PBN April 17, 2020

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

PBN pbn.com

APRIL 17-23, 2020

FOCUS: ADULT ED

SPOTLIGHT

Shutdown of job training may have lingering effect | 18

Remaining in high spirits | 6

YOUR SOURCE FOR BUSINESS NEWS IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND | VOL. 35, NO. 4 | $2

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Losses mounting, R.I. colleges face big test

PRESSURE CHAMBERS

BY JAMES BESSETTE | Bessette@PBN.com

RHODE ISLAND-BASED COLLEGES are already feeling the financial strain from the COVID-19 pandemic, with the cancellation of usually profitable events and the loss of tens of millions of dollars in planned refunds for students’ room and board for the last quarter of the academic year.

But an even bigger fiscal challenge may be looming for the next school year. This summer, students and families left jobless by local and national business shutdowns to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus must decide whether they can still afford to attend college in September. “[Colleges] could be looking at significantly d ­ ecreased enrollments for the fall, both for new ­students and returning students,” said Lee Gardner, a senior reporter for The Chronicle of Higher SEE COLLEGES PAGE 14

Business groups straining to help keep members informed, afloat

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

MORE INSIDE: nP andemic Diary: CEO seeks silver linings. Page 5 n I nsisting on essential safeguards for workers.

Page 7 nC OVID-19 raises workload for mental health agencies.

Page 8 nW hat can the Federal Reserve do to help? Page 27

ELIZABETH

CATUCCI’S DAILY ROUTINE HAS SHIFTED dramatically in recent weeks.

The president of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce starts her day early, filtering through as many emails as she can before turning her attention to her three young daughters’ virtual learning. At noon, her husband returns home from his job in the financialservices sector. The couple exchange a high five and Catucci hightails it to the now-empty Chamber office, where she spends the afternoon fielding a flood of phone calls from the Chamber’s 600-plus members.

SEE CHAMBERS PAGE 12

REACHING OUT: Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce President Elizabeth Catucci says even if a business doesn’t have questions or demands, calling members can be a source of comfort, a way to show somebody cares.

PBN PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

PBN Virtual Summit

April 30, 2020 | 9-11am

CONTENTS

PBN

COVER STORY PRESSURE CHAMBERS Business groups straining to help keep members informed, afloat............................1

400 Westminster St. Providence, RI 02903

FOR STARTERS

5Q: Karen Santilli........................................................... 4

Main Phone: 401-273-2201

Pandemic Diary: Seeking silver linings in a gloomy time............................................................ 5

Subscription Services: 855-813-5805

Spotlight: The Industrious Spirit Co. LLC.................... 6

SOMETHING NEW | 6

Something New: CoLab LLC......................................... 6 Hot Topic: Insisting on essential safeguards............... 7 Health Matters: Pandemic raises workload for mental health agencies........................................ 8

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

ADVERTISING

News Briefs.................................................................... 9 What’s Happening........................................................ 10

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

IT’S PERSONAL

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

People in the News...................................................... 25 Mackay’s Moral............................................................ 26 Guest Column: Ryan Matthew Brewer....................... 27 Editorials and Opinion................................................. 28 One Last Thing: Keith Kelly........................................30

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

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS Losses mounting, R.I. colleges face big test.................1

Advertising Coordinator: Joyce Rylander, 680-4810

HEALTH MATTERS | 8

FOCUS ON: ADULT/EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

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

Shutdown of job training may have lingering effect

Editor: Michael Mello, 680-4820

Questions remain about whether students will complete their training or whether programs will receive funds after job training programs were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic...............18

Managing Editor: William Hamilton, 680-4826 Web Editor: Chris Bergenheim, 680-4886

Flexibility crucial for continuing-ed classes

Copy Editor: Matt Bower, 680-4824

Having moved to online instruction long before COVID-19 arrived, many schools offering continuing-education classes have been able to serve those students........................................19

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

XXX | X ONE LAST THING | 30

Lists Adult Education Programs..........................................20 Online Degrees and Programs.....................................21

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

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

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

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED COMPANIES Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Rhode Island

14

Atlantic Footcare

9

bnourished LLC

12

Brown University

14

Bryant University

14

Centreville Bank

24

CODAC Inc.

8

CoLab LLC

6

Community Care Alliance

8

Cooley Group

5

Electric Boat Corp.

18

Entrepreneurship for All

9

Family Service of Rhode Island

5

General Dynamics Electric Boat

7

G-Form

9

Gilbane Building Co.

9

Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce

12

Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce

12

Hope Global Horizon Healthcare Partners Jane Pickens Theater LLC

7

Rhode Island School of Design

8

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

8

R.I. Department of Health

7

13

Johnson & Wales University

14, 23

Landings Real Estate Group

24

Mobility Equipment LLC

12

Naval Undersea Warfare Center

25

New England Institute of Technology

18

Newport County Community Mental Health Center Inc.

