PBN March 27, 2020

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

PBN pbn.com

YOUR SOURCE FOR BUSINESS NEWS IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND | VOL. 35, NO. 1 | $2

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

KNOCKED DOWN, BUT NOT OUT Raimondo’s leadership, transparency earn praise

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

STATE GOVERNORS ARE t­ ypically not front and center during a national crisis. But the COVID-19 pandemic spreading across the U.S. has pushed governors to figures of national prominence, in part because the Trump administration has said states will need to help find their own personal protective equipment and medical supplies to combat the infections.

And it is state leaders who are closing businesses, universities and schools, as well as public spaces where people can gather in large numbers.

Gov. Gina M. Raimondo, who moved quickly to recognize the

HOT TOPIC

Coronavirus pandemic deals sudden, crushing blow to R.I. businesses

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com HANGING ON: James Mark, owner of Providence restaurants big king and north, says the coronavirus crisis has drained his bank account nearly dry, leaving him with $600. He’s trying to keep the business afloat with a takeout service.

LIKE

MANY SMALL BUSINESSES, Books on the Square has a manager who keeps a close eye on numbers and trends. More than three weeks ago, Jennifer Kandarian read reports of the spread of the new coronavirus through Italy and into the rest of Europe, and she had an uneasy feeling.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

SEE PANDEMIC PAGE 12

SEE HOT TOPIC

PAGE 7

UWRI: Support those helping others

BY JAMES BESSETTE | Bessette@PBN.com

WHEN THE UNITED WAY OF RHODE ISLAND planned its inaugural 401Gives Day for April 1, the world had not yet heard of COVID-19, and the chief concerns for many local nonprofits revolved around serious but perennial fundraising and staffing challenges.

Now in the midst of a global pandemic that has brought the state economy to its knees, with tens of thousands of layoffs, the need for funding help is as

tied to the survival of thousands of local nonprofits as it’s ever been.

The nonprofit funder’s 401Gives Day will offer individuals across the state the opportunity to donate to approximately 375 nonprofits identified on the event’s website, 401Gives.org. The daylong event is designed SEE SUPPORT

PAGE 15

SUMMIT

HEALTH CARE SPRING 2020

MORE INSIDE: nR .I. companies, workers suddenly facing painful choices. Page 14 nM any R.I. hotels have checked out for now. Page 18 nC an Block Island keep the coronavirus away? Page 24 nN eed-to-know tax info in COVID-19 crisis. Page 27

FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT ON THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Wednesday, April 1, 2020 | 9:00 – 11:00am See page 17 for details.

CONTENTS

PBN

COVER STORY KNOCKED DOWN, BUT NOT OUT Coronavirus pandemic deals sudden, crushing blow to R.I. businesses.......................................1 UWRI: Support those helping others....................................1

400 Westminster St. Providence, RI 02903

Hot Topic: Raimondo’s leadership, transparency earns praise.................................................1

Main Phone: 401-273-2201

FOR STARTERS

Subscription Services: 855-813-5805

Community Service: Trinity Repertory Company............... 3 5Q: Keith Hovan.................................................................... 4 Dining Out: Takeout, delivery woes..................................... 5 Spotlight: East Greenwich Cove Builders LLC.................... 6 Something New: Dynamic Performance & Rehab LLC...... 6 A Fresh Design: Gaige Hall, Rhode Island College............ 8 Briefs..................................................................................... 9 What’s Happening............................................................... 10

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

SOMETHING NEW | 6

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

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

IT’S PERSONAL People in the News............................................................. 25 Mackay’s Moral...................................................................26 Guest Column: Lynn O’Marra............................................. 27 Editorials and Opinion........................................................28 One Last Thing: Michael J. LaBella...................................30

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

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

R.I. companies suddenly facing painful choices

Advertising Coordinator: Joyce Rylander, 680-4810

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced many Rhode Island businesses to make difficult decisions about whether to shut down and/or lay off employees.............. 14

A FRESH DESIGN | 8

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

FOCUS ON: TOURISM

Editor: Michael Mello, 680-4820

Many R.I. hotels have checked out for now

Managing Editor: William Hamilton, 680-4826

A recent series of temporary business closures and crowd restrictions to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus has severely impacted hotel occupancy statewide................................................. 18

Web Editor: Chris Bergenheim, 680-4886 Copy Editor: Matt Bower, 680-4824

For Senior Open, what’s right course of action?

Amidst coronavirus concerns, organizers are hopeful that the Newport Country Club will be able to host the U.S. Senior Open golf tournament from June 25-28 as scheduled...........................................20

Special Projects Editor: James Bessette, 680-4838 (EDUCATION, NONPROFITS)

Staff Writers: Elizabeth Graham, 680-4828

FOCUS: TOURISM | 18

Lists New England Resorts..........................................................22 Tourist and Cultural Attractions......................................... 23

(HEALTH CARE, HOSPITALITY/TOURISM, WORKFORCE)

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

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

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED COMPANIES Belmont Marketplace Inc.

13

Graduate Providence

12, 18

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island

15

Graphic Ink Inc.

big king

13

Greater Newport County Chamber of Commerce 20

Block Island Tees

24

Gurney’s Newport Resort & Marina

18

R.I. National Guard

blumshapiro

27

Hasbro Inc.

12

Rocky’s Ace Hardware LLC

14

Bond Bros Inc.

12

Naval Undersea Warfare Center

25

Rosebud Salon Inc.

12

14

Rhode Island Hospitality Association

18

R.I. Convention Center

12

R.I. Department of Labor and Training

12

Books on the Square

1

Newport Country Club

20

Sakonnet River Grille

Brown University

7

north

13

Solstice

Bryant University

7

Ocean State Job Lot

5

Ocean State Job Lot Charitable Foundation

CAV Inc. Community Care Alliance Community College of Rhode Island Discover Newport

14

Omni Providence Hotel

9

Palmer River Grille

20

Perella’s Ristorante

Dynamic Performance & Rehab LLC

6

Pot au Feu

East Greenwich Cove Builders LLC

6

Providence Public Library

Ellie’s

5

Four Corners Grille

5

Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau

Gracie’s Ventures Inc.

5

Rhode Island Foundation

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

9

Southcoast Health System Inc.

9

St. Luke’s Hospital

12, 18

Sullivan Sotheby’s International Realty

7

5 24 9 4 24

5

T.F. Green Airport

5

Tom’s Market Inc.

13

True North Outfitters

24

7, 13 12 12, 18 15

United Way of Rhode Island

7

1

University of Rhode Island

13

XRA Medical Imaging

14

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

2 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

Researcher: Cassius Shuman, 680-4884

PRODUCTION 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.

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.

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 3

FOR STARTERS

5Q: Keith Hovan CEO and president, Southcoast Health System Inc.

BY ELIZABETH GRAHAM | Graham@PBN.com

1

What measures are being taken by Southcoast Health to address the COVID-19 pandemic?

The scale of this challenge is unprecedented, and so, too, is our response.

Our world-class team of providers, nurses and clinical support staff are on the front lines every day working with courage and dedication. Coordinating efforts across the communities we serve also involves staff from human resources, interpreter services, graphic design, food service, facilities, [information technology], and other departments.

2

When do you expect St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford to earn certification as a Level II trauma center, and when will its new intensive care unit open?

We expect to welcome patients in early May at St. Luke’s Hospital’s new, $14 million ICU. The timing could not be more significant, as the new ICU could be put to immediate use in caring for patients with COVID-19. We anticipate formally beginning the certification process this summer with the American College of Surgeons and expect that St. Luke’s will be designated a Level II Trauma Center in summer 2021.

3 PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

Southcoast already has a presence in Rhode Island with primary care physicians and some specialists; do you envision opening any larger facilities here?

We’re always reviewing opportunities to expand Southcoast’s presence if it makes sense for patients. Nearly 800 of our employees call Rhode Island home. Many Rhode Islanders come to

us for exceptional care in cardiology, cancer care, breast health, orthopedics, vascular services, brain and spine, and bariatrics.

4

Was the July 2019 launch of a Southcoast app that connects patients with doctors 24 hours a day designed to decrease emergency department visits?

We offer two telehealth features for Southcoast Health patients and others who are not patients. These e-visits – through a patient’s MyChart portal and Southcoast Health On Call – have taken on even greater importance with the COVID-19 pandemic. Video visits protect patients and providers from unnecessary exposure while providing timely clinical expertise.

5

How important is creativity when it comes to helping people access appropriate levels of health care?

At Southcoast, we think of each person and each community individually, uniquely. We don’t take a one-size-fitsall approach, and we don’t ask patients to conform to what’s most convenient for us. We admit, this is challenging in health care … . But, at Southcoast, we’re creatively redefining and reinventing the health care experience for our patients. n

E-visits … have taken on even greater importance with the COVID-19 pandemic.

PBN OPTIONS TO HELP YOU REACH YOUR CUSTOMERS ...

N

PBN BRANDED CONTENT >> A powerful opportunity to leverage the PBN brand and audience.

Content Marketing builds confidence in your brand and accelerates the conversion of leads to sales by creating and publishing content that your customers find valuable.

WE PROVIDE A PLATFORM where you can SHARE original content, SHOWCASE your company’s expertise and CAPTURE prospects by building engagement.

Contact your account manager for details.

4 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

Or

..

FOR STARTERS DINING OUT | BRUCE NEWBURY

Takeout, delivery woes “PLEASE TIP FOR TAKEOUT.” That plea from a high school senior who has worked in food service for two years at a neighborhood restaurant sums up the precarious nature of the restaurant business.

The Rhode Island restaurant community, made up primarily of independent business owner-operators is coming to grips with the unprecedented closing by government mandate – except for takeout and delivery – of the state’s eating and drinking places.

The over 3,000 businesses, including coffee shops and fast-food eateries, have had to pivot quickly.

The idea of takeout/delivery seems to be off to an uneven start. Following Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s directive, lists of places offering delivery and takeout sprouted up in numerous places online. However, the consumer response did not match the internet scramble.

One East Bay restaurateur decided the to-go numbers did not add up and closed his eatery after one day. In some cases, technology had to catch up with intention as a few business owners had to wait for computer software to be installed or upgraded to facilitate online payment.

Twin Oaks Inc. has gone to takeout only and is also offering food items such as meats for purchase. However, there is a bit of a learning curve. Consumers may not be as willing to tip for takeout as they would be if they were dining on premise. It may take a bit of education to get across the fact that cost factors for preparing a restaurant meal for takeout or delivery does not change that much. The cooking process and staff remains the same. Only the packaging is different. There are

CURBSIDE SERVICE: Perella’s Ristorante chef-owner Lou Perella delivers a takeout order to customer CJ Audet-Kelly.

PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

expeditors on the takeout or delivery line, reviewing orders for correctness.

And they all depend on gratuities the same as if the order was being plated and served in the dining room.

Raimondo recently singled out the restaurant community and expressed her sympathy for the hardship the industry is enduring. She encouraged all “who are able” to order takeout.

The emotional upheaval staff and ownership are experiencing came through loud and clear in online instructions on restaurant websites.

From CAV Inc., for example: “Your delivery and takeout orders, as well [as] gift certificate purchases, help to keep our staff working through this challenging time.”

At Perella’s Ristorante in Warren, chef-owner Lou Perella can only let

his customers just inside his door.

They may not linger in his dining room to admire the facelift it received courtesy of reality TV show “Restaurant: Impossible.” He is serving his customers with takeout only. His menu is limited to one-pound and halfpound pasta meals with garlic bread and a few daily specials.

Response has been slow, but Perella is hopeful it will catch on.

These are particularly frustrating days for the proprietors of the new Palmer River Grille, also in Warren.

The Gorman family had planned to open their new restaurant at the site of the former Country Inn by midMarch. They are staying the course at their other two places – Sakonnet River Grille in Tiverton and Four Corners Grille in Tiverton. “St. Patrick’s

Day was actually pretty good at both places,” said proprietor Dave Gorman.

“I think we got a bump.” Business slowed in the following days.

“We offer online ordering, as well as phone ordering and will offer carside delivery whenever possible. Our full menu will be available,” he said.

The Gorman family’s messaging online expressed concern for their patrons: “We are making every effort to provide safe service to you all, and ask that you make every effort to follow the social distancing guidelines mandated by the state as we are. We’ll make it through this together.”

An update on whether Grubhub Inc. was suspending its fees was cleared up but too late. Ellen Slattery, president of Gracie’s Ventures Inc., contacted PBN to say she had been contacted by the third-party delivery service and it informed her it would be suspending all fees charged to restaurants in the state. However, Slattery had to announce at the same time that Gracie’s sibling restaurant Ellie’s was closing for the moment, stating, “It hurts that we must halt our ability to give back to you; the true essence of what we love to do.”

