PBN April 3, 2020

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

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APRIL 3 - 9, 2020

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ONE LAST THING

Stratton’s adviser role meaningful during crisis | 8

Deborah L. Ruggiero: Stay present, stay in touch | 30

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CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

GIRDING FOR SURGE

Some R.I. employers on hiring spree

BY ELIZABETH GRAHAM | Graham@PBN.com

STIFLED AS IT IS BY THE coronavirus pandemic, Rhode Island’s economy still has a pulse with some employers hiring while others are laying off workers amid the unprecedented crisis.

Some of the companies adding positions are small, such as Tom’s Market Inc. The independent grocer, which has three Rhode Island locations, has hired 15 fulland part-time workers in recent weeks.

Other companies are some of Rhode Island’s largest, such as CVS Health Corp., which has openings for 500 full-time, part-time and temporary workers in Rhode Island.

The Woonsocket-based pharmacy chain has said it plans to immediately hire 50,000 people nationwide.

Providence-based United Natural Foods Inc. has 50 open positions in Providence and Lincoln.

HOT TOPIC

EARLY SCREENING: A health care worker at Kent County Memorial Hospital in Warwick conducts a preliminary examination at a patient’s car to determine if the patient needs a COVID-19 test or some other type of treatment.

PBN PHOTO/DAVE HANSEN

Preparations at hospitals kick into high gear

BY ELIZABETH GRAHAM | Graham@PBN.com

NORMALLY

more than 90% full, Rhode Island Hospital’s occupancy rate in late March dipped to about 75%. The 247-bed The Miriam Hospital had more than 100 beds free at the same time.

And in Warwick, at Kent County Memorial Hospital, ­occupancy was about 20% lower than the usual 190 to 200 hospitalized patients.

SEE HOT TOPIC

SEE HOSPITALS

PAGE 7

PAGE 12

Thought you were insured for this? Maybe not

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

KAREN LEE HAS PAID FOR BUSINESS she is facing amid the new coronavirus interruption insurance since she opened ­crisis, seemingly the very definition of Breathing Time Yoga Inc. 19 years ago. interruption to business, are not covered But it wasn’t until a few weeks ago when she shut by her policy. Her reaction?

The Federal $2annoyed Trillion down the Pawtucket yoga studio and moved her classesGovernment’s “I was really to find out my business online that she read the fine print on herDollar policy. Economic Stimulus Bill can SEE INTERRUPTION And what she found was that the economic hardships PAGE 20

FOCUS: INSURANCE

Help Your Company Survive.

MORE INSIDE: nA guide to surviving financially as the bills come due. Page 16 nD LT scrambles to absorb brunt of jobless claims. Page 18 nS tepping Up: Church keeps the faith, virtually. Page 24 n$ 2 trillion CARES Act provides lifelines to small business. Page 27

April 16, 2020 | 9:00-11:00am For more information turn to page 17.

CONTENTS

PBN

COVER STORY GIRDING FOR SURGE Preparations at hospitals kick into high gear...........1 Hot Topic: Some R.I. employers on hiring spree......1

400 Westminster St. Providence, RI 02903

FOR STARTERS

Main Phone: 401-273-2201

Community Service: Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England................................... 3

Subscription Services: 855-813-5805

5Q: Daivd Reiss.......................................................... 4

FRANCHISEE | 5

Franchisee: John Pisaturo and Aileen Soriano-Pisaturo......................................... 5 Spotlight: Get The Picture LLC................................. 6 Something New: The Spark Social Inc..................... 6

ADVERTISING

Business Women: Stratton’s adviser role meaningful during crisis........................................ 8

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

News Briefs................................................................ 9

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

What’s Happening.................................................... 10

Marketing and Events Manager: Donna Rofino, 680-4832

IT’S PERSONAL

Marketing, Events & Social Media Coordinator: Tracy Hoyt, 680-4818

People in the News.................................................. 25 Mackay’s Moral........................................................ 26

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

Guest Column: Christopher Carlozzi...................... 27 Editorials and Opinion............................................. 28 One Last Thing: Deborah L. Ruggiero....................30

SPOTLIGHT | 6

FOCUS ON: INSURANCE

Thought you were insured for this? Maybe not Business interruption insurance may not cover losses due to COVID-19, as most policies require physical damage, such as by a natural disaster or vandalism, for coverage...........................1

Copy Editor: Matt Bower, 680-4824 Special Projects Editor: James Bessette, 680-4838 (EDUCATION, NONPROFITS)

Staff Writers: Elizabeth Graham, 680-4828 (HEALTH CARE, HOSPITALITY/TOURISM, WORKFORCE)

R.I. Independent Insurance Agencies..................... 22

FOCUS: INSURANCE | 18

AJ Capital Partners

9

Kent County Memorial Hospital

AstroNova Inc.

7

Lifespan Corp.

BCI Computers

24

Community College of Rhode Island CVS Health Corp.

1 7, 12

Silgan Dispensing Systems Slatersville LLC

7

Skills for Rhode Island’s Future

7

Moonan, Stratton & Waldman LLP

8

Stop & Shop Supermarket Co.

7

7

Naval Undersea Warfare Center

9

Systems Engineering Associates Corp.

9

1

Newport Hospital

13

T.F. Green Airport

9

Rhode Island College

13

The Miriam Hospital

1

9

The Spark Social Inc.

6

1

Thundermist Health Center

12 7 13 1

Rhode Island Foundation Rhode Island Hospital

14

Rhode Island Primary Care Physicians Corp.

13

Tom’s Market Inc.

1

R.I. Department of Health

12

UnitedHealthcare of New England Inc.

9

Duffy & Sweeney Ltd.

21

Get The Picture LLC

6

R.I. Department of Labor and Training

United Natural Foods Inc.

1

Graduate Providence

9

R.I. Division of Taxation

9

Unite Here Local 26

9

R.I. Judiciary

9

Hilb Group of New England LLC HMSHost Honeywell International Inc. Hospital Association of Rhode Island

20

7, 9, 18

University of Rhode Island

13

9

R.I. Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner 9

Women’s Fund of Rhode Island

29

7

Saint Elizabeth Community

25

Yushin America Inc.

Saint Elizabeth Home

25

14

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

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

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

Researcher: Cassius Shuman, 680-4884

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED COMPANIES

CharterCARE Health Partners

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

Web Editor: Chris Bergenheim, 680-4886

List

Care New England Health System

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor: William Hamilton, 680-4826

The R.I. Department of Labor and Training is hopeful the lessons it learned from the Great Recession will help it endure the unprecedented number of unemployment claims due to the coronavirus crisis.......................18

Breathing Time Yoga Inc.

Advertising Coordinator: Joyce Rylander, 680-4810

Editor: Michael Mello, 680-4820

DLT scrambles to absorb brunt of jobless claims

Bradford Soap Works Inc.

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

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2 | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

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.

7

Providence Business News is published weekly

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

FOR STARTERS

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Cookies for Kent

Interested in having your business’s community-service project highlighted? Contact PBN Researcher Cassius Shuman at (401) 680-4884 or Shuman@PBN.com.

SWEET TREATS:

The coronavirus did not deter the Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England, based in Warwick, from delivering cookies to patients and staff at Kent County Memorial Hospital on March 20. Pictured from left are: Rebecca Reynolds, product program specialist for GSSNE; Claudia Maine, associate chief nurse for Kent Hospital; Shannon Sullivan, vice president of operations at both Kent Hospital and Care New England Health System; Taylor Gomes, fund development and product program specialist for GSSNE; and Ginger Lallo, senior director of advancement for GSSNE. Of the Girl Scouts’ efforts, Reynolds said: “I am so proud to work for the Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England. Being a part of a positive experience [such as] donating cookies to overworked hospital employees – the brave souls who come in every day to face this epidemic head on – makes me feel like I’m contributing in some small way, even if it’s just to raise spirits and make people smile. I hope our girls are able to go back out and raise more for their troops by selling, but in the meantime we’re all about giving back to the community, so it’s a natural fit.”

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www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | 3

FOR STARTERS

5Q: David Reiss Executive director, The Fogarty Center

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

1

How has COVID-19 impacted the services The Fogarty Center provides and the people it serves?

COVID-19 has put a lot of strain on our agency. The anxiety level is off the chart. We have temporarily closed and/or restructured many of our services. There have been layoffs and the cost of overtime is increasing.

It’s hard to find personal protection equipment. The sad reality for all the Medicaid companies such as ours is that we can’t bill for services that are not provided. Expenses are up, revenue is down. The breaking point is basically here. We need relief from our state government. We have been and will continue to be “the forgotten community.”

2

National reports show a shortage of workers, as well as high turnover rates for employees working with people with developmental disabilities. How has your organization dealt with this?

Our survival depends on addressing the workforce issue. There are very few new employees entering this segment of the workforce. We’ve addressed this workforce issue via advertising, internships, flexible hours, career ladder, tuition reimbursement, benefit designs, hiring incentives for current employees, etc.

SMALL STAFF: David Reiss, executive director for The Fogarty Center, a nonprofit that offers services for adults and children with developmental disabilities, speaks with Robyn Eannarino, administrative assistant.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

3

How has the model of care for people with developmental disabilities changed over the course of your time at The Fogarty Center and Ocean State Community Resources?

I began my career at Ladd School as

an “attendant” in 1978. This was the beginning of the deinstitutionalization movement. On many levels, it was a great success and people began to become a valuable part of their communities. But the state has not kept up with its original promise. The funding system is in total disrepair: many unfunded mandates, too many initiatives, and fewer and fewer employees to do the work.

4

Aside from the coronavirus crisis, what is the biggest challenge facing service providers such as The Fogarty Center?

The workforce shortage and adequate funding are the biggest challenges we face. A lack of ... well-trained staff is a recipe for health and safety issues.

5

What is the biggest workplace misconception about people with developmental disabilities?

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are valuable members of their communities. Many folks have paying jobs and pay taxes, shop, have relationships and vote.

Our integration efforts have been so mainstream that it is routine to observe these folks living, working and playing in the community. We collectively haven’t kept the momentum moving. We became complacent. Time to wake up again. n

We have been and will continue to be ‘the forgotten community.’

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4 | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

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FOR STARTERS Franchisee: John Pisaturo and Aileen Soriano-Pisaturo Saladworks | 75 Fountain St., Providence The pitch: Delivery of a custom-built salad

Before opening franchise: John Pisaturo has worked in the hospitality business for about 30 years. Prior to opening Saladworks, he worked as a manager at Brewed Awakenings in Cranston for 10 years after spending two years as regional manager for World Dining LLC. His wife, Aileen, who always wanted to own a restaurant, is a physician at Kent County Memorial Hospital.

John Pisaturo will oversee the daily operation of the business.

in minutes after walking through the door and placing your order. It is the first Saladworks located in Rhode Island, as well as all of New England. The restaurant offers a healthy alternative for today’s consumer, set apart by the freshness of its food.

The menu features an assortment of signature salad recipes, along with a create-your-own-salad option, soups and sandwiches. It’s a health-based restaurant, founded in Cherry Hill, N.J., in 1986, which began franchising in 1992.