8

Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce

1

North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce

12

Pawtucket Red Sox

9

Providence College

14, 23

Rhode Island Building Trades Union

7

Rhode Island College

14, 19

Rhode Island Hospitality Association

18

Rhode Island Manufacturers Association

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

7

Researcher: Cassius Shuman, 680-4884

PRODUCTION

R.I. Department of Labor and Training

18

R.I. Emergency Management Agency

8

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

8

CIRCULATION

R.I. Executive Office of Health and Human Services Roger Williams University Salve Regina University

14, 19 14

Sodexo Campus Services

14

Teamsters Local 251 Driving School

18

The Granny Squibb Co. LLC

12

The Industrious Spirit Co. LLC The Washington Trust Co.

6 8

Tides Family Services Inc.

8

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

16

University of Rhode Island

14

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

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

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

24

Thrive Behavioral Health Inc.

www.facebook.com/providencebusinessnews

2 | APRIL 17-23, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

14

©2020 Providence Business News Inc.

Providence Business News is published weekly

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

PBN Virtual Summit April 30, 2020 | 9-11am

To help keep our community informed about best practices, PBN’s latest virtual summit will bring essential advice and insights on topics from marketing/advertising, IT, communications, finance and HR professionals, offering critical information to help businesses navigate the coming months.

Some of the topics to be addressed: • What does the future look like for companies moving forward?

• Communications: cloud computing, WHF best practices; internet/bandwidth; monitoring systems; privacy issues.

• IT: platform options, support systems available; security issues; privacy issues.

• Behavioral Health: How to cope with WFH isolation, depression, anxiety, addictions and family issues. What are employer’s responsibility in these matters?

• Financial: maintaining cash flow; budgeting and payroll.

• Marketing: Retention strategies; rewarding loyalty vs. new client acquisition. Maintaining your brand.

• HR: Bringing employees back to work; considerations and plans should you have in place.

For sponsorship and advertising opportunities contact Advertising@PBN.com | 401.680.4800

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | APRIL 17-23, 2020 | 3

FOR STARTERS 5Q: Karen Santilli CEO and president, Crossroads Rhode Island

BY ELIZABETH GRAHAM | Graham@PBN.com

1

You’ve been urging the state to establish a permanent funding stream for housing. Has coronavirus-related revenue loss delayed lawmakers’ plans to do so?

Not that I’ve heard. Undoubtedly, the state’s going to face a significant budget challenge as we come out of this, but it’s even more important now than before COVID-19 that the administration and General Assembly work together to preserve the proposed funding for housing and consider reforms to the original proposal that create more opportunity and flexibility for investments in lowincome and no-income housing.

2

Are there any unique challenges in efforts to keep homeless and atrisk people safe from the virus?

Individuals and families experiencing homelessness are at an increased risk of COVID-19. Many already suffer from multiple chronic health and mental health conditions, and have weakened immune systems and limited access to health care. It’s also very difficult to adhere to recommendations to stay home and wash your hands if you are homeless. That’s why access to affordable and safe housing is so important.

3 PBN FILE PHOTO/STEPHANIE ALVAREZ EWENS

What measures are being taken to protect Crossroads residents from COVID-19?

Because people experiencing homelessness are so vulnerable to infection, Crossroads has been proactively implementing the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s] recommendations on how to best protect our residents’ and clients’ health and

safety. Those steps include increasing our cleaning and sanitizing protocols, practicing social distancing and doing presumptive screening. We’ve also suspended nonessential visits to a number of our facilities.

4

What is the most important thing the state could do to help homeless Rhode Islanders?

Housing is the only known solution to homelessness. That’s why we and other housing advocates have continued to encourage the state to set up a permanent funding stream for housing and to create more housing that people with no income or very low income can afford.

5

You have told the General Assembly that our state stands on the cusp of a housing crisis. How much affordable housing is needed right now?

We need housing at nearly every level.

It’s mission-critical if we’re going to bounce back economically from COVID-19. To put the crisis in perspective: there is [a] 2% vacancy rate in Providence. That increases rent and creates barriers. Even with enough funding for subsidies and supports, if there aren’t units available, we can’t deliver the kind of permanent housing solutions people need. n

Individuals and families experiencing homelessness are at an increased risk of COVID-19.

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4 | APRIL 17-23, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

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PANDEMIC DIARY | FOR STARTERS Seeking silver linings in a gloomy time

BY DANIEL DWIGHT

(Editor’s note: This is the first installment in a weekly series on how Cooley Group is managing the COVID-19 pandemic, from the perspective of its CEO.) AS CEO AND PRESIDENT OF A midsized manufacturer sustaining operations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I have found my “ALL EMPLOYEES” emails tend toward rallying cries of a wartime melodrama, rather than their usual anodyne financial or technical update. My tonal shift, alongside the company’s myriad operational, supply chain and protocol shifts (not to mention the financial and social shifts across the globe), is jarring. But jarring shifts can affect large-scale change for the better.

Business leaders have the hard job of framing moments of crisis as opportunities, without misleading their employees, board members and community. So, how does a leader turn a crisis into an opportunity to build a stronger, more-resilient company?