Lists of restaurants offering takeout and delivery can be found at goprovidence.com. For Newport and the East Bay, discovernewport.org is maintaining a list of places open for takeout and delivery. n Bruce Newbury’s “Dining Out” radio talk show is heard Saturdays at 11 a.m. on 1540 AM WADK, on radio throughout New England, through various mobile applications and his podcast. Email Bruce at Bruce@ brucenewbury.com.

NOW MORE THAN EVER. PBN CO-BRANDED EMAILS >> You provide the art, the message, the subject line, and WE DELIVER it to the PBN email database of 23,000+.

This is a great way to deliver your message direct to the inboxes of our highly engaged audience.

Or email Advertising@PBN.com for more information www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 5

FOR STARTERS SOMETHING NEW

TAILORED CARE: Physical therapists Karl Busch, left, and Peter Dionisopoulos, owners of Dynamic Performance & Rehab in Johnston, opened their own practice so they can treat clients with more time and individual care.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Dynamic duo of rehab

SPOTLIGHT

RUNNING THE TABLE: East Greenwich Cove Builders recently won the 2019 “Best in American Living” community of the year award from the National Association of Home Builders for their “pocket neighborhood” called Castle Street Cottages.

From left, Chris Santilli, managing partner, and Jerry Zarrella Jr., president.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

‘Pocket’ in housing market Firm builds unique condo project

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

FOR MANY BUYERS, the American dream is no longer a

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

single-family house with a yard.

A STRONG DESIRE to work for themselves and treat clients with more time and individual care prompted Peter Dionisopoulos and Karl Busch to open their own physical therapy company.

The business partners, who were classmates in their physical-therapy doctoral program at the University of Rhode Island, are working to build Dynamic Performance & Rehab LLC. The company has operated from leased space within a gym at 12 Industrial Lane in Johnston since September 2018.

The company, which charges a flat hourly fee of $130, does not accept insurance. That frees them to take on clients at their own pace, said Dionisopoulos.

As an independent, private company, they can decide how to manage their client loads and create a treatment plan that makes sense for the individual.

“I can treat people the way I think they should be treated; that’s the biggest thing,” he said.

Due to coronavirus precautions, the therapists stopped office visits until at least March 30 and are offering online streaming consultations. n

home in a shared community.

Instead, they want to own a smaller but well-designed East Greenwich Cove Builders LLC, a small builder in Rhode Island, has staked its business model on creating that kind of community across the Ocean State.

The East Greenwich-based company recently completed its first development in Rhode Island, on reclaimed land in a part of East Greenwich near the waterfront. The planned project, called a “pocket neighborhood,” consists of 10 newly constructed condominiums that look like cottages, around a central green.

Owner Jerry Zarrella Jr., who runs the company with partner Christopher Santilli, said younger buyers and empty nesters are attracted to the quality finishes and design of the homes and the lack of maintenance. Both Zarrella and Santilli have a background in home construction and came together about two years ago for the new development concept.

“Our market is millennials and active adults,” Zarrella said. “The days of the American dream – of

having your own property – our buyers look at it as a lot of work.”

The development, called Castle Street Cottages, is really an infill neighborhood.

It took the place of some older tenement-style houses that were purchased and razed by a previous owner, Zarrella said. The location is within an easy walk to Main Street in East Greenwich.

The project recently won a national design award. The National Association of Home Builders awarded it the 2019 “Best in American Living” community of the year.

“Our business model is the exact opposite of other builders,” Zarrella said. “Other builders are cutting corners to get people the larger product for the cheaper cost. Our model is [the] buyer has to be willing to sacrifice square footage for quality.”

New zoning was required for the project. Neighbors in East Greenwich, which is a community of largely single-family homes, initially weren’t enthusiastic. But

OWNERS: Jerry Zarella Jr. and Christopher Santilli

TYPE OF BUSINESS: Residential construction and renovation

LOCATION: 20 Gerald’s Farm Lane, East Greenwich

EMPLOYEES: 20

6 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

Zarrella said he’s seen a change in mindset now that the construction is completed, and they can see the quality.

Because the builder can place more density on the land, the homes can be sold at a more affordable price than single-family homes. But Castle Street Cottages is not inexpensive.

The condos start at $500,000 for a two-bedroom unit. They range up to $700,000. The units are two- and three-bedroom with about 1,250 square feet of interior space. All have access to the shared outdoor area.

One of the buildings is a single structure; the remainder are built as duplex dwellings. All will pay a condo fee for the common areas and maintenance. The design angles the structures, so they all have a view.

“Every one of them is 5 feet higher than the other, so they capture a water view,” Zarrella said.

Neighbors have seemed pleased with the new development, he said.

Initially, at zoning hearings, it was the opposite. “They basically were chasing us away with pitchforks,” Zarrella said. “Once they saw we were no strangers to a job site, it came together pretty quickly. They know what we’re doing [now]. We’re raising their property values.” n YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2018 ANNUAL SALES: WND

FOR STARTERS HOT TOPIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

pandemic as a statewide emergency, generally has received praise from political observers for her leadership in taking swift steps to close businesses and encourage people to avoid large groups, admonishing those who have been slow to listen.

While the decisions have pounded the state’s economy, and drove nearly 50,000 people to file unemployment claims within the first two weeks of the crisis, many Rhode Islanders have remained patient as the governor in daily briefings outlines the coronavirus spread and steps being taken to prevent the viral infection from overwhelming the state’s health care system.

Raimondo, a Democrat, has acted effectively as a crisis leader, said Gary Sasse, founding director of the Hassenfeld Institute for Public Leadership at Bryant University and an occasional critic of Raimondo’s decision-making.

“It’s been the most effective leadership she’s demonstrated in her five years in office,” said Sasse, who also

served as director of administration under former Republican Gov. Donald L. Carcieri. “She’s effectively communicating. Her communications are credible, they’re fact-based. They’re based on data, not speculation.” Before five people in Rhode Island were infected with the virus that causes the respiratory disease, Raimondo declared COVID-19 a statewide public health emergency.

Then she moved quickly to limit public meetings and conferences to 250 people, then to smaller numbers, effectively shutting down all convention and business meetings. More recently, she activated the R.I. National Guard, which is now stationed at T.F. Green Airport, directing people arriving on domestic flights to selfquarantine for 14 days.

So far, Rhode Island has avoided becoming a hot spot compared with other densely populated Northeastern states such as New York and Massachusetts.

But has she acted appropriately to contain the public health threat, or overreached in shutting down swaths of the economy?

Wendy Schiller, a professor of political science at Brown University,

FACE TIME: Gov. Gina M. Raimondo at one of the daily briefings she has given during the crisis.

PBN FILE PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

said the governor has been proactive since the first two cases were diagnosed in the state. “And as important, [Raimondo] has been open, transparent and accessible about what steps the state is taking, and why,” she said.

As for the balance of health and

‘It’s been the most effective leadership she’s demonstrated in her five years in office.’

GARY SASSE, Hassenfeld Institute for Public Leadership founding director

economy, Schiller said: “It is impossible to know for any governor how to weigh the economic impact of business closure against trying to save lives. She is erring on the side of safety, but even she acknowledges there will be a time when business has to reopen before we are completely out of the woods on COVID-19.”

Some restaurateurs were miffed after Raimondo ordered all dine-in eateries closed, with the promise that she’d make it up to them. But then she refused to waive the combined 8% state sales and meals tax that restaurants had to submit by March 20.

Bob Burke, a co-owner of Pot au Feu in Providence, had lobbied for the tax to be waived, but he said later he understood why she refused to relinquish the tax dollars. “I think to ask someone to make a decision of that magnitude in 72 hours, with everything going on, I understand,” he said.

The anger was blunted when she soon signed an executive order that allowed restaurants to sell beer and wine with takeout orders, also something that Burke had pushed for.

Burke said Raimondo’s demeanor during the crisis has given people confidence. But he’s worried about the unintended consequences of her actions. For his industry, that includes the potential of killing off successful restaurants.

“As with all government regulations that end up being made quickly, there are a lot of unintended consequences,” he said. n

FROM THE PUBLISHER

As the spread of coronavirus touches our community and many other aspects of our daily lives, the team at PBN understands our responsibility to keep you informed. We are deeply grateful to our subscribers and advertisers for making this coverage possible.

To support our community working from home and our print and fulfillment vendors, PBN has made the decision that for the next four to six weeks, editions will be published digitally only.

PBN is delivered mostly to offices around the region, many of which are currently vacant as employees work remotely. This is the best way to allow our subscribers to read the paper that they are used to getting every week at their offices and provide our advertisers the exposure to our audience they are accustomed to. Once this situation passes, we will resume with our weekly printed pape.

There are several ways for you to get this vital local business news.

1. Log into your account to access the latest on PBN online. Read now.

2. Read this week’s E-edition here.

3. Sign up for daily newsletters here.

We will continue to bring you the latest news and helpful information about our local business community, as we believe that such journalism is now more important than ever.

More importantly, we pray for your health and safety.

Sincerely, Roger Bergenheim Publisher, Providence Business News

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 7

FOR STARTERS | A FRESH DESIGN Gaige Hall 600 Mt. Pleasant Ave., Providence IMPROVED ENVIRONMENT: The newly renovated Gaige Hall building on the Rhode Island College campus lets in more natural light and has improved acoustics.

Building owner and tenant: Rhode Island College Architect: LLB Architects Developer/General contractor: H.V. Collins Cost: $17 million Use: Gaige Hall was built in 1966 and faced a series of

infrastructure issues that affected the learning environment, including lack of natural light and poor acoustics. LLB Architects undertook a total reorganization of departments and classrooms, creating integrated collaborative zones throughout the building. A small addition made a large impact by replacing the two-story center section with a threestory connector that features a double-height multipurpose room, as well as study lounges that benefit from a fully glazed faรงade.

PHOTOS COURTESY RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE

BEFORE

CONTINUED LEARNING: Lounges and collaborative work areas provide opportunities for informal learning to continue beyond the classroom.

COMMUNITY SPOT: An attractive outdoor gathering space connects visually with the indoor lounge on the first floor of Gaige Hall.

BEFORE

CONNECTED SPACE: Glazing on the first-floor lounge connects the space to the outdoor patio and the quad beyond.

8 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

NEWS BRIEFS | FOR STARTERS Survey: Small bizs lack funds to operate amid COVID-19 PROVIDENCE – Half of U.S. small-business owners don’t have enough money to operate for more than three months in the current economic climate caused by COVID-19, according to a new survey published by Goldman Sachs.

The survey of more than 1,500 participants in Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses program, a national small-business training program with a local offering through the Community College of Rhode Island, highlighted the funding challenges faced by small businesses amid the global COVID-19 crisis.

Other key findings include: 75% of those surveyed had seen a drop in sales; 53% had employees who could not work remotely; 13% of survey takers were confident in their business contingency plans; 67% were unsure how to access or apply for emergency funding; and 75% felt they had “no voice” or “not a very strong voice” in the government policymaking process. n

BEA: R.I. personal income increases 3.3% Y/Y in Q4

Job Lot donates $250K to purchase cleaning supplies

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island personal income in the fourth quarter increased 3.3% year over year, according to preliminary figures released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis on March 24.

The percent increase ranked No. 47 in the United States. Annualized personal income in the quarter in the state was $59.9 billion, while personal income per capita ranked No. 19 in the country at that time.

U.S. personal income increased 4.4% year over year in the fourth quarter while New England personal income increased 4.1% in that time.

New England personal income growth year over year in the fourth quarter: Maine increased 4.6%, ranking No. 18 in the country; New Hampshire increased 4.5%, ranking No. 20 in the U.S.; Massachusetts increased 4.4%, ranking No. 21 in the country; Vermont increased 4.3%, ranking No. 23 in the U.S.; and Connecticut increased 3.2%, ranking No. 48 in the country. n

NORTH KINGSTOWN – Ocean State Job Lot has donated $250,000 to buy masks, gloves, eye protection and cleaning supplies for health care and government agencies during the coronavirus pandemic, WJAR-TV NBC 10 reported March 24.

The company said the supplies will be donated to local and state governments, as well as hospitals and medical facilities.

“Our unique buying process allows us the flexibility to move swiftly and purchase the items most in need,” said David Sarlitto, executive director of the Ocean State Job Lot Charitable Foundation, in a statement.

Sarlitto said the company is asking for support from the public through donations at the register, as the store is selling essential items and has remained open during the pandemic. He added, “Job Lot will make sure 100% of your donation is used to buy supplies, and we’ll use our buying power to get the most for your money.”