Years in business:

Scheduled to open on March 25 but due to a restaurant closure mandate to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the owners hope to open sometime this spring, pending the governor’s order.

Employees:

15-20, mostly part-time employees

Cost to obtain f­ ranchise:

$30,000-$35,000 initial fee; $163,724-$452,292 initial investment; net worth requirement: $350,000; liquid cash requirement: $100,000

“Saladworks is a healthy alternative for lunch or dinner.

Predominantly, 65 to 70% of my revenue will be lunchtime business. The other 35% or so will be dinnertime. So, it’s mostly a lunchtime business. We’re in a perfect location for that. We are right in the heart of the business district. We were very lucky. It’s very exciting.”

John Pisaturo

HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE: Owners John Pisaturo and his wife, Aileen, are excited to open the first Saladworks franchise in Rhode Island, located at 75 Fountain St. in Providence.

PBN PHOTO/MIKE SKORSKI

“When my wife and I thought about acquiring a franchise in Rhode Island, we wanted something a little different. We wanted something a little more health conscious.

We wanted a healthy alternative for today’s consumer. We didn’t want the normal burger place, pizza place, sandwich place, that kind of thing. We came across this franchise, Saladworks; they’re based out of Philadelphia.

They caught our attention. That’s why we opened this restaurant.”

John Pisaturo

Reason for opening: Pisaturo and his wife were looking for a food-based franchise to purchase and considered opening a non-franchised restaurant. After researching the industry, they decided that a franchise operation was less risky.

Pisaturo did research on pedestrian traffic for the restaurant’s location on Fountain Street in the heart of the business district, leading him to lease the space. The Pisaturos wanted to own the first Saladworks in Rhode Island.

“It’s been challenging. It’s very timeconsuming being a franchise owner. It took a while after signing the franchise agreement in late August of 2018. But Saladworks has a phenomenal support team. They take you through the week-by-week process when you start.”

John Pisaturo

Franchise owners interested in being included in an upcoming Franchisee feature can contact Cassius Shuman at (401) 680-4884 or Shuman@PBN.com.

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Or email Advertising@PBN.com for more information www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | 5

FOR STARTERS SOMETHING NEW

SPOTLIGHT

FORCES JOINED: Alicia Piazza, left, and Nicole Eller combined their strengths in social media marketing to form The Spark Social Inc. PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

A merger sparked by a meeting

BY ELIZABETH GRAHAM | Graham@pbn.com NICOLE ELLER AND ALICIA PIAZZA were introduced at a networking event, and it didn’t take long for them to realize they shared a strong common interest in social media-driven marketing opportunities.

After working together on a few projects, a meetup for coffee led to an hourslong conversation. By its end, Eller proposed a business partnership, and Piazza was in. The Spark Social Inc. – the result of a merge between Eller’s Ginger Green Marketing and Piazza’s Custom Marketing Solutions – launched at the beginning of 2019. Based in Providence, the company specializes in helping businesses engage potential customers through a savvy use of social media.

“Our main focus is bringing clients business; we really want to bring our clients a life and personality to their social media,” said Eller, the venture’s vice president.

Thanks to its diverse group of clients, the company has so far seen minimal effects from the coronavirus crisis. Two clients, a small restaurant and an office furniture retailer, have “paused” their accounts, and another client almost pulled out completely until the Spark Social team suggested creative ways to be active online.

“It saved the account,” Eller said. n

ENDLESS CHOICES: Customers can choose from up to 4,000 styles and an array of finishes at Get The Picture, a custom framing shop in Lincoln launched nearly 20 years ago by owners Andy Langlois, right, and Mike Labbe.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Thinking outside the frame Shop offers own creative styles

BY ELIZABETH GRAHAM | Graham@pbn.com

CUSTOMERS WHO WALK INTO Get The Picture LLC in search of a custom frame are presented with row after row of choices – up to 4,000 styles are available at any one time.

Selection is varied, it rotates frequently and the emphasis is on the unique.

“We are constantly changing things around … the things on my wall are all hand-picked,” said Andy Langlois, the business’s co-founder.

“Being able to have that amount offers the customer the best selection.”

Langlois runs the shop with his business partner, Mike Labbe, but Langlois’ artistry is evident throughout the Lincoln shop.

Completed framing jobs hang amidst Langlois’ pastel and oil paintings, while styles for his own framing line, ARL Designs, stand out from simpler, more traditional choices.

He’s created about 10 different styles, many of which feature industrial or rustic finishes.

Launched about five years ago, the line’s sales took off last year when Langlois introduced some steampunk frame designs.

Objects such as gears and oldfashioned keys embellish the custom frames, channeling steampunk culture with its rusty, Industrial

Revolution-inspired look.

“They’ve been doing very, very well,” Langlois said, adding that samples of the frames can be found in shops across the country.

He plans on adding to the line this spring and introducing new styles at FrameCon, a trade show planned for this summer in Massachusetts.

For now, the shop is closed to walk-in traffic in the interest of public safety during the coronavirus pandemic. But the crisis didn’t seem to have an immediate impact on business. Mid-March saw a surge in demand, said Labbe.

“We were quite surprised, we were cleaning between every customer and having them come in one at a time,” he said.

Once the crisis subsides, the shop will open again. “No doubt about it,” Labbe said.

Langlois and Labbe, both Rhode Island natives, created their framing business nearly 20 years ago in Lincoln after Langlois realized it

was time to go out on his own. With five years of framing experience at a craft store and independent frame shop behind him, going solo was the next step, he reasoned.

Now, as a full-service custom picture framer, his shop serves customers seeking the finishing touch for photographs, artwork and keepsake or heirloom objects. Once a frame is selected from a dizzying array of finishes, from walnut, cherry and maple to gold or silver, Langlois builds it to size.

He has most jobs done in about 1½ weeks.

“The stuff I do, you know people really care about,” Langlois said. “I don’t think what people are framing has changed much. There’s never been a defined trend. It really kind of runs the gamut as far as what people are looking to frame.”

Before the coronavirus crisis, business was steady, and Langlois and Labbe were aiming to grow as ARL Designs continues to catch framers’ attention. The line was introduced in January at the West Coast Art & Frame Expo in Las Vegas, prompting several frame shops around the country to place orders for sample sets.

“I want to keep growing,” Langlois said. n

OWNERS: Andy Langlois and Mike Labbe

LOCATION: 893 Smithfield Ave., Lincoln

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2002

TYPE OF BUSINESS: Custom picture framing

EMPLOYEES: Two

ANNUAL SALES: WND

6 | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

FOR STARTERS HOT TOPIC

Bradford Soap Works Inc., AstroNova Inc., Yushin America Inc. and Silgan Dispensing Systems Slatersville LLC. (While Lifespan is hiring, the health network also recently furloughed some employees. Less than 1% of the system’s roughly 15,000 employees were furloughed due to low hospital occupancy amid preparations for a possible surge in COVID-19 patients, according to Lifespan spokeswoman Kathleen Hart.)

As unemployment claims in the state totaled 83,075 by April 1, with 79,061 claims labeled “COVID-specific” by the R.I. Department of Labor and Training, response to the openings has been swift.

Calls from job candidates to Skills­ RI, which normally total about 200 a week, are spiking. More than 100 calls came in during just one day in late March, and that week saw more than 1,000 job applications, a 340% increase from the week prior. Traffic on Skills­ RI’s Facebook page has increased by more than 2,300%.

It’s hard to tell how much spark the hundreds of job openings will add to an economy that’s been stalled by the coronavirus.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

And grocery chain Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. recently announced 5,000 open jobs spread across five states, including Rhode Island, although a company spokesman wouldn’t say how many openings are specific to the Ocean Sate.

Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, a nonprofit that helps connect job seekers with companies, is working with 13 businesses that are hiring. That’s a drop from the nonprofit’s usual lineup of about 90 employers, but some companies on its current roster are hiring in bulk.

Of the 1,400 to 1,500 jobs the group is working to fill, about 60% are related to the coronavirus outbreak, said Nina Pande, executive director of Skills for Rhode Island’s Future.

“We’re reprioritizing our workload right now because several employers are looking for high-volume hiring,” she said.

Openings listed by SkillsRI include positions at Honeywell International Inc.’s plant in Smithfield, which made national headlines after announcing it would hire 500 employees to manufacture N95 masks to protect health care workers from COVID-19.

Among other Rhode Island companies that need more workers amid coronavirus-related demand are Lifespan Corp., CharterCARE Health Partners, NINA PANDE, Skills Rhode BusinessLoanAds_1_25_20.qxp_BusinessLoanAd10x6375_1_25_20B 1/25/20 for 4:15 PM Page 1

HELP WANTED: Bradford Soap Works Inc. in West Warwick is one of numerous Rhode Island companies hiring even though the economy has hit the skids during the corona­virus pandemic. In this 2018 file photo, CEO and President Stuart Benton works on the packing floor with Bradford employees.

PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

“I think when you look at the volume we’re talking about versus the actual need, this is just a drop in the bucket,” Pande said.

At Tom’s Market, though, new workers are thankful to be employed, said co-owner Glenn Place.

The grocer is hoping to hire about

20 more people across its three locations, as customers, anxious to keep their home pantries full, continually empty store shelves.

Some recent arrivals work in the gig economy, and although they may still have one source of income, they’ve been laid off from other side jobs, Place said.

That renders them ineligible for unemployment but in need of more income to replace lost work. Current hiring is getting Tom’s Market the help it needs, but Place said, “We’re also trying to help those in the community who may need a job.” n director

‘I think when you look at the volume ... this is just a drop in the bucket.’

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www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | 7

FOR STARTERS | BUSINESS WOMEN

Stratton’s adviser role meaningful during crisis

BY SUSAN SHALHOUB | Contributing Writer

AMY

Stratton of the Providence law firm Moonan, Stratton & Waldman LLP guides clients through wills, probate and estate planning. With founding partner Irving Waldman practicing part time, the small firm is run by Stratton and Kristen Prull Moonan, offering clients legal services that are – by design – personal and meant to cover all bases.

“We are not only attorneys, we’ve become trusted advisers,” Stratton said recently. “We know their families, businesses, everything about them. We know much more than the traditional attorney.

I can’t think of a better way to practice law. I’m very lucky.”

Now the COVID-19 pandemic has added much more complexity to Stratton’s role.

With the coronavirus risk, the focus of Stratton’s practice – which involves estate planning and business succession – is even more pressing.

Stratton, who is accustomed to considering what-if and crisistype scenarios, has had to think

even further along these lines as clients call with concerns related to the pandemic. Many are anxious to make sure their affairs are in order if the worst were to happen.

“People are afraid and because this is a global pandemic, it affects every single person,” Stratton said.

“They are thinking, ‘What if I am not here anymore?’ ” And the work hasn’t slowed.

Even as other businesses have shut down temporarily, Stratton and the team at the law office have continued to assist clients throughout the crisis. “This is not a marketing opportunity,” she said. “We see this as a service opportunity, and we are lucky to be able to help.”

While still maintaining office hours, Stratton said that the firm is doing so with three things in mind: safety, consistency and flexibility. The staff works remotely when it can, but some clients still need to come into the office, such as for signing documents related to real estate transactions, she noted.

