No annual contract” means no specific term period requirement and no early termination fees. All Cox services are provided subject to Cox Business General Terms (including mandatory arbitration provisions), Acceptable Use Policy (including Cox’s right to terminate service for abuse of network), and other policies, which may be found at www.cox.com/aboutus/policies.html. CB Internet: Uninterrupted or error-free Internet service, or the speed of your service, is not guaranteed. Actual speeds vary. Rates and bandwidth options vary and are subject to change. DOCSIS 3.0 or higher modem may be required, unless indicated. See www.cox.com/internetdisclosures for complete Cox Internet Disclosures. Voice: 15-seat maximum. IPC Select is limited to direct-dialed domestic calls and is not available for use with non-switched-circuit calling. Desktop app included; physical handsets may be purchased separately from Cox. Access to E911 may not be available during equipment or extended power outage. Telephone services are provided by an affiliated Cox entity. Services are not available in all areas. Discounts can’t be combined or added with other promotions nor applied to any other Cox account. 30-day satisfaction guarantee limited to refund of standard installation/activation fees and the first month’s recurring service and

32 | OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

BESTPLACES WORK

2020 AWARDS

ANIES P M O C E S I R ENTERP C. AMGEN IN

ANIES P M O C E Z I S MID NES EDWARD JO

PANIES ION M O C E G R A L EDIT UN R C T N A G I V NA

NIES A P M O C L L SMA IM INC. A L C U P M O C

presenting sponsor

partner sponsors

gift sponsor 2-14-07L 12-21-11

.com

C ATERING

401.383.3631

Thank you, again and again and again...

TO OUR EMPLOYEES FOR MAKING US ONE OF RHODE ISLAND’S BEST.

Federally insured by NCUA

2 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

Our customers are our owners.

Congratulations to all of the Providence Business News “Best Places to Work” Honorees.

www.coxbusiness.com www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020 CB_PBN_BestPlacestoWork.indd 3

| 3

6/3/19 4:28 PM

BESTPLACES WORK

2020 AWARDS

M SPONSOR

ESSAGES

—— PRESENTING SPONSOR —— UnitedHealthcare is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the Providence Business News Best Places to Work. Congratulations to the recipients of the 2020 awards – your hard work and commitment are an inspiration to us all. For more than 25 years, we’ve brought big thinking to the issues that matter most to Rhode Island and like you we know it’s about focusing our innovation around what matters the most. We appreciate your dedication to Rhode Island – Thank you!

—— PARTNER SPONSORS ——

Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD is proud to sponsor PBN’s Best Places to Work awards. We are honored to be selected once again as one of the Best Places to Work in Rhode Island. Congratulations to our dedicated team of hardworking professionals and to all of this year’s honorees!

C TABLE OF

Cox Business congratulates all the honorees of the Providence Business News’ Best Places To Work. While we can’t celebrate with the usual fanfare of this event, it doesn’t diminish how hard you’ve all worked to create an environment that your employees sincerely appreciate. We wish you continued success and we would welcome the opportunity to show you how customized solutions from Cox Business can further enhance how you do business.

ONTENTS

FROM THE

Navigant Credit Union is proud to once again sponsor the Providence Business News Best Places to Work Awards, and we congratulate each of this year’s well-deserving recipients.

This has been a very different and very difficult year for all Rhode Islanders, but we are inspired by our local business community’s resilience and creativity as we navigate this crisis together. Thank you for all you do to make Rhode Island a better place to live and work.

EDITOR

ENTERPRISE COMPANIES | P. 6-10

Partnering with employees pays dividends

LARGE COMPANIES | P. 11-17

TO DO SOMETHING ONCE, or even a couple of times, that garners recognition relative to industry peers is challenging and worthy of the praise.

To do that same thing 15 times in a row is remarkable and worthy of emulation. That’s the company that only three businesses keep among this year’s Best Places to Work honorees.

Edward Jones, Embrace Home Loans Inc. and ­Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP are the only companies to appear on the list each time since the program began 15 years ago.

How have they done it? Like the rest of this year’s winners, they care about their staffs. What sets these three apart, however, is their consistent effort to listen to employees, understanding that prioritizing their needs is the best way to ensure that employees will do the same with clients.

Edward Jones, this year’s first-place winner among midsize companies, puts its money where its mouth is, allowing all associates to become partners after three years. As a result, more than half of the financial-advisory firm’s associates are part owners. The partnership program helps create a culture in which employees are naturally motivated to work with and support each other.

But like all the companies on this year’s Best Places list, partnering with staff goes well beyond financial incentives.

Diversity and inclusion, for example, is a major area of focus at Edward Jones, as it is at Embrace and Hinckley Allen.

This shows itself in hiring, promotions and pay, but also in programs to address unconscious bias and racial equity. Embrace has even created a program to boost minority homeownership in local communities.

Taking care of employees’ evolving needs is not only the right thing to do, it’s good business; something all three companies learned long ago.

We’d like to thank returning presenting sponsor UnitedHealthcare, as well as partner sponsors Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick Ltd., Cox Business and Navigant Credit Union.

Amgen Inc. | AAA Northeast | The Washington Trust Co. | Amica Mutual Insurance Co. | Providence Community Health Centers Inc. | Blount Fine Foods Corp.

Navigant Credit Union | Becton, Dickinson and Co. | Embrace Home Loans Inc. | BankNewport | Brown Medicine | Children’s Friend | Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island | Narragansett Bay Commission | Dominion Diagnostics LLC | Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick Ltd.

MIDSIZE COMPANIES | P. 18-27

Edward Jones | CBIZ Inc. | Marasco & Nesselbush LLP | DiSanto, Priest & Co. | Rubius Therapeutics | Sansiveri, Kimball & Co. LLP | Province Mortgage Associates Inc. | Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP | Tides Family Services | The Town Dock | Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Inc. | Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co. Ltd. | Swarovski Optik North America Ltd. | Elite Physical Therapy | Big Blue Bug Solutions | Automated Business Solutions Inc. | National Marker Co. | The Providence Mutual Fire Insurance Co. | Rhode Island Parent Information Network | Pariseault Builders Inc. | Marcum LLP | LFI Inc. | Vertikal6 | United Way of Rhode Island | Ocean State Credit Union | Tockwotton on the Waterfront | Narragansett Bay Insurance Co.

SMALL COMPANIES | P. 28-38

CompuClaim Inc. | Custom Computer Specialists Inc. | Barnum Financial Group | Rhode Island Kitchen & Bath Design+Build | Nelnet | Rhode Island Foundation | Secure Future Tech Solutions | MAS Medical Staffing | Big Brother Big Sisters of Rhode Island | Envision Technology Advisors LLC | Banneker Supply Chain Solutions Inc. | EMC Insurance Cos. | Brave River Solutions Inc. | Skills For Rhode Island’s Future | Compass IT Compliance LLC | Oomph Inc. | Carey, Richmond & Viking Insurance | Sweenor Builders Inc. | Bisbano and Associates Inc. | Davitt Inc. | Duffy & Sweeney Ltd. | Brokers’ Service Marketing Group LLC | Connectivity Point Design & Installation LLC

4 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

Michael Mello Editor

CHISHOLM CHISHOLM & KILPATRICK LTD

BEST PLACES TO WORK 2020

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE 2020 HONOREES!

BEQUEST MANAGEMENT | VETERANS LAW | ERISA & INSURANCE LITIGATION | PERSONAL INJURY

401.331.6300

cck-law.com

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 5

ENTERPRISE COMPANIES (500+ EMPLOYEES) AMGEN INC.

LIFE’S A PARTY: Amgen Inc. employees dance together at a recent annual gala.

COURTESY AMGEN INC.

Employees are the best asset

BY MATTHEW ENRIGHT

|

Contributing Writer

AMGEN INC. KNOWS that its greatest strengths are the people who work for it, and that their mission to serve patients helps make the West Greenwich-based biotechnology company a great place to work.

“What we do is important. Manufacturing complex biologics in a safe and quiet manner, it really takes all of us to have that unified mission,” Amgen Rhode Island Vice President of Site Operations Brian Britson said. “I think having the ability to have a profound positive impact on others is what unifies all of us.”

Britson said some of the values that represent Amgen’s culture include working collaboratively in teams and trying to ensure that everyone brings out the best in one another.

Other values include competing to win, ethics, and trusting and respecting each other.

“At the heart of our culture are our Amgen Values that we live by every day,” Amgen Director of Human Resources Vera Tyagi said.

“These values help to guide us in our collaborations with each other and in our communities and help us make the right decisions.”

Employee improvement is also an important part of Amgen. “We work diligently with staff to help provide them with opportunities to continue to enhance their technical skills and opportunities to explore different areas of the business,” Britson said.

One program that offers employees such opportunities is FUEL. It allows individuals to work within different divisions in the company. For example, employees may come work at the West Greenwich facility and then go to another site to give them a well-rounded experience. Talent rotation is another iniatative in which employees are hired from university programs and given opportunities to rotate through divisions in their first two years with the company.

“When they come out of that

1

program, they’re able to pick and choose what they’d like to do next and it helps accelerate their growth,” Britson said.

“We don’t shy away from the talent that comes through our doors, we work very closely with our colleges,” Amgen Senior Manager of Corporate Affairs Tara Urban said.

Amgen also provides learning through employee resource groups, including a young professionals group. It helps employees who are early in their career get exposure to leaders within the company and help them get an understanding of what kind of leader they want to be.

The ERGs also help with promoting employee development, professional growth and inspiration. They also emphasize maintaining diversity and inclusion at Amgen.

“We put people who are different across countries, sexes, races and religion together to work toward one common goal: Getting medicine to patients, which ensures our mission to

‘I think having the ability to have a profound positive impact on others is what unifies all of us.’

BRIAN BRITSON, Amgen Inc. Rhode Island vice president of site operations

6 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

Amgen Inc. Employees in R.I.: 832 Rhode Island Vice President of Site Operations Brian Britson

serve every patient, every time,” Britson said.

“Diverse representation allows us to address issues and challenges with a wider range of perspectives, and approaches lead to more creative problem-solving and effective solutions.”

Amgen also provides resources to help address employee mental and physical health.

One program, called Lyra, provides anonymous mental health support, and employees have access to live fitness classes and other resources, such as nutritionists.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Amgen learned a lot about workplace flexibility, and Britson thinks it will keep some of the modifications when the crisis lessens.

“We’ve had workplace flexibility programs in the past, but I think what this pandemic has allowed us to really realize is how successful we really can be while working in this flexible way,” Britson said. That includes more remote work and simplification of work processes.

Adaptability is important at Amgen as well, Urban said. As more employees are working from home, the company stepped up its efforts to help employees work comfortably and safely.

With some help from the company, Urban recreated what she had at work in her home to help her work comfortably and not stress her back.

“We’re living in the times of COVID-19, and I think Amgen has been really strong in times that we’ve never lived in before,” Urban said. n

ENTERPRISE COMPANIES

BUILDING BLOCKS: AAA Northeast employees volunteer to build a home for Habitat for Humanity.

WALKING STRONG: The Washington Trust Co. employees walked in a recent American Cancer Society Relay For Life event in Westerly, and collectively raised more than $6,000.

COURTESY AAA NORTHEAST

COURTESY THE WASHINGTON TRUST CO.

2

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We committed to covering all employees for up to one AAA Northeast month of pay through the use of COVID-19 pay and emergenEmployees in R.I.: 1,176 cy pay, relaxed vacation and sick-pay CEO and President John Galvin usage policies and paid $100 bonuses to Questions answered by: all nonexecutive-level employees to help Senior Vice President of Human cover the cost of purchasing cleaning Resources Ron Arigo supplies for their home.

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? We implemented a full-service cafe in our headquarters. Our on-site dining vendor offers healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner options, as well as a self-serve kiosk where employees can check calories and nutritional information before selecting their meal choice.

How do you support community service work by your employees? We offer a volunteer program and a matching gift program where our employees can actively participate in the community by volunteering time and talents, and can have the club match their personal financial gift(s) to a qualifying 501(c)3 charitable organization in any amount between $10 and $250 per employee per year. n

3

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? We offer employees the ability to work remotely from home offices, and also provide flexible work schedules to support our The Washington Trust Co. employees’ lifestyle needs and Employees in R.I.: 518 individual situations.

Chairman and CEO How would you describe the culture of your Edward O. Handy III workplace? Our employees are WashingQuestions answered by: ton Trust’s greatest asset and we strive Edward O. Handy III to maintain a fun, rewarding and appreciative workplace to ensure they are happy, satisfied and loyal. By taking good care of our employees, they provide top-notch service to our customers and the community.

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? We increased our programming by introducing fun corporatewide weekly wellness challenges, such as walking, getting outdoors, staying “unplugged,” meditation and healthy recipes. We rewarded employees for their involvement and asked them to send photos of themselves and their families participating in the wellness challenges. n

We are Rhode Island's community foundation.

Sam Amaral Chris Barnett Ricky Bogert Adrian Bonéy Nicole Bucci Lou Capracotta Jean Cohoon Sharon Collier Claudia Cornejo Arianne Corrente Wendi DeClercq Ray DeCosta Nicole Delos Lisa DiMartino Sean Festa

Connie Grosch Aaron Guckian Pam Tesler Howitt Jamie Hull Alison Jackson Bruce Keeler Daniel Kertzner Elizabeth Lamoureux Kathleen Malin Inés Merchan Katie Murray Lisa Maddox Zach Nieder Paula O’Brien Lauren Paola

Christine Pellegri Jenny Pereira Jill Pfitzenmayer Bryant Phillips Jen Reid Kelly Riley Diane Rodgers Ian Ross Joe Santos Jim Sanzi Donna Sowden Neil Steinberg Karen Sylvia Keith Tavares Bazl Taliaferrow-Mosleh

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 7

ENTERPRISE COMPANIES

GIVING BACK: Amica Mutual Insurance Co. employees volunteer at the Amos House in Providence.

COURTESY AMICA MUTUAL INSURANCE CO.

4

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We provided flexibility for employees to address other pressing personal and family obligations, hardship assistance to those facing financial struggles and expense reimbursement for the purchase of key home office equipment. We also waived copays for telemedicine services.

COURTESY PROVIDENCE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS INC.

Amica Mutual Insurance Co. Employees in R.I.: 1,778 Chairman, CEO and President Robert A. DiMuccio Questions answered by: Organizational Development Officer Amy Carosi

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? The safety of our employees will always come first. We reverted to a work-from-home model, and the majority of our employees continue to work from home. For those who have returned to the office, we’ve implemented strict and comprehensive safety procedures.

What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? Over the course of the past year, we’ve enhanced our 401(k) plan by adding a 3% annual contribution in addition to our existing 6% match. We added a commuter program that allows employees to use pre-tax funds to pay for parking or transit costs necessary to get to work. n

BESTPLACES WORK

AWARDS

2020

SEEING RED: Providence Community Health Centers Inc. employees wear red and attend a previous American Heart Association Go Red for Women luncheon.

5

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We offer flexibility in scheduling, the Providence Community ability to use paid time off Health Centers Inc. flexibly, a free subscription Employees in R.I.: 517 to Head Space and weekly employee CEO and President Merrill R. Thomas appreciation events, such as ice cream drop-off, free lunches and sumQuestions answered by: Director of Benefits, Compensation mer gift bags. and Human Resource Information Does your company offer employees Systems Brenda Ketner work-from-home options? Yes, approximately 60 staff members are able to work remotely and others have the option to flex their work week to include partial work-from-home options. Direct patient care staff need to be present at the clinics, though.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? Very mission-driven.

Providing access to health care in the communities we serve is first and foremost, as is assessing barriers that may exist to getting good health care. n

BankNewport is proud to be a 2020 Best Places To Work Winner!