Based in North Kingstown, Job Lot has stores throughout New England and beyond. n

Southcoast Health opens drive-thru COVID-19 test site DARTMOUTH – Southcoast Health System Inc. has opened one of the first drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites in Bristol County, Mass., The Herald News reported March 23.

The drive-thru will only be available to health care workers and patients who meet Mass. Department of Public Health criteria for testing and who have an appointment.

The state had 777 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 25 in Bristol County, Mass., and nine confirmed deaths, according to a March 23 state health department report.

Located at a Southcoast ambulatory facility deemed nonessential and temporarily closed during the coronavirus pandemic, the drive-thru “will be used to test health care providers and emergency medical technicians who have worked in direct clinical care while symptomatic, and have fever plus signs or symptoms of respiratory illness,” such as cough or shortness of breath, the Herald reported.

People in close contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients in congregate settings while symptomatic, and in close contact with numerous other people, will also be tested. n

Mattiello: Short-term borrowing eyed to cover delayed revenues PROVIDENCE – The closure of restaurants, bars, hotels, casinos and other businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic will result in less sales tax and income tax revenue coming to the state, WPRI-TV CBS 12 reported March 23.

“Those two sources account for nearly two-thirds of all state general revenues,” Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello wrote in a March 23 letter to House members. “The casino shutdowns also present an immediate impact to revenues, likely over $25 million per month.”

Although legislators can’t meet due to directives from health officials that groups of 10 or more not gather, options are being examined to address the looming budget shortfall as a result of the pandemic, including short-term borrowing to cover delayed revenues such as taxes that will be received later due to the extension of the filing deadline to July 15.

Virtual meetings are being explored but no determinations have been made, House spokesman Larry Berman said in an email to WPRI-TV. n www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 9

FOR STARTERS | WHAT’S HAPPENING Earning funds by Legal matters working at home for startups JOHN CRESTANI, a self-made internet multimillionaire, is hosting an online webinar designed to teach participants how to earn a six-figure income working from home. Note: This training session is available 24/7, so participants can join by using the link provided when registering. This is a limited-time online training, so make sure to register as soon as possible.

SATURDAY, MARCH 28 (session runs all day) Free Online webinar.

EMPOWERING FEMALES: Kirsten Oddie, a Rapid Transformational therapist and women’s wealth and empowerment advocate, is hosting her female empowerment master class webinar in March and April.

COURTESY KIRSTEN ODDIE

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Kirsten Oddie to host online master class for women entrepreneurs KIRSTEN ODDIE, a Rapid Transformational therapist and women’s wealth and empowerment advocate, is hosting a free master class for female entrepreneurs. The class will teach participants how to stop sabotaging their success; stop feeling like an imposter; show up and play full out; upgrade internal programming around money; break through the glass income ceiling; and rewire their minds for success, wealth and abundance.

There are multiple dates available for this free online class.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3boXMmQ

10 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/3bvW5nZ

Real estate investing REAL ESTATE INVESTING is hosting a free webinar about increasing income while reducing taxes and interest, so you have money to invest in real estate. Pay off mortgages, student loans or other amortized debt quicker. The webinar link for the session will be provided after registration.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 7-8 P.M. Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/3dnibdL

THE CENTER FOR WOMEN & Enterprise is hosting a workshop that will provide an overview of a range of legal matters that entrepreneurs need to be aware of when starting a new company. Workshop topics will include different types of entity formations, contract basics, intellectual property considerations, licenses and regulations. After the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to sign up for a one-on-one consultation regarding their specific business through the CWE consulting program. This event may be held online.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 9:30-11:30 A.M. Free Center for Women & Enterprise, 132 George M. Cohan Blvd., Providence.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/33MSoYm

How to triple your referrals CURTIS LEWSEY, co-author of “Appreciation Marketing – How to Achieve Greatness Through Gratitude” and one of the top referral trainers in the country, will be conducting this free live training. After years of time away from his family, a shift happened for

WHAT’S HAPPENING | FOR STARTERS Lewsey that changed his life. He will share how he went from over $100,000 in debt to growing two multimilliondollar businesses in a three-year period.

FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 3-4 P.M. Free Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/2UzYarP

Student challenges VENTURE CAFÉ PROVIDENCE is holding a free, public mini-conference with students for in-depth conversations on the successes and challenges they face in and out of school.

Throughout the evening, youths representing a variety of New England schools and education nonprofits will lead informational sessions on civic engagement, experiential learning, diversity and inclusion in academia, as well as educational leadership.

THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 3-8 P.M. Free District Hall Providence, 225 Dyer St., Providence.

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

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/39mDidi

Business succession MANGATES IS HOLDING a workshop that will show participants the differences between succession planning and mere replacement planning.

Understand the process of succession planning; recognize the importance of mentoring; learn to set goals using a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, or SWOT, analysis; draft a plan, assign responsibilities and establish monitoring systems; understand the importance of change management; learn to anticipate obstacles; know how to reevaluate goals and focus on progress; and recognize when success has been achieved.

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 9 A.M. TO 5 P.M. $695-$995 The venue will be announced.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/2QJuKGD

Federal contracting THE CENTER FOR WOMEN & Enterprise is hosting a women’s contracting program, which makes attendees who own businesses eligible to compete for federal contracts set aside

for the program. To be eligible for the women’s contracting program, your business must: be a small business; be at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens; have women manage day-to-day operations and also make long-term decisions.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 8:30-10:30 A.M. Center for Women & Enterprise, 132 George M. Cohan Blvd., Providence.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/2xM2gpg

Business case writing MANGATES IS HOSTING a one-day training course on business-case writing that will explain the principles of developing an effective business case within the context of an interactive course driven by a case study.

This workshop will provide working knowledge of the principles of writing an effective, comprehensive and compelling business case. The course is driven by participation in a case study, promoting immediate workplace transference.

MONDAY, JUNE 1, 9 A.M. TO 5 P.M. $695-$995 Regus - Providence Westminster Square, 10 Dorrance St., Suite 700, Providence.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/3biT3Dq

Matchmaker for small businesses STONES RIVER EVENT MANAGEMENT is hosting its 2020 matchmaker event for small businesses, which is an opportunity for small businesses to meet with various resources. This two-day event provides small-business owners with the opportunity for networking and meeting with federal and state agencies, prime contractors, resource partners and other businesses. Registration includes the matchmaker preparation workshop and evening networking reception on April 8, and the breakfast, lunch and matchmaker opportunities on April 9.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2 P.M. TO THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 4 P.M. Crowne Plaza Providence-Warwick, 801 Greenwich Ave., Warwick.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/2Jd2Uyi

UPCOMING PBN EVENT: The 2020 Manufacturing Awards Program will be held on June 30 at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence.

For event information, contact Events@PBN.com.

For sponsorship information, contact Advertising@PBN.com.

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 11

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS PANDEMIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

She ordered more cleaning products and hand sanitizer for the popular independent bookstore on Providence’s East Side.

“We started about two weeks ago, with cleaning surfaces more often. So, we were just being careful,” Kandarian said. By the time the viral epidemic, now called COVID-19, had reached Rhode Island and pandemic stage, Kandarian’s store had opened a drive-up book drop at the back door, for elderly patrons and others too nervous to walk inside the store.

“I’m 50. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” Kandarian said on March 15. “You can read the stories of what’s happening in Italy, but you really just can’t comprehend that it’s going to happen here. And at one point, you know it is.”

It wasn’t long before Kandarian said the owners and she were bracing for the possibility that businesses such as Books on the Square would be ordered to close by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo, becoming part of a sudden clampdown on public activities in Rhode Island aimed at curbing spread of the contagious disease.

As of March 25, the closure hadn’t come and none of the 12 bookstore employees had lost their jobs. But Kandarian was facing the reality that a bookstore is not an essential service. “I’m assuming, at some point, the governor will say retail needs to shut down,” she said.

State orders to vacate or temporarily close businesses – including any space where more than 10 people might gather – are intended to reduce the rate of infection so the state’s health care system is not overwhelmed by the most serious cases, which require intensive care, Raimondo and state health officials explained.

But that preventative step has caused incalculable collateral damage, too.

Mounting closures of businesses – some ordered by the state, and some done voluntarily by owners – have crushed the state’s economy in a matter of days.

The wave began with the cancellation or postponement of large conferences and meetings, then the closure of bars and restaurants, casinos, malls, schools, universities and day care centers.

Major employers and small businesses alike emptied their offices, sending employees home with laptops and work assignments. Pawtucketbased Hasbro Inc. was among the first. Apple Inc., one of the country’s largest companies, closed all of its retail stores in the U.S. Businesses sent emails and phone messages or social media posts to followers, initially describing their cleaning routines, then updating with temporary closure announcements. On March 18, Rosebud Salon Inc. in Federal Hill said it would lock its doors through the end of March.

Some restaurants have tried to stay open with deliveries and takeout. Others closed quickly.

Vibrant downtown streets across the state have become eerily quiet at night.

HARD STOP

By March 20, the state’s hotel industry was staggering, with sudden closures announced by Omni Providence Hotel, the state’s largest, as well as the Graduate Providence and others.

The combined effect has been catastrophic on travel, tourism and hospitality, which makes up a large part of the Rhode Island economy, according to analysts.

Once Raimondo said people could not meet in groups of 250 or more, the decision effectively closed the R.I. Convention Center and began a flood of cancellations and postponements.

That first wave of cancellations cost the tourism sector $8.3 million in direct spending, according to Kristen Adamo, CEO and president of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau.

‘This is an absolutely unprecedented event.’

SCOTT JENSEN, R.I. Department of Labor and Training director

While convention planners were able to move events worth $6 million to dates later in the calendar year, it has become clear that when business resumes, the competition for tourism dollars will be fierce, she said.

Providence hotels saw a wash of canceled hotel rooms. By March 17, occupancy in Providence was about 10%, Adamo estimated, down from the 65.8% recorded in February. “In the travel industry, 9/11 was always the bottom,” she said. “That was the worst they thought it could be. That was always the measurement of the lowest it could go. Now, because of the duration of this, most people in my industry think the impact on travel and hotels will be worse than 9/11.”

SUDDENLY JOBLESS Unemployment claims have exploded. Within the first 10 days of the state-directed closure of businesses, more than 50,000 Rhode Islanders had filed for unemployment benefits and the numbers keep rising, according to Scott Jensen, director of the R.I. Department of Labor and Training.

The last peak was 800 claims made in a single week in January 1992, a year into the state’s banking crisis.

“This is an absolutely unprecedented event,” Jensen said. “Not even in the Great Recession” did the state lose more than 800 jobs a week. “And we did more than that on Monday.”

The DLT anticipates those numbers to keep rising. It has not yet determined the financial total, Jensen said, because of the volume of claims.

As of March 18, the state has more than $500 million in its unemployment insurance fund, and Jensen said he anticipated it wouldn’t remain solvent without being replenished from federal sources. The state last emptied its unemployment fund in the Great Recession, when the fund had about half that amount, he said. His office is trying to plan for the future.

“The trust fund is going to need to be healthy because it’s going to take a big hit,” Jensen said.

“Because so much of this happened so quickly, we’re working on good models and working with other states about what we think we can expect.”

BUILDING ANXIETY Commercial construction, one of the hardest hit in the last recession, is expected to feel the hurt again. Although commercial development continued across Rhode Island in mid-March, the cities of Boston and Cambridge in Massachusetts ordered all activity to stop in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.

Bond Bros Inc., a Boston construction management firm with offices in Providence, continued to press forward during the week of March 16 with the $25 million renovation at the Providence Public Library despite rumors that the city was going to halt construction projects.

Frank Hayes, president and chief operating officer of the building division at Bond Bros., said he had been trying to reach Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza’s office to find out what was happening, but he had no success.

Hayes said Bond instituted infection-control procedures – including separating people and installing hand-washing stations – as guided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preven-

BOOKS TO GO: Jennifer Kandarian, manager of Books on the Square in Providence, has opened a drive-up book drop at the back door for elderly patrons and others too nervous to walk inside the store during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

12 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS ‘The problem now is we’re seeing almost a hoarding mentality.’

GLENN PLACE, Tom’s Market Inc. co-owner

SUPPLY SHORTAGE: Tom DeAngelis, co-owner of Tom’s Market in Tiverton, says he’s trying to manage supply challenges and encourages customers to self-isolate and practice social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PBN PHOTO/DAVE HANSEN

tion, as soon as COVID-19 appeared in the U.S. The procedures are in place across its projects in New England.

Hayes expressed worry about construction workers being forced to leave jobs unfinished across the state.

The sector in Rhode Island employed about 19,500 people in January, according to seasonally adjusted figures provided by economist Leonard Lardaro of the University of Rhode Island.