To ensure the Cooley team doesn’t devolve into an anxious, unproductive tailspin, I am finding it is my responsibility as CEO to reinforce what we know already works well within our culture. Relying on and amplifying good habits during times of crisis reinforces productive, collaborative behavior that strengthens our corporate culture and sets us up for success well beyond this global crisis.

For those who are unfamiliar with Cooley Group, we are a technical textile and geomembrane manufacturer with customers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, including the medical, health care, food, agriculture and U.S. defense industries. For these essential industries, we remain open throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

This past week, emergency, nationwide demands for medical supplies pushed Cooley to expand beyond our existing portfolio of medical products [which already include respiratory vests, hospital bedding and safety suits] to develop medical gowns. We leveraged our collaborative culture to accelerate the development and production of these gowns, with plans to begin shipping more than 1 million square feet of material per week to support health care communities in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Florida, California

It is my responsibility as CEO to reinforce what we know already works well within our culture.

and Louisiana.

In response to the odd and impersonal reality of social distancing, Cooley is opting to reinforce our digital collaboration. Moving much of our operations online exposed holes in our digital infrastructure. With so many staff working from home, we are improving our digital acumen and discovering new software, technological shortcuts and Manufacturing 4.0 advantages we had previously ignored.

SOCIAL DISTANCING: Daniel Dwight, CEO and president of Pawtucket-based Cooley Group, shows how employees practice social distance inside the Cooley plant.

COURTESY COOLEY GROUP

RESERVE YOUR SPACE NOW

Faced with near-constant anxiety in the form of stress for ourselves and our families, persistently scary news cycles, and fears for our nation’s financial health, we are apt to fret inwardly rather than recognizing there is unity in our collective experience. In the face of this anxiety, rather than pulling back, Cooley is reinforcing our connection to the local community by increasing time and money spent on social-responsibility initiatives during this crisis. Those who are socioeconomically vulnerable are hit the hardest by COVID-19; as a result, Cooley Group is raising money for Family Service of Rhode Island and other local charities.

Finally, and most importantly, Cooley is building a habit around effective communication in order to combat the confusion caused by this pandemic. Sending regular emails – with fully transparent status reports on our business, daily updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and regular “How are you holding up?” inter-office chats – promotes a higher level of collaboration, corporate cohesion and productivity than I’ve ever seen before.

In response to anxiety, companies must provide employees with constant, consistent and transparent communication.

In these uncertain and difficult times, Cooley is determined to emerge stronger and more resilient. n Daniel Dwight is CEO and president of Pawtucketbased Cooley Group.

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FOR STARTERS SOMETHING NEW

SPOTLIGHT

SPACE MAKER: Dave Counts is the owner of CoLab, a shared workspace in Cranston.

PBN PHOTO/MIKE SKORSKI

CoLab is a shared experience

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

WORK AS A FREELANCE web designer and photographer grew isolating enough that Dave Counts joined a coworking center. Four months later, after the original owner closed it, he bought the business and reopened it.

CoLab LLC, on the Cranston side of Pawtuxet Village, opened in March 2019 and offers space for fellow independents.

The decision to open CoLab wasn’t a sure thing, Counts admitted. But he did research and knew so many fellow developers who were working independently for technology firms. It seemed like the trend would continue. He now has two part-time ­employees.

CoLab has closed temporarily because of the social-distancing efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus, but it plans to reopen after the danger has passed, according to a company representative.

Under normal circumstances, CoLab has three offices, and they were fully booked. It also has shared space with “hot desks” that can be taken as available, and desks that can be reserved.

The location in Pawtuxet Village offers restaurants, coffee shops and a park within walking distance. It has free parking and a more affordable membership price than many coworking sites in cities such as Providence.

The entry level is $95 a month for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. access and a shared “hot” desk. More-inclusive memberships offer expanded access. Everyone can participate in events that are designed to create a community.

“For me, personally, getting a community together, just because there are so many people doing things alone these days, was huge,” Counts said. n

STILL PRODUCING: Dan Neff is a co-owner of The Industrious Spirit Co. in Providence. The distillery was prepared to open a tasting room for the public before the new coronavirus hit. Industrious Spirit is still selling its Structural Vodka through a walk-up window at the distillery.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Remaining in high spirits Distillery carries on amid pandemic

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

FOUR YEARS OF RESEARCH and development led The Industrious Spirit Co. LLC to a lineup of craft spirits that it was preparing to sell with pride. The vodka was ready, and gin and bourbon were coming soon. The tasting room was set to open in late April.

Interviews were being conducted for new employees.

And then the new coronavirus arrived in Rhode Island, an unwanted intruder on a five-year business plan.

CEO Manya Rubinstein, who opened the Providence-based business in 2016 with three partners, had at least one day of despair. The business had been cut down before it even opened its public room, with the order by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo for all in-service restaurants, bars, coffee shops and tasting rooms to close.