At BankNewport, We’re All In!

8 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

ENTERPRISE COMPANIES

PREP WORK: Employees who work in Blount Fine Foods Corp.’s preparation room give a thumbs-up.

COURTESY BLOUNT FINE FOODS CORP.

6

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? In appreciation of our essential workers, we created a free weekly employee pantry Blount Fine Foods Corp. providing essential food items; Employees in R.I.: 890 gift cards were sent to each employee’s President Todd Blount home to provide additional support the Questions answered by: first month of COVID-19. Increased comTodd Blount munication methods were established to provide direct communication from top leadership on decision-making and we created adaptive spaces for the ever-changing COVID-19 protocol across all business areas.

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? Over the past year we have made increasing changes, including significant modification and personalization of desks, seats, incentives, and volunteer activities have all been introduced.

Do you have a preference for promoting existing staff or hiring from outside and why? We have a deep leadership-development program that focuses on how to promote from within before hiring from the outside. This, combined with our rigorous hiring process, assures we continue to build a winning team. n

Being a Best Place to Work is the Best Medicine.

We applaud our frontline and behind-the-scenes team of employees for their commitment to patient care, innovation and excellence during this challenging pandemic. It’s what YOU do that makes Brown Medicine one of the 2020 “Best Places to Work in Rhode Island.”

Thanks for doing your part to maintain an exceptional work environment that provides high-quality care to the patients we serve.

BESTPLACES WORK

AWARDS

2020

Carey, Richmond & Viking Insurance

BMED Best Place to Work 2020.indd 1

4

8/21/20 3:06 PM

TH

TIME

2017-2020

The Best is Yet to Come!

401.683.3900

crvinsurance.com

Rest Insured. We have you covered.

Home. Auto. Business.

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 9

FOCUS | BESTTOPLACES WORK - ENTERPRISE BEST PLACES WORK -TOENTERPRISE COMPANIES COMPANIES

3%

34%

✔

17

2

AAA Northeast

John Galvin

Automobile servicer

1,176

20%

60%

✔

11

✔

3

The Washington Trust Co.

Edward O. Handy III

Financial institution

518

12%

66%

✔

11

✔

4

Amica Mutual Insurance Co.

Robert A. DiMuccio

Insurance

1,778

10%

60%

✔

14

✔

5

Providence Community Health Centers Inc.

Merrill R. Thomas

Health care

517

11%

84%

✔

12

6

Blount Fine Foods Corp.

Todd Blount

Manufacturing

946

38%

33%

✔

10

10 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

✔

Career-development programs

832

Workplace fitness facilities

Holidays per year

Manufacturing

Stress and wellness programs

Flexible work hours

Brian Britson

Tuition reimbursement offered

% of women employees

Amgen Inc.

Telecommuting options

% of voluntary turnover

1

Bonus or incentive programs

Type of business

401(k)/retirement plan

Person in charge

2020 rank

Diversity programs

Company name

No. of local employees

Sick days for ill-dependent

(based withwith moremore than than 500 regional employees) (basedon oncompanies companies 500 regional employees)

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

LARGE COMPANIES (150-499 EMPLOYEES) NAVIGANT CREDIT UNION

PLAY TIME: Navigant Credit Union employees help support Project Playhouse, which provides local children in need with brand-new, state-of-the-art playhouses.

COURTESY NAVIGANT CREDIT UNION

A credit union that’s also a family

BY JOHN A. LAHTINEN

|

Contributing Writer

AT NAVIGANT CREDIT UNION, everything starts with a great culture.

Whether it be hiring, team-building or staff retention, Navigant is committed to fully supporting employee well-being. The Smithfield-based credit union strongly believes that a positive experience for its team translates into them providing an equally exceptional experience for credit union members.

“Our culture is unique because we truly care as much about our employees as we do about our customers [and] members,” Navigant CEO and President Gary Furtado said. “We really view everyone on the team as family. It’s important that we provide our team with a supportive and flexible place to work, a work-life balance that allows them to prioritize what’s important to them, and benefits that make it attractive for them to stay. It’s just as important that we communicate our mission and we all work together to achieve it.”

Navigant provides banking services to its members – who range from high school students to retirees – through a network of physical branch locations, a national ATM network and digital tools. Many small- to medium-sized businesses rely on the credit union to help them gain access to the capital they need for growth, as well as the financial tools to operate day to day.

The credit union has written more than 1,300 U.S. Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program loans, totaling over $90 million to local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic – placing it in the top 20 PPP loan producers in the country among credit unions. Navigant also opened two new Warwick branch offices recently, merged the Kent County Memorial Hospital Federal Credit Union into Navigant and re-launched its indirect lending program, which has significantly increased auto loan production.

Navigant is very generous in recognizing the employees who help

1

make this progress possible. Each year at its annual employee meeting, Navigant recognizes employees in several ways, including a Years of Service award starting at five years, Peer Awards and the LUCI award – a trophy and note that anyone can receive at any time for performing one of the company’s core values of leadership, unity, caring or integrity.

Furtado also hosts anniversary breakfasts at Navigant’s corporate center each year.

The credit union also selects monthly president’s award winners for employees who go above and beyond their everyday job responsibilities. Furtado personally calls each award winner and takes them out to lunch.

Nearly all employees participate in some form of company-offered programming, from cookouts to community volunteering, and holi-

‘Our culture is unique because we truly care as much about our employees as we do about our customers [and] members.’

NAVIGANT CREDIT UNION Employees in R.I.: 323 CEO and President Gary Furtado

day parties to free gym access in the corporate center.

“Team-building is so important, and we believe that if we all do our best, no matter your role, that together we set Navigant Credit Union apart,” said Lynn Martin, a retail trainer. “When we have our employee meeting, we always have a fun theme and take this opportunity to spread everyone out so that we have the chance to enjoy time and catch up with co-workers that we may not get to see often.”

It’s not just employees purely participating; they are also driving the process and having a voice in what Navigant does.

“We give all employees the opportunity to drive change,” Furtado said. “Whenever we have a project that needs to be executed, it is accomplished through a project-management process that involves a cross section of the organization. We are mindful that people have their own jobs to do, so we try and not have the same people on multiple projects. This way, many people can work on a team.”

For Furtado, who has 42 years’ experience in the industry, it’s easy to remain passionate about the work Navigant does and the impact that work has on people’s lives.

“Whether it is a high school student’s first checking account and debit card or it’s giving a young family the opportunity to purchase their first home – our work is incredibly important in our members’ lives,” Furtado said. “I work with such great people. They are dedicated to our members and the communities we serve.” n

Gary Furtado, Navigant Credit Union CEO and president www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 11

LARGE COMPANIES

SHOWING PRIDE: Multiple Becton, Dickinson and Co. employees participate in a recent Providence PRIDE parade.

CREATING DIVERSITY: Embrace Home Loans Inc. formed a diverse working group to come up with a series of new initiatives that have resulted in an internship program being started to aid minority hiring.

COURTESY BECTON, DICKINSON AND CO.

COURTESY EMBRACE HOME LOANS INC.

2

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? The company has been extremely supportive to employees Becton, Dickinson and Co. during the pandemic. To Employees in R.I.: 228 support the shift to working from President Michael Garrison home, the company has provided Questions answered by: flexibility to enable employees to balVice President of Human Resources ance family and work.

Kristen Pagano Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? Prior to the pandemic, BD offered a flexible work schedule for employees if needed.

During COVID-19, more than 80% of our employees have been able to effectively work from home.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? We have a mix of long and newer-tenured employees, which makes for a family environment. The team works collaboratively and is always focused on the patient. We pride ourselves on being inclusive, innovative and results driven. n

3

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We offer remote work, flexible work schedules, reimbursement Embrace Home Loans Inc. for babysitters and tutors Employees in R.I.: 325 for parent employees, and support CEO Dennis Hardiman groups for parents and managing Questions answered by: COVID-19 stress.

Dennis Hardiman Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? Yes. Employees can opt to work from home full time or part time on a permanent basis, except for a few positions that require the employee to be in the office to perform their job.

What role do diversity and inclusion play in your hiring and promotion decisions? We formed a diverse working group to come up with a series of new initiatives that have resulted in an internship program being started to aid minority hiring. We also created a down payment assistance program to help increase homeownership amongst Black and brown people in the communities we serve. n

We proudly represent Rhode Island’s injured and disabled with exceptional legal care from an extraordinary team.

Dedicated.

Local.

Proud.

PERSONAL INJURY MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY

JOSEPH P. MARASCO

800.343.3375 www.nbic.com

DONNA M. NESSELBUSH

New England’s Trusted Personal Injury and Disability Law Firm

Offices in:

WARWICK WAKEFIELD PROVIDENCE WOONSOCKET

401.274.7400

You’re Home with Us

•

M-N-Law.com

685 WESTMINSTER STREET, PROVIDENCE, RI 02903 The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses lawyers in the general practice of law. The court does not license or certify any lawyer as an expert or specialist in any field of practice.

12 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

LARGE COMPANIES

TASTY CUISINE: BankNewport employees take part in an Italian cooking class as part of a raffle prize for those who donated to the BankNewport 2019 United Way campaign.

TRICK OR TREAT: Employees at Brown Medicine compete with a theme to win the best costume. The winning practice/department receives a pizza party and is recognized in the president’s monthly presentation.

COURTESY BANKNEWPORT

COURTESY BROWN MEDICINE

4

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? BankNewport values its employees and supports flexible work arrangements by offering a number of possible work arrangements including flex time, compressed work hours, working remotely from home and job sharing.

BankNewport Employees in R.I.: 270 CEO and President Sandra J. Pattie Questions answered by: Associate Vice President and Manager of Employee Relations and Benefits Carolyn Odell

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? BankNewport’s culture is based on our core values. We celebrate individuality; we empower creative problem-solving; we invest the time to get to know our customers, communities and employees, and commit to serving the financial needs of Rhode Islanders.

How do you support community service work by your employees? Over 46% of employees volunteer to support nonprofits such as Boys & Girls Clubs, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, Federal Hill House, Good Neighbors, Lucy’s Hearth, Meeting Street, Rhode Island Community Food Bank and the Rhode Island Veterans Home, to name a few. n

5

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? Yes, we pivoted to telemedicine quickly for a number of our practices [due to the COVID-19 pandemic] while still maintaining in-person visits for patients that needed to be seen. Our administrative staff who are able to do their work from home have been doing so in support of social distancing.

Brown Medicine Employees in R.I.: 420 CEO Ann M. Kashmanian Questions answered by: Ann M. Kashmanian

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? We have made physical changes to our facilities to support social distancing and have staff working at home part time to reduce the number of staff at the sites at any one time.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? Brown Medicine is a supportive, collaborative culture that thrives on a team approach towards solving problems and improving operations.

What three words best describe your staff? Dedicated. Hard-working. ­Collaborative. n

2020

COASTAL PERFECTION AWARD-WINNING LUXURY & COASTAL BUILDER

4 F R A N K AV E , S U I T E A1 , W E S T K I N G S T O N , R I 0 2 8 9 2 4 0 1 .7 9 2 . 97 9 9

DAVITTINC.COM

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 13

LARGE COMPANIES

TIME TO CELEBRATE: Children’s Friend CEO and President David Caprio celebrates with students at a community event.

BEST FOOT FORWARD: Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island’s Team Neighborhood members and pets participate in the 2019 American Heart Association of Southern New England Heart Walk in Providence.

COURTESY CHILDREN’S FRIEND

COURTESY NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH PLAN OF RHODE ISLAND

6

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? With the onset of COVID-19, we quickly moved 95% of staff to working remotely. We created additional paid-time-off benefits, and launched a virtual self-care Children’s Friend program supporting the emotional, Employees in R.I.: 381 physical and financial health of our CEO and President David Caprio employees.

Questions answered by: How would you describe the culture of David Caprio your workplace? Children’s Friend believes that children grow and develop best in a supportive and loving family. We work hard to create that same strong and supportive family environment in the workplace.

What role do diversity and inclusion play in your hiring and promotion decisions?

We strive to ensure that our staff is representative of the community we serve. We celebrate the diversity of our staff, and recognize, compensate and utilize skills such as being fluent in more than one language. n

7

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We introduced an employee disaster relief program where staff can request a Neighborhood Health tax-free grant of either $500 or Plan of Rhode Island $1,000 per month to assist with additionEmployees in R.I.: 493 al expenses or a loss of family income.

CEO and President Peter Marino Staff are eligible to receive a grant for Questions answered by: up to three months and are not required Chief Human Resource Officer to pay back the grant.

Lisa Whiting What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness?

For our wellness program, we restructured our on-site offerings to be held via webinars and took a close look at the schedule and moved things around to offer more meaningful topics during this time of uncertainty.

Do you have a preference for promoting existing staff or hiring from outside and why? Neighborhood prefers to promote existing staff for internal opportunities. Promotions increase employee engagement, enhance company morale and reduce turnover. n

w

BESTPLACES WORK

AWARDS

2020

Thank you TO ALL OF OUR AAA NORTHEAST

EMPLOYEES You are the heart and soul of our

“AAA Northeast is innovative, creative, and genuinely cares for each and every employee. With clear direction from our leadership team, we move forward every day!”

— AAA Northeast employee

organization, helping and serving our members and communities every day.

It’s because of YOU that AAA Northeast is a PBN Best Places to Work winner!

AAA Northeast congratulates all the winners of PBN’s Best Places to Work Awards.

14 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

LARGE COMPANIES

25 Years Makes for a Ton of Bricks At Amica, we proudly celebrate our employees’ 25th anniversaries by etching their names into the brick walkway in our courtyard.

GAME DAY: Narragansett Bay Commission Executive Director Laurie Horridge, left, and Liz Kohr enjoy a game of Jenga at a holiday employee appreciation event.

COURTESY NARRAGANSETT BAY COMMISSION

8

What three words best describe your staff? Collaborative.

Committed. Focused.

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? Yes. However, post-pandemic, the majority of our employees will return to the Narragansett Bay Commission office.

Employees in R.I.: 262 What role do diversity and inclusion Executive Director Laurie Horridge play in your hiring and promotion decisions? We have an equal opportunity Questions answered by: Training Coordinator Peter Yidiaris employer committee that meets on a regular basis to review current data, hiring practices and to establish goals for our affirmative action plan.

Do you have a preference for promoting existing staff or hiring from outside and why? Our preference is to always look internally first. Our motivation is to ensure the person assuming the role has the requisite industry and company knowledge, and continue to create growth opportunities for our current staff. n

We’re honored to be named by Providence Business News as one of the Best Places to Work in Rhode Island in 2020.

Congratulations to all of the companies that made the list!

BESTPLACES WORK

AWARDS

2020

RED BLOOD CELLS ARE NO LONGER JUST FOR CARRYING OXYGEN. At Rubius Therapeutics, we are genetically engineering them into cellular medicines for patients with enzyme deficiencies, cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Do you want to join a company on the cutting-edge of science? We are hiring for positions in Manufacturing, Technical Operations and Quality.

To learn more, visit www.rubiustx.com/careers.

REALIZING THE POWER OF RED™

® Rubius Therapeutics, Inc. 2020 All Rights Reserved.

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 15

LARGE COMPANIES

SPOOKY SIGHT: Employees at Dominion Diagnostics LLC dress up in various costumes as part of the company’s annual Halloween contest.

SUPER BOWL: Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick Ltd. employees enjoy a day at Splitsville Lanes at Patriot Place in Foxborough, Mass.

COURTESY DOMINION DIAGNOSTICS LLC

COURTESY CHISHOLM CHISHOLM & KILPATRICK LTD.

9

What three words best describe your staff? Focused.

Determined. Customerfocused.