And Hayes said when large projects are shut down, there’s a ripple effect across many companies. Adding to the difficulty: Not knowing how long the crisis will last.

“In Boston, they said two weeks,” Hayes said of the work stoppage. “But once it shuts down, it’s easy to continue that shut down versus start back up. I am concerned.”

He added that if he thought stopping construction would prevent the spread of COVID-19, he would support such a move. “I’m just not convinced of the direct benefit of setting all the construction workers free,” he said.

SUPPLY, DEMAND Some small-business owners, who work closely with employees, say they understand the need for physical separation of people as much as possible, as well as other safety measures.

At Tom’s Market Inc., co-owner Glenn Place said the clerks are wearing disposable gloves, and more disinfecting is happening throughout the store.

Tom’s Market, which has three locations in Rhode Island, has seen its sales figures more than double from typical amounts.

That’s also meant crowds in stores in excess of what has been recommended by state officials.

He’s tried to institute limits on purchases of popular items, such as paper towels, toilet paper and facial tissues, but it has been difficult to enforce, he said. Certain meats also have been hard to keep in stock, too. His supplier of pork, for example, needs a two-week window to increase orders.

The sudden surge took everyone by surprise.

One couple, he said, came into the Coventry store and purchased $500 in meat, clearing out his cases. He restocked, only to see the product picked clean by other patrons.

“The problem now is we’re seeing almost a hoarding mentality,” Place said. “Where people are coming in and everyone is involved. It’s caused shortages to our deliveries.”

While his suppliers are providing goods, it’s coming in smaller orders than he’d like because they have to spread the amount available among all stores. Still, Place said he sees a saturation point coming.

Recently he’s started to see more people doing their shopping with hand-held baskets rather than carriages stuffed with food.

“Canned goods, pasta, dried beans, tuna fish, all of those staples are the ones that are moving fast,”

he said. “It’s unprecedented what we’re going through.”

PIVOT POINT For restaurants, the closures brought by the COVID-19 threat have been devastating.

Several Providence restaurateurs voluntarily closed their establishments, even before the governor ordered all Rhode Island eateries to stop dine-in services, while others have shuttered their bars and dining rooms and are trying to keep their businesses alive by switching to takeout services.

James Mark, owner of two popular restaurants in Providence, initially closed his two establishments out of concern for his staff’s safety in serving the public.

Mark shuttered big king and north after a Saturday night in which he watched customers doing little to physically separate themselves.

The closure didn’t last.

Much to the frustration of Rhode Island restaurateurs, Raimondo declined to extend the deadline for eateries to submit the sales tax collected in February, as Massachusetts had done.

Mark submitted the taxes, but it left him with $600. “I drained my entire bank account,” he said.

So he reopened the business at big king on Carpenter Street on March 22 for takeout, creating a system where patrons order and pay online and pick up orders in 15-minute increments so there is no line outside.

He still isn’t sure if it’s going to be enough business for him to survive, but he’s heartened by the response of customers.

“We’re sold out for the rest of the week,” he said.

A similar transformation has taken place at Pot au Feu, a romantic French restaurant that has been in downtown Providence for more than 40 years. Owner Bob Burke said he led the effort to persuade state officials to allow restaurants to sell bottled wine and beer as part of takeout orders.

He transformed the table-service concept into takeout on short notice – overhauling the internet

service for touchless payments, ordering 50,000 white gloves and 7,500 to-go containers, and hiring a website designer to create a new menu. He is now hand-delivering entrees to customers who drive up for takeout. The first night, he wore a suit and tie with white gloves. Into each meal, he tucked a salad and fresh loaf of bread, a touch of bistro ambiance at the curbside.

“We’re coming out fighting,” he said.

Despite some victories, many in an industry that helped establish Providence as a destination are now threatened with extinction.

The restaurant business is challenging in the best of times, Burke said. “In the worst of times, we could easily see 50-75% of the restaurants in our state go out of business,” he said.

Burke worried about employees, many of whom are part-timers without access to unemployment benefits. One of his employees, a single mother who worked just one night a week, use to make several hundred dollars in tips.

“She’s not eligible to collect [unemployment],” Burke said. “The single mom who is putting her life back together and finally got a new apartment, she’s not going to last. There is a huge human impact.”

Other businesses, in theory unaffected by the state-imposed closures, also say they are struggling to keep from laying off workers.

Even the supermarket business isn’t necessarily on safe ground.

Jack Siravo, owner of Belmont Marketplace Inc. in South Kingstown, has a thriving market with loyal customers.

But a large portion of his business was the wholesale sale of products to restaurants, which have been shuttered. Siravo said he expected he would have to lay off as many as 12 workers, and he was heartbroken about it. If the restaurants were being closed for only a few weeks, it might not be an issue. But, Siravo said, no one knows when the crisis will end.

“The main problem is, no one really knows how long, how far, how crazy this will be,” he said. n

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 13

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS R.I. companies, workers suddenly facing painful choices

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

ON MARCH 13, XRA MEDICAL IMAGING was recruiting radiologists, secretaries and technicians to fill job openings at its Rhode Island locations.

Seven days later, things had changed drastically.

The company’s executive director, Philip Lynch, said he not only halted hiring, he laid off 15 workers and shut down three of XRA Medical Imaging’s six outpatient facilities. As of March 20 he didn’t know whether the 50-year-old company would be forced to lay off more of its remaining 105 workers, or even shutter entirely.

“We’re just trying to get a sense of where the wind is blowing, what’s happening in New York, Boston, what the governor is saying,” Lynch said.

“Every day, we’re making new plans and adjustments.”

Such is the topsy-turvy world created by the coronavirus pandemic and the measures to slow its spread. The arrival of COVID-19 has forced businesses in Rhode Island and nationwide into sudden, painful decisions in a rapidly shifting landscape while calculating the long-term consequences of a crisis few, if any, anticipated.

The mood at Graphic Ink Inc. in East Providence was somber on March 20, as all but two of the company’s employees finished what would be their last day of work at the Warren Avenue company.

Cancellation of school trips, company events and trade shows has meant the graphic-design work and apparel company has lost nearly all of its clients, leading to the decision to lay off 15 of its 17 workers, according to Nelson Silva, owner and president.

Silva said he wasn’t worried about his business surviving. He was more troubled about his employees, many of whom have worked at the company for nearly all of its 23-year existence.

“Our employees [are] my No. 1 concern,” he

said. “I have some who are nervous to lose work and others worried about being here. As an employer, I don’t know what the right thing to do is.”

Asked how he plans to recover from the substantial loss of business, Silva said, “It’s a great question and one I don’t have the answer to.”

Loss of business could potentially mean losing a home for Michael Salerno, 63, a longtime freelance photographer whose clients include Providence Business News. After losing 85% of his clients in recent weeks, the Providence resident summed up his outlook as “terrified.”

Even with a three-month mortgage forbearance through his bank, Salerno worried about upcoming payments. Add in the bill for a $1 million auto insurance liability coverage – a new requirement for state government contractors – and his financial future looked bleak.

“I’ve worked all my life and saved money,” Salerno said. “Now, all that I’ve worked for is just gone. I don’t know how we’re going to even stay in the house.”

Layoffs aren’t the problem for the 500 employees of Community Care Alliance, a nonprofit offering behavioral health and family services across northern Rhode Island, according to CEO and President Ben Lessing. If anything, the counseling, psychiatric sessions, and child and family health services have become more critical now, Lessing said.

However, stress levels – of employees and clients – are reaching new highs, adding pressure to an already-tense situation.

“As everyone else goes home, we’re still out there,” Lessing said, recalling a recent suicide

call that necessitated an in-person emergency response. “We’re a lifeline to many people, so we can’t stop.”

Also dubbed essential to this global crisis: Rocky’s Ace Hardware LLC. The 30-store, 400-employee Ace hardware company, with locations in Smithfield and Seekonk, has been federally designated as an essential business due to its sales of sanitation supplies and home-repair equipment, according to Rocco Falcone, CEO and president.

While supply-chain shortages have made it difficult to keep shelves stocked – the paper goods and cleaning supplies shelves of the Seekonk store were half-empty on March 23 – business is by no means suffering for the third-generation family business, Falcone said.

The hardware store has no plans for layoffs. In fact, several stores were hiring to fill openings left by employees in quarantine or otherwise unable to work.

“We’ve been through tragedies, which is something that makes hardware stores kind of unique,” Falcone said. “But unlike a tornado or a hurricane, we have no idea how long this will last.”

Lynch echoed his comments about the duration of the downturn.

“Some people are comparing this to the Blizzard of ’78, and that was bad but [at] least you knew it wasn’t going to last more than a week,” Lynch said. “We have to plan not only for closing but for closing indefinitely.”

Looking out over an empty parking lot outside XRA Medical Imaging in Cranston on March 20, Lynch described how patient volume has dropped since the state started urging people to stay home and avoid nonessential gatherings: MRIs in particular took a hit, though ultrasounds and mammograms are still happening.

His employees were scared: about potential exposure to the virus, but even more so about losing their jobs. And the worst part, he said, the future is uncertain if customer visits continue a steep decline.

For now, Dr. Naveh Levy, of XRA’s owners, considers the work of his company an essential part of the state’s response to this crisis, lessening the burden on inundated hospitals. “As long as we can provide a service to the community and provide a safe haven for healthy patients, that’s the role we’re going to play,” he said.

While Levy described the office mood as “better” on March 24 compared with days prior, it was still tense. Lynch agreed.

“These are not happy times,” he said. “I’m worried, I’m concerned. This is uncharted territory.”

But Lynch was reluctant to dwell on these morepessimistic thoughts. The layoffs and the closure are not permanent, and those decisions would be reversed once business picked up again, he said.

Lynch is playing a new role. Both of the medical couriers for his company – a pair of senior citizens – were in quarantine. “I’m the courier now,” he said. “We’re just doing what we can to get by.” n

IDLE EQUIPMENT: Joan Sousa, XRA Medical Imaging director of operations, stands near one of the imaging machines at the company’s Cranston location. XRA Medical Imaging has seen a big decline in patient volume, which has led to layoffs.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

14 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS SUPPORT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

to publicly highlight each nonprofit’s needs, to help the organizations provide necessary services and recognize the unsung work they do on a regular basis.

“This is also about coming together and talking about the great work in the sector, and we’re utilizing this as a forum to be able to do that. It helps heighten the awareness,” United Way of Rhode Island CEO and President Cortney Nicolato said.

She’s aware the timing of the event is particularly challenging, with so many businesses, workers and now former employees focused on their own survival.

The United Way has reached out to its technology vendor to see if it will be possible to extend the one-day event. But right now, it will go on largely as planned, with a $1 million fundraising goal.

Nicolato said more nonprofits have signed up in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic because they had to either postpone or cancel fundraising events. 401Gives Day will give organizations a needed alternative to receive funds, she said.

“We’ve had some nonprofits call us within the last couple of days [to see] if they could still sign up [for 401Gives Day],” Nicolato said. “They were looking at this as an opportunity to fundraise.”

Nicolato said in times of crisis, the nonprofit community “rises even more” to help vulnerable individuals who need assistance the most. Because of that, it is important that those who can do give on April 1 to help those organizations meet the growing community needs.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island is among the many organizations hoping for a financial boost.

It had to reschedule several potential fundraising events because of the virus pandemic and its fundraising calendar was “destroyed,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters Director of Development and Community Relations George Evans Marley. However, the organization, seeking to raise a minimum $20,000 on April 1, sees reason for hope in 401Gives Day, Marley said.

“We had to make a lot of changes really quickly,” Marley said. “We’re hoping now that we can raise enough money so that we can continue our operations uninterrupted.”

United Way has two programs, the Nonprofit Innovation Lab and the Executive Director Learning Circle, that offer guidance for nonprofits and their leaders in how to make the organizations sustainable. 401Gives Day, Nicolato says, broadens the support for nonprofits, particularly smaller organizations, by giving them online fundraising assistance that they wouldn’t normally have.

Nicolato said her experience working in Texas is what spawned the idea of bringing this new initiative to the Ocean State. Nicolato worked for 13 years in Dallas, and in 2009 the Communi-

NEEDED ALTERNATIVE: Cortney Nicolato, CEO and president of United Way of Rhode Island, says 401Gives Day on April 1, designed to offer individuals the opportunity to donate about 375 nonprofits in the state, will give organizations a needed alternative to receive funds in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

ties Foundation of Texas created the North Texas Gives Day to assist nonprofits and highlight their work.

Nicolato said the inaugural North Texas Gives Day raised $4 million, and the public’s support for local organizations has grown exponentially since then. In September 2019, the event brought in more than $50 million to help close to 3,000 nonprofits in the north Texas area, according to the event’s website. In total, $290 million has been donated to nonprofits in the 11-year history of North Texas Gives Day, the website said.