In a day, the five years of raising funds and research and development into creating their own spirits had seemingly been dashed. The vodka is made with non-GMO, regionally grown, organic corn.

“I had a day of ‘Are you [expletive] kidding me?’ ” Rubinstein said. “I definitely had a day of that.

We’re really proud of our product.

It’s great. It’s made in a way we feel really good about, supporting local agriculture. We had just hired an amazing front-of-house person.

We had such a great grand opening planned.”

By the end of March, a new business plan was assembled. The bottled vodka, called Structural Vodka, is still being sold – through an online booking and pickups are made through a walk-up window at the business. A different product is available through the window, too.

The business has switched quickly to the production of hand sanitizer, using the World Health Organization formula.

For now, that product is being distributed for free to recipients,

including the city of Providence and individuals who come to the location daily. In the future, as the business scales up on sanitizer production, it may charge a modest fee to cover its manufacturing costs.

The can-do attitude has kept the business alive. It still has five employees. The tasting room staff was never hired, Rubinstein said.

The front-of-house manager is now managing distribution of the hand sanitizer and bottled vodka through the improvised walk-up window.

Industrious Spirit calls it the “Wish We Could” window, short for “wish we could give you a hug but at least we can give you vodka” window.

Rubinstein said the spirits are still selling and will sell in the future when the pandemic subsides and businesses can reopen. Until then, they are being resourceful.

“We’re coming out of an artist community that is all about making things and making things by hand,” she said. “It’s a very Rhode Island story. We’re people that make things. We make them well.

We take pride in what we do. We can figure it out.” n

OWNERS: Manya Rubinstein, Dan Neff, H. Douglas Randall and John Curtin

LOCATION: 1 Sims Ave., Providence, Suite 103

TYPE OF BUSINESS: Craft spirits distillery

EMPLOYEES: Five

6 | APRIL 17-23, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2016 SALES: WND

FOR STARTERS HOT TOPIC

Insisting on essential safeguards

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

THE MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION SECTORS have been deemed essential and are protected from government closure in Rhode Island during the COVID-19 pandemic, but state, industry and labor officials say they’re taking steps to ensure the safety of workers who are still on the job.

Those steps include the state making periodic spot checks and taking complaints from workers who feel they are unsafe, and body temperatures being taken of contractors at larger worksites.

“I thought it was important,” Gov. Gina M. Raimondo said of her decision to keep manufacturers open despite the risk of intensifying the pandemic. “I need to maintain a semblance of an economy and keep as many people working as is safely possible. That decision depends upon manufacturers to make the adjustments necessary so their employees can stay safe.”

On April 14, Raimondo also ordered many essential workers to wear masks while working, although the order didn’t mention manufacturing and construction sites specifically.

The Rhode Island Manufacturers Association has been encouraging

local plants to sign a pledge to keep their workplaces safe and abide by practices put forward by the R.I. Department of Health.

Signed by nearly 200 companies, the pledge includes a variety of steps and an agreement to allow a peer institution to make an inspection.

Checks include ensuring hand-washing or sanitizing stations are available in common areas, and whether commercial drivers are refused entry to the facility, or otherwise kept segregated from employees.

Manufacturers have added shifts to reduce the number of employees working together, physically changed the makeup of the manufacturing floor to separate workers by at least 6 feet, and in some cases moved to

shared positions, with workers working every other week, according to David Chenevert, executive director of the manufacturers association.

The risk to workers was highlighted recently at Hope Global in Cumberland, where several workers fell ill and later tested positive for the coronavirus, Chenevert said. The engineered-textiles manufacturer, which employs more than 200 people locally, shut down temporarily.

Hope Global played a pivotal role with the manufacturing association in developing practices to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, Chenevert said, and he felt the company had followed those procedures.

At General Dynamics Electric Boat, several workers tested positive for the coronavirus at both its Connecticut and Rhode Island locations, including President Kevin Graney.

Raimondo said the state has been

in close contact with Electric Boat, as well as other manufacturers “to check in on them and make sure they’re obeying social-distancing rules, taking temperatures of employees, making sure no one is going to work sick, making sure people have the opportunity to work 6 feet apart.”

Many of the same rules apply to construction sites, which remain active in Rhode Island unlike other states such as Massachusetts.

The organization representing Rhode Island’s building trades called for protective measures on every site, including the presence of a dedicated COVID-19 safety person. Every job site should also have a contractor’s representative greeting all employees and asking them how they feel, and temperature checks on sites employing at least 10 people, according to Rhode Island Building Trades Union President Michael Sabitoni. n

‘I need to … keep as many people working as is safely possible.’

GOV. GINA M. RAIMONDO

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Contact your account manager or email Advertising@PBN.com for more information www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | APRIL 17-23, 2020 | 7

FOR STARTERS | HEALTH MATTERS

Pandemic raises workload for mental health agencies

BY ELIZABETH GRAHAM | Graham@PBN.com

DURING

the first week of March at the BH Link call center in East Providence, about 3.5% of the roughly 40 calls that came in daily were related to the coronavirus crisis.