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We have a workfrom-home program for non-lab employees. We also offer employeeassistance programming.

Do you have a preference for promoting existing staff or hiring from outside and why? Yes, we like to develop employees and look to promote from within for many positions. n

Dominion Diagnostics LLC Employees in R.I.: 169 CEO Robert M. Garvey Questions answered by: Vice President of Human Resources Denise Driscoll

10

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We enabled the Chisholm Chisholm majority of our team (ap& Kilpatrick Ltd. proximately 200 people) Employees in R.I.: 208 to work from home. We offered each Partners Robert Chisholm, J. Scott employee reimbursement for additionKilpatrick, Barbara Cook, Zachary al computer monitors, a keyboard and Stolz and Mason Waring mouse, and comfortable work chair.

Questions answered by: We established a committee who plans Robert Chisholm, J. Scott and hosts fun virtual activities.

Kilpatrick, Barbara Cook, Zachary Stolz and Mason Waring How would you describe the culture of your workplace? Our team members have persevered, remained focused and resilient while serving our clients. We have worked on maintaining an interactive environment of collaboration and fun with virtual ... meetings and ... trivia games.

What role do diversity and inclusion play in your hiring and promotion decisions? Diversity, equity and inclusion have always played an integral role in our hiring process. We formed a diversity, equality and inclusion committee to focus on our commitment to our community. n

Hats off to all of the companies being honored this year.

Embrace Home Loans congratulates all of the winners of the 2020 Best Places to Work award.

It’s an honor to be among such a celebrated group.

We would also like to thank our employees, who helped us achieve this tribute for the 15th consecutive year.

It’s through our core values – Community, Courage, Empowerment, Fulfillment, Love, Innovation, and Achievement – that Embrace continues to be a great place to work, grow, and find purpose.

800.333.3004

www.embracehomeloans.com Licensed in 48 states plus DC. Seven times recognized by Fortune as a Top 25 Mid-Size Company to Work for in America.

Embrace Home Loans is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

NMLS ID # 2184

16 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

Holidays per year

Sick days for ill-dependent

323

12%

77%

✔

12

✔

2

Becton, Dickinson and Co. 1

Michael Garrison

Manufacturing

228

10%

53%

✔

12

✔

3

Embrace Home Loans Inc.

Dennis Hardiman

Financial services

325

18%

48%

✔

6

4

BankNewport

Sandra J. Pattie

Financial institution

346

69%

66%

✔

5

Brown Medicine

Ann M. Kashmanian

Medical group

420

11%

67%

6

Children's Friend

David Caprio

Nonprofit

381

18%

7

Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island

Peter Marino

Health insurer

493

8

Narragansett Bay Commission

Laurie Horridge

Nonprofit

9

Dominion Diagnostics LLC

Robert M. Garvey Jr.

Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick Ltd.

Robert V. Chisholm; J. Scott Kilpatrick

10

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

11

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

10

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

93%

✔

11

✔

✔

✔

✔

18%

78%

✔

11

✔

✔

✔

262

9%

36%

✔

11

✔

✔

✔

✔

Laboratory

169

18%

63%

✔

10

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

Legal services

208

16%

69%

✔

11

✔

✔

✔

Diversity training

✔

✔

Career-development programs

Flexible work hours

Credit union

Workplace fitness facilities

% of women employees

Gary Furtado

Stress and wellness programs

% of voluntary turnover

Navigant Credit Union

1

Tuition reimbursement offered

Type of business

PTO for volunteering

Person in charge

2020 rank

401(k)/retirement plan

Company name

No. of local employees

(based on companies with 150-499 regional employees)

Telecommuting options

FOCUS | BEST PLACES TO WORK - LARGE COMPANIES (basedPLACES on companiesTOwithWORK 150-499-regional BEST LARGEamployees) COMPANIES

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

1 Also known as BD.

BESTPLACES WORK

AWARDS

2020

THE PEOPLE MAKE THE PL ACE Thank you to our employees.

It’s your dedication and spirit that contribute to CompuClaim being one of “The Best Places to Work in Rhode Island.” www.CompuClaim.com

At Connectivity Point, our employees provide top-notch solutions and service to help keep our customers connected.

They are experts in their field—and each one is an integral part of the fiber of our company.

It’s because of them that we’ve been named one of PBN’s Best Places to Work for the second year in a row.

NETWORK CABLING § A/V § SECURITY § WIRELESS § PHONES

CONNECTIVITYPOINT.COM

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 17

MIDSIZE COMPANIES (50-149 EMPLOYEES) EDWARD JONES

TIME TO PARTY: Edward Jones employees celebrate during Providence Business News’ Best Places to Work awards ceremony in 2019.

COURTESY EDWARD JONES

Bolstering a sense of community

BY JOHN A. LAHTINEN

|

Contributing Writer

COMMITTMENT. EMPATHY. STRATEGY. These three words are often associated with excellence in the business world. They’re also words that the nearly 19,000 Edward Jones financial advisers covering the U.S. and Canada take to heart each day as they focus on making significant and positive differences for their clients.

“The firm’s advisers work directly with more than 7 million clients to understand what is important to them – from college savings to retirement – then create personalized investment strategies to help them meet their goals and partner with them for the longterm to help them stay on track,” said Edward Jones financial adviser, regional leader and partner John Leary.

Importantly, each of the 27 Edward Jones neighborhood branches located in Rhode Island has a financial adviser and a branch office administrator serving clients within the very communities where they live and work.

Bolstering the sense of community within the company is the fact that every associate has the unique opportunity to actually own part of the firm. Any Edward Jones associate in good standing with at least three years of service can be offered partnership and more than 50% of associates are owners.

“Since joining Edward Jones, I have been actively involved in helping my fellow financial advisers and volunteering in a number of ways, including serving as a field trainer, mentor, recruiting leader and performance leader for the region,” said Leary, who became a limited partner in 2007.

He said he also participated in the firm’s Goodknight Program by inviting three other financial advisers to help better serve clients. The firm’s partnership culture encourages all to collaborate and support each other rather than compete, Leary said.

The firm is quick to reward its team for not only serving clients’

1

needs but also for giving back to the community. In addition to trimester bonuses for advisers, branch office administrators can earn firm-profitability bonuses and typically share in eligible advisers’ bonuses, which are boosted by a firm match.

In each region, a financial adviser and a branch office administrator can be awarded for exemplifying the values, culture and spirit of giving back. Steven Grasso, Cranston-based financial adviser, said the firm has an award called the Ted Jones Spirit of Caring award.

“It’s a peer-voted award for the person in the region who has made the most impact on others. In 2012, I was the first recipient of this award in our region,” Grasso said. “Receiving this recognition was more than just an accom-

‘We are passionate about our work because we make a meaningful difference in our clients’ lives.’

JOHN LEARY, Edward Jones financial adviser, regional leader and partner

18 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

Edward Jones Employees in R.I.: 61 Financial Adviser, Regional Leader and Partner John Leary

plishment – for me, it was highly emotional. My mother had just passed away and I only wish she could have been there to see it. I dedicated the award to her. Without a doubt, being honored by my peers, simply for helping others, has been my favorite moment of working for Edward Jones.”

Inclusion is a major focal point for the firm.

Leary said Edward Jones continues to encourage “honest conversation, which we believe is essential to gain awareness, address unconscious bias, and achieve greater understanding and empathy.”

The firm has a five-point plan to address racism and positively impact opportunities for people of color. Edward Jones has committed to give everyone a voice; place a continued focus on equitable hiring, training, promotional practices and policies; address equitable pay; offer racial-equity training and anti-racism personnel policies; and expand its unconscious-bias training program.

“We are passionate about our work because we make a meaningful difference in our clients’ lives,” Leary said. “We help our clients turn dreams into reality. Every client has a different story. We get to know and understand our clients because personal relationships make us better financial advisers for individuals. Our firm encourages us to put our clients’ interests first, with honesty and integrity.” n

MIDSIZE COMPANIES

SCIENTIFIC DAY: CBIZ Inc. employees get together at the company’s summer outing at the Museum of Science Boston.

COURTESY CBIZ INC.

2

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We made some changes to our existing wellness program to provide our associates with additional support and resources. We have also been communicating on a regular and frequent basis to all team members via video and email to keep everyone updated on the latest COVID-19 information.

SAILING AWAY: Employees with Marasco & Nesselbush LLP enjoy a boat cruise in 2019.

COURTESY MARASCO & NESSELBUSH LLP

CBIZ Inc. Employees in R.I.: 86 Senior Managing Director Scott A. Wragg Questions answered by: Scott A. Wragg

What role do diversity and inclusion play in your hiring and promotion decisions? We believe diversity and inclusion is a business imperative and we are working together toward making it an essential and valued part of our culture.

This commitment includes identifying and actively combatting racism and discrimination in any form.

How do you support community service work by your employees? August kicked off our CBIZ Cares Volunteering program ...where we typically spend time at area organizations and volunteer our time. Volunteering this year will look a bit different, so this year we are giving our employees the option to volunteer up to five hours of paid community service time either remotely or individually at a charity of their choice. n

3

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic the firm made a timely decision to invest in the technology so our entire team could stay safe and continue to work utilizing work-from-home environments. Our team has not only embraced this challenge but has also excelled while working from home.

Marasco & Nesselbush LLP Employees in R.I.: 59 Partner Joseph Marasco Questions answered by: Director of Marketing Scott Lafferty

How do you support community service work by your employees? Each year, through the Marasco & Nesselbush Charitable Foundation, we support numerous charitable efforts and organizations that improve the lives of people throughout our communities. We encourage everyone on our team to contribute to the foundation and participate in our community service events.

What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? This past year we worked with our insurance provider to add a company-sponsored life insurance policy to our benefits package. n

We were founded to address people’s needs.

Today, we remain true to our roots. Committed to community. Driven by purpose. Opening doors and breaking down barriers. To better health. To stronger neighborhoods. For many more tomorrows, we’ll do what’s needed.

THAT’S NEIGHBORHOOD

www.nhpri.org www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 19

MIDSIZE COMPANIES

MONEY MAKERS: DiSanto, Priest & Co. employees hold up novelty dollar bills during the 2019 Providence Business News Best Places to Work Awards event.

BEST-DRESSED: Rubius Therapeutics employees participate in a “Best Sweater” contest it held on behalf of the activities team in late 2019. It was accompanied by a “Giving Tree” for local families in need.

COURTESY DISANTO, PRIEST & CO.

COURTESY RUBIUS THERAPEUTICS

4

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We offer an employee-assistance program to our people to help cope with the CODiSanto, Priest & Co. VID-19 pandemic. Our EAP can offer Employees in R.I.: 85 assistance and resources to help, Managing Partner Emilio Colapietro many offered free of charge with our Questions answered by: long-term disability plan.

Emilio Colapietro Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? DP allows our people various employee work-from-home options, which have been put to great use operating during the pandemic.

How do you support community service work by your employees? Our community support is provided through the DiSanto Priest Foundation, the charitable giving arm of the firm. The foundation allows our people to directly participate in various charitable events such as this year’s Meeting Street Annual Telethon.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? We promote a strong, team-oriented environment focused on the success of our people to perform at a high level from a desire to excel, not a fear of failure. n

5

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic?

We’ve offered flex work schedules, virtual learning and develRubius Therapeutics opment opportunities, employee recognition and other benefits Employees in R.I.: 64 to support the current work environment CEO Pablo J. Cagnoni including COVID-19 time-off policy, child Questions answered by: care reimbursement benefit, one-time Human Resources Site Head Brianne Meehan paid-time-off carryover and a home office stipend.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? It’s a special culture where we had a unique opportunity to build a team in Smithfield when Rubius acquired the manufacturing site. We’re fueled by our purpose to create life-changing cellular therapies and our team is extremely dedicated, but we also have fun.

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? We have introduced programs, including ahealthyme by Virgin Pulse to support health and wellness tracking. We’ve also introduced a new and enhanced employee assistance program. We continue to offer an annual fitness reimbursement as well. n

OUR PEOPLE MAKE US GREAT

OUR PEOPLE MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN. Headquartered in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, Dominion Diagnostics is a national medical laboratory providing clinical drug monitoring solutions that advance patient care and improve treatment outcomes. For over two decades, Dominion Diagnostics has been a leader in the industry working with addiction treatment centers, pain management centers, primary care centers, hospital systems and other specialties.

OUR WORK FEEDS AMERICA

blountfinefoods.com–blountjobs.com

visit us online to learn more dominiondiagnostics.com @domdiag |

20 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

MIDSIZE COMPANIES

NICE RETREAT: Sansiveri, Kimball & Co. LLP employees enjoy a day by the water at its annual all-employee firm retreat and holiday party at the Squantum Club in East Providence.

OFFERING A HAND: Province Mortgage Associates Inc. staff members aligned with Be the Change/Project Hand Up, getting food into the hands of families who are out of work or struggling financially due to the ­COVID-19 pandemic.

COURTESY SANSIVERI, KIMBALL & CO. LLP

COURTESY PROVINCE MORTGAGE ASSOCIATES INC.

6

7

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? Each and every Sansiveri employee is set Sansiveri, Kimball & Co. LLP up to work fully remotely Employees in R.I.: 52 from their home. AdditionManaging Partner Jason Daponte ally, employees are provided with computers/laptops, multiple Questions answered by: Director of Human Resources monitors, scanners, printers and any Fran Clerx hardware needed to work effectively from their homes. Employees are also provided with any office supplies needed to work remotely.

How do you support community service work by your employees? We feel that it is our obligation to be socially responsible as an organization. We support community service efforts by teaming with nonprofit organizations, such as United Way and Mary House, and offering opportunities for our employees to volunteer their time serving food at a local soup kitchens collecting items for Thanksgiving baskets for families in need and purchasing Christmas gifts ... to benefit Crossroads Rhode Island.

Do you have a preference for promoting existing staff or hiring from outside and why? We believe that our employees are our most valuable resource and we are committed to investing in training and developing them to grow both professionally and personally. n

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options?

Our mortgage advisers have always had the ability to work from home as their business is earned by being on the road Province Mortgage prospecting opportunities Associates Inc. from their professional and personal Employees in R.I.: 50 networks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have the systems in place to President David Currie keep all employees working remotely.

Questions answered by: David Currie How do you support community service work by your employees? Part of our mission has always been to give back to the communities that we serve, working with and donating to a variety of nonprofits on a yearly basis, which also includes our own charitable events, which we create and promote. Since April, we have aligned with Be the Change/Project Hand Up, getting food into the hands of families who are out of work or struggling financially due to the ­pandemic.

What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? In 2019, we created our first ever Province Mortgage Employee Bonus Pool where both sales and operations were incentivized by hitting a predetermined volume goal. n

ROOFTOP RELAXING: Employees at Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP enjoy an outing at the Rooftop at the Providence G.

TEAMWORK: Tides Family Services team members work together during a summer retreat in 2019.

COURTESY HINCKLEY ALLEN & SNYDER LLP

COURTESY TIDES FAMILY SERVICES

8

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? Providing employees with the Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP tools and ability to work remotely from the outset Employees in R.I.: 105 of the pandemic has given them a Managing Partner David J. Rubin sense of financial security and perQuestions answered by: sonal safety. In many cases, it meant Human Resources Manager providing the necessary technology, Sarah Williamson a change to numerous policies and workflows, and the modification of certain job responsibilities to meet the needs of our employees.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? Our employees have a long history of working collaboratively in a team environment to tackle problems together and support the needs of their colleagues and our clients. This type of environment drives employee engagement and has a direct impact on employee happiness and satisfaction.