Illinois has a similar event, called #ILGIVES, and it raised close to $2.3 million for nonprofits in that state on Dec. 3, according to the #ILGIVES website.

“That’s what we’re trying to build [here in Rhode Island],” Nicolato said. “We’re trying to build a momentum and really amplify the important work of the community.” Nicolato also hopes

‘We’re hoping now that we can raise enough money … [to] continue our operations uninterrupted.’

GEORGE EVANS MARLEY, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island director of development and community relations

the inaugural 401Gives Day will meet the fundraising goal through mostly individual donors to help the approximately 375 nonprofit organizations and schools noted on the 401Gives website.

United Way Executive Vice President and Director of Strategic Marketing Sandi Connors says the organization reached out to the nonprofits through various means, including emails, informational events and open houses to participate in 401Gives Day. Listed nonprofits on 401Gives.org elected on their own to be part of the day, Connors said.

Individuals can search for organizations on the site they wish to contribute to, and Nicolato says the Rhode Island Foundation will match the first $50,000 worth of gifts contributed to 401Gives Day. Additionally, various companies will offer nonprofits additional dollar prizes each hour on April 1 to help their causes.

“If you want to give $10 on this day, give it. Every dollar matters. These types of days offer that as an opportunity to give any support,” Nicolato said.

Additionally, both the United Way and the Rhode Island Foundation have established the Rhode Island COVID-19 Response Fund to help nonprofits with direct-service programs that have been impacted by the virus. As of March 20, the fund had raised more than $4 million, and nonprofits are now able to apply for grants through the fund.

“We know that Rhode Islanders want to help their neighbors – in a state as small as ours, we are all interconnected,” Nicolato said. “But knowing where or how to help isn’t always easy. 401Gives puts the opportunity to help right at our fingertips.

“It’s more than a day, it’s a movement,” she said. n

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 15

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Thinking outside the gym during pandemic

BY KELLI KENNEDY | The Associated Press

STEVE LATART IN MINNESOTA IS THINKING of installing a space heater in his basement to re-create the atmosphere of his hot yoga classes now that his gym has closed due to coronavirus fears.

LaTart says it’s part of the “new, weird, strange workout plan” he has devised during a nationwide trend of self-isolation and social distancing as the government recommends limiting gatherings to 10 or fewer people.

Gyms, yoga studios and CrossFit centers around the country are fueling the drive to stay active by offering online classes, some free of charge, or extending trial periods for at-home workouts.

Studio owners and fitness instructors are having to adjust too as they make the shift to teaching online. The Coalition of Health and Fitness Leaders, a group of fitness, nutrition and wellness industry representatives recently formed in response to the new coronavirus, hosted an online panel recently to provide guidance for instructors.

Countless people across the country who have been cooped up inside as their companies mandate work-at-home policies and their fitness centers shut down are getting creative with their workout routines.

Many are turning to online classes, grab-

bing bleach bottles as makeshift weights, or taking cues from YouTube challenges showing how to do crunches with furniture or turn a kitchen floor into a treadmill by soaping up the tiling.

LaTart’s yoga and warrior sculpting instructors at Life Time in Minneapolis are still teaching classes. They’ve just moved them from the gym to cyberspace, where they are livestreaming instructions from their website. LaTart says knowing he can still participate in the classes is keeping him sane.

“I like the idea that this is something that’s normal,” the 38-year-old radio producer said.

“This is someone I know. This is something that’s familiar.”

Beth Berglin, 40, a director at a charity in Miami, was used to going to boot camp-style classes four mornings a week until authori-

CREATIVE WORKOUT: Trey Evans takes part in an online yoga class using his laptop and headphones at Eleanor Tinsley Park near downtown Houston on March 24.

AP FILE PHOTO/ DAVID J. PHILLIP

‘I can’t imagine getting through this without having some form of physical activity.’

BETH BERGLIN, Miami charity director 16 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

ties began urging residents to avoid gatherings and she and her husband decided to stay at home as much as possible. Her gym closed earlier this month, but she is staying active through online classes from Burn Boot Camp.

“Part of the reason we exercise is to have that mental break,” she said.

“I can’t imagine getting through this without having some form of physical activity.”

In Fort Lauderdale, Fla., LA Fitness members were told not to return as they left the gym on March 16. That scene has played out across the country as state governments have ramped up containment measures. Planet Fitness, Equinox and Life Time Fitness have all said they’re closing outlets for several weeks or indefinitely in response to the coronavirus.

To make up for it, Planet Fitness started “Home Work-Ins,” a series of free, 20-minute classes that don’t require equipment. Erica Lugo, a trainer on the reality television show “The Biggest Loser,” was scheduled to lead one of the workouts.

National chain CorePower Yoga closed its 200 studios but is offering online classes free until May 31. Taryn Toomey closed her New York studios but is offering two weeks of free streaming as a public service, which she said has drawn participants from around the globe.

“Lebanon, Germany, Spain, Italy. It’s overwhelming,” Toomey said.

Fitness operations whose core business has always been online or homebased are also stepping up their game, using the opportunity to capture new clients. AloMoves, an online fitness service linked to the popular apparel line, has seen a 40% increase on its YouTube channel, where it is offering some free workouts.

The at-home workout company obé has had 10 times the number of sign-ups this month compared with last, according to co-founders Mark Mullett and Ashley Mills. They said the company also has received tons of requests from desperate parents now that schools are being canceled. Last week, obé launched four 10-minute dance and strength workouts for kids 10 and under.

Peloton, a company that sells highend stationary bicycles and treadmills featuring instructors who give live and videotaped classes, has extended its free trial period to 90 days.

For most people, coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.

Still, good diet and exercise can be crucial – for the young and old alike – to maintain sanity and keep the immune system strong against COVID-19. In addition to taking online courses, gym rats might now consider getting outdoors to exercise if they can, said Dr. Joe Khabbaza, a pulmonologist at Cleveland Clinic.

“Simply walk outside in nature,” Khabbaza said. “People can use this as an opportunity to exercise in other ways.” n

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 17

FOCUS | TOURISM

Many R.I. hotels have checked out for now

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

IT’S

early spring, a time when people normally are planning their summer vacations.

But 2020 isn’t normal, for reasons that have become distressingly obvious to most Americans.

In a short period of time, a series of temporary business closures and crowd-size restrictions ordered by state officials have seized up the tourism economy of Rhode Island this spring, and potentially into the summer. The state’s actions are intended to decrease the spread of an infectious disease known as COVID-19. The virus that causes the disease can spread among people who are in close proximity, through airborne droplets from sneezes or coughs.

It’s not only sickened people in Rhode Island, but with stunning speed has shuttered established and wellrespected businesses.

As conventions and events were canceled or rescheduled well into the future, occupancy at the hotels in Providence and Warwick plummeted, according to Kristen Adamo, CEO and president of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau.

What was frustrating, she said, was the downtown and Warwick hotels were performing well, even as the supply of rooms increased as new hotels came online in recent years.

But with the first wave of cancellations in mid-March – mostly large events – the local area lost $8.3 million in direct spending, she said. While event business valued at $6 million has been rescheduled, Adamo is unsure when things will get back on track.

“It’s just so difficult to try to figure out what’s going to happen from day to day, never mind week to week,” she said.

The hospitality industry employs about 87,000 people in Rhode Island, not including food distributors and liquor distributors whose businesses are tied to hospitality, according to Sarah Bratko, an attorney who works for the Rhode Island Hospitality Association.

The hotels in Warwick and Providence are highly dependent on conventions and events, as well as leisure travelers. Until the new coronavirus spread into the U.S., the occupancy rates in Warwick and Providence neared 69%.

That number sank quickly as people became aware of the crowd-size guid-

EMPTY FEELING: Kristen Adamo, CEO and president of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, stands in a barren lobby at the Crown Plaza Providence-Warwick in Warwick.

Cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic have dealt the hospitality sector a severe blow.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

‘At this point, tourism is off the table.’

SARAH BRATKO, Rhode Island Hospitality Association general counsel 18 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

ance of public health officials. By March 19, the 354-room Omni Providence Hotel – the state’s largest – announced it would close until June 1. The 18-story Graduate Providence – the former Biltmore Hotel – followed suit the next day without indicating when it would reopen.

Some hotels in tourism-dependent Newport, including the 257-room Gurney’s Newport Resort & Marina, have also shuttered, with tentative reopen dates ranging from mid-April to mid-May. The American Hotel & Lodging Association projected that Rhode Island would lose 2,257 of its 5,129 direct hotel jobs in the coming weeks, and 7,978 of its 19,548 “hotel supported” jobs.

The plunge started in mid-March, when the governor prohibited all meetings and gatherings of more than 250, which effectively ended the large meeting and event business that is critical to many hotel operations, according to Bratko. Then state officials prohibited restaurants and bars from allowing patrons to eat or drink inside, which mostly shut down those amenities in hotels.

Although the first signs of trouble emerged in early March, when international travelers stopped flying because of fears of the virus, it was the well-publicized outbreak in Boston that started with a large business meeting held by Biogen Inc., a Cambridge, Mass.-based biotechnology company, that was the last straw for those thinking of attending other business gatherings, Bratko said.

“It started before Biogen,” she said. “When that story broke, that was it. Anyone who was on the fence before that was on the other side of it after that.”

The tourism market, meanwhile, has dwindled as travelers have grown more fearful of the virus, she said. And with the economic meltdown of the past week in the U.S., and signs that a national recession has begun, people are hanging on to their discretionary money, she said.

“I don’t know anyone that’s going on a vacation right now,” Bratko said.

The uncertainty of when the battle to contain the virus will be over is contributing to the pain, Bratko said.

She’s spent the last week on the phone with restaurant and hotel owners, whose livelihoods have been ruined. For restaurant owners, in particular, the situation is dire, she said. Many of these businesses are run by a couple. Once the business closes, they lose their income and typically don’t qualify for unemployment, Bratko said.

“Since the shutdown of businesses started, our entire staff has been having very long, very hard, very emotional conversations with members whose life’s work is getting torn apart,” Bratko said.

“At this point, tourism is off the table,” she said. “We have never been in this situation before. There is no way of knowing how long this will be.” n

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 19

FOCUS | TOURISM

For Senior Open, what’s right course of action?

BY ELIZABETH GRAHAM | Graham@PBN.com

PLANNING FOR THE 2020 U.S. SENIOR OPEN started at least 2½ years ago, when the U.S. Golf Association announced that it would hold the championship in Newport.

But the event, scheduled for late June at the Newport Country Club, was in question, as of March 20, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

At stake: millions of dollars that local officials and businesses are hoping will be pumped into the economy that’s already been devastated by closures and cancellations.

Efforts to stop the viral infection from spreading have spurred the cancellation of large and small sporting events for the coming weeks. As of March 20, Senior Open organizers were holding out hope that the quick spread of COVID-19 would be brought under control in time for the event three months from now.

The coronavirus has already had an effect on the event.

The corporate hospitality program has been canceled because it required temporary facilities and infrastructure that needed months of construction involving numerous workers.

The USGA won’t say which businesses, or how many, were signed on for the program, and hasn’t specified whether the structure of the Senior Open could be altered. But organizers said the major tournament, which features top professional golfers over 50 years old, could still be a highlight during Newport’s usually busy tourist season.

Allowing fans to view the tournament from the course is still an option, said Alex Issa, director of championship hospitality for

PRIME LOCATION: The Newport Country Club is scheduled to host the U.S. Senior Open golf championship from June 25-28.

PBN PHOTO/DAVE HANSEN

the USGA. “This does not mean we will not be able to host fans at the 2020 U.S. Senior Open, only that we can no longer fulfill the needs of our corporate hospitality clients,” he told PBN in an email.

To date, the USGA has canceled its U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in Florida, and the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball in Philadelphia.

First-stage qualifying events for both the 2020 U.S. Open and the U.S. Women’s Open have been taken off the books as well.

If the 41st annual Senior Open remains on the calendar for June 25-28, it will be the third major golf event in recent history planned for the Newport Country Club. The exclusive club, with its sweeping ocean views, hosted the 1995 U.S. Amateur Open, won by Tiger Woods, and the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open.

As the site of the first U.S. Amateur Open and U.S. Open championships in 1895, the club has long golf history.

“That, in and of itself, is very important to the USGA, and we do like to be able to go back to our founding clubs,” said Hank

‘It would be a great promotion for us.’

EVAN SMITH, Discover Newport CEO and president 20 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

Thompson, senior director of the Senior Open.