Even the smallest precautions are being taken.

ESSENTIAL SERVICE: Attorney Amy Stratton, who focuses on estate planning and business succession, says clients have sought out the services of her law firm, Moonan, Stratton & Waldman LLP, in these times of uncertainty.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

‘We are lucky to be able to help.’

AMY STRATTON, Moonan, Stratton & Waldman LLP law partner 8 | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

“We sanitize all high-touch points.

We give everyone a new pen and tell them to bring it home, or ask them to bring their own” rather than trying to sanitize each one, said Stratton.

Clients are also sent a pre-appointment note asking them if they have symptoms. Video and phone conferencing are at the ready for clients who don’t absolutely need to come in.

It’s an unprecedented time for Stratton, who has been practicing law for 23 years, nine of those with Moonan, Stratton & Waldman, a firm that focuses on real-estate law, business law, elder-law services, and helps clients with Medicaid matters as well.

Stratton majored in English at Boston College before earning a law degree at Suffolk University. Creative writing was her interest, and she finds it applicable to what she does now – often serving as a filter for clients to break down frequently impenetrable legal jargon.

“They don’t need to know the ins and outs of tax code. That’s what I’m here for,” said Stratton. “In cases of death, illness, divorce or family dysfunction … I can filter it through the legal estate-planning system and make sure they are OK.” Stratton regularly enlightens clients and potential clients on business, special needs, wills, probate and estate planning. She and her fellow team members speak to professional groups in the community about the importance of having proper legal documents and regular reviews to ensure circumstances that may have changed are covered, legally.

These topics might seem dry and boring, but Stratton’s creative nature comes into play in educating clients.

Often, she uses examples of celebrities who did not have adequate estate or business plans to illustrate the problems that can result.

As part of that creative flair, you won’t find shelf upon shelf of law books in her office. Instead, what you will find is a life-size inflatable figure of ex-wrestler Hulk Hogan. Calling it a “good visual,” it’s unexpected and gets people’s attention, she said.

Hogan has had multiple, wellpublicized, high-profile legal battles, including those in areas of estate planning and real estate. Legal lessons can be learned from his experiences and those of other high-earning celebrities, said Stratton, who once met Hogan at his beach shop in Clearwater, Fla. In this time of the COVID-19 crisis, Stratton is using all the tools she can to ensure clients and staff are safe.

Software allows her team to work remotely if needed. Hand sanitizer is at the ready, and clients who don’t need to visit the office won’t.

Serving clients’ legal needs in a comprehensive, complete way and delivering information succinctly and creatively is what Stratton’s office has been doing all along. Now, with COVID-19, the need for the firm’s services is clearer, and it is delivering service to those clients in different, necessary ways. n

NEWS BRIEFS | FOR STARTERS 2 R.I. companies file WARN notices for mass layoffs PROVIDENCE – Two companies in Rhode Island have filed notices with the state that they had laid off a combined 231 employees, according to the R.I. Department of Labor and Training website as of March 30.

AJ Capital Partners, owner and operator of the Graduate Providence hotel, said it had laid off 121 union workers in Providence, effective March 22, impacting members of Unite Here Local 26. The Graduate Providence is one of several Rhode Island hotels that has temporarily closed.

HMSHost, an operator of airport restaurants and other businesses, including businesses in T.F. Green Airport, filed a notice saying it had laid off 110 union workers in Warwick, also of Unite Here Local 26, effective from March 16 through April 2.

Neither business was closing operations in the state, DLT said.

Both companies filed Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notices with the state, which are required in the event of mass layoffs, such as more than 50 workers. n

UnitedHealthcare to pay $350K penalty to R.I.

R.I. extends tax filing deadlines

PROVIDENCE – UnitedHealthcare Insurance Co. and UnitedHealthcare of New England Inc. together will pay a $350,000 penalty to the state and make a $2.85 million contribution to a mental health fund at the Rhode Island Foundation.

The payments were announced March 30 by the R.I. Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner.

OHIC’s review of 301 behavioral health cases and 183 behavioral health prescriptions from 2014 through 2016 found evidence that UnitedHealthcare applied some coverage exclusions to behavioral health only and used a stricter benefit review program for behavioral health as opposed to physical health.

The insurer’s benefit-review practices violated state law, OHIC said, by hindering patient care. Examples included repeated reviews for services, recommendations for lower levels of care than physicians ordered and refusing to “adequately consider the patient’s need for continuity and transition of care, and for the patient’s safety and welfare when denying coverage requests,” OHIC said. n

PROVIDENCE – No penalties or interest will apply to individuals and certain business entities who file tax returns and pay balances due on or before July 15, the R.I. Division of Taxation announced March 27.

The extension of tax filing and payment deadlines from April 15 to July 15 is due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the extension, tax preparers and taxpayers are urged to file before the new deadline where possible. Those who are due refunds will receive them more quickly, especially if they e-file their returns, and filing and paying sooner will provide the state with essential funding for critical services, the division said.

The new deadline also applies to Rhode Island personal income tax extensions, property-tax relief claims, claims for the residential lead abatement tax credit, and fiduciary income tax returns and payments filed by estates and trusts related to the 2019 tax year. It also applies to first-quarter estimated payments of state income tax for the 2020 tax year. n

2 county courthouses closed temporarily PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Judiciary has shut down two county courthouses temporarily due to the coronavirus crisis, according to an executive order signed by R.I. Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul A. Suttell.

The courthouses are the McGrath Judicial Complex for Washington County in South Kingstown and the Murray Judicial Complex for Newport County in Newport.

The Judiciary said the closures, which started April 1, were due to reduced court hearings and to conserve resources and supplies.

Emergency and essential matters in Washington and Newport counties will be heard at the Noel Judicial Complex at 22 Quaker Lane in Warwick, the Judiciary said.

Since Gov. Gina M. Raimondo has prohibited gatherings of more than five people, Suttell signed an order to keep people separated if more than five people need to be in a courtroom for an arraignment or emergency hearing, WJAR-TV NBC 10 reported. n

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

PBN

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SEA CORP receives $2.4M to develop sub prototypes MIDDLETOWN – Systems Engineering Associates Corp. has been selected for a one-year, $2.4 million contract with the U.S. Navy, the company announced on March 30.

The company, which is also known as SEA CORP, will support the Navy through the Undersea Technology Innovation Consortium Other Transaction Authority.

The Undersea Technology Innovation Consortium promotes the “rapid development, prototyping and commercialization of innovative undersea and maritime technology” on behalf of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, according to a news release.

The contract award will enable SEA CORP to develop prototypes for new submarine payloads, both unmanned and kinetic.

“SEA CORP is looking forward to utilizing our subject matter expertise and experience to develop unique combat systems prototypes,” said Bill Blackburn, SEA CORP’s business area manager, in a statement. n

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FOR STARTERS | WHAT’S HAPPENING Leverage your team

MARKETING TIPS: Amanda Brinkman, a marketing professional at the Deluxe Corp., will provide a live online webinar on April 28 regarding how to market a business during the coronavirus crisis.

COURTESY AMANDA BRINKMAN

BARRY MOLTZ is hosting a one-hour live webinar for small businesses using the Harvard Business School case study “Who Has the Monkey?” to demonstrate to managers how they can learn to delegate to their staff and leverage their time to grow their company. Moltz is a nationally recognized speaker on small business and a member of the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, who has taught entrepreneurship as an adjunct professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 1 P.M. Free Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/2QWJkeh

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Marketing advice to combat an economic downturn AMANDA BRINKMAN, chief brand and communications officer for Deluxe Corp., will host a free, one-hour live online webinar about marketing a business during an economic downturn. Learn how to use your website to keep customers informed of critical information; engage with followers on social media even if they aren’t buying right now; update directory listings to communicate critical information such as offering curbside pickup; use email marketing to keep customers updated on the latest changes to your business; and take advantage of other marketing channels for brick-and-mortar locations, such as print marketing and signage so customers can understand how to engage with your business.

TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 1 P.M. Free Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3dFLEjg

SCORE mentors talk COVID-19 SCORE MENTORS will be hosting a live question-and-answer webinar in which they will field questions and concerns regarding the current

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

coronavirus crisis to help business owners adapt their operation to weather the storm. The Service Corps of Retired Executives will be accepting business-related questions during registration and during the live webinar. Duration of this online event will be 1½ hours.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1 P.M. Free Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/39w2Wfq

Risky startup behaviors MONIQUE DAIGNEAULT, a seasoned human resources professional with over three decades of corporate and entrepreneurial experience, is hosting a one-hour webinar designed to teach participants about seven dysfunctional thinking patterns; how to identify which of these toxic behaviors are negatively impacting success; techniques to mitigate the risk of this toxicity by improving cognitive agility; and strategies to prevent derailing yourself while increasing emotional discipline.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 11 A.M. Free Online webinar.

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WHAT’S HAPPENING | FOR STARTERS Benefits of volunteering SCORE EXECUTIVES Bridget Weston, acting CEO of SCORE Association and SCORE certified mentor, and Ed Coleman, district director, will be presenting a free, one-hour live webinar in recognition of National Volunteer Month. The webinar will be focused on how small businesses can benefit and grow from volunteering in their communities. Weston and Coleman will discuss the impact volunteering has on the nation.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 1 P.M. Free Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/3bwpJcu

Understanding the flow system NIGEL THURLOW, creator of the award-winning course, “Scrum the Toyota Way,” and his co-creators of “The Flow System,” Brian Rivera and professor John Turner, are hosting a two-day training course about that system. The flow system is designed for organizations to understand complexity, embrace teamwork and leverage autonomous team-based leadership structures. The course is designed to lead participants through the fundamentals of the Toyota production system, the philosophies of

the Toyota Way and its customer-first principles.

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Get certified THE R.I. DEPARTMENT of Administration’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Opportunity will conduct this free workshop for firms interested in applying for certification as a Minority Business Enterprise, Women Business Enterprise, Veteran Business Enterprise and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise. The ODEO says having a minority-owned business certification can help business owners tap into a multitude of public- and private-sector programs.

MONDAY, JUNE 1, 6:30-7:30 P.M. Free

ganization supports the work of local nonprofit organizations throughout Rhode Island and tries to strengthen their impact through a giving process while also striving to maximize women’s leadership in philanthropy.

If attendees would like to join, they can fill out a commitment form and participate in the organization’s voting process.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 6-7:30 P.M. Free Candita Clayton Gallery, 999 Main St., #105, Pawtucket.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/3apMpey

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Women’s group seeks members

FOUNTAINHEAD RHODE ISLAND will be hosting its first panel event of 2020, which will examine various topics associated with diversity, equity and inclusion, including why it is relevant in the business world and its impact on millennials and Generation Z. Panelists and participants will explore issues related to not having a diverse culture, the impact of that on the bottom line and building involvement with community and business leaders, emphasizing how to promote an inclusive culture at work.

MONDAY, JUNE 8, 6-9 P.M. Free

100 WOMEN WHO CARE in Rhode Island is hosting its quarterly meeting, which will also be a networking event to invite new members. The or-

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/2UIuQPU

Cranston Public Library, 140 Sockanosset Cross Road, Cranston.