What role does diversity and inclusion play in your hiring and promotion decisions? We actively recruit, hire, develop and work to retain employees from a wide variety of backgrounds, and have an active diversity and inclusion committee that guides these efforts and measures progress. n

9

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? Throughout the pandemic, we continue to ensure our employees are Tides Family Services engaged through ongoing Employees in R.I.: 132 open and honest communication CEO and President Beth Bixby through many venues. Tides has Questions answered by: provided telehealth, flexible work Beth Bixby schedule so they could care for loved ones, additional mental health time and full staff meetings to promote connections.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? The agency looks at strengths and promotes growth and development. This allows employees to collaborate and feel they are in it together. They are a resource to each other and feel empowered to be part of solutions.

What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? We are grateful for our employees’ support of the [youths] and families we serve, some of whom have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. In recognition of the dedication our employees have all demonstrated during these trying times, each employee received a stipend to offset expenses incurred during telework. n

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 21

MIDSIZE COMPANIES

SEAFOOD DELIGHT: The Town Dock employees celebrate winning a calamari cook-off at a recent company event.

BY THE NUMBERS: Employees of Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Inc. form a giant “140” during an annual employee appreciation day at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket to celebrate the firm’s 140th anniversary.

COURTESY THE TOWN DOCK

COURTESY STARKWEATHER & SHEPLEY INSURANCE BROKERAGE INC.

10

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic?

We instituted a COVID-19 response team that has The Town Dock initiated additional safety Employees in R.I.: 54 measures with proactive management.

We have offered work-from-home opCEO and President Ryan Clark portunities wherever possible, Microsoft Questions answered by: Teams training and immersion, and Ryan Clark worked hard to keep at-work employees safe.

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? We have recently had extra focus on safety and prevention in response to COVID-19. We have instituted daily on-site screening, increased sanitation, altered workspaces whether on-site or remote to provide distance, mask wearing and provided [information technology] equipment as needed for remote work.

How do you support community service work by your employees? Our charity committee organizes events with local shelters and nonprofit organizations. We communicate with employees and encourage participation for these service opportunities. n

HAPPY HOLIDAYS: Staffers with Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co. Ltd. attend a holiday party.

COURTESY KAHN, LITWIN, RENZA & CO. LTD.

12

What three words best describe your staff?

Smart. Passionate.

Entrepreneurial.

Does your company offer employees workKahn, Litwin, Renza & Co. Ltd. from-home options?

Employees in R.I.: 120 Our colleagues are always available Managing Director Alan H. Litwin for remote or virtual conversations (Zoom, Teams, etc.) utilizing video Questions answered by: Alan H. Litwin technology. We introduced virtual town halls to keep the communication lines open with our entire team. We offer virtual team-building and fun activities so that our teams can stay connected.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? KLR colleagues are strong-minded, driven and always willing to go the extra mile. They are often working together, and we put an emphasis on brainstorming, feedback and innovation.

What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? KLR implemented unlimited paid time off in 2020, whereby colleagues can take time off whenever they choose without having to worry about keeping track. This policy was implemented to complement our flexibility in the workplace. n

11

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? We have a culture of integrity, Starkweather & Shepley trust and respect. It Insurance Brokerage Inc. starts with the ownerEmployees in R.I.: 138 ship structure of our organization. We are owned by a Chairman and CEO Lawrence E. Keefe trust and its mission is to make Questions answered by: every organizational decision with Lawrence E. Keefe the best interests of our clients and our employees in mind.

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? Due to COVID-19, much of our education and wellness has had to be delivered virtually. We had great success this year with remote virtual one-on-one sessions with a nutritionist. We held the initial round in the spring and will do so again in the fall so people can track their progress.

How do you support community service work by your employees? Since the pandemic, Starkweather has made monetary donations of more than $40,000 to organizations like the United Way of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Nursing Home Group, Aldersbridge Communities, Hasbro Children’s Hospital/Lifespan Corp., and the Boys & Girls Club to name a few. n

PROPER TRAINING: Employees for Cranston-based Swarovski Optik North America Ltd. pose for a group picture while out during a training day in 2019.

COURTESY SWAROVSKI OPTIK NORTH AMERICA LTD.

13

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? We offer wellness support programs with Blue Cross & Blue Swarovski Optik North Shield of Rhode Island to America Ltd. include reimbursements of gym dues and internal wellness initiatives. For Employees in R.I.: 99 COVID-19, work-from-home [options] CEO Albert Wannenmacher whenever possible started mid-March.

Questions answered by: [We also implemented] thorough Albert Wannenmacher cleaning and protection procedures … early on.

How do you support community service work by your employees? This is part of our activities committee, with support activities spread out throughout the yea as well as focusing on certain topics. We recently added a commitment to diversity program that includes partnerships with local organizations that support our community.

Do you have a preference for promoting existing staff or hiring from outside and why? We encourage development of our employees through training, educational assistance and job-related seminars. We enjoy seeing our employees develop within our company. n

22 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

MIDSIZE COMPANIES

FAST LANE: Elite Physical Therapy employees gather for a few games of bowling at Town Hall Lanes in Johnston.

COURTESY ELITE PHYSICAL THERAPY

LIGHT IT UP: Employees from Big Blue Bug Solutions help light up the signature Big Blue Bug for Christmas.

COURTESY BIG BLUE BUG SOLUTIONS

14

15

Does your company offer employees work-fromhome options? Elite has made adjustments to keep everyone able to work, but at a safe Elite Physical Therapy distance. Changes have Employees in R.I.: 96 been made to allow employees to work CEO Michael Nula from home if their position allows for it.

To keep everyone safe, physical theraQuestions answered by: Human Resources Generalist pists are doing telehealth appointments Sarah Brushnet from home, and a call center was created to allow patient coordinators to work from their homes answering phones and servicing patients.

Do you have a preference for promoting existing staff or hiring from outside and why? Promoting existing staff is a great way to improve the ambition of employees and heighten their enthusiasm for reaching their goals and the goals of the organization. Those highly productive employees can lead the way, sharing their knowledge with their successors.

What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? Recently, Elite enhanced its policy for staff members needing physical therapy. As and additional employee benefit, 12 free courtesy physical therapy visits were added per calendar year. n

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? All of our office staff members have had the opportunity to work from home since March.

Big Blue Bug Solutions They have done a fantasEmployees in R.I.: 89 tic job. We are in a service-based busiCEO Brian Goldman ness, so the field staff continues to work Questions answered by: on the road. However, they have been Brian Goldman outstanding following all the necessary ­precautions.

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? We have [personal protective equipment] for everyone, even [for] those working from home. We want to make sure all of our employees are comfortable both inside and outside of work.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? Our culture is familyoriented. We always try to include the families of our employees in events, and there is nothing better than watching the next generation grow up together and become friends at all our company functions. n

FIELD DAY: Automated Business Solutions Inc. employees and their families enjoy the company’s Family Day and Kids Softball Game at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket.

GROWING UP: National Marker Co. employees are happy about breaking sales records for the last three months at the North Smithfield-based manufacturer.

COURTESY AUTOMATED BUSINESS SOLUTIONS INC.

COURTESY NATIONAL MARKER CO.

16

How would you describe the culture of your workplace?

The culture of our workplace is one like family and working towards one common goal. All actions Automated Business performed are rooted in Solutions Inc. our commitment to taking care of our Employees in R.I.: 66 ­customers.

President Nicole Albergaria What modifications have you made to your Questions answered by: workplace to support employee wellness? If Vice President of Business Development David Aulisio feeling sick, ill employees are encouraged to stay home without feeling there will be retribution. No carpools allowed.

What role do diversity and inclusion play in your hiring and promotion decisions? We understand people deserve second chances. Some of our most productive employees have had personal issues that most others would shy away from. We have seen the development and promotion of “internal” staff due to our dedication of promotion from within. There is nothing that prevents a candidate from being considered for employment at ABS. n

17

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? The best.

We were able to pivot during the COVID-19 crisis, and we have broken sales records for the past three months.

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? Yes. Everyone is working from home but our manufacturing group.

National Marker Co. Employees in R.I.: 84 CEO Michael Black Questions answered by: Michael Black

What role do diversity and inclusion play in your hiring and promotion decisions?

We are a very diverse group. We try to always hire within when possible. [Seventy-five percent] of our supervisors came up in the ranks. n

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 23

MIDSIZE COMPANIES

VOLUNTEER EFFORT: The Providence Mutual Fire Insurance Co. employees volunteer at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island.

MEETUP: Rhode Island Parent Information Network employees gather at the nonprofit’s annual staff meeting.

COURTESY THE PROVIDENCE MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE CO.

COURTESY RHODE ISLAND PARENT INFORMATION NETWORK

18

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic?

The Providence Mutual We have encouraged Fire Insurance Co. our employees to take Employees in R.I.: 83 advantage of the employee assistance program we offer to help them cope CEO and President Sandra G. Parrillo with any mental health, financial or Questions answered by: other challenges brought on by the Human Resources Manager Stephanie Williamson COVID-19 pandemic.

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? Yes, we transitioned to a remote work environment mid-March for all employees. It was done seamlessly and successfully. Though we had a work-from-home option pre-pandemic, it was not widely used. However, looking to the future we expect the work-fromhome option to be embraced more readily.

How do you support community service work by your employees? We provide eligible employees one standard working day of paid time off per year in the form of a volunteer day during company hours to donate their time to a 501(c)3 charitable organization. In addition, we coordinate volunteer opportunities for groups of employees to participate in. n

19

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic?

We quickly rolled out Rhode Island Parent new paid-leave poliInformation Network cies to help our staff, many of whom Employees in R.I.: 101 are parents of a child with disabiliExecutive Director Samuel Salganik ties. Also, RIPIN engaged with our employee assistance provider to Questions answered by: Growth and Development Officer facilitate an information session for Emily Garthee employees to address added stressors brought on by the pandemic and provided tools employees could utilize.

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? RIPIN is providing a range of virtual wellness and support activities, like virtual Zumba classes and support groups. We have also created virtual spaces for our staff to stay connected.

Do you have a preference for promoting existing staff or hiring from outside and why? RIPIN makes every effort to promote eligible employees from within the organization. About 80% of our leadership team [has] been promoted from within. n

HAPPY FRIDAY: Employees at Pariseault Builders Inc. are offered Summer Fridays, where each employee receives two free Fridays off during the summer months.

IN CHARACTER: Marcum LLP employees dress up in costumes for Halloween at the office.

COURTESY PARISEAULT BUILDERS INC.

COURTESY MARCUM LLP

20

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? Workremote options, flexible work hours and a general understanding with regards to everyday circumstances.

What three words best describe your staff? Resilient. Tenacious. Cooperative.

Pariseault Builders Inc. Employees in R.I.: 66 President Brian Casey Questions answered by: Brian Casey

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? Less-stringent work hours; more flexibility What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? Summer Fridays. Each office employee gets two free Fridays off to be used as they like; they have to be used for fun though. n

21

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? Our focus has been on resources to help Marcum LLP alleviate the stress this Employees in R.I.: 62 has created for our associates and their Office Managing Partner Thomas families. Marcum Wellness is providE. Lisi ing associates with many resources Questions answered by: ranging from telehealth, associate Human Resources Administrator resource groups and a confidential emSamantha Montalbano ployee assistance program to address mental health issues.

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? Yes, this is one of several flexible programs Marcum offers to accommodate the varied and changing personal needs of our professionals. The firm is open-minded to accommodating the needs of staff members who request flexibility in order to balance professional and personal commitments.

How do you support community service work by your employees? The Marcum Foundation Planned Giving program is one way our associates and partners give back to Marcum communities. In 2019 the Marcum Foundation raised more than $330,000 for local charities. n

24 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

MIDSIZE COMPANIES

QUICK EAT: LFI Inc. employees enjoy an outdoor pizza party.

COURTESY LFI INC.

22

COURTESY VERTIKAL6

What three words best describe your staff?

Diligent. Intelligent.

Passionate.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? We are team-based, forward-thinking and offer helpfulness to all employees.

EARNING THEIR STRIPES: Vertikal6 employees participate in the company’s Striped Shirt Day at the office.

LFI Inc. Employees in R.I.: 59 CEO and President Kip Brockmyre III

What modifications have you made to Questions answered by: Human Resources Generalist and your workplace to support employee Administrator Carolyn Faiola wellness? We do staggered shifts, staggered breaks, offer work-from-home options and perform daily cleanness routines.

What role do diversity and inclusion play in your hiring and promotion decisions?

We are an equal opportunity employer and hold no bias on hiring. Our staff is multicultural and diverse.

What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? We now offer long-term heath care provided to all LFI employees at no cost to them. n

23

Does your company offer employees workfrom-home options?

Yes, in March, our entire company began working from home – and remains in this flexible workplace space to Vertikal6 this day. Thankfully, because we are Employees in R.I.: 50 a managed service provider, our enCEO Rick Norberg tire team was ready to go and never Questions answered by: skipped a beat thanks to the technolRick Norberg ogy we use internally and provide to our clients.

How do you support community service work by your employees? We team volunteers extensively for Boy Scouts group leading/supporting meetings, donate computers to GoodWill, donated computers to Clinica Esperanza/Hope Clinic, a free, volunteer-run clinic for the uninsured, and also monetarily donate to local sports teams, the Rhode Island [Community] Food Bank and other local organizations.

Do you have a preference for promoting existing staff or hiring from outside and why? Our promote from within philosophy has had a great impact on retention and is definitely our preference. n

Thank you to all of our employees for continually making Starkweather & Shepley one of the Best Places to Work in Rhode Island.

UNITED WE STAND: Employees at United Way of Rhode Island pose for a fun picture together at the office.

COURTESY UNITED WAY OF RHODE ISLAND

24

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We provided technology stiUnited Way of Rhode Island pends to help above Employees in R.I.: 70 and beyond our team’s hardware CEO and President Cortney Nicolato and software needs. We established Questions answered by: a shortened workday on Fridays and Cortney Nicolato offered additional time off to help teammates catch up on family needs or just take a breather from the stresses of the work week.

How do you support community service work by your employees? Many of our teammates attend our annual volunteer events with their families. #TeamUnited is also encouraged to support our nonprofit sector, with colleagues serving on the boards of Millennial Rhode Island, Amos House, City Year and Leadership Rhode Island.

What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? The one we are most proud of is the creation of our Culture, Strengths and Equity Committee. This group has been charged with leading our organizational culture – one that is focused on these attributes, as well as an assessment of our practices and policies to ensure they are equitable. n

401•435•3600 StarShep.com • Personal Insurance • Business Insurance • Employee Benefits • Life/Asset Protection • Claim Advocacy

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 25

MIDSIZE COMPANIES

STRIKING GOLD: Ocean State Credit Union team members show support at the “Strike for Gold” Special Olympics bowling event at East Providence Lanes.

PICTURE PERFECT: Tockwotton on the Waterfront employees pose during a recent company Mardi Gras office party.

COURTESY OCEAN STATE CREDIT UNION

COURTESY TOCKWOTTON ON THE WATERFRONT

25

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We offer employees Ocean State Credit Union a weekly work stipend, enhanced Employees in R.I.: 58 sick leave, and weekly information CEO and President David Root and communication programs.

Questions answered by: How would you describe the culture of David Root your workplace? Our team members are empowered to make a difference, where we take care of our members and community to assist in making consistent and sound financial decisions.

How do you support community service work by your employees? We sponsor community involvement through our charitable collections with monthly dress-down programs, volunteerism and employee managed community-focused events.

What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? We have augmented our retirement 401(k) program by offering diverse investment opportunities and reducing the wait period for enrollment. We also expanded life insurance plans to family members. n

26

What three words best describe your staff?

Caring. Compassionate. Dedicated.