The economic impact from the Senior Open “could or would have been bigger than those other two [USGA] events [at Newport Country Club],” said Evan Smith, CEO and president of Discover Newport.

Under normal circumstances, the Senior Open typically generates about $10 million in its host city and surrounding region, Thompson said.

He estimated crowds of 9,000 to 10,000 fans daily, for a total draw of between 50,000 to 70,000 people during the weeklong event. Under normal circumstances, Aquidneck Island’s 4,000 hotel rooms would likely be almost completely full during most of that time, Smith said.

Two of the Open’s days are reserved for private practice sessions for its 156 golfers, but if the event is open to spectators, crowds will gather on competition days.

“It would have accomplished 100% occupancy for us at least during four days of the event,” Smith said.

Even if fans are told to stay away due to coronavirus concerns, the championship, which will likely be televised, could act as a springboard toward economic recovery and as a morale booster, Smith noted.

“It would be a great promotion for us,” he said on March 19. “We’re going to need to do a lot of promoting when we start to come into the recovery phase.

We’re looking at June as the runway for recovery right now. That could get pushed back … [but] having the golf there, if it’s held in June, would be such an important boost not only economically but emotionally to get us going again.”

By mid-March, the USGA was in touch with the Greater Newport County Chamber of Commerce with preliminary information on ways for local businesses to get involved with the championship.

“They had just sent over a number of items for us, and they were starting to advertise for local opportunities,” said Erin Donovan, the Chamber’s executive director.

The USGA often looks to local businesses to pitch in when setting up for a major championship, Thompson said.

At the Newport Country Club, which offers few amenities other than golf, the preparation had promised to be extensive, even without corporate hospitality infrastructure needs.

Temporary ticket stands, merchandise booths and grandstands all need to go up prior to the tournament.

“We will actually build 99.9% of the facilities that will be on-site,” Thompson said in early March. “There are some opportunities for local vendors … whether it’s the local restroom company, or a painter, or contractor, or electrician. That kind of [work] we do try to find locally.”

Despite the uncertainty hovering over the event, Donovan said a busy event schedule in June, along with the rest of the summer, points to economic resiliency for Aquidneck Island.

“This one very large-scale event was very exciting but if for some reason it were not able to be held, there are plenty of other events that would be able to be sustained,” Donovan said. n

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 21

FOCUS |NEW NEWENGLAND ENGLANDRESORTS RESORTS (ranked (ranked by hotel rooms) by hotel rooms) 2020 rank

1

2019: 1

2

2019: 2

3

2019: 5

4

2019: 4

5

2019: 11

6

2019: 3

7

2019: 11

8

2019: 6

9

2019: 7

10 2019: 8

11

2019: 9

12 2019: 10

13 2019: 13

14 2019: 14

15 2019: 15

16 2019: 19

17

2019: 16

18 2019: 17

19 2019: 18

20 2019: 20

Resort Website General manager

Address Phone

No. of guest rooms Resort amenities

Famous for

B

CLOSER LOOK

Foxwoods Resort Casino foxwoods.com John J. James, CEO and president, Foxwoods Resort Casino; Rodney Butler, interim CEO and chairman, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation

350 Trolley Line Blvd.

Mashantucket, Conn. 06338 (800) 369-9663

2,230 Executive retreat, golf course, hiking, biking or walking, spa

Mohegan Sun mohegansun.com Ray Pineault, president and general manager

1 Mohegan Sun Blvd.

Uncasville, Conn. 06382 (888) 226-7711

1,600 Executive retreat, golf course, spa

Entertainment destination themed in the traditions of the Mohegan Tribe

Mount Snow Erik Barnes

39 Mount Snow Road West Dover, Vt. 05356 (800) 245-7669

478 Executive retreat, golf course, hiking, biking or walking, ski slopes, spa

Carinthia is the only all-terrain park mountain face in the East with eight parks for all abilities

77 Okemo Ridge Road Ludlow, Vt. 05149 (802) 228-1600

350 Executive retreat, golf course, hiking, biking or walking, ski slopes, spa

In 2014, Okemo Mountain Resort was rated No. 1 North American family resort by onthesnow.com

Omni Mount Washington Resort omnihotels.com Josh Debottis, hotel managing director

301 Mt. Washington Hotel Road Bretton Woods, N.H. 03575 (603) 278-1000

335 Executive retreat, fishing, shooting or horseback riding, golf course, ski slopes, spa

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

World-renowned for having hosted the Bretton Woods International Monetary Conference in 1944

UPCOMING LISTS Rhode Island Independent Insurance Agencies (April 3); Boutique Hotels, Regional Hotels (April 10)

Stratton Mountain Resort Bill Nupp, president

5 Village Lodge Road Stratton Mountain, Vt. 05155 (800) 787-2886

334 Executive retreat, golf course, hiking, biking or walking, ski slopes, spa

Highest peak in southern Vermont, where the Long and Appalachian trails meet

4763 Killington Road Killington, Vt. 05751 (800) 621-6867

300 Executive retreat, golf course, hiking, biking or walking, ski slopes, spa

Nicknamed "Beast of the East," has 140 trails served by 22 lifts, including two express gondolas

WANT TO JOIN? For more information about participating in PBN’s Top Lists, or to make additions or corrections, call (401) 6804884 or write to Shuman@ PBN.com.

Gurney's Newport Resort & Marina gurneysresorts.com/newport David Smiley

1 Goat Island Newport, R.I. 02840 (401) 849-2600

257 Executive retreat, hiking, biking or walking, spa, waterfront

Served as a naval torpedo station during World War II

Sea Crest Beach Hotel seacrestbeachhotel.com Clark Guinn

350 Quaker Road Falmouth, Mass. 02556 (508) 540-9400

253 Executive retreat, fishing, shooting or horseback riding, golf course, spa

Known for its beach-front location and consistent service

Cape Codder Resort & Spa capecodderresort.com John Bercume

1225 Iyannough Road Hyannis, Mass. 02601 (855) 861-4370

252 Executive retreat, hiking, biking or walking, spa, waterfront

30,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor water park with retractable roof, fourseason heated outdoor pool and fullservice spa

Mountain Club on Loon Resort & Spa mtnclb.com Jeff McIver

90 Loon Mountain Road Lincoln, N.H. 03251 (800) 229-7829

232 Executive retreat, hiking, biking or walking, ski slopes, spa, waterfront

A four-season resort at the base of Loon Mountain Resort along the Pemigewasset River

Hotel Viking hotelviking.com Vincent Piro, interim general manager

1 Bellevue Ave. Newport, R.I. 02840 (401) 847-3300

208 Executive retreat, spa

The hotel has hosted guests including: President John F. Kennedy and the first lady, the Astors and military leaders

Water's Edge Resort and Spa watersedgeresortandspa.com Michael Unanue, director of sales and marketing

1525 Boston Post Road Westbrook, Conn. 06498 (860) 399-5901

190 Executive retreat, hiking, biking or walking, spa, waterfront

Secluded along 20 acres of the Connecticut shoreline overlooking Long Island Sound

Red Jacket Mountain View Resort redjacketresorts.com Drew Strout

2251 White Mountain Highway North Conway, N.H. 03860 (603) 356-5411

165 Executive retreat, hiking, biking or walking, spa

Red Jacket Beach Resort & Spa redjacketresorts.com Hollie Handrahan

1 South Shore Drive South Yarmouth, Mass. 02664 (508) 398-6941

164 Executive retreat, hiking, biking or walking, spa, waterfront

Private beach located on Nantucket Sound

Miraval Berkshires miravalberkshires.com Vic Cappadona, general manager

55 Lee Road Lenox, Mass. 01240 (800) 272-6935

146 Executive retreat, fishing, shooting or horseback riding, golf course, hiking, biking or walking, ski slopes, spa

President McKinley visited Wyndhurst on Sept. 25, 1897

Fox Ridge Resort redjacketresorts.com Lori Dieter, resort manager

1979 White Mountain Highway North Conway, N.H. 03860 (603) 356-3151

136 Executive retreat, hiking, biking or walking

Set on 30 acres overlooking the Moat Mountains, Puddin' Pond, Green Hill Nature Conservancy

Riviera Beach Resort Bruce Pelczarski

327 South Shore Drive Yarmouth, Mass. 02664 (508) 398-2273

125 Executive retreat, waterfront

Oceanfront accommodations on the private beaches of Nantucket Sound

Wequassett Resort and Golf Club wequassett.com Mark J. Novota, managing partner

2173 Route 28 Harwich, Mass. 02633 (508) 432-5400

120 Executive retreat, golf course, hiking, biking or walking, waterfront

Cape Cod's longest-standing fourstar/four-diamond resort

Blue Water Resort Bruce Pelczarski

291 South Shore Drive Yarmouth, Mass. 02664 (508) 398-2288

101 Executive retreat, golf course, spa, waterfront

Oceanfront accommodations and supervised children's activities

mountsnow.com

Okemo Mountain Resort Bruce Schmidt

okemo.com

stratton.com

Killington Grand Resort Hotel killington.com Scott Harrison, director of hospitality

C

The largest resort casino in North America with gaming in six casinos

The indoor waterpark is named among the top 10 in America by TripAdvisor

D

E

redjacketresorts.com

redjacketresorts.com

1 Figure represents four on-site hotels: Fox Tower (formally known as MGM Grand); The Grand Pequot Tower; Great Cedar Hotel; Two Trees Inn. 2 Includes 12 two-bedroom townhouses and four four-bedroom homes on site.

3 Includes 14 cottages/townhouses on site. known as Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club.

224 Formerly | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

Total number of guest rooms:

7,976 LIST RESEARCHED BY Cassius Shuman

FOOTNOTES j Figure represents four on-site hotels: Fox Tower (formally known as MGM Grand); The Grand Pequot Tower; Great Cedar Hotel; Two Trees Inn.  Includes 12 two-bedroom townhouses and four fourbedroom homes on site.  Includes 14 cottages/ townhouses on site.  Formerly known as Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club.

by 2019 attendance) FOCUS |TOURIST TOURISTAND ANDCULTURAL CULTURALATTRACTIONS ATTRACTIONS (ranked (ranked by 2019 attendance) 2020 rank

1

2019: 1

2

2019: 2

3

2019: 3

4

2019: 4

5

2019: 5

6

2019: 7

7

2019: 8

8

2019: 9

9

2019: 13

10 2019: 10

10 2019: 17

12 2019: 15

13 2019: 12

14 2019: 14

15 2019: 16

16 2019: 18

17 2019: 11

18 2019: 20

19 2019: 21

20 2019: 22

21 2019: 24

22 2019: 25

Company Director

Website

Address Phone

2019 event/venue attendance

Year founded

Twin River Casino Hotel twinriver.com Soohyung Kim, chairman, Twin River Worldwide Holdings Inc.; George Papanier, CEO and president, Twin River Management Group; Marc Crisafulli, executive vice president, government relations and president

100 Twin River Road Lincoln, R.I. 02865 (401) 723-3200

5,800,000

1947

The Preservation Society of Newport County, The Newport Mansions newportmansions.org Trudy Coxe, CEO and executive director

424 Bellevue Ave. Newport, R.I. 02840 (401) 847-1000

1,006,190

1945

Re-ranked by oldest attractions:

WaterFire Providence waterfire.org Barnaby Evans, artistic director and co-CEO; Peter A. Mello, managing director and coCEO

475 Valley St. Providence, R.I. 02908 (401) 273-1155

750,000

1994

Touro Synagogue Year founded: 1763

Roger Williams Park Zoo rwpzoo.org Dr. Jeremy Goodman, executive director

1000 Elmwood Ave. Providence, R.I. 02907 (401) 785-3510

650,000

Pawtucket Red Sox pawsox.com Larry Lucchino, principal owner and chairman; Charles Steinberg, president

1 Ben Mondor Way Pawtucket, R.I. 02860 (401) 724-7300

331,010

The VETS thevetsri.com Daniel Schwartz, general manager

One Avenue of the Arts Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 222-1467

205,627

1950

Providence Children's Museum childrenmuseum.org Caroline Payson, executive director

100 South St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 273-5437

160,000

1977

Stadium Theatre Performing Arts Centre Cathy Levesque, executive director

28 Monument Square Woonsocket, R.I. 02895 (401) 762-4545

150,000

1926

stadiumtheatre.com

275 Westminster St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 421-4278

FirstWorks first-works.org Kathleen Pletcher, executive artistic director

B

140,382

1872

1973

2004

130,000

1976

Roger Williams National Memorial nps.gov/rowi Jennifer Smith, acting superintendent