By the second week, nearly 19% of callers were having trouble dealing with some aspect of the public health emergency.

Established in late 2018, the state-run call center, overseen by the R.I. Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the R.I. Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, fields calls from people experiencing some sort of mental health or behavioral health need or crisis.

Right now, it’s anxiety that’s behind many of the calls, said Ben Lessing, CEO and president of Community Care Alliance, which operates BH Link in a partnership with Horizon Healthcare Partners.

“We have definitely seen … an uptick in terms of calls relating to the virus,” Lessing said.

Daily calls spiked to 60, well over the usual 40, on one day in late March as the number of cases statewide shot up as well.

Callers are asking question such as, How do I manage this? What do I do? Who do I listen to?

“It’s sort of a combination of ‘How do I get through this and manage my anxiety at the same time?’ ” Lessing said.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold, with rising numbers of infections in Rhode Island and neighboring states, people who are already living with mental health issues or struggling with addiction are particularly vulnerable, said BHDDH acting Director Kathryn Power.

Included in the state’s response to the public health crisis, BHDDH is part of the R.I. Emergency Management Agency’s broad-reaching mobilization that went into effect in February.

“This disaster is causing massive amounts of isolation and massive amounts of time in which people have to withdraw from their normal social environments,” Power said. “For people with substanceuse disorders or mental illnesses, it’s hugely important that we keep them connected to some kind of network, some kind of social opportunity. Because we still have an opioid epidemic going on … and we don’t want those individuals to lose traction, to

GROWING ­CONCERN: Crisis phone screeners Alechi Wali, left, and Lydia Villafana take calls at the state-run BH Link call center in East Providence. The center, which fields calls from people experiencing a mental health or behavioral health need, has seen calls related to the COVID-19 pandemic increase in recent weeks.

PBN PHOTO/ RUPERT WHITELEY

‘It’s hugely important that we keep [people in treatment] connected to some kind of network.’

KATHRYN POWER, R.I. Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals acting director 8 | APRIL 17-23, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

lose faith in their own recovery.”

But along with the rest of the economy, the health care industry is taking a financial hit from the virus.

Some appointments are canceled and other patients, unreceptive to telemedicine and wanting to limit close contact with others, pull back from treatment.

In order to help keep community mental health resources in place, BHDDH is easing some restrictions on staffing requirements, creating Medicaid waivers to pay for virtual visits and reconfiguring resources under federal and state law, Power said.

“We want those providers to stay operational because we’re anticipating that this environment of fear will continue to contribute over the longer term to behavioral health concerns and conditions,” she said.

BH Link, which also accepts walkin patients on a limited basis, joins other mental health providers across the state that are either remaining open or offering virtual visits.

While most of the established patients at Newport County Community Mental Health Center Inc. have adjusted well to telephone “visits,” the community mental health organization is also turning its attention to residents who may be asking for help for the first time.

“We’ve now rightfully instructed thousands of people to isolate themselves, and 25% of people in Rhode Island live alone. To be further isolated – things can happen when people are lonely or scared,” said Jamie Lehane, Newport Mental Health CEO and president.

Often, simply allowing a person who is upset to let their feelings out makes a significant difference, Lehane said.

Newport Mental Health is also a member of Horizon Healthcare Partners, which includes Thrive Behavioral Health Inc., Tides Family Services Inc. and CODAC Inc. All members are continuing to offer mental health and addiction treatment during the pandemic.

At Newport Mental Health, volume at its call center has been down, prompting Lehane to speculate that residents may assume the organization is closed.

That won’t be the case for any Horizon Healthcare members, according to spokeswoman Karen Jeffreys. The agencies “will remain open due to the essential behavioral health services they provide,” she said.

Call center staff at BH Link are fielding anxiety-driven questions, but also queries about practical things, such as proper social distancing and how best to clean. Talking through those issues can be important, because knowing what actions to take can impart a sense of control, Lessing pointed out.

“Because of social media, the compressed news cycle, the internet, there’s a lot of information and a lot to process,” he said. “The other thing we’re trying to do is to slow that down. We’re advising people to back away from some of their social media.

We need people to really pay attention to scientific information.” n

NEWS BRIEFS | FOR STARTERS R.I. businesses approved for $876M in payroll-relief funds PROVIDENCE – Over 4,000 Rhode Island small-business applicants have been approved for $875.6 million in forgivable loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, according to information released by the SBA on April 14.

Nationwide, the payroll-relief program has supported more than 1 million approved loans worth $247.5 billion, leaving less than one-third of the original $349 billion federal allocation up for grabs.

Rhode Island’s share represents 0.35% of the total dollars approved, and an average loan size of just under $213,000, versus the national average of $239,000.

Applicants seeking $150,000 or less comprised 70% of approved loans, though just 15% of dollars allocated. Construction-industry businesses were the top applicants by dollar amount, while those representing professional, scientific and technical services had the highest number of loans approved.