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Marketing conference THE PROVIDENCE DIGITAL Marketing conference program will be spread over three consecutive days with three hours of live streaming content split into two 1½-hour sessions with a one-hour break in between. This enables attendees to manage work commitments around the schedule.

If participants miss segments of the conference, video-on-demand of the streamed presentations will be available after the event. The conference’s lineup is designed to help participants reinforce customer loyalty, improve lead generation, increase sales, drive stronger consumer engagement and help develop an audience while enhancing marketing efforts.

TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 10 A.M. TO THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 3 P.M. $197$347 Online webinar.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit. ly/2RcLDtR

The Guild: Tap Room, 461 Main St., Pawtucket.

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

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CORONAVIRUS CRISIS HOSPITALS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

This was the calm before the COVID-19 pandemic arrives in full force, and Judith Ann Thorpe wasn’t about to let that time go to waste.

“Every day we get to plan and prepare, we are grateful for. It’s been a very intense time,” Thorpe, Kent Hospital’s chief nursing officer, said recently. “If you were to walk around the hospital, it would feel like there’s an increased sense of urgency and awareness.”

The relative calm inside some of Rhode Island’s largest hospitals, where many surgeries have been postponed as health systems clear the way for a possible flood of coronavirus patients, stood in contrast to preparations for the pandemic in recent weeks outside the hospitals and beyond.

Outside Kent Hospital, the urgency has been inescapable. Ambulances arriving at the emergency department pulled up to a tent where patients were screened for symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Signs directed people to a separate respiratory triage tent near the main emergency room entrance.

A similar scene has been playing out at Rhode Island Hospital, where tents flanked emergency room entrances to screen walk-in patients and those arriving by ambulance.

In separate tents at Kent and Rhode Island hospitals, R.I. Department of Health workers administered coronavirus tests for people who had been approved by state health officials to receive them.

At Kent, about 60 tests have been performed daily by the DOH since March 13, said Shannon R. Sullivan, vice president of operations for both Kent Hospital and its parent Care New England Health System.

For all the activity outside the hospitals, health care providers said they were bracing for much more.

And, they insisted, they were ready for it.

“Our hospitals are completely prepared for people coming to the emergency department and to care for people who are sick,” Dr. Jeremiah

Schurr, Lifespan Corp.’s physician-in-chief of emergency medicine, said in late March, as the number of cases in Rhode Island started a steeper climb.

Dr. Mitchell M. Levy, medical director of the intensive care unit at Rhode Island Hospital, said he was confident in both state and hospital preparation, thanks in part to lessons learned from Italy and other European countries hit hard by the coronavirus.

Measures such as banning hospital visitors soon after COVID-19 appeared in Rhode Island have been vital, said Levy, who has also been working closely with state health officials during

‘If we were to have an outbreak right now similar to what you’re seeing in New York City or New Orleans, we are not ready for that.’

GOV. GINA M. RAIMONDO

PREPARED: Health workers type on laptops inside the incoming COVID-19 patient tent set up outside the Emergency Department at Rhode Island Hospital in ­Providence.

COURTESY LIFESPAN CORP.

12 | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

the crisis as the lead representative for criticalcare providers.

“I’ve heard from a number of my [international] colleagues that we have been ahead of the curve in mitigation and preventing the spread,” he said.

Still, things could change quickly.

“I think it’s likely we will get quite full and more than full, we’ll be in surge capacity,” said Dr. John Murphy, Lifespan’s executive vice president for physician affairs and interim president of Rhode Island Hospital.

Gov. Gina M. Raimondo says local hospitals are not ready for the worst-case scenario.

“If we were to have an outbreak right now similar to what you’re seeing in New York City or New Orleans, we are not ready for that. We are not ready for a surge of cases,” she said.

HIDDEN PROBLEM Even with hundreds of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Rhode Island, dozens of people hospitalized and several fatalities, as of April 1, health officials acknowledged they don’t have a grasp on the full scope of the pandemic in Rhode Island.

Limited testing supplies and protective gear for health care workers have forced officials to restrict testing to hospital patients, health care workers, nursing home residents and those who are ill and have been exposed to the virus.

Both Care New England and Lifespan say several of their employees have tested positive for the virus, although neither would give a specific number.

“We know there are other cases out there,” Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, Rhode Island health director, said on March 27.

Right now, some emergency room patients at Rhode Island Hospital who arrive with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 are discharged without testing if they are not seriously ill.

Primary care doctors within the health system are regularly speaking to people who are likely positive as well, but who are told to recuperate at

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

HITTING THE RIGHT NOTE: Providence Public Schools psychologist Natalie Fleming displays one of the thank-you notes she and a co-worker were placing on cars in the employee parking lot at Kent County Memorial Hospital in Warwick on March 27.

PBN PHOTO/DAVE HANSEN

home, Murphy said.

Raimondo said the state would be conducting 1,000 tests a day by April 2, a significant jump from the 100-200 tests per day being performed in the weeks after the state’s first positive case.

Raimondo has publicly asked for donations of supplies, appealing to private manufacturers and businesses, as well as health care facilities for nasal swabs and gear.

Once supplies arrive, sites such as a tent set up outside Newport Hospital for the Department of Health to conduct testing can be put to use.

Sites at the University of Rhode Island, Community College of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College were scheduled to begin offering drive-thru testing on April 1.

“Depending on how Rhode Island does with access to testing and testing materials, we might see a skyrocketing number of cases,” said Jeffery Bratberg, a clinical professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Rhode Island’s College of Pharmacy. “But we might keep that curve flattened in terms of access to health care for anyone who requires hospitalization for COVID-19.

“And that’s where the goal is here for the next

‘It’s been a very intense time. If you were to walk around the hospital, it would feel like there’s an increased sense of urgency and awareness.’

few weeks,” he said.

Dr. Albert Puerini, CEO and president of Rhode Island Primary Care Physicians Corp., a group that includes 150 primary care doctors and 500 specialists, said he has confidence in Rhode Island hospitals’ approach to the crisis.

“I think it’s been enough for now,” he said. “I think everybody knows this could get a lot worse, and they’re anticipating plans in the future that they may have to do. Clearly they’re anticipating the worst and preparing for it.”

SURGE PLANNING Preparations at Lifespan included assembling “surge plans” and refitting some emergency department rooms into negative-pressure rooms, which don’t allow contaminants to escape. Patients who are potential COVID-19 positives are taken directly to the specialized rooms, Murphy said.

The hospital system also increased its normal count of 113 intensive care unit beds to 183 spread across Miriam, Newport and Rhode Island hospitals.

Lifespan, which has 150 ventilators system-

wide, uses about 50 on a typical day under normal circumstances.

The health system “has had and will have” coronavirus patients in its ICUs, but won’t release specific numbers, Murphy said.

Care New England has seen its share of COVID-19 cases as well, although Sullivan noted that keeping exact records is difficult because not all people with suspected cases are admitted to the hospital.

“We see a lot of patients that we are testing, but if they then get discharged home, they may get that information after they’ve left the emergency room,” she said.

As of late March, Kent had been seeing about 15 inpatients a day who were awaiting COVID-19 test results, Sullivan said.

The hospital has 15 ICU beds, and has prepared another unit for use as an ICU if need be.

Under normal circumstances, there are 188 ICU beds and 352 emergency room beds statewide. As of late March, more than 100 ICU beds were occupied, about 10% of them by coronavirus patients, some of whom were on ventilators, according to the Department of Health.

Prior to the crisis, the state had about 200 ventilators on hand. State health officials have been “working very hard” to increase that number to 600, Alexander-Scott said on March 30.

The number of COVID-19 cases continued to climb as March turned to April – as did the number of those hospitalized from the disease – but health care providers indicated that hospitals hadn’t reached a crisis point yet.

“We’re very organized,” Deborah Coppola, Rhode Island Hospital’s vice president and associate chief nursing officer, said in late March.

“We’ve been planning since mid-January.”

But Rhode Island, within 200 miles of the more than 47,000 COVID-19 cases in New York City, is uncomfortably close to the national hot spot for CONTINUES ON PAGE 14

GRATEFUL: Kent County Memorial Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Judith Ann Thorpe says the hospital is grateful for every day it gets to plan and prepare for a potential surge in COVID-19 patients.

PBN PHOTO/DAVE HANSEN

JUDITH ANN THORPE, Kent County Memorial Hospital chief nursing officer www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | 13

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

the virus, which threatens to overwhelm hospitals there.

To curtail the spread from New York, Raimondo ordered everyone entering Rhode Island to selfquarantine for 14 days, enlisting the state police and National Guard to stop cars with out-of-state plates and go door to door in some communities to tell visitors to self-quarantine.

While doctors such as Levy are confident the state’s hospitals can handle a substantial wave of infected patients, a big surge could come without warning.

“I wake up every day wondering am I going to come in and the number of patients in my hospital with COVID-19 are doubled. I don’t know the answer to that,” Levy said. “I feel like we’re prepared if the worst comes to happen, which is that we see widespread infection and admissions to hospitals across the state.”

FISCAL PAIN Many in the health care industry predict an enormous financial impact once the crisis is over.

Help is on the way, with $100 billion in a $2 trillion federal stimulus package bound for hospitals nationwide. The aid, signed by President Donald Trump on March 27, includes $1.25 billion to be used across Rhode Island, including at its health care facilities.

Rhode Island, along with other states, is also in line for additional Medicaid funding, according to M. Teresa Paiva Weed, president of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island.

“The hospitals will be seeking some of that funding,” she said.

But as more surgeries and procedures are delayed to free resources and keep hospital occupancy at a minimum, hospitals and health care facilities are facing steep drops in revenue. Those losses, combined with the enormous costs of equipment and materials to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, along with overtime for staff, promise to be staggering.

Murphy, of Lifespan, estimated that the health system, the state’s largest, will rack up dramatic losses.

“It will be hundreds and hundreds of millions.

A $350 million cost is not a bad figure to pick, and that might be low,” he said.

Supply and staffing shortages are only going to add to financial woes, Paiva-Weed said.

“Hospitals are experiencing extraordinary financial losses in preparation for a possible surge,” she said.

Primary care practices, which are fielding constant calls from patients anxious to be tested or who have developed mild respiratory symptoms, are caught up in the crisis as well. Although some

VITAL STEPS: Dr. Mitchell M. Levy, medical director of the ICU at Rhode Island Hospital, says measures such as banning hospital visitors soon after COVID-19 appeared in Rhode Island have been vital in terms of mitigation and preventing the spread of the ­coronavirus.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

‘I wake up every day wondering am I going to come in and the number of patients in my hospital with COVID-19 are doubled.’

DR. MITCHELL M. LEVY, Rhode Island Hospital medical director of the intensive care unit are continuing to see patients in person, most appointments and outpatient procedures aren’t taking place.

Raimondo’s mandate ordering health insurers to pay for telephone or virtual visits during the length of the crisis has helped quite a bit, said Puerini.

At Thundermist Health Center, which provides primary care and other outpatient services throughout the state, patient counts are down but doctors are honing virtual capabilities.