282 North Main St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 521-7266

130,000

1965

Newport Vineyards and Winery LLC John Nunes; Paul Nunes, owners

909 East Main Road Middletown, R.I. 02842 (401) 848-5161

125,000

1988

201 Washington St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 351-4242

120,000

PrideRI.org

newportvineyards.com

Trinity Repertory Company trinityrep.com Tom Parrish, executive director; Curt Columbus, artistic director

1963

194 Bellevue Ave. Newport, R.I. 02840 (401) 849-3990

100,000

1954

2 Kennedy Plaza Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 680-7390

70,000

1998

36 Beach St. North Kingstown, R.I. 02852 (401) 294-6840

60,000

1962

667 Waterman Ave. East Providence, R.I. 02914 (401) 248-7070

57,000

1945

Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival rifilmfest.org George Thomas Marshall, executive director and CEO

83 Park St., Suite 5 Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 861-4445

47,137

1997

Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum Karen Binder, executive director

101 Ferry Road Bristol, R.I. 02809 (401) 253-2707

46,000

1976

Newport Winter Festival newportwinterfestival.com David Rosenberg, festival director

28 Pelham St. Newport, R.I. 02840 (401) 847-7666

36,000

1989

Touro Synagogue tourosynagogue.org Meryle Cawley, director of the Touro Synagogue Foundation

72 Touro St. Newport, R.I. 02840 (401) 847-4794

17,000

1763

1401 Hope St. Bristol, R.I. 02809 (401) 949-5454

16,922

2000

International Tennis Hall of Fame Todd Martin, CEO

tennisfame.com

BankNewport City Center & The Providence Rink Brant Gawrys, City Center manager

C

theprovidencerink.com

Wickford Art Association wickfordart.org Catherine Gagnon, gallery director

Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and Music School David J. Beauchesne, executive director

riphil.org

blithewold.org

Audubon Society of Rhode Island Nature Center and Aquarium Anne DiMonti, director, Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium

asri.org

1

2

P.O. Box 1082 Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 467-2130

Rhode Island PrideFest and Illuminated Night Parade Ray Sirico, president

CLOSER LOOK

Stadium Theatre Performing Arts Centre Year founded: 1926

3

Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School Year founded: 1944

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

UPCOMING LISTS Rhode Island Independent Insurance Agencies (April 3); Boutique Hotels, Regional Hotels (April 10) WANT TO JOIN? For more information about participating in PBN’s Top Lists, or to make additions or corrections, call (401) 6804884 or write to Shuman@ PBN.com.

FOOTNOTES j Figure includes Pawtucket Red Sox game attendance and non-baseball events at McCoy Stadium. ď Ť Formerly the Alex and Ani City Center, which rebranded on Nov. 21, 2019.

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 23

PBN.COM | ANOTHER LOOK Can island keep coronavirus away?

BY CASSIUS SHUMAN | Shuman@PBN.com

(Editor’s note: A version of this story was published on PBN.com on March 24.)

NEW SHOREHAM – Now largely confined to their homes despite no positive COVID-19 cases reported on Block Island, residents are concerned about both the looming health threat and the shutdown of commerce ahead of a normally thriving tourist season.

An emergency ordinance passed by the Town Council on March 23 calls for everyone on the island to shelter in place until April 15 and only leave their homes for essential activities – or face stiff fines and penalties.

After Nantucket issued a stay-athome order on March 22 in response to a case of coronavirus being reported, Block Island officials say they had to limit traffic to the island and activity within its community.

Located 12 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, Block Island is heavily trafficked by ferry and airplane, making it vulnerable to spread of the disease. So approximately 1,000 yearround residents are hunkered down, sheltered in place, wondering if the pandemic will subside in time so they will be able to operate their summer businesses.

“We are uneasy,” said John Cullen, a Block Island resident for the past 20 years and island business owner,

ONGOING TRIPS: The Block Island Ferry, above sitting idle in Old Harbor, is still operating despite island residents being ordered to stay home until April 15 to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

PBN PHOTO/CASSIUS SHUMAN

who noted that it’s strange having to keep a safe distance from friends and neighbors. “We’re supportive of what the Town Council did. I hope the governor understands that Block Island is unique. You hate to shut down commerce, but we needed to take drastic steps because of our limited medical resources.”

Cullen and his wife, Sarah, own and operate three stores during the summer season on Water Street in The National Hotel, called Block Island Tees, Solstice and True North Outfitters. “We’re hoping, best-case scenario, that we’re open for July and August. We have had to put all orders

on hold until we have a better idea of what’s happening,” he said.

Socha Cohen, a 12-year island resident and member of the Planning Board, said, “This whole ordeal feels completely surreal to me. My anxiety level is high. I can feel the stress, but intellectually I am calm. What creates the anxiety is not seeing the end of the tunnel. If you follow the data, things will only get worse before they get better.”

Bill McCombe, co-director of New Shoreham’s Emergency Management team, said, “There is concern among residents that their resources, such as food and essential supplies, will be

24 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

overwhelmed by an influx of people.

People are nervous. What compounds all of this is people who are returning to the island after spending the winter elsewhere, as well as people returning to open their summer homes,” he said.

Second Warden André Boudreau said during the March 22 council meeting that, “We have no ability to test people coming over, so that is the weak link. We can’t stop the ferries from coming. People have said shut the ferry down for two to three weeks. We are doing the best we can to protect the public within the legal framework that we have.”

McCombe, who is also director of security for the Block Island Ferry, said the ferry and the airline are operating because they are regulated by the state and federal government.

Cindy Pappas, a Realtor at Sullivan Sotheby’s International Realty on Water Street, said her agency has “had six cancellations out of 1,000 bookings” for the season. “Most people are … adopting a wait-and-see attitude.

“Hopefully, some sense of normalcy will reign by mid-June. I’m optimistic,” she said. “People love Block Island and are good about rolling with the punches.” n

IT’S PERSONAL Brown to head NUWC engineering DENISE BROWN has been selected as the head of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport’s Undersea Warfare Mission Engineering and Analysis Department. Brown, who began her career at Division Newport in 1984 as a submarine combat system programmer, will lead efforts toward assessing, informing, developing, influencing and shaping U.S. Navy investment in undersea warfare, conducting continuous strategic assessment through full spectrum undersea-warfare community engagement, awareness and influence.

What was your reaction to being selected head of Naval ­Undersea Warfare Center’s Engineering and Analysis Department, and how did you learn of the promotion?

It is a tremendous honor to lead the Undersea Warfare Mission Engineering and Analysis Department. The department has such a legacy of impactful analyses supporting the Navy, built on visionary work in undersea warfare simulation. The NUWC technical director, Mr. Ron Vien, called me at home just before New Year’s Eve, which I will always remember fondly as a milestone to start the new year and the next phase of my career life.

You began your career at the center in 1984. What made you want to invest the majority of your career there?

When the NUWC recruiter described the breadth of engineering opportunities, which included research, design, development and testing, I knew it was the best choice for my first job. The world of simulation and analysis appeals to the problem-solver in me and continually provides rewarding challenges.

What have you been most proud of accomplishing during your tenure?

I have devoted most of my career toward conducting performance studies to support our Navy and serve our nation’s defense. I feel very good about that. My goal now is to grow our knowledge, and ready the next generation of analysts.

What do you hope to achieve as head of your department?

Expanding our expertise in the disciplines of mission engineering and applying this knowledge in support of Navy program decisions is a very high priority for me. I have great respect for our legacy modeling and simulation tools, but I will continually look to modernize and advance our capabilities.

What advice would you give the next generation of engineers, analysts and technicians?

Learn as much as you can from every assignment and set high performance standards for yourself. Cultivate positive working relationships. … Develop a strong speaking voice, as it will be a valuable asset to conveying complex information effectively.

What does it mean to you as a woman to have achieved such great success working for the Navy?

Certainly, submarine-related work may not seem a traditional career choice for women, but that has been changing, as evidenced by the inclusion of women officers on submarines in 2012, and female enlisted sailors have been serving onboard submarines since 2015.

I’ve been inspired by the work of women trailblazers who showed that having an analytic mind and supporting our nation’s defense was independent of gender. n

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 25

IT’S PERSONAL MACKAY’S MORAL | HARVEY MACKAY

Make failure work for you THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS were playing the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2020 NFL playoffs when wide receiver Adam Thielen made a crucial mistake on the team’s opening possession. He fumbled, and the Saints were able to kick a field goal off the turnover.

Shortly after his fumble, Thielen was caught making a motion with his hand like he was flushing a toilet.

Turns out he was implementing a “mistake ritual” called “the flush.”

Cindra Kamphoff, a mental performance coach, taught this drill to Thielen and his college teammates, and it has served him well. He went on to have a big day and made the crucial catch to set up the Vikings’ winning touchdown in overtime.

“One component of mental toughness is the ability to live and let go,” Kamphoff told ESPN. “We’ve got to learn and burn. You have to learn

from the mistake quickly and then we have to burn it. We have to let it go. That’s the heart of it. The reason we want to do that is to remain in the present moment because the past play we can’t do anything about. We can’t change it. All we can do is reset for the next play.”

The majority of us aren’t judged by our mistakes on national TV. Pro athletes, entertainers, restaurant owners, college professors, politicians – anyone who is out in the public eye has to live with scrutiny and negative reviews on social media and hope for the best. A little mistake looks a lot bigger when it’s broadcast all over the country. Maybe it’s not always fair, but it’s the world we live in.

As I like to say, failure is not fatal.

My best advice: Acknowledge that even as good as you are at your job or life in general, you are not perfect.

That is not, however, a reason to stop

‘Failure is a teacher – a harsh one, perhaps, but the best.’

THOMAS J. WATSON SR., former IBM CEO

trying for perfection.

Despite your best and most creative efforts, your innovative project has failed. Don’t despair. Jeffrey Baumgartner’s Innovation Excellence website recommends analyzing the failure by asking these questions: n What went right? Most mistakes have some redeeming qualities. Identify things that went well. Incorporate those small victories into your next project. n What went wrong? Look at where you tripped up. Make a list of the mistakes you made so you’re clear on the root causes of the failure. n Why did it go wrong? Maybe your process was flawed, or you had bad information, or you made incorrect assumptions. Ask the people around you for their perceptions.

When you know why things went wrong, you’ll be better able to avoid mistakes when you get back to work. n Are you repeating mistakes?

Make sure you’re not making the same mistakes over and over again.

Look at past failures to determine whether your process is flawed in some way. As Winston Churchill said, “If you simply take up the attitude of defending a mistake, there will be no hope of improvement.”

26 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

n What can you salvage? Take a look at the end result and see if you can find something useful to recycle – data, equipment, product components, whatever. Your project won’t be a complete loss if you can repurpose at least some of its elements.

Thomas J. Watson Sr., an early CEO of IBM who was fundamental in shaping the trajectory of the company, said of mistakes: “Double your rate of failure. ... Failure is a teacher – a harsh one, perhaps, but the best. ... That’s what I have to do when an idea backfires or a sales program fails. You’ve got to put failure to work for you ... you can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it. So, go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because that’s where you will find success. On the far side of failure.”

Mackay’s Moral: Don’t let a misstep make you fall flat on your face. 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.

IT’S PERSONAL GUEST COLUMN | LYNN O’MARRA

AS WE ARE ALL AWARE, the global COVID-19 pandemic has created a time of tremendous uncertainty around the world. Our day-to-day routines have been upended, and we are simply doing our best to maintain some semblance of normalcy, while taking precautions to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and healthy.

For me, as a tax professional with blumshapiro, maintaining that “semblance of normalcy” means working through tax returns and providing financial advice to our clients across Rhode Island and around the region.

Here’s what the local businesses need to know as they navigate this time of crisis.

On March 20, the IRS released Notice 2020-18, which officially postponed the federal tax filing deadline for federal income tax returns to July 15 for any person defined as an “affected taxpayer,” including an individual, a trust, estate, partnership, association, company or corporation, as provided in section 7701(a)(1) of the Code.

This announcement came a few days after the IRS had already extended the tax payment deadline. The relief provided by Notice 2020-18 is available solely for federal income tax payments (including payments of tax

The evolving tax situation on self-employment income) due on April 15 associated with an affected taxpayer’s 2019 tax year, and federal estimated payments (including payments of tax on self-employment income) due on April 15 for an affected taxpayer’s 2020 tax year.

It is important to note that Notice 2020-18 does not provide an extension of time for the payment or deposit of other types of tax, or for the filing of any other federal information return.

This information should be noted: n Businesses and individuals will not need to file paperwork such as Forms 4868 or 7004 in order to request an extension to file income tax returns that had been due on April 15. n The period between April 15 and July 15 will be disregarded in the calculation of any interest, penalty, or addition to tax for failure to file federal income tax returns or to pay income taxes postponed by the notice.