A separate $10 million allocation the state launched on April 13 to help businesses unable to submit applications through existing lenders reached capacity within hours. n

R.I. mortgage delinquency rate declines in January

South Coast entrepreneurs still want to start businesses

PROVIDENCE – The rate of Rhode Island mortgage delinquencies of 30 days or more in January was 4%, a 0.6 percentage point decline year over year, CoreLogic said April 14.

Nationally, the mortgage delinquency rate was 3.5%, a decline from 4% one year prior. The Rhode Island mortgage delinquency rate was tied with Maine for the second highest in New England in January, followed by New Hampshire with 2.8%, Vermont with 2.9% and Massachusetts with 3.2%, all 0.4 percentage point declines year over year; Maine with 4%, a 0.7 percentage point decline; and Connecticut with 4.4%, a 0.5 percentage point decline.

The serious delinquency rate of mortgages in Rhode Island, or the share of mortgages 90 days or more delinquent, was 1.4% at that time, a decline from 1.7% one year prior.

The state foreclosure rate was 0.5% of all mortgages, a 0.1 percentage point decline over the year. n

NEW BEDFORD – Entrepreneurship for All applicants still plan to participate in EforAll South Coast’s Business Accelerator Program when it starts on June 2, The Standard-Times reported April 14.

EforAll South Coast Executive Director Donna Criscuolo said applicants expressed their desire to proceed after the nonprofit reached out to them following the arrival of COVID-19 in the area.

People “are feeling empowered about taking control of their destiny and future in terms of creating a business” right now, Criscuolo said.

Criscuolo described the applicants’ decision to press on as a testament to the heart and soul of an entrepreneur, saying they move forward and pivot regardless of the situation, the Standard-Times reported.

Criscuolo said if needed, EforAll South Coast is prepared to hold the program virtually. She said there are currently 40 applicants and 15 available spaces. The nonprofit is accepting applications until April 23. n

G-Form shifts from making sports gear to face shields NORTH SMITHFIELD – G-Form, a manufacturer of protective pads used in sports, has found new life producing protective face shields for health care workers, The Associated Press reported April 14.

With the shuttering of sporting goods stores and the temporary suspension of sports, orders for GForm’s elbow and knee pads used in soccer, mountain biking and major league baseball stopped. CEO Glen Giovanucci said he would have had to furlough 70 employees and shut down his North Smithfield factory if they couldn’t find something else to make during the coronavirus pandemic.

Two weeks after retrofitting its manufacturing process, G-Form was shipping 10,000 shields a day to medical distributors and hospitals.

The factory is working with other Ocean State businesses toward a goal of producing 20,000 shields a day, including Atlantic Footcare, which makes insoles for boots and sneakers.

Atlantic Footcare President Keith Lonergan said the partnership not only saved him from furloughs but may allow him to add employees. n

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CORONAVIRUS CRISIS CHAMBERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

On top of that, she updates the website and social media pages with resource guides and promotions of members’ services, and she produces daily video segments responding to frequently asked questions. Then she brainstorms new ways to help.

While their individual routines may differ, leaders of local chambers of commerce across Rhode Island are being tested like never before by a coronavirus pandemic that has swiftly crushed many of their members, and has left the chambers wounded, too.

Their typical tasks of communication, advocacy and support have gone into hyperdrive as members struggle to find ways to keep businesses alive.

Among the chief roles of local chambers now: distilling information on the bevy of local, state and federal resources available to businesses – a kind of CliffsNotes guide, as Kristin Urbach, who leads the 400-member North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce, described it.

The deluge of new eligibility information, and in some cases misinformation, makes it hard for business owners already overwhelmed with dayto-day operations to keep tabs on daily changes.

For most small-business owners, the chamber is a familiar support system.

“We’re the trusted voice,” said Erin DonovanBoyle, executive director of the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce. “We’re not necessarily experts in all these fields, but we can direct them to who the experts are.”

Indeed, the North Kingstown Chamber was the first call John Perrotti made when hunting for details on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s small-business loan programs.

Perrotti, who owns Mobility Equipment LLC, has been a member of the Chamber since 2015, and a board member in recent years.

Urbach’s ability to break down complex loan programs into “layman’s terms” was particularly helpful, as was the Chamber’s guidance on how Perrotti could keep customers and employees safe while remaining open – the recycled medical mobility equipment company is among those deemed essential.

The company has halted in-person visits except by appointment and stopped accepting donated equipment, though it continues to offer sales, repairs and customization, aided by regular sanitation and protective equipment for employees.

“This really turns not only my business but every business upside down,” Perrotti said. “Having access to this information immediately is crucial so business owners can make decisions quickly.”

STREAMING IN One benefit of a shift to entirely virtual trainings and events has been the speed at which they can be up and running, according to Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. Since moving the Chamber’s array of seminars and events to computer screens, White said, her team has found relief from the

VALUABLE ADVICE: John Perrotti, owner of Mobility Equipment LLC, says the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce helped break down complex loan programs into “layman’s terms” and provided guidance on how to keep customers and employees safe while remaining open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

logistical burden that’s part of planning in-person gatherings.