What support programs has your Tockwotton on the Waterfront company offered Employees in R.I.: 122 employees to help cope with the COCEO and President Kevin McKay VID-19 pandemic? We offer COVID-19 bonuses and administration made a Questions answered by: Kevin McKay concerted effort to reach out to staff who are struggling with COVID19-related issues.

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? Tockwotton has a culture committee that plans and executes various events to promote the staff’s psychosocial well-being.

How do you support community service work by your employees?

Staff are encouraged to do community service work such as serving on a various aging service board and committees, and participating in various Alzheimer’s Association events. n

OPEN WATER: Narragansett Bay Insurance Co. employees enjoy a boat tour of the upper Narragansett Bay during a recent company summer outing.

COURTESY NARRAGANSETT BAY INSURANCE CO.

“We Create.

You Celebrate!”

H AV E A S A F E & MEMORABLE EVENT • • • •

Full Service Catering Event Coordination & Planning Tents & Event Rentals Floral Décor Services

401-383-3631 info@Pranzi.com

27

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic?

Narragansett Bay We offered flexible Insurance Co. work arrangements and [have] been Employees in R.I.: 103 mindful of the stresses and chalPresident Tim Moura lenges brought on by the COVID-19 Questions answered by: pandemic. Human resources and Tim Moura management personnel have worked through difficult situations to find unique solutions to fit our staff’s needs.

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? During COVID-19, NBIC has greatly increased sanitization stations, limited capacity, increased spacing and created other office rules to limit employee proximity.

How do you support community service work by your employees? NBIC offers all employees two volunteer-time-off days. Last year, events were organized with Operation Stand Down, the Ronald McDonald House and other local organizations. Our team loves giving back to the community and our company proudly supports these charitable volunteer efforts. n

26 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

FOCUS | BEST PLACES TO WORK - MIDSIZE COMPANIES BEST - MIDSIZE COMPANIES (basedPLACES on companiesTOwithWORK 50-149 regional employees)

Company name

Person in charge

Type of business

No. of local employees

% of voluntary turnover

% of women employees

Flexible work hours

Holidays per year

Sick days for ill-dependent

Diversity training

401(k)/retirement plan

Bonus or incentive programs

Telecommuting options

Tuition reimbursement offered

Stress and wellness programs

Workplace fitness programs

Career-development programs

(based on companies with 50-149 regional employees)

Edward Jones

John E. Leary

Financial adviser

61

4%

48%

✔

9

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

CBIZ Inc. 1

Scott A. Wragg

Accounting

86

14%

52%

✔

10

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

3

Marasco & Nesselbush LLP

Joseph Marasco; Donna Nesselbush

Law firm

59

10%

67%

✔

11

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

4

DiSanto, Priest & Co.

Emilio Colapietro

Accounting

85

12%

58%

✔

9

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

5

Rubius Therapeutics

Pablo J. Cagnoni

Manufacturer

64

0%

35%

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

6

Sansiveri, Kimball & Co. LLP

Jason DaPonte

Accounting

52

13%

58%

✔

11

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

7

Province Mortgage Associates Inc.

David Currie

Financial services

50

1%

72%

✔

7

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

8

Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP

David J. Rubin

Legal services

105

9%

65%

✔

11

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

9

Tides Family Services

Beth Bixby

Nonprofit

132

10%

75%

✔

13

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

The Town Dock

Ryan Clark

Manufacturing

54

17%

39%

✔

9

✔

✔

✔

✔

Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Inc.

Lawrence E. Keefe

Insurance

138

6%

70%

✔

12

✔

✔

12

Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co. Ltd.

Alan H. Litwin

Accounting

188

4%

50%

✔

10

✔

✔

✔

13

Swarovski Optik North America Ltd.

Albert Wannenmacher

Manufacturing

99

6%

44%

✔

12

✔

✔

14

Elite Physical Therapy

Michael Nula

Health care

96

25%

69%

✔

6

15

Big Blue Bug Solutions

Brian Goldman

Pest control

89

8%

23%

✔

11

16

Automated Business Solutions Inc.

Nicole Albergaria

Office equipment sales and service

66

4%

28%

17

National Marker Co.

Michael Black

Manufacturing

84

13%

42%

18

The Providence Mutual Fire Insurance Co.

Sandra G. Parrillo

Insurance

83

6%

73%

19

Rhode Island Parent Information Network

Samuel Salganik

Nonprofit

101

23%

82%

Pariseault Builders Inc.

Brian Casey

Construction management firm

72

0%

10%

21

Marcum LLP

Thomas E. Lisi

Financial services

62

26%

40%

✔

8

22

LFI Inc.

Kip Brockmyre III

Manufacturing

59

2%

22%

✔

9

23

Vertikal6

Rick Norberg

IT services

50

4%

20%

✔

11

✔

24

United Way of Rhode Island

Cortney Nicolato

Nonprofit

70

15%

84%

12

✔

25

Ocean State Credit Union

David Root

Credit union

58

14%

85%

12

✔

26

Tockwotton on the Waterfront

Kevin McKay

Assisted living

172

37%

93%

10

✔

27

Narragansett Bay Insurance Co.

Tim Moura

Insurance

103

12%

44%

2020 rank

1 2

10 11

20

11

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

9

✔

✔

8

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

10

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

11

✔

✔

✔

✔

8

✔

8

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

1 Also known as CBIZ & MHM.

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 27

SMALL COMPANIES (15-49 EMPLOYEES) COMPUCLAIM INC.

DRINKS ON US: CompuClaim Inc. employees gather near the water in Newport for some beverages.

COURTESY COMPUCLAIM INC.

Mixing work with pleasure

BY MATTHEW ENRIGHT

|

Contributing Writer

A TECHNOLOGY AND CONSULTING SOLUTIONS partner that works with health care organizations on claiming processes and maximizing program opportunities, Newport-based CompuClaim Inc. said its environment and employees help make the company’s culture vibrant.

“We all share a passion for delivering exceptional client service and being there to support our clients and each other through challenges and growth opportunities,” CompuClaim Chief Operating Officer Michelle Pope said. “We work really hard but we like to enjoy our day.

We spend a lot of time doing things that are fun within the organization, as well as working hard. I do believe that everybody in the organization embodies the core values of the organization, and that’s why we work so well together.”

CompuClaim Director of Finance and Human Resources Norma Sabins said the company’s atmosphere helps make daily operations run smoothly.

“I don’t think any of us are afraid to ask another employee for help or a question,” she said. “I think we all help each other out.”

Team-building activities help with company camaraderie, and it has continued even during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Pope said CompuClaim has done various events, such as bingo and trivia sessions. The Newport office isn’t average either; it’s an open space with pub-style open tables.

Employees also have a voice at the company.

Pope said they contribute in any way that they feel comfortable.

“We encourage people to step outside of their comfort zone and the boundaries of their job description,” Pope said. “Nothing is seen as a failure. It’s how do we learn from that and grow.”

With COVID-19, Pope said the company made sure to maintain its culture through events such as small group cookouts and video sessions to make it fun for themselves even with

1

the difficulties of the pandemic.

CompuClaim also helped employees to work at home by providing chairs and desks, as well as sending care packages home. It also supported employees in providing flexibility to their schedules.

Usually, CompuClaim has had an annual company retreat in September where they fly employees in from Wisconsin. While the retreat will not happen this year, CompuClaim will still try and replicate some events, such as holding after-hours activities in smaller groups and virtual events to keep employees connected.

“There’s so much that we do to keep everybody together and check on each other, make sure they’re OK and give them what they need,” Sabins said. “Then in turn the employees give

‘We work really hard but we like to enjoy our day, so we spend a lot of time doing things that are fun within the organization.’

MICHELLE POPE, CompuClaim Inc. chief operating officer

28 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

CompuClaim Inc. Employees in R.I.: 18 CEO and President Peter Carson

us what we need too.”

Among those retreat events are award ceremonies, including the Strommen award that’s given to an employee who embodies selflessness toward themselves, the organization and their clients. That award is given in memory of Scott Strommen, a former employee who died five years ago.

At CompuClaim, a health and wellness program provides monthly activities that range from physical fitness activities and healthy eating habits to cooking demos and stress relief.

Stretching, breathing and meditation exercises are also discussed. While it was typically onsite, COVID-19 forced these events to go remote with modified approaches. In the office, health and wellness props such as yoga mats, stretching bands and a treadmill are available.

The company also encourages continuing education through the use of Coursera.com, which provides courses through colleges.

“It gives the employees opportunity to take a range of all different kinds of classes, up to certificate level, and it could be I want to master Excel or I want to take a course in junior project management,” Sabins said. “There are so many different ones.”

CEO and President Peter Carson points to CompuClaim’s history of being a great place to work and that the company still has the same expectations as it did when he started it.

“I’m still connected to the company, and people can see that the same person is at the helm,” Carson said, “and the same kind of expectations that we had all along on how to do business and how we take care of employees. We still do, and we will do as long as I’m here.” n

SMALL COMPANIES

CRUISING ALONG: Custom Computer Specialists Inc. employees gather for a cruise in Boston in 2018.

HOT WHEELS: Barnum Financial Group employees participate in the Foundation for Life’s Bikes for Kids program.

COURTESY CUSTOM COMPUTER SPECIALISTS INC.

COURTESY BARNUM FINANCIAL GROUP

2

3

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? Our Custom Computer employees have always Specialists Inc. been encouraged to speak Employees in R.I.: 48 with their manager and huCEO and President Gregory Galdi man resources team if they are ever in need of support. The pandemic has Questions answered by: Gregory Galdi added a new level to their stress. We continue to have an open-door policy, and will arrange for help for employees who find themselves in need.

Do you have a preference for promoting existing staff or hiring from outside and why? We really want Custom Computer Specialists to be a company where employees have a career, not just a job. The average tenure of our employees is 10 years. If you look across our team, there are very few people who are performing the same role for which they were hired.

What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? Crossteam collaboration is an important part of our culture. Over the past year, we’ve introduced a series of quarterly, after-work employee events, focused on having fun, socializing and celebrating our wins as a team. These events have included Dave & Buster’s scavenger hunts, paint night, and an escape room. n

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? As the pandemic hit, Barnum has allowed the majority Barnum Financial Group of staff to work remotely Employees in R.I.: 46 from home. For those employees that Founder and CEO Paul Blanco could not do their jobs from home, Questions answered by: we provided alternative work they Human Resources Consultant could do along with the needed trainMelissa Poli ing so they could continue to contribute to the firm.

How do you support community service work by your employees? At the core of Barnum’s community service work is the Foundation for Life Inc. Barnum employees support the foundation through direct donations, participating in various fundraising initiatives and volunteering at our various community service events. Most recently, we raised $40,000 toward a COVID relief fund to benefit front-line health care ­workers.

What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? We are very flexible about allowing people to take the time they need for family and personal development with an “as needed” or unlimited paid-timeoff policy. n

TIME TO CELEBRATE: Staffers of Rhode Island Kitchen & Bath Design + Build celebrate being among Providence Business News’ Best Places to Work in 2019.

SETTING THE PACE: Nelnet is one of the pacesetter companies for United Way, and the company has a kick-off event for pledges that offers food, prizes and T-shirts companywide.

COURTESY RHODE ISLAND KITCHEN & BATH DESIGN + BUILD

COURTESY NELNET

4

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We have virtual weekly meetings for each department to keep the communication lines open, Rhode Island Kitchen & and well-being checks.

Bath Design + Build Does your company offer employees Employees in R.I.: 27 work-from-home options? We are offering work-from-home options for President Tanya Donahue everyone except field staff.

Questions answered by: Tanya Donahue What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? We have modified the snacks in our break room from chips to fruits, protein bars, vitamins and protein powders. We also have a team member that teaches Barre classes to co-workers at a reduced rate.

How do you support community service work by your employees? Our series of virtual events are free of charge to clients, but we ask that they donate to our local food bank. We also donate materials such as sinks and toilets to local organizations. We continually donate building materials to Habitat for Humanity. n

5

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic?

We have our employee assistance program that is Nelnet available to all our associEmployees in R.I.: 44 ates and their dependents, which Director Amy Stover includes a counseling service. In Questions answered by: addition, we have provided various Senior People Services Consultant trainings for leaders to help them Stephanie Theis support their associates.

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? When COVID outbreaks started to take off into a pandemic level in March 2020, we moved nearly all of our associates to work from their home, for the safety of our employees and their families. Today, we still have more than 90% of our associates still working from home with less than 10% in the office who are deemed essential staff.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? Family is a word that comes up multiple times when people ask what the culture is like, meaning that no matter who you are or what position you have, you will always find someone in your corner. n

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 29

Get the Most Out of Our Lists The Book of Lists is available in Excel format • Exclusive access to extended lists • Excel format lets you easily sort, merge and import data Plus, a complete contact list with name and address

Access the lists today!

Order online at PBN.com/lists/ RHODE ISLAND CREDIT CREDIT UNIONS UNIONS (ranked (rankedbybyassets) assets) RHODE ISLAND 2019 rank

1 2018: 1

2 2018: 2

3 2018: 3

4 2018: 4

5 2018: 5

Company Website President/CEO

Address Phone

Pawtucket Credit Union

pcu.org

George J. Charette III

Navigant Credit Union

C

navigantcu.org

Gary E. Furtado

Greenwood Credit Union

greenwoodcu.org

Frederick W. Reinhardt

1200 Central Ave. Pawtucket, R.I. 02861 (401) 722-2212

Total assets Total shares and deposits $$2.4 bil. $1.9 bil.

No. of members

120,552

1005 Douglas Pike Smithfield, R.I. 02917 (401) 233-4700

$$2.3 bil. $1.9 bil.

98,249

2669 Post Road Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 739-4600

$$572.3 mil. $503.5 mil.

72,854

Total loans and leases Loan and lease loss allowance

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION IN PUBLIC COMPANIES (ran(ranked by total fiscal 2018 compensation) (ranked by total fiscal 2018 compensation) Net income (loss) B

Total assets:

$2.1 bil. $8.1 mil.

$7.1 PHYSICIAN GROUP PRACTICES (ranked (ranked by number of local physicians) billion by number of local physicians) $12 mil.

PHYSICIAN GROUP PRACTICES

$2 bil. $9 mil.

$17.8 mil.

$480.5 mil. $1.4 mil.

$2.7 mil.

2019 rank

People's Credit Union Sean Daly, CEO

peoplescu.com

Westerly Community Credit Union westerlyccu.com Stephen J. White

858 West Main Road Middletown, R.I. 02842 (401) 846-8930

$$534.7 mil. $434.4 mil.

44,866

122 Granite St. Westerly, R.I. 02891 (401) 596-7000

$$317.8 mil. $280.7 mil.

19,275

$276.9 mil. $1.2 mil.

2018: 7

7 2018: 6

8 2018: 8

9 2018: 9

10

Ocean State Credit Union

oceanstatecu.org

2006 Nooseneck Hill Road Coventry, R.I. 02816 (401) 397-1900

$$283.6 mil. $235.1 mil.

22,348

$222.2 mil. $222,511

David L. Root

160 Francis St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 751-7440

$$281.9 mil. $249.6 mil.

26,774

$229.2 mil. $1.1 mil.

1

2

D

David B. Suvall

ricreditunion.org

3

Wave Federal Credit Union Paul Archambault

wavefcu.org

480 Greenwich Ave. Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 781-1020

$$116.3 mil. $101.3 mil.

7,210

5

$60.4 mil. $361,606

2018: 5

Cranston Municipal Employees Credit Union cranstonmecu.org

1615 Pontiac Ave. Cranston, R.I. 02920 (401) 463-3010

$$58.1 mil. $44.3 mil.

2,925

$11.8 mil. $45,173

Blackstone River Federal Credit Union

10 Monument Square Woonsocket, R.I. 02895 (401) 767-1990

$$55.0 mil. $49.5 mil.