But interest, penalties and additions to tax with respect to postponed tax filings and payments will begin to accrue on July 16.

In regard to Rhode Island tax deadlines, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo said the state will mirror the federal postponements. But state leaders are strongly encouraging taxpayers who have the ability to meet the April 15

filing date to do so.

It’s important to remember that these deadlines have been postponed, not canceled. Businesses that plan to take advantage of the postponement must ensure that they keep up with their normal bookkeeping and back-office policies. You will need to file and pay your taxes come July 15, and it is important that you keep your paperwork in order.

Rhode Island businesses should be aware that, as of March 24, the state had not extended the payment deadline for sales tax, meals and beverage tax, and other levies.

Businesses that are unable to fulfill their payment requirements for these levies may consider their rights under R.I. Regulation 280-RICR-20-004, which allows taxpayers to request penalties be abated “where there was no negligence or intentional disregard of the law.”

For businesses in need of resources, the state of Rhode Island has introduced a wide range of initia-

tives and loan programs to support the business community during the COVID-19 crisis.

Two programs of particular note include: n SBA loans: Through this program, eligible businesses can receive working capital loans of up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 3.75%. The SBA has an online tool to determine your eligibility, which you can find at https://bit.ly/3dlvQ5j. n Free technology: The state has partnered with Microsoft to offer six months of free access to Microsoft’s Office365 programs to any business in Rhode Island. Learn more at http:// www.doit.ri.gov/covid-19/.

Additional programs and policy changes are expected in the coming days and weeks. In the meantime, stay safe and healthy. n Lynn O’Marra is a tax principal at Blum, Shapiro & Co. P.C., a regional accounting, tax and business advisory firm with offices in Providence.

Remember that these deadlines have been postponed, not canceled.

MARKETPLACE FOR LEASE AVAILABLE FOR LEASE

717 Allens Ave. 8,000 – 11,000 square feet, will subdivide Brokers welcome-full commission Easy on/off to highways | Parking | On busline Restaurants within walking distance Walking routes around business park Downtown-5 mins. by car | Build to suit

Contact David Winoker 521-2100 | dwinoker@belprops.com

PBN ­M ARKETPLACE To place your ad in PBN Marketplace, contact Linda Foster 401-680-4812 Foster@PBN.com Advertising@PBN.com www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 27

OPINION EDITORIALS

Down, but not out: R.I., bizs hurting but also stepping up

SPECIAL DELIVERY: Perella’s Ristorante chefowner Lou Perella not only cooks the food but is now delivering it, here to CJ Audet-Kelly.

PBN FILE PHOTO/ RUPERT WHITELEY

The bold headline at the top of Page 1 in PBN’s first digital-only edition in its 34-year history says it all: KNOCKED DOWN, BUT NOT OUT. It applies not only to PBN, which has temporarily halted its print edition due to the health risks and economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic, but to the entire state and its economy. Stories in this week’s edition document the toll state and local restrictions on the size of gatherings and business operations, including some forced closures, have taken.

Tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders have been laid off at an unprecedented pace. The hospitality and tourism industry, one of the strongest sectors in the state economy, has been devastated by restrictions on travel and a ban on dine-in service.

Federal aid is on the way for small businesses, some of which have already qualified for related disaster-relief funding, but will it come in time for those who need it most? James Mark, who owns two popular restaurants in Providence, initially shut them down due to health concerns. He soon reopened one for takeout after seeing his bank account drained to $600.

But there’s still a pulse – and plenty of heart and fight – left in the state’s business community. Gov. Gina M. Raimondo has done everything she could to keep as many businesses that directly serve the public at least partially open for as long as possible. Even if she does even-

tually shut more or all of those businesses down temporarily, many companies have used the additional time her measured approach to managing the health risks and economic crisis has given them to transition more workers to telecommuting and new responsibilities.

Rhode Island manufacturers are also aggressively transitioning to help meet Gov. Raimondo’s call for local production of medical supplies, should hospitals get overrun as they have been in harder-hit states.

Locally based businesses and nonprofits have begun stepping up.

Woonsocket-based CVS Health Corp. plans to hire 50,000 workers nationally.

Providence-based Citizens Bank has set aside $5 million for charitable contributions for small businesses and communities locally and in other states.

PBN this past week began a new feature spotlighting some of those businesses, workers and organizations stepping up to meet the myriad challenges created by the pandemic.

And, particularly heartening in what is surely now a global recession, community giving has soared. A COVID-19 Response Fund set up for nonprofits by the United Way of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Foundation had raised $4 million by March 20.

On April 1 the United Way still plans to hold its inaugural daylong 401Gives Day, with approximately 375 nonprofits hoping for an economic infusion that would allow them to momentarily set aside their own survival fears to continue helping others.

Knocked down? Swiftly and almost without warning. But definitely not out. Rhode Islanders are already setting the wheels in motion for a recovery from a crisis we’ll one day look back on with sadness, yes, but also pride for having persevered. n

Read even MORE business news on PBN.com

POLL CENTRAL EXECUTIVE POLL

Managing the pandemic Does your company allow its employees to work remotely?

What has been the biggest disruption to your business? (Select any that apply)

Yes: 100%

A pause in the purchase of our goods and/ or services: 33%

No: 0%

What percentage of your employees are working from home during the height of the coronavirus pandemic?

About 50%: 44% 100%: 33% About 25%: 11% About 10% or so: 11% About 75%: 0% None: 0%

Having no, or fewer, staff on our premises: 33% Our vendors and supply chain has been challenged: 22% Infrastructure, such as finances, transportation, etc., has been interrupted: 22% There has been no disruption to our operation: 22%

Has having employees working remotely kept your business functioning as it did prior to the pandemic?

Yes, we are functioning normally: 67% No, our operation has been impacted: 33%

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.

We do not have employees working remotely: 0%

PBN.COM POLL

How has your company or employer responded to the threat posed by the new coronavirus?

MARCH 13-19

Instituted flexible work schedules, including telecommuting

23%

Canceled or rescheduled large group gatherings and/or adopted other social-distancing policies

9%

Other than encouraging sick employees to stay home and ensuring office cleanliness, it is business as usual

57%

We’ve temporarily closed or curtailed some operations or shifts due to staff shortages

11%

THIS WEEK’S POLL:

How much has your job

or business changed in response to restrictions designed to stop the spread of the new coronavirus?

•W orkload and/or hours have decreased as customers have disappeared • We’ve revamped our production to respond to the crisis and are operating at/or near capacity • My workload and/or hours have increased to help cover for layoffs • Other than switching to telecommuting, not much else has changed • My business or job has been shut down or at least temporarily eliminated

To vote, go to PBN.com and follow the link on the home page

28 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 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

Global solution the best way to end crisis NADER HABIBI GUEST COLUMN

Policymakers in countries where there are severe outbreaks of COVID-19 are doing what they can to slow the spread and “flatten the curve.” But so far, there hasn’t been much global coordination, raising the risk of a second wave of contamination even after individual countries halt the virus’s advance.

That’s the dilemma facing China and South Korea now. Both countries appear to have halted or slowed the internal spread of the new coronavirus and are beginning to worry about contaminated travelers from abroad setting off a new outbreak – including by their citizens returning home.

As long as the virus exists in any country, it can reenter those that have slowed it down – or even ones that eventually eradicate it.

Efforts to prevent a second wave of contagion might prompt countries to put up more borders to international travel and trade. This would compound and prolong the adverse economic impact.

The only effective long-term solution against the coronavirus is a global solution – which requires a coordinated response.

Dozens of countries are taking a variety of strong measures to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, from social distancing and mass quarantines to severe restrictions on the movement of people and goods.

But there’s been little or no coordination, the timing has varied considerably, and the piecemeal manner in which restrictions have been put in place demonstrates that lessons are not being shared, which has made it harder to defeat the virus. Moreover, the lack of coordination among countries when imposing travel bans has led to diplomatic tensions that will only make matters worse.

Even in the hunt for a vaccine there is a clear lack of international coordination.

Furthermore, most countries seem to be adopting a nationalistic rather than a collaborative approach that could limit a potential vaccine’s effectiveness in ending the pandemic, with the possibility that each country will favor its own citizens over others.

While these efforts are slowing the spread of the coronavirus in some places, it continues to worsen in others such as the U.S., Europe and Iran, which demonstrate that they are not enough to eradicate the threat completely. And that means successful countries will have to impose or continue severe and costly constraints on international travel – and those that have managed to avoid an outbreak, such as Russia, must continue to keep their restrictions in place.

In Russia’s case, closing border crossings to China has severely hurt trade.

If many countries impose such restrictions simultaneously, everyone suffers, adding to the already high economic costs of the coronavirus with no end in sight.

A global, synchronized lockdown would be more effective.

The world needs to coordinate in three key ways: n Agree on a two-week global lockdown across all countries, even those not severely affected by COVID-19. Several countries are currently imposing such mass quarantines, with mixed success. A global, synchronized lockdown would be more effective. n The World Health Organization should lead global efforts to find an effective vaccine and treatments for COVID-19, ensuring they are widely available. The group could help disseminate research findings quickly and coordinate activities to avoid duplication. n Restrictions on international travel and trade should be implemented in cooperation with other countries. Rather than nationalistic restrictions that benefit one country at the expense of others, the cost of the needed restrictions could be distributed among all trade partners in a fair manner that motivates all governments to participate in these painful economic measures.

Global coordination has worked well in past crises. For example, in 2014, former President Barack Obama took the lead in the global fight against the Ebola virus, which affected several countries in Africa. American leadership played a crucial role in mobilizing and coordinating the global fight that ultimately contained the epidemic. n Nader Habibi is the Henry J. Leir Professor of Practice in the Economics of the Middle East at Brandeis University’s Crown Center for Middle East Studies. Distributed by The Associated Press.

Virus could cause census to miss students DUDLEY L. POSTON JR. GUEST COLUMN

At college dormitories and student apartments across the U.S., census forms will be piling up – but many run the risk of not being filled in.

The spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. has coincided with the start of data collection for the 2020 census.

This may not affect the process for most people who are self-isolating at home. But for students, it could well affect where and if they are counted – and that could have big implications.

The spread of the virus has meant that most colleges have closed their classrooms.

As a result, many students may not be returning to their campus residences any time soon.

Census data collected from college students are pretty much the same as for the non-student population. The census questions ask about sex, age, race and Hispanic origin.

Students living off campus also answer questions about whether their household is rented or owned and about their relationships to those living with them.

Census Day is April 1, but the collection effort has already started. On March 12, households began receiving mailed invitations from the Census Bureau with instructions about how to respond. This will be followed up by four more reminder letters, through April 27.

Nonresponse follow-ups start on May 13 and continue until July 31, when census takers visit households. However, Wilbur Ross,

who as commerce secretary oversees the Census Bureau, has warned that the dates may change as a result of coronavirus.

Since 1950, college students have been counted at their “usual residence” as of census day. Most attend college away from their family homes and live on or near their campuses, so are not counted at their parents’ homes.

In private colleges, almost two-thirds live on campus, 20% off campus and 17% at home with their parents. In public colleges, around 40% live on campus, 40% off campus and 20% with their parents.

Students living off campus in apartments or other housing may have already received a mailed census form. Those living in oncampus dormitories or housing owned by their university are classified as living in “group quarters.”

The on-campus students are counted in one of three ways. Either a university official completes a single form for all students in the dormitory based on administrative data – the Census Bureau estimates that around 55% of on-campus students will be counted this way – or students answer the census questions themselves by filling in forms or via face-to-face interviews with census workers on April 1.

So how will the coronavirus impact the collection of census data for college students?

Just over half of those listed as living in “group quarters” do not need to be present when university administrators fill in

the forms, so are less likely to be affected.

But around a third of on-campus students would have been expected to answer the four census questions themselves, but they are no longer there. I believe this could affect as many as 2 million full-time students who risk being undercounted.

As for those living off campus, a good number will be staying at their parents’ homes and will not be responding to the census invitations sent to their student address.

By the time the “nonresponse follow-ups” begin, the spring semester will be over. As such, the usual window for census responses from students attending classes will be lost owing to the emergence and spread of the COVID-19 disease.

Around a third of the 12 million full-time college students in the U.S. live off campus, adding, perhaps, another 4 million names to the pool of students who could be undercounted as a result of the virus. The fear is many will end up simply not being counted at all, while others will be counted at their parents’ address.

This undercount of both on-campus and off-campus students could run into several million and have big implications because the federal government allocates over $1.5 trillion to states, counties, cities and households, based solely on their population counts. n Dudley L. Poston Jr. is emeritus professor of sociology at Texas A&M University.

Distributed by The Associated Press.

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 29

30 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020, 2020 | 31

32 | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com