“We can come up with an idea at 9 in the morning and execute it at 4 in the afternoon,” White said.

The Providence Chamber has pumped out a steady stream of webinars for the 1,100 companies in its membership, featuring everything from expert advice on insurance claims and cash flow to real-time question-and-answer sessions with the state’s congressional delegation.

Kelley McShane, a managing partner for The Granny Squibb Co. LLC and Providence Chamber member, cited recent webinars with Rhode Island’s congressional representatives addressing the stimulus package and SBA loans as particularly helpful, allowing her company a chance to bypass potentially long waiting times to get in touch with the key officials.

McShane, like Perrotti, found herself consulting her Chamber for questions, information and advice – in part because Chamber representatives reached out to her.

“It was pretty incredible,” she said. “Immediately, as this crisis was coming on, the Chamber of Commerce was on it.”

Having that information has helped McShane not just with the logistical aspects of keeping her beverage-making business afloat after shuttering its Weybosset Street headquarters but with her own peace of mind, she said.

“It makes me feel safe knowing there’s a team of experts that are gathering and compiling all

‘This really turns not only my business but every business upside down.’

JOHN PERROTTI, Mobility Equipment LLC owner 12 | APRIL 17-23, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

this information and relaying it to us,” she said.

Individual chambers have been working their way through lists of hundreds of members, making individual phone calls. Even if a business doesn’t have immediate questions or demands, it can be a source of comfort – a way to show somebody cares, Catucci said.

White said many of her individual conversations with members have taken a different tone in recent weeks as business owners grapple with not only the financial and physical ramifications of a crippled economy but the emotional ones.

“This is the time to listen and to be empathetic,” White said. “It’s a different kind of conversation.”

To that end, the Providence Chamber has also launched a weekly webinar series with member and holistic executive life coach Katie McDonald focused on self-care and well-being.

“Unless you take care of yourself, you’re not going to be able to take care of your business,” White said. “Part of our job is also being a source of comfort and inspiration for members to one another.”

McDonald, who offers her services through her company, bnourished LLC, echoed White’s emphasis on self-care as a “strategy, not a nuisance.”

The webinars have been a way to reach a broader audience with her message and services, marketing herself to future clients, as well as for speaking engagements.

CONNECTED BY CRISIS Capitalizing on connections has always been a benefit of being part of a chamber, but it has taken on new importance for some businesses.

The North Kingstown Chamber, for example, has put together a list of restaurant and cafe members now offering curbside pickup and promoted it through social media, Urbach said.

For retail businesses that have been largely forced to shutter, the Chamber is also offering technical assistance with beefing up websites to

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS ‘This is the time to listen and to be empathetic.

It’s a different kind of conversation.’

LAURIE WHITE, Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce president PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

sell merchandise online.

“These kinds of things seem small, but they’re also big for those members,” she said.

Urbach, a former executive at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C., has had no shortage of experiences dealing with crises. But neither Urbach nor other chamber leaders had experienced anything quite like this.

Donovan-Boyle drew some similarities to the natural-gas outage that left Aquidneck Island customers, including many Chamber members, without power for a week in January 2019.

Kathleen Staab, owner and president of Jane Pickens Theater LLC in Newport, recalled how the outage devastated her business, forcing it to shut down at a crucial time leading up to the Academy Awards. At the time, the Newport Chamber guided Staab on how to get funding and also coordinated for Gov. Gina M. Raimondo to announce an emergency loan program from the theater stage.

That crisis seems minor compared with what Staab is up against now – 12 events canceled, indefinite closure and her entire staff unemployed.

The uncertainties of the situation abound, but one way the chambers are looking ahead is by collecting data from their members. The Newport Chamber recently completed a survey asking its 1,100 members for details on the economic effects of COVID-19.

Early results from the 112 members who responded painted a picture of what Donovan-Boyle called a “dire situation,” with 40% of respondents closed and many worried about their ability to reopen or recover if the crisis lasts more than three months.

Other chambers have followed suit with their own surveys, with the intent to share survey results with state and federal officials to help inform the kinds of programs and policies most needed by their members when in recovery mode.

SHARED PAIN Donovan-Boyle was also in the process of revising the Newport Chamber’s own 2020 plan – initially focused on strategic advancement but “now it’s essentially turning into a recovery plan,” she said. That plan includes ensuring the Chamber can stay solvent without some of the large-scale events and training that bring in money.

While details of the plan were not yet available, Donovan-Boyle anticipated that structural deficit would be significant. As of April 6, all six Chamber employees, herself included, were reduced to half-time hours while the amount of work has multiplied, she said.

At the same time, the chambers haven’t been eligible for most of the federal relief approved by Congress, Donovan-Boyle said, although lawmakers are working on expanding eligibility.

Rescheduling at least two major spring events until the fall means the North Kingstown Chamber’s first-quarter revenue will take a hit, but Urbach hoped it would be made up by year’s end.

The organization also receives money through the town of North Kingstown’s annual budget, which as of early April appeared to be at the same amount projected before the pandemic.