4,768

$23 mil. $160,667

Scott R. Kaplan

249 9

$$42.2 mil. $36.9 mil.

2,758

Kenneth F. Poyton

Alliance Blackstone Valley Federal Credit D Union abvfcu.com John Rabaioli, interim CEO

$$29.5 mil. $27.2 mil.

2,736

2018: 12

594 Central Ave. Pawtucket, R.I. 02861 (401) 722-8236

$12.8 mil. $133,862

13

Community & Teachers Federal Credit Union teacherscu.org Kenneth C. Saunders, CEO

$$27.8 mil. $25.4 mil.

2,243

2018: 13

1169 South Broadway East Providence, R.I. 02914 (401) 438-7788

$15.8 mil. $32,872

14

Kent County C Memorial Hospital Federal Credit Union kenthospitalcu.org

455 Tollgate Road Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 737-7000

$$13.2 mil. $11.6 mil.

2,092

Eugene V. Leco, president

Woodlawn Federal Credit Union woodlawnfcu.org Rufus R. Bailey Jr., CEO

744 Main St. Pawtucket, R.I. 02860 (401) 728-8300

$$11.9 mil. $11 mil.

2,428

Cumberland Municipal Employees Federal Credit Union cumberlandcu.org

2018: 16

2352 Mendon Road Cumberland, R.I. 02864 (401) 658-0010

$$6.5 mil. $5 mil.

996

Holly L. Ayick, manager

17

$$5.9 mil. $3.2 mil.

712

Postal Employees Regional Federal Credit Union

2018: 17

Charlene M. LaPlante, CEO

40 Montgomery St. Pawtucket, R.I. 02860 (401) 726-3895

18

Pawtucket Municipal Employees Federal Credit Union

137 Roosevelt Ave. Pawtucket, R.I. 02860 (401) 728-0500

$$4.9 mil. $4.3 mil.

1,103

Coventry Teachers Federal Credit Union

9 Foster Drive Coventry, R.I. 02816 (401) 826-1682

$$2.7 mil. $2.1 mil.

673

NATCO Employees Credit Union Roseanne Ruzzo, chairperson

40 | JANUARY 2020

155 Brookside Ave. West Warwick, R.I. 02893 (401) 828-0300

$184,779 $148,328

| PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BOOK OF LISTS | www.pbn.com

8

9

38

FOOTNOTES CharterCARE Medical

Reflects year-to-date net50 Maude St. Associates jchartercare.org Providence, R.I. 02908 ($59,379) or loss as Michal Frejka,income vice president of of Sept. (401) 456-2636 2018: 9 30, 2019. practice operations  Navigant Credit Union and the Kent County Memorial

University Surgical Associates 2 Dudley St. Hospital Federal Credit Union 10 $65,995 Providence, R.I. 02904 Inc. usasurg.org announced Sept. 11, 2019, 2018: 7

2018: 15

coventryteachersfcu.com Kenneth B. Wilkins, manager and CEO

10 Davol Square, Suite 400 Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 421-4000

2018: NL

16

Lisa Paiva, manager

Coastal Medical Inc. $518,509 coastalmedical.com Dr. G. Alan Kurose LIST RESEARCHED BY James Bessette

Rhode IslandNEED Medical 125 Metro Center Blvd., Suite 2000 A COPY?Imaging $822,582 Inc. rimirad.com To purchase a copy of this Warwick, R.I. 02886 Dr. John A. Pezzullo, list, callpresident (401) 273-2201 or (401) 432-2400 visit PBN.com/lists.html for more information.

450 Clinton St. Thundermist Health Center $325,841 Woonsocket, R.I. 02895 thundermisthealth.org WANT TO JOIN? (401) 767-4100 Jeanne LaChance For more information about participating in PBN’s Top Lists, or to make Providence Community Health 375 Allens Ave. additions or corrections, $24.7 mil. $202,853 Providence, R.I. 02905 Centers providencechc.org call (401) 680-4838 or $168,071 (401) 444-0400 Merrill R. Thomas, 2018: NL write CEO to Research@PBN.com.

11

2018: 20

287 62

7

2018: 11

20

455 44

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

3 People’s Credit Union

Dr. Elizabeth Smith, president

6

12

2018: 18

507 74

450 William S. Canning Blvd.

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

2018: 6

179 West River St. Providence, R.I. 02904 (401) 421-2436

2018: 19

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

1 2018: 3

2 3 2018: 1

Executive Title

11

(401) 272-1800 Dr. William Cioffi, president that the two institutions will be merging in early 2020.

1 Kettle Point Ave. University Orthopedics  Rhode Island Credit Union $7.6 mil. universityorthopedics.com and Alliance Blackstone East Providence, R.I. 02914 $66,167 $15,3862018: 8 Dr. Edward Akelman, president Valley Federal Credit Union(401) 457-1500 reached an agreement Jan. 25, 2019, to merge as a single 33 Staniford St. University Gastroenterology entity. The merger is expected $6.8 mil. universitygi.com to be completed within theProvidence, R.I. 02905 $17,514 $47,5362018: 12 (401) 421-8800 Dr. Eric P. Berthiaume, president first quarter of 2020.

12

13

Medical Associates of Rhode Island Inc.

$2.7 mil. medassociatesofri.com $45,562 Colleen Noseworthy, director of $10,4232018: 13 operations

14

Orthopedics Rhode Island

Anchor Medical Associates

anchormedical.org Dr. Nathan B. Beraha, medical ($23,128) $42,5142018: 14 director, CEO

16

The Rhode Island Eye

Institute rieyeinstitute.com $2 mil.

Dr. R. Jeffrey Hofmann, managing ($8,225) $6,869 2018: 15 partner

17

Barrington Pediatric Associates

18

Rhode Island Ear, Nose & Throat Physicians Inc.

Inc. barringtonpediatrics.com $43,676 Ronni Peltz, managing partner 2018: 16 $871 $919

2018: 17

19 2018: 17

20 2018: 19

$10,124,947 $3,374,995

$6,142,000 NA

rient.net Barry Rafonelli, administrator

NorthMainD Radiation Oncology usoncology.com/ patients/practices/northmainradiation-oncology Dr. Nicklas Oldenburg, medical director

Cardiology Consultants LLC Dr. Ara Sadaniantz

100 | JANUARY 2020

$9,624,917 $2,124,994

$2,927,000 NA

133%

$1,229,077 NA $115,986

$6,900,386 $3,068,171

$2,223,000 $412,297

-6%

$12,806,073 NA

$791,477 $950,000 $285,436

$8,124,848 $1,705,312

$949,000 NA

NA

$10,983,856 $4,512,554

$6,749,933 $1,249,993

$2,081,500 NA

143%

Re-ranked by number of locations:

$825,000 NA $77,430

$9,405,933 $8,549,989

$1,487,000 $2,463,900 $196,000

$5,259,033 NA

NA NA

10%

1

$8,499,623 $11,854,389

$1,550,000 NA $432,930

$3,026,520 $3,400,816

NA $89,357

-28%

$6,972,421 NA

$630,303 NA $78,090

$4,799,831 $299,997

$1,164,200 NA

NA

$6,810,662 $4,451,928

$997,693 NA $174,738

$3,876,022 $1,398,115

$350,000 $14,094

53%

$938,751 NA $38,231

$2,940,057 $1,235,904

$590,625 $7,992

-20%

$2,999,935 $999,993

NA NA

27%

CLOSER LOOK

Total number of local physicians:

2,081

Thomas M. Moriarty CVS Health Corp.

Executive vice president, chief policy and external Cardiology, emergency medicine, geriatrics, internal 2018: 10care,affairs officer, general counsel medicine, orthopedics, pediatrics, primary surgical services, women's health Bruce Van Saun Citizens Financial Group Inc. Chairman and CEO 2018: 6 Cancer care, cardiology, dermatology, family medicine, OB-GYN, orthopedics, pain medicine, urgent care Brian Goldner Hasbro Inc. Chairman and CEO

7

Lifespan Physician Allergy and clinical immunology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, geriatric and palliative medicine, Group Inc. Eva C. Boratto CVS Health Corp. hematology/oncology, inpatient hospital medicine of locations: 74 officer Executive viceNo. president, chief financial

8

Primary health care practice

9 10

($596,000,000) -109%

$16,066,968 $6,882,764

CVS Health Corp.

Executive vice president, chief operating officer

6

79%

$13,948,917 $14,825,330

Jonathan C. Roberts

5

2018 co. earnings Change in earnings

$1,162,500 NA $227,557

Scott C. Donnelly Textron Inc. Chairman, CEO and president

4

CLOSER LOOK Change in comp.

$21,939,098 $12,252,864

CVS Health Corp.

Derica W. Rice CVS Health Corp.

Cardiology, dermatology, neurosciences, pediatric Executive vice president, president of CVS and primary care, psychiatry and behavioral health, Caremark 2018: NL women'a health

2018: 11

2

John Frascotti

Hasbro Inc. President andSouthcoast chief operating officer

Physicians Group No. of locations: 62

Martha N. Sullivan

CT, dexa scan, mammography, MRI, ultrasound, XCEO and president ray 2018: 7

Sensata Technologies

$5,751,560 $7,179,249

73 3

David M. Denton CVS Health Corp.

Medical Group president, chief financial officer Medical, dental and behavioral health2018: care12for Executive viceNo. of locations: 44 patients of all ages

$5,564,551 $4,377,953

$781,818 NA $782,805

$5,213,434 $5,466,824

$1,000,000 NA $82,531

$1,991,619 $889,314

$1,019,000 $230,970

-5%

$5,118,422 $13,996,747

$942,385 NA $114,932

$2,998,780 NA

$1,013,300 $49,025

-63%

$4,812,122 $1,439,336

$750,000 NA $42,114

$3,000,000 NA

$789,750 $230,258

234%

15

$3,932,570 $3,749,888

$700,000 $997,500 $12,602

$2,222,468 NA

NA NA

5%

16

$3,554,845 $9,101,799

$700,000 $900,000 $64,859

$1,889,986 NA

NA NA

-61%

$3,406,214 $3,103,819

$800,000 NA $149,925

$1,536,542 $554,212

$350,000 $15,535

10%

$3,132,385 $2,953,833

$700,000 $735,000 $69,929

$1,627,456 NA

NA NA

6%

$2,813,313 $2,715,402

$754,231 NA $94,161

$887,659 $394,262

$683,000 NA

4%

$2,672,199 $2,970,540

$790,000 NA $134,600

$1,103,559 $398,029

$232,000 $14,011

-10%

64 10

60 26

54 13

46 9

3 Care New England

11

12

2018:care, 9 Provides adult medicine, asthma-allergy behavioral health, dental care, family medicine, health education, podiatry and urgent care

Frank T. Connor

Textron Inc. Executive vice president, chief financial officer

13

Steven L. Spinner United BY Natural Foods Inc. LIST RESEARCHED Chairman, CEO and president James Bessette 2018: 2 Endocrinology, family practice, gastroenterology, NEED A COPY? infectious disease, neurology, pulmonary and sleep copy of this David MaherTo purchase AcushnetaHoldings Corp. medicine, rheumatology CEO and president list, call (401) 273-2201 or 2018: NL visit PBN.com/lists.html for more information.

Breast surgery, general, pediatric, surgical oncology, Donald H. McCree III Citizens Financial Group thoracic, transplant, vascular surgical and critical Inc. WANT TO JOIN? care Vice chairman,For head of information commercial banking 2018: 17 more about participating in PBN’s Top Lists, or to make John F. Woods Citizens Financial Group Inc. or corrections, Hand therapy, orthopedics and physical therapyVice chairman,additions chief financial officer call (401) 680-4838 or 2018: 5 write to Research@PBN.com.

14

17

Deborah M. NL Thomas Hasbro Inc. = Not listed last year.

Executive vice president, chief financial officer

24 4

Gastroenterology

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

23 2

Dermatology, internal medicine, pediatrics, podiatry

200 Crossings Blvd., Suite 310 Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 777-7000

22 9

Executive vice president, general counsel and secretary  Also known as Ortho 2018: 24 Hand, wrist and upper extremity, joint preservation Rhode Island. and replacement, orthopedics, outpatient therapy and  Previously advanced imaging, podiatry, robotics surgery Stephen Davis Hasbro listed Inc. as Executive viceRadiation president,Oncology chief content officer 2018: 20 Associates.

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

15 3

Primary care services for family medicine: bone densitometry, echocardiography, pediatric cardiology, Wiebe Tinga Hasbro Inc. rheumatology, spirometry Executive vice president, chief commercial officer

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

12 4

Corneal diseases and transplants, diabetic retinopathy, Lasik procedures, pediatric 2018: 25 ophthalmology, reconstructive surgery

2018: 19

18 2018: 21

19

FOOTNOTES j Lifespan Corp. includes

Brad L. Conner Financial EmmaCitizens Pendleton BradleyGroup Inc. Vice chairman,Hospital, head of Newport consumer banking Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital/ Hasbro Children’s Hospital

E. Robert Lupone TextronHospital.

Inc. and The Miriam

20 21

$2,604,492 $2,743,251

$1,086,481 $391,881

$200,000 NA

-5%

$2,471,117 $2,392,966

$495,388 NA $32,421

$1,340,095 $353,093

$250,120 NA

3%

23

Jeffrey J. Cote

$2,390,038 $2,914,254

$581,887 NA $23,810

$1,050,128 $441,484

$292,729 NA

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

8 1

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

6 3

Allergies, hearing aids, ear, nose and throat

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

4 1

Radiation oncology

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

1 1

Cardiology

Pediatrics

2018: 22

Sensata Technologies President and chief operating officer

Address Phone

No. of local offices No. of local employees No. of vehicles

Services provided

Areas served

Citizens BFinancial ($596,000,000) Enterprise Rent-A-Car enterprise.com Group Inc. Bill Gardner, vice president and general Total compensation: manager, Rhode Island and 2018: 1 $2,179,751 southeastern Massachusetts ($596,000,000) -109%

700 Jefferson Blvd.

Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 946-0470

22 C 300 Varies

Business and personal rental services

International

65

21 205 Varies

Personal and business car rental, accident replacement

International

LIST RESEARCHED BY James Bessette

700 Jefferson Blvd.

Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 736-7500

5 NA Varies

Car rental and insurance replacement

International

700 Jefferson Blvd.

Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 739-8986

4 NA Varies

Personal and business car rental services

International

3

2 Commerce Drive Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 312-0945

3 105 63

Specializing in airport, executive and group transportation, and special occasions

International

Arrow-Prestige Limousine and Coach arrowprestigelimo.com

2095 Elmwood Ave. Warwick, R.I. 02888 (401) 383-5600

2 47 38

Airport services, casino trips, city trips, corporate travel, proms, weddings

New England, New Jersey, New York

2 40 Varies

Airport valet parking, car and van rentals, vehicle service

International

1 14 11

Airport transportation services, nights out, proms, weddings

New England

2 Malcolm Griggs,

-18%

3 Steven Beringhause,

4% 2

$1,721,000,000 Hertz Corp. hertz.com Sensata Technologies40 Senator St. Extension Kathryn V. Marinello, CEO and Warwick, R.I. 02888 president; John Total E. Clancy, area compensation: (401) 274-4043 2018: 2 manager $2,111,269 $220,434,000 -44%

3 -109%

Re-ranked by salary:

Avis Rent A Car System Inc. ($596,000,000)

D

avis.com Keary Riggie, regional manager

$220,434,000 -44%

1 Larry J. Merlo,

CVS Health Corp.