“We are very appreciative of the measures that have been put in place to reimburse and make those available,” said Amanda Barney, Thundermist’s assistant vice president of communications and development. “In the past two weeks we have seen a decline in visits, but we fully expect the needs of our patients are going to evolve through this crisis. We could see a surge in patients who have the coronavirus and need to manage their symptoms,” she said.

Puerini predicted that the increase in technology use will lead to more permanent changes for many doctors and patients.

“I think we’re going to see more digital health,” Puerini said. “That has kind of lingered on the sidelines for to or three years. Providers want to do it, but payers are slow to do it. I think a lot of things to come out of this will be positive. It’s going to make the health care industry look in the mirror and say, ‘What can we do better?’ ” n

AWAITING PATIENTS: An R.I. Department of Health worker waits outside the incoming COVID-19 patient tent set up outside Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. The tent is used by health department workers to administer coronavirus tests for people who have been approved by state health officials to receive them.

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14 | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

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www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | 15

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

A guide to surviving as the bills come due

BY SARAH SKIMORE SELL | The Associated Press

THE CORONAVIRUS HAS DEALT a financial blow to millions of Americans and now April’s bills are coming due.

The good news is there is help available. Reach out immediately to your mortgage lender, student-loan servicer or utility provider to see what’s available. Other assistance, such as stimulus checks or unemployment benefits, will take more time. The bottom line is that you need to take action to seek certain forms of relief. n Housing: Numerous mortgage lenders have said they are willing to work with distressed borrowers, including potentially suspending or reducing payments. Contact them immediately to learn about your options.

If you hold a mortgage backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac – about half of all mortgage holders do – there is help. The mortgage buyers have suspended all foreclosures and evictions for homes owned by their companies. They’ve also expanded their forbearance program, which could suspend payments for up to a year. Ask the company you make your payments to if you hold a Fannie or Freddie loan.

The federal government has also halted foreclosures and evictions for mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administra-

tion.

Renters’ fate depends on where they live and who they rent from. Reach out to your landlord or property-management company to ask for leniency. n Utilities: Gas, electric and other utility providers often have assistance programs for customers who cannot pay in full. There are also government and charitable programs to help low-income or struggling households.

Ask the utility provider for referrals or call 2-1-1 for help finding local social-service programs or charities. n Health insurance: COBRA allows workers who have been laid off from large employers to pay to continue their health insurance coverage, but it can be prohibitively expensive. Being laid off also qualifies

ACCESS DENIED: Visitors to the N.Y. Department of Labor are turned away at the door by personnel due to closures over coronavirus concerns on March 18. The coronavirus pandemic has hurt many households financially, but there are ways to get some relief.

AP FILE PHOTO/JOHN MINCHILLO

‘Companies are rolling out programs to help with missed or late payments.’

KRISTIN PUGH, certified financial planner 16 | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

as a life event for most insurers, which means someone could get on a partner’s insurance outside of the normal open enrollment period.

Several states have reopened their individual insurance exchanges to people who didn’t find coverage during the regular sign-up windows that started last fall. People who have lost coverage through their employer are allowed to shop on the exchanges outside the regular enrollment period.

Some households may qualify for their state’s Medicaid program, too. n Debt: If you are struggling to pay your credit card, auto loan or other debt, reach out to your lender. They’ve been instructed by federal regulators to work with borrowers impacted by the virus.

Banks have said they are willing to make arrangements such as waiving fees, temporarily lowering interest rates or making other payment arrangements. n Student loans: Federal loan borrowers can now seek an emergency administrative forbearance, which would allow them to postpone payments for up to 60 days. Contact a servicer to apply.

The federal government also lowered the interest rate on all federally held student loans to 0%. However, that will not lower the monthly payment; instead it will apply the payment entirely to the principal balance.

The government has also temporarily halted collections and wage garnishment for borrowers who’ve fallen behind on their federal student loans. It has instructed private collection agencies to follow suit.

If you have private student loans, contact your servicer. n Budget: It’s time to cut any nonessential expenses. Day care or monthly commuting passes might be paused or lowered during unemployment.

Consider extra work if you can to bring in income. If you still come up short, stay calm.

“Companies are rolling out programs to help with missed or late payments,” said Kristin Pugh, a certified financial planner. “If you can’t make a payment or can only make a partial payment, you need to be proactive and reach out.”

If necessary, consider seeking aid for basic needs such as food and shelter. Or consider local food banks. United Way and 2-1-1 can also help you find socialservice support you may qualify for in your area. n Government help: Yes, the government is delivering one-time payments to adults, but those are still weeks away.

Evelyn Zohlen, a certified financial planner and chair of the Financial Planning Association, urges people to use that money for needs, not wants. If you are not in need, consider dropping that money into an emergency savings fund.

If you are laid off or your income has been reduced, apply for unemployment as soon as possible.

Congress is beefing up what states can offer – including allowing part-time, selfemployed and gig-economy workers who typically weren’t covered to seek benefits. People who are quarantined, left work due to risk of exposure or to care for a family member can also apply.

Applications can typically take two to three weeks to process, though the surge in applications could extend that time frame. n

The Federal Government’s $2 Trillion Dollar Economic Stimulus Bill can Help Your Company Survive.

Join PBN and our panel of industry experts as we explore what’s in it for you and your company.

April 16, 2020 | 9-11am A panel of accounting, banking and legal experts will discuss: • What you need to know to help your business weather this crisis.

• How to use it most effectively to support your business.

• Opportunities it can provide.

• Pitfalls to avoid.

Some of the specific topics to be covered: • How to take advantage of the $350 billion forgivable loan program designed to ensure that small businesses do not lay off employees.

• Understanding how the 50% refundable payroll tax credit on worker wages will further incentivize your businesses and retain workers.

• New rules that will allow businesses to offset more.

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• Managing Nonprofit Finances during the Coronavirus Crisis

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FOCUS | INSURANCE

DLT scrambles to absorb brunt of jobless claims

BY ELIZABETH GRAHAM | Graham@PBN.com

THE

R.I. Department of Labor and Training found itself in an uncomfortable spotlight during the Great Recession. With thousands of people who were laid off or unable to find a job, backlogs at DLT’s call center where unemployment claims were processed meant people filing for benefits were spending long, frustrating hours on the phone.

“The call wait times were through the roof during the recession, and they no longer are,” said DLT Director Scott R. Jensen, who was not at the agency at the time. “We had some of the worst administrative performance for unemployment insurance timeliness in the country.”

Straightening out the inefficiency is a lesson learned from the recession years.

It’s coming in handy now as thousands of Rhode Islanders file for unemployment insurance daily while coronavirus prevention efforts all but suffocate the local economy.

DLT’s online capabilities are crucial, and will become even more so if call center employees are exposed to COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, and need to go into quarantine.

“We’re working very, very hard on technological solutions to the influx of customers,” Jensen said. “If you don’t

have to call in, and we … can do it on the internet and through smart deployment of technology and data analytics, then we can get clean claims through and only deal with complicated claims by talking to somebody on the phone.”

As of April 1, nearly 80,000 state residents had filed for unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The flood of claims set records shortly after Gov. Gina M. Raimondo eliminated the seven-day waiting period normally in place before workers can file for unemployment or temporary disability insurance.

The change meant that the minute someone heard they were out of a job, needed to self-quarantine for two weeks, had to care for someone with COVID-19 or were sick themselves, they were free to apply for assistance.

As of April 1, nearly 7,000 people had filed for temporary disability insurance in Rhode Island for coronavirus-related reasons.

It’s the unemployment numbers, though, that are staggering. It was January 1992, in the aftermath of Rhode Island’s banking crisis, when the state set a high mark for unemployment benefits, with 5,800 people filing in a single week.

TOUGH ROAD AHEAD: Scott R. Jensen, director of the R.I. Department of Labor and Training, knows the state’s $500 million unemployment insurance trust fund is about to take a big hit. He isn’t sure just how big.

PBN PHOTO/ RUPERT WHITELEY

‘We do know the effect is going to be pretty profound.’

SCOTT R. JENSEN, R.I. Department of Labor and Training director 18 | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

On March 16, that record was eclipsed when 6,100 applied. Since then, numbers have only increased.

There’s no way of predicting where it will end, officials say.

The only thing to do right now is prepare and brace, Jensen said, adding that the challenge “hasn’t come into focus in a lot of states yet.”

Other states, including those in New England, are in similar situations.

The hospitality industry is particularly hard-hit, with many bars and restaurants closed. But the effects have rippled through most sectors in the state as many workers have been asked to stay home to slow the spread of the disease.

DLT doesn’t yet have data on the number of companies that have closed but expects to in coming weeks as it gathers information from processed claims.

“It is radically unprecedented,” Jensen said. “In a typical recession, in an economic-related slowdown, it ramps down much more slowly.

Now we’re hopeful that this one will bounce back much more quickly because this is a health-motivated shutdown of the economy.”

It’s possible that the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund will run out of money, much like it did during the Great Recession in 2009 and 2010, when Rhode Island was forced to borrow more than $320 million from the federal government to keep benefits flowing. It was one of 33 states that needed that type of assistance at a time of a severe economic downturn and a double-digit unemployment rate.

The trust fund balance hovers around $500 million, plenty of cash under normal circumstances. Not now.

The temporary disability trust fund, which also covers temporary caregiver insurance, stands at about $90 million.

Jensen acknowledged that the balances are about to plunge, but there are no clear projections by how much.

“We do know the effect is going to be pretty profound,” Jensen said.

Adjustments have been made to the unemployment insurance taxing structure since the Great Recession, but that’s no guarantee that the trust fund will remain solvent.

“This particular crisis right now is unprecedented, and the upfront number of people who are applying … is a new territory and for not only Rhode Island but for everyone,” Jensen said.

“The changes that we made are not going to be the solution to a flood of applications.”

The key, he added, is to continue to work with Raimondo and the federal government.

If the trust fund runs dry, the state will get a federal loan, and as the economy recovers, employers will pay higher unemployment taxes until the fund is restored.

Following the Great Recession, Rhode Island businesses covered about $9 million to $10 million in interest on the federal loans and replenished the dried-up unemployment insurance trust fund in part by paying a higher unemployment-insurance tax rate. n

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FOCUS | INSURANCE INTERRUPTION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

interruption insurance is not going to cover this,” she said.

“It is absolutely a disaster and my business has been interrupted.”

She is not alone.

Standard business interruption insurance policies require physical damage to insured property under specific, outlined circumstances such as natural disasters or vandalism. While certain insurers may provide limited coverage for physical contamination, which could in theory cover a workplace where someone tested positive for COVID-19, most policies specifically exclude disease and pandemic circumstances, according to Joseph Padula, managing director of property and casualty insurance for Hilb Group of New England LLC. Manufacturers whose supply chains have been disrupted could also receive coverage under a specific type of policy known as contingent business interruption insurance, which lets businesses transfer risk of losses to a third party. However, like standard interruption policies, this coverage usually

DIFFICULT POSITION: Karen Lee, owner of Breathing Time Yoga Inc., has been reduced to holding classes online during the coronavirus crisis. She had business interruption insurance but has been told it doesn’t cover hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

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INSURANCE | FOCUS requires physical property damage.

Asked if there were any policies that could apply to the intangible economic challenges facing businesses under these circumstances, Padula said, “Truthfully, no.

“There has not been a demand to insure the risk, so the insurance market hasn’t focused on it,” he said.

“You can insure anything ... but no one really foresaw this.”

In the aftermath of the pandemic, new policies could be developed, similar to what Lloyds of London rolled out in 2014 in response to the Ebola epidemic, according to Loretta Worters, vice president of media relations for the Insurance Information Institute. Worters anticipated that these so-called parametric policies would be costly and wouldn’t retroactively apply to the hardships businesses are already facing, which Worters likened to insuring a burning building.

Padula also noted that insurance companies might consider putting in a small coverage sublimit – up to $100,000 – to cover pandemic situations as a way to “retain some good will with the policyholder.”

In the meantime, business owners have other avenues for relief, including potentially through legal action.

While most policies specifically cover physical injury, courts have not come down on exactly what that means.

“There could be recourse to stretch the definition of the term,” said Greg Tumolo, senior counsel and head of employment law for Duffy & Sweeney Ltd. “It’s all fluid right now.

We are in uncharted territory.”

“It looks black and white often-

‘You can insure anything ... but no one really foresaw this.’

JOSEPH PADULA, Hilb Group of New England managing director of property and casualty insurance

times, but that’s not always the case,” agreed Jean Harrington, a partner at Duffy & Sweeney who chairs the business law team.

Tumolo expected to see an increase in litigation from business owners challenging insurance policies in the coming weeks and months.

These kinds of cases are usually settled out of court, but he wasn’t ruling out some would go to trial.

“It is foreseeable that insurance companies may want to clarify certain things regarding liability under policies and not settle to see what the courts are going to say,” he said.

Padula reported several clients had filed claims relating to their insurance policies, though none were interested in being interviewed for this story.

Lee was unaware of the potential for legal recourse but said she was interested and planned to ask her lawyer. That said, she was also busy with the transition to an all-virtual set of classes, which she reported were going well, despite a few technical kinks to work out. The studio was up to three classes daily with some attracting two dozen participants, including out-of-state yogis.

Another path to insurance policy coverage could be legislation. A New Jersey state lawmaker in March introduced a bill that, if approved, would require general property insurance policies for businesses with 100 or fewer employees to also cover economic losses related to COVID-19 or other viruses.

Rep. Joseph McNamara, D-Warwick, announced on March 31 that he was drafting similar legislation to be introduced in the General Assembly, with plans to fast-track the bill as soon as the lawmakers reconvene.

Recalling his own frustrations with lack of coverage during crises he faced as a small-business owner, he said denying businesses who purchased interruption insurance now went against the intent of the policy.

Successful legislation to force insurers to cover COVID-19 losses could have its own economic consequences, potentially forcing insurance companies to go out of business, Worters warned.

“Moreover, if you have insurers paying for coverage that was not bought ... they would never be able to pay on all the other lines of insurance,” she said in an emailed statement. “It would be a disaster not only affecting insurers but their other customers.”

McNamara, however, said this was crying wolf.

“If you’re going to sell business interruption insurance, have the intent of covering unanticipated interruptions when they occur,” he said. “Otherwise, do not get engaged in selling that product.” n

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FOCUS |R.I.R.I.INDEPENDENT INDEPENDENTINSURANCE INSURANCEAGENCIES AGENCIES (ranked (rankedbybynumber numberof employees) of employees) 2020 rank

1

2019: 2

2

2019: 3

3

2019: 6

4

2019: 5

5

2019: 7

6

2019: 8

7

2019: 9

7

2019: 10

9

2019: 10

10 2019: 13

11

2019: 15

12 2019: 16

13 2019: 14

14 2019: 17

15 2019: 21

15 2019: 18

17

2019: 21

17

2019: 18

19 2019: 24

20 2019: 25

Agency Website CEO/President

Address

Hilb Group of New England hilbgroupne.com Robert F. Calise, president of benefits; Joseph J. Padula, president of property and casualty

931 Jefferson Blvd.

Warwick, R.I. 02886 (800) 232-0582

Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Inc. starshep.com Larry Keefe, chairman and CEO

60 Catamore Blvd.

East Providence, R.I. 02914 (401) 435-3600

No. of employees

CLOSER LOOK Types of insurance written

185

Employee benefits advisory, HR consulting, property and casualty, retirement planning

138

Casualty, commercial, employee benefits, personal, property, risk-management services, surety bonding

376 Newport Ave. East Providence, R.I. 02916 (401) 431-9200

66

All lines, including commercial, health, life and personal

500 West Main Road Middletown, R.I. 02842 (401) 847-5200

55

Commercial, financial services, marine, personal

475 Kilvert St. Warwick, R.I. 02886 (855) 874-0123

54

Carey, Richmond & Viking Insurance crvinsurance.com V. David Andrade, president

2 Corporate Place Middletown, R.I. 02842 (401) 683-3900

50

Coastal and high net worth residential, construction, cyber, financial institutions, independent schools

Butler & Messier Insurance Roger L. Messier, president

1401 Newport Ave. Pawtucket, R.I. 02861 (401) 728-3200

38

Commercial and personal insurance, including employee benefits and health plans

125 Metro Center Blvd., Suite 3001 Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 732-9100

38

All lines, including commercial, health, life and personal

500 South Main St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 751-9400

35

Annuities, life insurance and long-term care insurance to financial-service individuals and institutions

42 Weybosset St., Suite 500 Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 273-7323

27

Commercial property and casualty, executive life, group health benefits, personal lines, surety and bonding

Loiselle Insurance Agency loiselleinsurance.com Robert B. Loiselle, president

279 Dexter St. Pawtucket, R.I. 02860 (401) 723-8510

24

Commercial and personal insurance

WD & Associates wdandassociates.com William Delmage, founder

34 Hemingway Drive East Providence, R.I. 02915 (401) 435-4239

23

Benefits consulting analysis, claims projection, group benefits, HR consulting, strategic planning

100 Westminster St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 331-7700

22

Health and benefits, property and casualty, reinsurance

Thompson Insurance Group thompsoninsurancegroup.net Kenneth Thompson, president

2761 Pawtucket Ave. East Providence, R.I. 02914 (401) 434-7203

20

Auto, business, flood, homeowners, life, property, surety bonds, workers' compensation

Hunter Insurance Inc. hunterinsurance.net Brian M. Hunter, president

389 Old River Road Lincoln, R.I. 02838 (401) 769-9500

16

Auto, business, commercial, home, life

Woodmansee Insurance Inc. woodmanseeins.com Ralph H. Woodmansee, president

1122 Main St., P.O. Box 246 Richmond, R.I. 02898 (401) 539-7000

16

Commercial and personal insurance

Doorley Insurance Agency doorleyagency.com Mark C. Doorley, president; Matthew P. Doorley, vice president

17 Sixth Ave. East Greenwich, R.I. 02818 (401) 886-9600

15

Casualty, commercial, health, life, personal, property

Rose & Kiernan rkinsurance.com John C. Tickner, senior vice president

138 Main St. South Kingstown, R.I. 02879 (401) 782-1800

15

Specializes in construction, group health and benefits, health care, workers' compensation and surety

Lathrop Insurance Agency Inc. lathropinsurance.com Dan L. Lathrop; John Lathrop, presidents

85A Beach St. Westerly, R.I. 02891 (401) 596-2525

10

Solutions for contractors and builders, including workers' compensation, and manufacturing

Chestnut Hill Insurance Group Greg Agnone

2 Chestnut Hill Road Glocester, R.I. 02814 (401) 568-2836

9

Bonds, commercial and personal lines, group, life, microcaptives, workers' compensation

B

Cross Insurance Rhode Island Gary Edward Heaslip, president

OceanPoint Insurance Agency Douglas K. Mayhew

crossagency.com

C

oceanpointins.com

USI Insurance Services LLC usi.com Michael J. Sicard, chairman and CEO

ButlerAndMessier.com

Gallo|Thomas Insurance Agency Inc. gallothomas.com Thomas J. DiSanto, president

Brokers' Service Marketing Group Jason E. Lea, CEO

Eastern Insurance Group John Koegel

bsmg.net

easterninsurance.com

D

Commercial Risk Solutions Paul Roy, managing director

aon.com

chestnuthillins.com

1 Cross Insurance Rhode Island acquired Gardiner, Whiteley, Boardman Insurance Agency LLC of Pawtucket on March 1, 2019.

Insurance Agency acquired Paquin Insurance Agency of Tiverton on April 5, 2019.

222 OceanPoint | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com 3 Formerly Aon Risk Services Northeast Inc.

Auto, employee benefits, home, property and casualty, retirement consulting, risk management

Total number of employees:

856 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 Boutique Hotels, Regional Hotels (April 10); Adult Education Programs, Online Degree Programs (April 17) 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 Cross Insurance Rhode Island acquired Gardiner, Whiteley, Boardman Insurance Agency LLC of Pawtucket on March 1, 2019.  OceanPoint Insurance Agency acquired Paquin Insurance Agency of Tiverton on April 5, 2019.  Formerly Aon Risk Services Northeast Inc.

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PBN.COM | ANOTHER LOOK Stepping Up: Keeping the faith, virtually

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

(Editor’s note: This is a condensed version of a story published on PBN.com on March 26.)

EAST GREENWICH – The Rev. Joshua Barrow is something of an anomaly for his generation.

For one thing, he’s a Catholic priest. He also has bucked the millennial affinity for social media – until a few days ago, the 30-year-old never had a Facebook account.

But since Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church halted its services at the urging of state and federal officials, as well as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, Barrow has upped his social media game while spearheading a $7,000-plus investment in equipment to start livestreaming weekend Mass.

While churches across the state have turned to virtual services in recent weeks to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus, most have streamed using more-basic equipment. That’s often included a cellphone on a tripod, and maybe a boom microphone, Barrow said.

But Barrow, who lists building computers as one of his hobbies in his profile on the church website, wanted something a bit more sophisticated. So the church hired West Warwick-based BCI Computers

READY TO STREAM: Andrew Calore, left, BCI Computers vice president, and the Rev. Joshua Barrow, associate pastor for Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in East Greenwich. The church installed equipment to livestream Masses, along with creating new social media pages for parishioners.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

to install a $3,500 video-production streaming system, plus two $1,800 cameras. That price tag doesn’t include installation and labor costs.

“It is a lot of money,” Barrow admitted, adding that church donations have decreased without the physical collection during regular Masses, though some members were still

dropping off donations or contributing online.

But he considered the cost a worthwhile investment and a service for the many parishioners who had reached out requesting virtual services.

“The demand of the people has been, ‘We miss the Mass. We want to

see our Mass and our priests,’ ” Barrow said.

Barrow has also created Facebook and YouTube accounts for the East Greenwich church and signed up for software to enable the church to send text and email alerts to parishioners.

The church held its first livestream Mass on March 29 at 9 a.m. – a single service rather than the usual five per weekend, though Barrow said they might add more later on.

In a way, the crisis has expedited Barrow’s vision to turn a largely analog offering digital.

“I had always hoped we would set this up eventually, but did I imagine it would be this quickly? No,” he said.

In a time when hope seems increasingly diminished, Barrow stressed the importance of faith.