Salary: $1,630,000 D

Budget Rent A Car USA 4 budget.com $598,995,000

47% 2018: 4

2 Brian Goldner,

Keary Riggie, regional manager

($596,000,000) -109%

$165,670,000

27% 6

Van Saun, Citizens Financial Group Inc. Salary: $1,487,000

2018: Patrick Damian, vice president NL $103,072,000

7%

NEED A COPY? 2329 Post Road Thrifty Car Rental thrifty.com To purchase a copy of this Warwick, R.I. 02886 John E. Clancy, list, areacall manager (401) 273-2201 or (401) 732-2000 visit PBN.com/lists.html for more information.

WANT TO JOIN? For more information $220,434,000 1305 Hartford Ave. A Star Limousine about participating in -44% astarlimoofri.com PBN’s Top Lists, or to make Johnston, R.I. 02919 (401) 232-1523 Anthony Andrade, owner and manager additions or corrections, 2018: 7 call (401) 680-4838 or write to Research@PBN.com. $1,721,000,000 4% NL = Not listed last year.

8

Alamo BRent A Car/National Car Rental alamo.com

$1,222,000,000 8 Bill Gardner, vice president and general 298%

For assistance, call 401-680-4840 30 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

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 Enterprise Holdings Inc. encompasses Alamo Rent-ACar, National Car Rental and Enterprise Rent-A-Car.  Employee count encompasses all locations for three brands under Enterprise Holdings Inc.  Avis Budget Group encompasses Avis Rent A Car System Inc. and Budget Rent A Car USA.

manager, Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts

700 Jefferson Blvd.

Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 737-4800

1 C 300 Varies

Business and personal rental services

International

417 Smithfield Ave. Providence, R.I. 02860 (401) 231-2228

1 20 12

24-hour taxi and corporate car service

New England

365 Waterman Ave. East Providence, R.I. 02914 (401) 435-5466

1 1 2

Airport service, bachelor and bachelorette parties, special events, transportation to New York, weddings

New England

1 20 8

Airport services, corporate travel, major concert venues, proms, sightseeing, tours and weddings

New England, New Jersey, New York

1 25 14

Airport and corporate transportation, shuttle service, weddings

International

$220,434,000 -44%

Corporate Transportation 8 corporatetransportationofri.com $220,434,000

2018: 7 -44%

Michael Tartaglione, owner

$598,995,000 47%

8

Escort Limousine Inc. escortlimori.com

Doug Cox, president 2018: 7 $598,995,000 47%

8 fivestarlimo.com Sharon Rizzo,|owner; George 2020 Rizzo, BOOK OF LISTS n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS JANUARY 2018: 7

8 2018: 7

| PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BOOK OF LISTS | www.pbn.com

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

$1,721,000,000 4%

Five Star Limousine

www.pbn.com |

Total number of local offices:

LIST RESEARCHED BY James Bessette

$1,721,000,000

4% 6

CLOSER LOOK

Hasbro Inc. Salary: $1,550,000

All Occasion Transportation

alloccasionlimo.com $1,222,000,000 John S. Olinger, CEO 2018: 5 Bruce 298%

2018: 7

Paul S. Vasington Sensata Technologies Executive vice president, chief financial officer

George T. Papanier, Twin River Holdings Corp.

Total compensation: $2,319,358

-109% 1

2018: 6

22

2018: 23

($596,000,000) -109%

$1,222,000,000 2019 298% Company Website rank President/CEO

5

$765,463 NA $160,667

Just missed the list:

offices) 1 PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES (ranked (rankedbybynumber numberof local of local offices)

2018: 3

81 13

C

orthopedicsri.com Dr. Michael P. Bradley, CEO and $2.8 mil. $28,891 president; Mary Ellen Ashe, $20,5522018: 11 executive director

15 $3.2 mil.

Nonequity incentive plan comp.

Change in pension value and deferred comp.

$1,630,000 NA $667,156

Larry J. Merlo

2018: 4

90 20

Salary 2018 Total comp. Bonus 2017 Total comp. Other comp.

Company

CEO and president

2018: NL

Postal Government Employees Federal Credit Union pgecu.org

19

Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 444-3500

2019 rank

2018: 8

No. of local physicians No. of locations Specialties

Net income:

Physicians $12 million $1.3Southcoast mil.

Group southcoast.org

Brown Medicine brownmed.org $846,096 Net income: Ann M. Kashmanian, CEO; Dr. Louis $3.4 million B. Rice, president 2018: 3

blackstoneriverfcu.org James W. Wood, CEO

15

2 Pawtucket

Michael J. Ryan Jr., president and chief operatingCredit officer Union

4

2018: 10

2018: 14

Union 167 Point St.

Care New England Medical Group carenewengland.org

$1.7 mil.

2018: 4

Rhode Island Credit Union

Address Phone

Navigant Credit $3.4Lifespan mil.

Physician Group B Net income: Inc. lifespan.org Dr. Steven Lampert, 2018: 1 $17.8president million

1

2018: 2

6

Re-ranked by net income:

Company Website President/CEO

$437.7 mil. $3 mil.

Stock awards Option awards

CLOSER LOOK

manager

Sentinel Limousine & Coach

Inc. sentinellimo.com Daniel McCrystal, founder and owner

|

29 Bald Hill Road Cranston, R.I. 02920 87 (401) 831-8940

11 Clemenceau St. East Providence, R.I. 02914 (401) 434-2700

www.pbn.com | BOOK OF LISTS n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | JANUARY 2020

| 147

Be a part of the region’s most sought after year-round resource One Investment Delivers All Year Long The PBN Book of Lists includes businesses names, numbers, services offered, names and titles of key decision makers, contact information and more. It is a compilation of PBN’s weekly lists, bringing all the information together in one place and found nowhere else.

Your ad in the 2021 Book of Lists keeps your company message in front of the people who count all year long.

Don’t delay! Reserve your space today to secure a premium position.

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

PBN

BOOK LISTS of

2020

Sponsored by

63%

BOL2020Covers.indd 1

of readers keep it for a year or more

73.5%

of readers refer to it throughout the year

39%

of readers keep it for years to come ••••••••••

PUBLICATION DATE: JANUARY 22, 2021

ADVERTISING DEADLINE: NOW THROUGH DEC. 11, 2020

Reserve your space today for a premium position.

Contact your account manager or EMAIL Advertising @PBN.com PHONE 401-680-4800 www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 31

12/12/19 8:43 AM

SMALL COMPANIES

LEADING THE WAY: Rhode Island Foundation CEO and President Neil D. Steinberg, right, works with staffers at an expo event.

FOOTBALL FEVER: Secure Future Tech Solutions employees wear New England Patriots attire as part of a recent Patriots Spirit Day at the office.

COURTESY RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION

COURTESY SECURE FUTURE TECH SOLUTIONS

6

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We are very fortunate that much of our Rhode Island Foundation day-to-day operation lends Employees in R.I.: 44 itself to telework, and we’ve provided employees with suppleCEO and President Neil D. Steinberg mental internet access, and in many Questions answered by: cases brand-new desktop or laptop Vice President of Human Resources Sharon Collier computers and phones to work from home. We’ve also adapted paid-leave policies as needed, and have been as flexible as possible with our team members who are balancing caregiving and work.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? Our culture is serviceoriented and mission-driven and performance-focused. We understand the responsibility we have to meet the needs of all Rhode Islanders – and our team works tirelessly at a very high level to do just that.

What role do diversity and inclusion play in your hiring and promotion decisions?

Our goal is for the team to reflect the entire community we serve, with an eye toward building trusting relationships across the diverse crosssection of people, institutions, organizations and sectors we interact with. n

7

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? Some of our programs include daily check-in staff meetings via Secure Future Tech Solutions Microsoft Teams to see how everyone is doing and if they need Employees in R.I.: 19 any help with anything. We also proFounder and President Eric M. Shorr vide personal protective equipment Questions answered by: for all employees, and continuous Vice President Lisa Shorr conversation and support on how to deal with Covid-19. We also have various themed conversations that include motivational phrases, and an online after-hours Jeopardy competition.

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? Yes! We just moved into a brand-new, state-of-the-art office in July 2019. Seven months later, we had only three of our staff members left in the office.

Thanks to technology and having most of our programs in the cloud, we transitioned very smoothly to working from home.

What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? We’ve always worked together in a formal office. Due to COVID-19, we added a work-from-home program that includes flexible schedules. n

DRESS FOR SUCCESS: Employees at MAS Medical Staffing dress up for Halloween at the office.

JOLLY GOOD TIME: Employees at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island gather during a Christmas party.

COURTESY MAS MEDICAL STAFFING

COURTESY BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF RHODE ISLAND

8

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? Peer support has been a huge asset during the pandemic.

MAS Medical Staffing We have remained conEmployees in R.I.: 15 nected in a variety of ways daily.

Management is dedicated to ensuring CEO and President Kenneth Johnson that everyone feels safe, heard and Questions answered by: secure at our organization.

Chief Operating Officer Dawn Porreca Antaya What role do diversity and inclusion play in your hiring and promotion decisions? Our organization strives to provide a workplace that is diverse and inclusive, which includes the hiring and promotion decisions.

How do you support community service work by your employees? Community service is supported by allowing the time for an employee to volunteer.

Other employees and management also participate in community service that an employee is committed to.

Do you have a preference for promoting existing staff or hiring from outside and why? We prefer to promote internally wherever possible. Our employees have proven their loyalty and dedication to their trade and our ­organization. n

9

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We offer access to the Coastline employee assistance program.

We also offer access to emBig Brothers Big Sisters ployee training through ThinkHR. of Rhode Island What role do diversity and inclusion play Employees in R.I.: 45 in your hiring and promotion decisions?

Our goal is to hire team members Executive Director Katje Afonseca who are able to connect with the Questions answered by: [youths] and families who we serve, Katje Afonseca which is a very diverse population.

We are committed to engaging in employment practices that place diversity and inclusion at the forefront of our decision-making processes.

Do you have a preference for promoting existing staff or hiring from outside and why? Our goal is to develop and strengthen those who are already a part of the team, however we know that there is value in new opinions and experiences and so there is no preference, the situation will vary depending upon the role. n

32 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

SMALL COMPANIES

ALL DRESSED UP: Employees for Envision Technology Advisors LLC wear costumes during the company’s annual Halloween event in 2019.

OUT FOR A PICNIC: Banneker Supply Chain Solutions Inc. employees and their families take part in a company picnic.

COURTESY ENVISION TECHNOLOGY ADVISORS LLC

COURTESY BANNEKER SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS INC.

549c

550C

10

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? Envision has Technology Adviso rs, LLC always had a very fun culture, but the challenges of COVID-19 have also really shown Envision Technology what a supportive group of people ­Advisors LLC we have here. Team members have Employees in R.I.: 46 regularly gone out of their way to CEO Todd S. Knapp ensure that fellow employees have Questions answered by: what they need to not only work efDirector of Marketing Jeremy Girard fectively, but that they are also doing all right amidst those challenges.

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? We offer “workfrom-anywhere” options. We do not believe work can only happen in the office or at home, so we have the tools in place so our team can work effectively from anywhere they choose.

What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? We introduced a program we call “Blueprint,” which is our self-directed benefits program for all team members. Blueprint allows employees to have control over their benefits, from the amount of personal and vacation time they use to the extra “perks” they choose to use. n

Envision

11

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We launched a COVID-19-specific web page where we provide Banneker Supply any and all updates, policies and Chain Solutions Inc. state guidelines as it relates to COEmployees in R.I.: 46 VID-19.

CEO and President Junior Jabbie Does your company offer employees Questions answered by: work-from-home options? Those that Junior Jabbie are in a position to work from home (laptop and system access), are able to work from home when necessary.

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? We created a second shift to ensure social distancing and to lessen the chance of transmission in the event there is a positive case. We have put in place end-of-shift cleaning and sanitizing, as well as daily temperature screenings for all that are entering the building. In addition, [we] moved all in-person meetings to virtual meetings. n

FIGHTING CANCER THROUGH SPORTS: EMC Insurance Cos. team members wear sports attire at an event to support the Jimmy Fund.

BIRTHDAYS AND BOWLING: Members of the Brave River Solutions Inc. team have fun with a celebration of January birthdays with some bowling.

COURTESY EMC INSURANCE COS.

COURTESY BRAVE RIVER SOLUTIONS INC.

12

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic?

EMC Insurance Cos. EMC team members receive a bank of Employees in R.I.: 48 “Pandemic Sick Leave” equal to the President and Treasurer Scott R. Jean number of hours regularly worked in Questions answered by: two weeks. This leave will be paid at Branch Human Resources Business 100% of the team member’s regular Partner and Manager Adam Couri salary and can be used during 2020.

Team members are entitled to use Pandemic Sick Leave if the team member is unable to work, including being unable to work from home.

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? Yes. Workfrom-home arrangements are available to eligible team members, as not all positions are suitable to work from home. For example, jobs that require face-to-face contact or specialty equipment only available in the office setting.

How do you support community service work by your employees? Team members are afforded and encouraged to use paid time, either individually or as a team, to volunteer for our local charitable organizations. n

13

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic?

Brave River Solutions Inc. To maintain safety for everyone, and to Employees in R.I.: 28 enable flexibility for employees who President Jim McAssey have children at home, we have been Questions answered by: working from home since March 13.

Jim McAssey For those employees who have jobs that require some time in the office, we have strict screening protocols, and schedules to maintain social distancing and stable groups.

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? We have improved the ergonomics of our workspaces, including offering stand-up desks. We encourage everyone to take breaks, including lunchtime group walks and Wednesday yoga sessions.

How do you support community service work by your employees? Brave River sponsors a number of charitable causes and events each year, and [we] are most proud of our annual campaign with the United Way of Rhode Island. We encourage our employees to tell us about the causes and charities that are important to them so that we may spread the word. n

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 33

Subscribe today to Providence Business News Subscription Benefits PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

PBN

• 52 weeks of the awardwinning print edition

pbn.com

• Daily e-newsletters with the top business stories and original content

AUGUST 28-SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

ONE LAST THING

Shannon Buss Positivity leads to productivity | 30

Comfortable ink removal | 6

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Are colleges masking trouble?

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

THE UNIVERSITIES IN RHODE ISLAND that are trying to reopen residence halls and classrooms this month are requiring everyone on campus to wear face masks when indoors, or in common areas where people come together.

Will it work? Time will tell.

Several large state universities and prominent colleges elsewhere in the country have tried the same thing, only to throw in the towel on in-person instruction.

The University of North Carolina closed about a week after reopening, telling most students in its residence halls to go home.

Michigan State University scrapped all on-site classes about a week before it reopened. “It has become evident to me that, despite

• Total access to all stories on PBN.com and to PBN archives

COURT UNAWARES

FOCUS: EDUCATION

• The Book of Lists – an invaluable B2B Resource Guide

BITTER SITUATION: Providence Brewing Co. owner Efren Hidalgo has received an eviction notice from his landlord for his North Providence brewery. Without enough money to move his equipment to a new location, Hidalgo is worried that if he is forced from his North Providence location immediately, he will default on his sales contracts.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Legal program to protect businesses crippled by pandemic goes untapped

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

SEE COLLEGES PAGE 19

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

PBN

5Q: BETH BIXBY

BOOK LISTS

CEO, Tides Family Services Inc. | 4

of

GOVERNMENT

FASTEST GROWING &

AWARDS

lifelines are disappearing for businesses gutted by the

COVID-19 pandemic.

Struggling small-business owners who received an infusion of cash from the Paycheck Protection Program in the spring are exhausting that money.

Many businesses haven’t seen sales bounce back yet, as some customers have stayed away for fear of infection or anxiety over financial well-being.