“Even if things get crazy here on Earth, we have something to look forward to in God,” he said. “In Christian religions, we have the crucifix as the ultimate example of evil and suffering … that is defeated. When you look at the cross, you see hope.” n Providence Business News is spotlighting nonprofits, companies and workers stepping up to challenges presented by the spread of the new coronavirus.

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IT’S PERSONAL Trimble to lead Saint Elizabeth MATTHEW R. TRIMBLE is the new CEO and president of Saint Elizabeth Community, a nonprofit organization that provides elder care services in Rhode Island. Trimble joined SEC in 1994 and has spent his tenure as administrator at Saint Elizabeth Home in East Greenwich, where he oversaw the move of residents and staff from the community’s Providence location to a new nursing/rehab center in East Greenwich in 2001.

He will assume his new position on July 1 upon the retirement of CEO Steven J. Horowitz, who has led Saint Elizabeth Community for the past 35 years.

What is your reaction to being hired as the new CEO and president of Saint Elizabeth Community?

I am excited to lead an amazing group of individuals who are committed to the mission of Saint Elizabeth Community. Founded in 1882, we provide care and services to over 3,000 Rhode Island seniors a year and employ over 800 individuals. With a comprehensive array of services, including home care, apartments for seniors, adult day centers, assisted living, nursing and rehab centers, and Green House Homes – an innovative nursing home model, Saint Elizabeth Community is poised to address the challenges and opportunities ahead.

What will be your primary goal during your tenure in the position?

Workforce will be my top priority. It is a very challenging environment today to attract, pay and retain qualified, compassionate staff, with strong competition for both CNAs [certified nursing assistants] and nurses. The reimbursement for care has stagnated as employment costs have risen. We hope to partner with policymakers and stakeholders to bring this dire need to the forefront in Rhode Island. As our population ages, the number of individuals who need care is increasing while the available labor pool is shrinking.

What attracted you to dedicating your career to serving the organization?

I began working at 14 years old in a nursing home in maintenance and housekeeping, and what I enjoyed most was the interaction with the residents, learning about an elder’s life experiences. I carry that experience with me, and the sense of respect I gained from knowing someone’s life story. … I look at seniors not as a line item in our state Medicaid budget whose care may be expensive, but rather as a valued and honored member of our community who deserves the very best care we can offer.

What is your assessment of the current climate for elder care in the state, and how can it be improved?

The current climate has three major challenges: 1. Workforce, 2. Funding, 3. Demographics. Rhode Island has a dense population of seniors. The 2010 census lists Rhode Island as No. 1 in the country for percentage of state population for those 85 and older. And this population is expected to double by 2040. We need to invest in Rhode Island elders, and to commit to work together to develop sustainable solutions that provide care for elders with the dignity and respect they deserve, providing the right care, in the right place, at the right time. n

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IT’S PERSONAL MACKAY’S MORAL | HARVEY MACKAY

You make your success I’VE BEEN MIGHTY BUSY lately launching my new book, “You Haven’t Hit Your Peak Yet!” So, it was a real pleasure to finally get to the neglected stack of books in my office that I have been saving to read and savor.

One in particular commanded my attention, and it was absolutely worth waiting for. My old friend Jack Canfield wrote a real masterpiece, “The Success Principles,” in late 2004 and has since revised and updated it.

You likely recognize Canfield’s name from the wildly successful “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series, co-written with Mark Victor Hansen.

The first book was rejected by more than 100 publishers and was eventually sold to a small Florida publisher.

They had the last laugh. Since the first book came out in 1993, the series has sold more than 500 million books worldwide.

Success is perhaps my favorite topic. The definition of success varies

from person to person. Is it all about financial achievement and status? Is it more narrowly related to job satisfaction? Is it enough to be happy and grateful for what you have?

Probably the question I am asked most often is, “How do I become successful?” Canfield quotes our friend, the late Jim Rohn, who explained, “You can’t hire someone else to do your pushups for you.” That’s the formula for anyone who wants to achieve success in any endeavor. YOU have to do the work. YOU have to stay motivated. YOU have to have the plan to get to where you want to go.

As Canfield writes, “If you want to be successful, you have to take 100% responsibility of everything you experience in your life. This includes the level of your achievements, the results you produce, the quality of your relationships, the state of your health and physical fitness, your income, your debts, your feelings – everything!

Success begins long before you start a career.

“This is not easy,” he warns.

In my experience, it is so much easier to blame someone or something else for my failures. But I would be wrong to do that. I understand that sometimes circumstances are beyond my control. That doesn’t mean I can ignore my reaction to those circumstances. I understand that people don’t always respond as I wish they would. That requires me to adapt my approach and reevaluate my actions.

Canfield offers plenty of lessons and exercises to put readers on the road to success. One that really intrigued me was to make a list of 100 successes you’ve had in your life.

“My experience is that most people do fine coming up with the first 30 or so; then it becomes a little more difficult,” he says.

“To come up with 100, you are going to have to list things [such as] learning to ride a bicycle, singing a solo at church, getting your first summer job, the first time you got a hit in Little League, making the cheerleading squad, getting your driver’s license, writing an article for the school newspaper, getting an A in Mr. Simon’s history class, surviving basic training, learning to surf, winning a ribbon at the county fair, modify-

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ing your first car, getting married, having your first child and leading a fundraising campaign for your child’s school. These are all things you probably take for granted now, but they all need to be acknowledged as successes you’ve had in life,” he writes.

I interpret that as meaning success begins long before you start a career or score a big promotion and corner office. You’ve likely achieved a good measure of success before you even graduate from high school.

The bottom line is this: If you are determined – and I mean really determined – to succeed, you can. Success is not an end result; it is a series of actions, activities and relationships that prevail over all other factors.

Books such as “The Success Principles” will help you define your future. But the only thing that keeps you from being successful is you.

Mackay’s Moral: You become successful the moment you decide to be. 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 | CHRISTOPHER CARLOZZI

MANY SMALL BUSINESSES breathed a sigh of relief when Congress passed the $2 trillion CARES Act to help prevent them from going under during the COVID-19 outbreak, providing hope that when it is safe to do so, they can bring their employees back and resume operations.

In the last few weeks, many of these business owners were forced to close their doors, which resulted in no income, or brought the money coming in down to a trickle. These business owners have explained how upsetting it has been to be forced to tell employees, some who’ve been with them for decades, that they couldn’t keep them on because they couldn’t make payroll. The reason that happened is most small businesses have very little cash flow – just enough to pay the bills for a few weeks or a month.

No doubt, many of these small businesses will now take loans to try and remain afloat. To help, the CARES Act has been passed by Congress and signed into law. A provision of the act is the Paycheck Protection Program, which offers forgivable loans to keep businesses open with the additional goal of retaining workers’ jobs.

These Paycheck Protection Program loans will be forgiven with conditions and must be used for

Lifelines for businesses payroll or bills such as rent, lease payments and utilities. The influx of cash is meant to buy the business owner time to save the businesses that they worked so hard to create and keeps the jobs they provide from disappearing.

But there are rules. For example, if the business brings back fewer employees than they had on the job the year prior, the amount of forgiveness would be reduced. And documentation of expenditures would be required for allowable expenses to be forgiven.

The loan is available to businesses with 500 or fewer employees, franchisees, self-employed individuals and a few others. Those small businesses applying will have to certify that the current economic conditions make the loan necessary and support ongoing operations. No personal or individual guarantees are required on these loans.

The Paycheck Protection Program loans have deferred payments on principal, interest and fees for six months and up to a year after issue. The act states the rate will not exceed 4%, although the Treasury has issued

guidance saying it should be 1%. If banks don’t accept that rate, it could rise. The loans mature in two years.

Businesses can also consider a Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan, but applicants must certify under threat of perjury they believe they are eligible for the loan. Those who apply are also eligible to receive a $10,000 emergency grant that takes only days to issue, although that grant would be subtracted from any loan forgiveness. For small businesses on the edge as a result of this crisis, this important provision will send quick cash to those who need it now to survive.

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans are not forgivable but may be better for certain types of businesses.

The CARES Act allows businesses with an Economic Injury Disaster Loan to roll them over into the new forgivable variety. Businesses can even apply for both if they are used for different expenses.

The expectation is that very soon, any bank that currently is approved to issue SBA 7(a) loans will soon be welcoming applications for Paycheck Protection Loans. And business owners can apply online. Businesses can contact SBA for information on the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and grant.

The National Federation of Independent Business, which represents 300,000 small businesses nationwide, has many resources on its website to help understand the loans and navigate the process, as well as information about mandated leave and tax credits under the earlier COVID-19 legislation.

Go to NFIB.com for the latest updates, and the NFIB state webpage, NFIB.com/RI, for state-specific ­information. n Christopher Carlozzi is the National Federation of Independent Business state director in Rhode Island.

The influx of cash is meant to buy the business owner time.

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www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | 27

OPINION EDITORIALS

Businesses that have prepared for the worst will emerge first from it

GETTING READY: R.I. hospitals are preparing for an expected surge of COVID-19 cases.

Above, a worker at Kent County Memorial Hospital in Warwick checks a patient to see if they need a ­COVID-19 test.

PBN FILE PHOTO/DAVE HANSEN

An uneasy calm has hung over Rhode Island’s nearly empty streets. The specter of an invisible but deadly new coronavirus has left much of the state wondering if it can prevent the kind of outbreak that has devastated other communities.

State and local leaders, health care providers and many business owners have tried to use the relatively slow spread of COVID-19 locally to the state’s advantage. They are aggressively preparing for worst-case scenarios already playing out in New York, New Orleans and other hot spots.

As of April 1, hospitals had not been overrun and felt they were mostly ready for what might come. But what if it is worse than expected? Despite all the preparation, no one has an answer for that.

Businesses too have tried to use the calm before the storm – the peak for the virus’s spread locally could be reached in the next few weeks – to stay connected to customers. Many have gone online or to curbside delivery to avoid closing entirely.

But not every local company is struggling. Just as the virus kills some but leaves others with minor symptoms, so too has it affected business unevenly.

A story on Page 1 in this week’s edition highlights companies hiring, including supermarkets, manufacturers and one of the state’s biggest employers, CVS Health Corp.

The relative calm will not last, as the local death toll rises and the state’s ability to handle the peak is tested. Businesses that have prepared for the worst will be the first to emerge from it. In the meantime, as Gov. Gina M. Raimondo said recently, “Buckle down like you never have before.” n

PBN summit: Bizs can’t close for long Businesses are mostly supportive of the state’s actions to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, but that’s not likely to last if they are forced to stay closed or limit operations for an extended period, warned Alicia Samolis, chair of the labor and employment practice at Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP. And there’s likely to be pushback from the public too, she says.

“When people are ready to go back to their jobs, there might not be jobs to go back to,” she said.

That was one takeaway from an April 1 virtual summit PBN hosted on the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 300 people signed up for the free event.

Panelists included a mix of doctors and business representatives. While businesses have suffered, the medical specialists think Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s aggressive actions to slow the spread by limiting crowd sizes and closing some businesses could help the state manage the coming surge in COVID-19 cases.

Another takeaway: Businesses are confused about what’s available under federal disaster aid, including $349 billion recently approved for small businesses.

PBN will provide some answers during another virtual summit on April 16. n

POLL CENTRAL EXECUTIVE POLL

Coronavirus stimulus and your business Will your company be benefiting from the federal coronavirus stimulus bill?

Will your company be taking advantage of a stimulus loan or grant?

Yes: 56%

We will not be requiring a loan or grant: 78%

No: 44%

Loan: 22%

Do you think the stimulus bill does enough to support businesses?

Yes: 67% No: 33%

Grant: 11%

PBN.COM POLL

Read even MORE business news on PBN.com

How would you assess the job state and local officials have done trying to contain the spread of the coronavirus? MARCH 20-26 They’ve done as well as possible given the extraordinary challenges 71% They’ve done well managing health risks but the effects of widespread closures on businesses deserve more consideration 21% The help identified for businesses isn’t enough and needs to be more targeted to the hardest-hit sectors 8% I don’t know 0%

How confident are you Rhode Island has taken enough steps to avoid becoming another in a national line of hotspots for the spread of COVID-19?

Are you optimistic about the future of your company given what help you have seen from the state and federal governments?

THIS WEEK’S POLL:

Yes: 78%

• The state and local communities have done all they can and I am optimistic about Rhode Island not becoming a hot spot • I am satisfied with the state’s overall response but don’t think it will have a great impact on how the virus spreads locally • Like other states, we should have started sooner on prevention measures • The state shut some things down, especially for businesses, too quickly

No: 22%

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.

To vote, go to PBN.com and follow the link on the home page 28 | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

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OPINION OPINION

U.S. gender gap on display in pandemic

KELLY NEVINS GUEST COLUMN

The COVID-19 crisis shines a spotlight on the gender gap for women everywhere, and especially in the U.S. Women disproportionately hold jobs in industries with little to no paid family and sick leave, including fields that expose them to the virus. Two-thirds of tipped workers are women and many have few benefits, if any at all. Only 9.2% of low-wage workers can work from home.

Research the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island released earlier this year emphasized that women represent the vast majority of the workforce in the caregiving and childcare industries. For the most part, these jobs do not pay family-sustaining wages and often do not come with benefits such as paid family and sick leave beyond Rhode Island’s state mandate. Women of color, who make up 47% of the state’s health care support workforce, are significantly disadvantaged

by caregiving-pay inequities. Seventy percent of black mothers don’t have access to paid family leave, despite 80% of them being the main breadwinner for their families.

Edgar Villanueva, author of “Decolonizing Wealth,” notes that “when it comes to giving or getting access to money, white men are usually in charge and everyone else has to be twice [or more] as good to get half [or less] as much.” This is a moment to ensure as we dig out of the economic, political and public health disarray in the coming months, that we all spend some time at home reflecting on the system that put us here in the first place. We hope more leaders, influencers and donors take some time to ask themselves the following questions: n Are private and public teams making decisions about the outbreak response representative of the intersectional diversity of our community? n Are we gathering data on how the virus is specifically impacting women and people of color, both physically and economically? n What supports and services should be

We can lean into the new world order of this pandemic.

directed toward those who provide formal and home-based care so these individuals and their families can be safe and economically secure? n Are frontline workers such as nurses, health aides, in-home nurses, child care workers, grocery store employees and critical manufacturing workers being fairly compensated and supported now and will they be in the future?

Our future will be challenging. Working women and their families already struggle to stay healthy, pay bills while taking care of children out of school, elders and other family members who are vulnerable to COVID-19.

Our leaders have two choices: to keep doing the same things and expect different outcomes or take this opportunity to reset who we value in our society. We can lean into the new world order of this pandemic and approach it as a long-neglected gender and equity issue. The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island stands ready to share our expertise in intersectional, gender-lens equity for those who seek advice. You can learn more about our services at www.wfri.org. n Kelly Nevins is the executive director of the nonprofit Women’s Fund of Rhode Island.

COVID-19 will slow shift to renewable energy PETER FOX-PENNER GUEST COLUMN

The renewable energy industry, which until recently was projected to enjoy rapid growth, has run into stiff headwinds as a result of three era-defining events: the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting global financial contraction and a collapse in oil prices. These are interrelated, mutually reinforcing events.

It’s much too early to be able to assess how large their economic, environmental and policy impacts will be, but expect a significant short-run contraction followed by a catchup period over the next few years that returns us to the same long-term path – perhaps even a better one.

The most obvious result of these shocks is clear: Economic contractions reduce power demand because every form of economic activity requires electricity.

U.S. electricity use on March 27, 2020, was 3% lower than on March 27, 2019. That difference represents a loss of about three years of sales growth. Electricity use will trace the same path as total economic output as the crisis unfolds, but it will drop much less in percentage terms. That’s because electricity use is a necessity, and essential services and households will continue to use power.

Industry revenues will also suffer because most utilities are voluntarily halting shutoffs due to bill nonpayment and deferring planned or proposed rate increases.

Economy-driven demand reductions, which are likely worldwide, will hurt new renewable installations. Utilities will tighten their budgets and defer building new plants.

Companies that make solar cells, wind turbines and other green-energy technologies will shelve their growth plans and adopt austerity measures. For example, Morgan Stanley’s highly respected clean-technology analysts project declines of 48%, 28% and

17% in U.S. solar photovoltaic installations in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2020, respectively.

Countervailing factors will partly offset this decline, at least in wealthy countries.

Many renewable plants are being installed for reasons other than demand growth, such as clean power targets in state laws and regulations, and are already under contract or construction.

Government policies and public pressure are also forcing utilities to retire coal-fired power plants. Despite the current crisis, there is long-term pressure from many directions to add carbon-free energy. Fifty U.S. utilities have already committed to carbon reduction goals.

Voluntary green-energy purchases by U.S. companies increased by almost 50% in the last year, to 9,300 megawatts – almost 1% of all U.S. power capacity. And residential customers are choosing to buy more renewable energy through options such as community solar programs.

Since early 2019 crude oil prices have collapsed, declining almost 64%. This collapse has also reduced U.S. natural-gas prices by about one-third from year-ago levels. Like electricity and oil, natural-gas use rises and falls with economic activity; it is less sensitive to economic trends than the highly reactive oil sector, and more sensitive than comparatively stable electricity use.

Ordinarily, cheaper natural gas – which is widely used for generating electricity – would stimulate electricity demand by reducing the price of power, thus increasing economic growth. But in this unusual era, the effects of lower oil and gas prices on renewables will be somewhat murky and complex, and will probably differ substantially by market and region.

For some new plants in places where policies do not effectively mandate renewable energy, continued or even new use of oil and gas generation will look cheaper. For example, replacing dirty diesel generation with solar power plus some form of energy storage will not look nearly as attractive now as it did a year ago.

The most significant near-term impacts on renewable plants that are already contracted or under construction may be felt through supply chains. Renewable industry executives are anticipating delivery and construction slowdowns, either because nations shutter industries to slow the spread of coronavirus or because workers get sick.

Many parts for large-scale renewable projects come entirely or partially from China, other parts of Asia or the United States.

The COVID-19 outbreak has already slowed Chinese production of solar panels and materials. Manufacturing disruptions in China could contribute to a significant oneor two-year dip in renewable additions.

All in all, a slowdown in renewable energy growth likely will be one of many deeply tragic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But these effects will not be uniformly negative, and nothing about this crisis will change the long-term trend toward carbonfree energy. Once the global economy bounces back, perhaps this episode will persuade world leaders to accelerate climate policy efforts, before the next climate-induced disease vector or weather event triggers yet another global economic shock. n Peter Fox-Penner is a professor of practice in the Questrom School of Business and the director of Boston University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy. Distributed by The Associated Press.

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | 29

ONE LAST THING Stay present, stay in touch

THIS

invisible enemy, the new corona­ virus, has tested our resources. The suffering has been real on every level. We will see high unemployment and financial hardships, and some businesses and nonprofits may not survive this.

Now is the time to take off the business clothes and step into our humanity, our skin of empathy and kindness. I am moved by the way Rhode Islanders have come together to help each other and support our business community. People are ordering takeout because it is one of the few remaining ways to support local businesses.

It seems the longer we stay apart, the closer we get. Neighbors are helping neighbors, families are having dinner together because there are no late nights at the office, and employers are willing to pay health care coverage despite layoffs. It is the milk of human kindness in this “new normal.” Our economy is tied to our response to this.

Deborah L. Ruggiero DR Communications LLC president Deborah L. Ruggiero is president of DR Communications LLC, a Jamestown advertising and marketing company she started in 2012. She’s also served as a Democratic state representative for Jamestown and Middletown since 2008 and is the creator and host of the awardwinning radio show, “Amazing Women,” which highlights Rhode Island women who make a difference.

I am staying positive, connecting with clients via Zoom and conference calls. We are writing and shooting new TV commercials with a softer, more thoughtful message. We need to reassure each other that we will get through this. Staying connected to clients helps me stay connected to the community that I serve.

Take a walk, stay present and stay in touch. This is about our humanity. We will get through this, but only if we look out for each other. We are business professionals, we are community, and we are Rhode Island strong. n PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

30 | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

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www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | 31

SPONSORED CONTENT BY COX BUSINESS

Cox is here for you...

Dear Rhode Island Community, Cox Business and Cox Communications are committed to supporting you during this uncertain time.

We want to ensure you have all the internet, phone, and television resources you and your family need to keep your business operational and your children learning during the pandemic and beyond.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cox Business and Cox Communications took the FCC’s pledge to Keep Americans Connected. As part of this commitment, we pledged for the next 60 days to: not terminate service to any residential or small business customer because of an inability to pay their bills due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic; will waive late fees that any residential or small business customer incur because of their economic circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemic; and will open Cox WiFi hotspots to help keep the public connected in this time of need.

Plus we’ve added the following options for our customers: • VoiceManager & IP Centrex customers qualify for free Unified Communications Apps for 90 days.* Please call 866-961-1005 for details.

• PRI & SIP Trunking customers qualify for free Personal Mobility & Mobile Seat for 90 days.* Please call 866-961-1005 for details.

• Residential Cox High-Speed Internet Starter (10M) customers received an automatic upgrade to 50M. • Relaxed data usage caps to meet the higher bandwidth needs of working from home, virtual learning & entertainment.

• $19.99 offer for new Cox High-Speed Internet Starter customers with a temporary boost to 50M. • Qualifying low-income families can receive Cox High-Speed Internet free for 60 days via the Connect2Compete program and 60 days of complimentary premium remote helpdesk support.

In addition, Cox has provided two grants for the purchase of technology for low-income students in the Rhode Island community at large, $25,000 to the Rhode Island Department of Education, and $10,000 to the Community College of RI. Please stay safe, stay healthy, and know that Cox Business and Cox Communications are here for you and all your technology needs.

All the Best,

Ross L. Nelson, Vice President, Cox Business

To learn more please visit Cox.com or Coxbusiness.com.

*Offers available for new customers of Unified Communications, Personal Mobility or Mobile Seat. Please see website for more details. Other restrictions apply. ©2020 Cox Communications, Inc.

32 | APRIL 3-9, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com