FASTEST GROWING & AWARDS

2020

2 GREAT PROGRAMS, 1 AMAZING EVENT

12/12/19 8:43 AM

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

PBN

Business evictions have also resumed since the state’s moratorium expired in June, and are starting to pile up against small businesses and franchise owners who have overdue rent.

Yet, a lifeline set up months ago by the R.I. Judiciary to help rescue business owners pinned between creditors and damaged by the pandemic remains unused.

It’s called the Business Recovery Plan, a program in which the court system can provide protecSEE COURT

PAGE 12

Sponsored by

BOL2020Covers.indd 1

SPOTLIGHT

YOUR SOURCE FOR BUSINESS NEWS IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND | VOL. 35, NO. 23 | $2

DELIVERING BUSINESS FOR OVER 30 YEARS

855-813-5805 | WWW.PBN.COM 34 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

JOIN US AT A VIRTUAL AWARDS EVENT SEPTEMBER 16 | 4PM

REGISTER TODAY AT PBN.COM WINNERS LISTED ON PAGE 13

SMALL COMPANIES

ULTIMATE GIFT: Skills for Rhode Island’s Future holds an annual holiday giving event, in which it selects a charity to support and employees wrap gifts for families and kids.

HOLIDAY SPIRIT: Compass IT Compliance LLC employees gather during a Christmas party.

COURTESY SKILLS FOR RHODE ISLAND’S FUTURE

COURTESY COMPASS IT COMPLIANCE LLC

14

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? Our executive director Skills for Rhode Island’s [Nina Pande] created a store in our office where employees Future could grab any items they needed, Employees in R.I.: 41 including toilet paper, disinfectant Executive Director Nina Pande wipes, dishwashing soap, hand soap, Questions answered by: paper towels, bleach, baby wipes, Senior Recruiter Hernan Cumplido Tylenol and Advil. We also surveyed every employee at the beginning of the shutdown to ensure they had reliable Wi-Fi connections, sufficient monitors and phone access.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? We work as a unit, sharing ideas on how to help those in need of employment. We celebrate our successes daily by talking about who we were able to help. The work that we do is meaningful and rewarding.

What role do diversity and inclusion play in your hiring and promotion decisions? We have ongoing professional-development opportunities, both inhouse and by consultants, intended to foster relationships in the office. n

15

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? It is a fun, friendly culture that my business partner Compass IT Compliance LLC Bill [DePalma] and I have cultivated. We Employees in R.I.: 17 listen to our employees, and adjust Managing Partners things as needed to maintain that William DePalma and Jerry Hughes open, fun environment.

Questions answered by: What modifications have you made to Jerry Hughes your workplace to support employee wellness? We have implemented workfrom-home, and safe spaces [in response to the COVID-19 pandemic] if folks do come to the office. We have provided them the option of going to client sites in a safe manner, however it is their choice.

How do you support community service work by your employees? [We support] our staff’s charitable efforts by both hosting companywide fundraisers and by making donations to charities that our team is involved in.

Several of the organizations we support include the R.I. State Police Joint Cyber Task Force, Saint Edward Food and Wellness Center, Rhode Island Hospital and the Holy Family Home for Mothers and Children. n

COMING TOGETHER: Staff at Oomph Inc. hold a workshop session at the company’s office.

CHRISTMAS TIME: Employees at Carey, Richmond & Viking Insurance wear holiday outfits to get into the Christmas spirit.

COURTESY OOMPH INC.

COURTESY CAREY, RICHMOND & VIKING INSURANCE

16

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We offer Oomph Inc. full-time remote work, Employees in R.I.: 30 support channels in CEO Christopher Murray Slack, frequent personal check-ins, two unplanned wellness days during Questions answered by: Christopher Murray lockdown and remote “happy hours.”

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? Yes, we have offered work-from-home since before the pandemic. Coming to the office is optional for our team, but pre-pandemic, the office still saw a fair amount of traffic on a daily basis.

What role do diversity and inclusion play in your hiring and promotion decisions? Our work in this area has elevated a great deal in the past few months. We are in the process of hiring an HR generalist to lead these programs, we post jobs on diversity-oriented jobs boards, we had our whole company attend a full-day virtual diversity and inclusion summit, and facilitated an open discussion the following week. n

17

Does your company offer employees work-from-home options? All of our employees are equipped to work remotely, and all did during the COVID-19 surge.

Working from home has Carey, Richmond & now become a necessity for some of our Viking Insurance employees and will continue to be after Employees in R.I.: 49 the pandemic is solved.

President V. David Andrade What role do diversity and inclusion play in your hiring and promotion decisions? We recQuestions answered by: V. David Andrade ognize that diversity is good for business and a critical driver of growth. We hire and promote the most qualified person for the job, with the objective of expanding our view through diversity.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? Our culture is defined by a deep caring and respect for our clients, employees and community.

What was a new employee benefit or initiative in the past 12 months? We held an employee wellness fair where we offered flu shots, checked blood pressure and vital signs, chair massages and had a representative from our employee assistance program on hand to review services and provide counsel on various well-being topics. n

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 35

SMALL COMPANIES

HELPING HUMANITY: Employees at Sweenor Builders Inc. helped its local Habitat for Humanity chapter with a project this year.

IN THE SPIRIT: Bisbano & Associates Inc. gather during a recent company holiday party.

COURTESY SWEENOR BUILDERS INC.

COURTESY BISBANO & ASSOCIATES INC.

18

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We perform COVID-19 safety Sweenor Builders Inc. training and protocols on building sites and in the office Employees in R.I.: 33 environment. We offer options to CEO and President Jeff Sweenor work from home for all office staff, as Questions answered by: well as phased work plans at job sites Marketing Director Ann Gardner to ensure safe social distancing and outdoor work as possible.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? We believe the real magic of our success stems from our people and day-to-day culture of accountability. We’ve attracted a group of like-minded professionals who are genuinely passionate about being the best at what they do.

How do you support community service work by your employees? This year, we again helped our local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Dedicating our team of carpenters for a full day of project work, we set trusses, sheathed the roof and installed the roof underlayment for a new home that Habitat is building nearby. n

19

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We mostly have been flexible in working arrangeBisbano & Associates Inc. ments and time management. Some employees have children, some are Employees in R.I.: 23 or care for the immunocompromised Founder Bruce Bisbano and some have certain religious beQuestions answered by: liefs that are conflicted with current Office Manager Tiffany Ribeiro mandates. So, support in this company during the pandemic meant being understanding and flexible to people’s time and needs so they can both sustain work and personal lives.

How would you describe the culture of your workplace? Our culture is diverse but united. Diverse in age, ethnicity, gender relations and religious beliefs, but united in common goals.

How do you support community service work by your employees? We have participated in organized fundraising arranged by employees by matching contributions made to local charities. We also allow for a portion of paid work week hours to be used on community service projects. n

SUMMER FUN: Employees at Davitt Inc. enjoy the company’s annual summer outing in 2019.

ON THE WATER: Duffy & Sweeney Ltd. employees enjoy the firm’s seaside summer outing in Newport recently.

COURTESY DAVITT INC.

COURTESY DUFFY & SWEENEY LTD.

20

What three words best describe your staff? Camaraderie. Enthusiastic. Team-centric.

What support programs has your company Davitt Inc. offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic?

Employees in R.I.: 26 We offer employees remote-working President Matt O. Davitt opportunities, as well as increased Questions answered by: flexibility with their schedules.

Vice President and General Manager How would you describe the culture of David Whitney your workplace? Our culture is built on a framework of teamwork collectively striving towards exceptional client service and craftsmanship in fine homebuilding. Our team embraces working together to overcome challenges while enjoying camaraderie and a relaxing work environment.

Do you have a preference for promoting existing staff or hiring from outside and why? We have a strong preference for promoting existing staff. Our existing staff are provided training and understand our culture, teamwork and integrity in our client service and craftsmanship. n

21

Does your company offer employees workfrom-home options?

We do on a case-bycase basis.

How would you describe the culture of

Duffy & Sweeney Ltd. Employees in R.I.: 21

your workplace?

Founding Partners Michael Sweeney and Robert Duffy Our firm culture fosters a work-life blend and affords attorneys and staff Questions answered by: Director of Administration and the opportunity to take ownership of Finance Gerald DeMaria II their work while growing and developing their professional skills in a supportive, mentoring environment.

How do you support community service work by your employees? We encourage our attorneys to become active in the community, following their individual passions for public service and engaging in business-building pursuits with colleagues from the firm. Our attorneys have been involved in causes that range from historic preservation to youth development/leadership to environmental advocacy.

Do you have a preference for promoting existing staff or hiring from outside and why? We always look to promote from within first but due to our size, it is dictated by the need at the time. n

36 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

SMALL COMPANIES

READY TO ROLL: The staff from Brokers’ Service Marketing Group LLC ­enjoys its 2019 company outing near the bowling lanes at R1 Indoor Karting in Lincoln.

COURTESY BROKERS’ SERVICE MARKETING GROUP LLC

22

What three words best describe your staff?

Dedicated. Hardworking. Dynamic.

What support programs has your company Brokers’ Service Marketing offered employees to Group LLC help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic?

Employees in R.I.: 39 We have offered outside consulting CEO Jason E. Lea resources for employees to talk to for Questions answered by: employee-assistance programs.

Vice President and Controller Does your company offer employees Eric Chartier work-from-home options? Yes, currently our entire staff is working from home. Before the pandemic, we also offered work-from-home options for employees.

What modifications have you made to your workplace to support employee wellness? We supply each employee with ergonomic chairs and computer equipment. We also have provided standing desks to all employees who want one. We have a wellness board in our kitchen that supplies healthy eating tips, as well as recipes. n

PLAY BALL: Connectivity Point Design & Installation LLC employees take in a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston.

COURTESY CONNECTVITY POINT DESIGN & INSTALLATION LLC

23

What support programs has your company offered employees to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? We have become more flexible with our working schedule during the pandemic.

Connectivity Point Design Does your company offer employees work& Installation LLC from-home options? Yes, all of our office Employees in R.I.: 20 staff is able to work remotely. OurtechPresident Doug Watt nicians cannot work remotely.

Questions answered by: What role do diversity and inclusion play in Human Resources Manager your hiring and promotion decisions? We Tanya Estes ensure that all applicants, any gender and all races, have a fair opportunity in our hiring process, in competing for promotions, and equal access to training/professional-development opportunities. We are proud to be a diverse company that offers growth and opportunity to all of our employees.

How do you support community service work by your employees? We allow a flexible work schedule, so employees are able to participate, if they choose in community services. n

An announcement in PBN PEOPLE ON THE MOVE gets your name in front of the influential business leaders who you want to do business with.

Announce promotions, new hires, board appointments and award recipients to the RI business community.

This PBN weekly feature is seen by over 25,000 print readers, 7,000 e-newsletter subscribers and 64,000 monthly PBN.com visitors.

Announcements appear in the weekly paper, in one Daily Edition e-newsletter and on PBN.com.

Submit yours at pbn.com/people-on-the-move/

WHERE EVERYONE WILL KNOW YOUR NAME

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 37

79%

✔

11

2

Custom Computer Specialists Inc.

Gregory Galdi

IT services

48

19%

31%

✔

8

3

Barnum Financial Group

Paul Blanco

Financial services

46

10%

35%

✔

11

4

Rhode Island Kitchen & Bath Design+Build

Tanya Donahue

Construction, design and remodeling

27

0%

61%

✔

8

5

Nelnet

Amy Stover

Financial lender

44

27%

42%

✔

10

6

Rhode Island Foundation

Neil D. Steinberg

Nonprofit

44

5%

68%

✔

12

✔

7

Secure Future Tech Solutions

Eric M. Shorr; Lisa A. Shorr

IT services

19

0%

45%

✔

10

✔

8

MAS Medical Staffing

Kenneth Johnson

Staffing

15

0%

83%

✔

7

✔

9

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island

Katje Afonseca

Nonprofit

45

2%

59%

✔

12

Envision Technology Advisors LLC

Todd S. Knapp

Technology

46

6%

20%

✔

10

Banneker Supply Chain Solutions Inc.

Junior Jabbie

Supply chain

75

11%

29%

12

EMC Insurance Cos.

Scott R. Jean

Insurance

48

4%

50%

13

Brave River Solutions Inc.

Jim McAssey

Technology

28

3%

14

Skills for Rhode Island's Future

Nina Pande

Nonprofit

41

15

Compass IT Compliance LLC

William DePalma; Jerry Hughes

IT services

16

Oomph Inc.

Christopher Murray

17

Carey, Richmond & Viking Insurance

18 19

✔

Career-development programs

0%

Workplace fitness facilities

Holidays per year

18

Stress and wellness programs

Flexible work hours

Technology

Tuition reimbursement offered

% of women employees

Peter Carson

Telecommuting options

% of voluntary turnover

CompuClaim Inc.

1

Bonus or incentive programs

Type of business

401(k)/retirement plan

Person in charge

2020 rank

Diversity training

Company name

No. of local employees

(based on companies with 15-49 regional employees)

Sick days for ill-dependent

FOCUS | BEST PLACES TO WORK - SMALL COMPANIES BEST - SMALL COMPANIES (basedPLACES on companiesTOwithWORK 15-49 regional employees)

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

10

✔

✔

✔

✔

9

✔

✔

✔

✔

40%

✔

9

✔

✔

✔

0%

55%

✔

13

✔

✔

17

4%

21%

✔

11

Digital agency

30

11%

39%

✔

9

V. David Andrade

Insurance

49

2%

73%

✔

11

Sweenor Builders Inc.

Jeff Sweenor

Construction

33

6%

18%

✔

9

✔

Bisbano and Associates Inc.

Bruce Bisbano

Architectural firm

23

10%

50%

✔

10

✔

Davitt Inc.

Matt O. Davitt

Construction

26

3%

17%

✔

Duffy & Sweeney Ltd.

Michael Sweeney; Robert Duffy

Law firm

21

13%

54%

22

Brokers' Service Marketing Group LLC

Jason E. Lea

Insurance

39

5%

23

Connectivity Point Design & Installation LLC

Doug Watt

Telecommunications

20

0%

11

20 21

38 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

10

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

8

✔

✔

✔

11

✔

✔

✔

51%

✔

10

✔

✔

✔

14%

✔

11

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

’S

UPCOMING RECOGNITION EVENTS APPLY. NOMINATE. SPONSOR. WHILE PBN HAS FULL INTENTION OF HOLDING ALL OF THESE EVENTS, PLEASE NOTE THAT SOME OF THESE DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

NOVEMBER 18

BUSINESS

EXCELLENCE AWARDS

20

CELEBRATING

YEARS

Celebrating 20 years of business excellence, This award program recognizes leadership and excellence at organizations in both the private and public sectors. An overall Business Leader and Corporate Citizen are honored, as well as a special recognition and look back at the honorees and events over the last 20 years.

WINNERS ANNOUNCED OCT. 2 VIRTUAL AWARDS EVENT: NOVEMBER 18 | 4PM REGISTER TODAY AT PBN.COM #pbnBEA

DECEMBER 10

SUMMIT & AWARDS DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

A panel of experts share best practices in leveraging Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace.

The awards program recognizes organizations and individuals who promote D&I in their organizations and in the community.

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN #pbnDIVERSITYSUMMIT

Learn more at PBN.com/Events For event sponsorship opportunities contact 401.680.4800 | Advertising@PBN.com

www.pbn.com | BEST PLACES TO WORK n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020

| 39

Here’s to the bold who are lighting the way We join Providence Business News in recognizing all of Rhode Island’s Best Places to Work award recipients. Thank you for making a difference — your hard work and commitment are an inspiration to us all.

EI20321770.0 9/20

40 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS n BEST PLACES TO WORK | www.pbn.com