It was too early for White to say how badly the crisis would shrink the Providence Chamber’s

bottom line, but she said her team was searching for other opportunities to provide valuable information people would pay for.

“It will change us as a society,” White said.

“Each of us is contemplating our own individual goals as people but also as businesses, what are we going to [do] differently.”

She was confident the Chamber had enough reserve funds to sustain its activities and keep paying its eight full-time staffers.

The Providence Chamber in April halted collection of dues for at least a month, while Northern Rhode Island and Newport were working with individual members unable to pay their dues.

The North Kingstown Chamber, with its next quarterly payment not due until July, has not yet considered waiving or discounting dues.

In at least one area, the Northern Rhode Island Chamber could see a slight bump in revenue.

When its regular Eggs & Issues breakfast went virtual for the first time on April 9, the Chamber was able to forgo providing food but was still able to secure corporate sponsorships. The success of the offering and relative ease of planning had the Chamber thinking about continuing to make some events virtual even when in-person gatherings are possible once again, Catucci said.

Revenue could be lost from members that shutter their businesses permanently – the case for a few of Northern Rhode Island Chamber’s ­members.

At the same time, though, Catucci reported several new businesses joining to take advantage of the services being offered. Selling the Chamber’s services to prospective members is by no means her first priority right now, but an added benefit that underscores its importance, she said.

“This is really an opportunity to showcase the Chamber’s value,” Catucci said.

White also reported a drop in membership, as some employees within individual companies get laid off or furloughed, though she could not quantify the decrease. Some members have just vanished, and have not been reachable by phone, email or even LinkedIn messages from her staff.

Asked if she worried about those she hadn’t heard from, White said yes, and that she thought about them often.

The stories of members still in touch with their chambers were hard to forget, too.

Catucci relayed the concerns of a restaurant owner whose workers worried about how they would feed their own families.

“You hear these devastating stories on the news all the time,” she said. “But when you know the person, it hits you in a whole other way.” n

RELIABLE RESOURCE: North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kristin Urbach says the Chamber has compiled information on state and federal programs for its members while promoting ways for the community to support local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | APRIL 17-23, 2020 | 13

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS COLLEGES

‘If I have a job at all, it will be at a reduced load. I can’t live on it; this is barely living.’

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

­ ducation. “And that could be financially E ­disastrous.”

Many colleges could be left to decide between the difficult choices of adding to this year’s unexpected losses by trying to boost financial assistance for what could be a significantly larger group of cash-strapped students or, alternatively, cutting salaries and even increasing some fees or curbing financial aid to stay in the black. A handful of local schools, however, have committed to not raising student costs.

But with the pandemic still climbing toward its peak locally, most colleges are in the same predicament as students and families, unsure what they’ll be able to afford to do and searching for answers.

“If there is decreased enrollment and increased aid, that becomes a tough equation for us to manage,” acknowledged University of Rhode Island Provost Donald DeHayes.

ABSORBING HITS

Local schools, including URI, Bryant University, Providence College, Johnson & Wales University, Rhode Island College, Brown University, Salve Regina University, Rhode Island School of Design and Roger Williams University, are processing refunds and credits to students and their families on lost room and board due to campuses closing and the switch to remote learning. The hit these colleges are going to take collectively this year is significant.

Daniel P. Egan, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Rhode Island, said Rhode Island-based colleges are expected to lose between $75 million and $100 million due to refunding students’ room and board for 25% of the

LISA MCCLURE, Roger Williams University adjunct professor academic year.

Brown University alone has sustained a $20 million hit thus far, due to crediting room and board fees, moving and instructional expenses, and waiving “summer earning expectations” for all current and admitted students, covering this with scholarship aid, according to an April 7 letter from Provost Richard M. Locke. The losses in revenue and cost increases for the Ivy League university could rise to at least $50 million “over the next several months, and potentially more,” Locke said.

In addition to the university implementing a hiring freeze, Brown administrators, including Locke and President Christina H. Paxson, have taken salary reductions, and all faculty and staff will have their salaries frozen for the new fiscal year starting July 1, Locke said. The university’s Capital Planning Committee, which Locke chairs, is also evaluating current and planned capital projects and will offer Paxson recommendations on which will “be slowed” or “be suspended or postponed” based on “the mission-critical nature of the project and financing structure,” Locke said.

At URI, DeHayes said the state university is expected to issue $8 million in refunds on room and board and had to spend approximately $1 million

EMPTY CAMPUS: The Memorial Union at the University of Rhode Island in South Kingstown is pictured in the background. URI Provost Daniel DeHayes says the university is expected to issue $8 million in refunds on room and board and had to spend $1 million to transition about 1,800 classes online due to the ­COVID-19 pandemic.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

14 | APRIL 17-23, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

to transition about 1,800 classes online.

Egan said colleges are “most likely” not going to be able to make up such losses on room and board, and suggested that they have to come up with “creatives ways” to trim costs and expenses. One idea Egan raised is for local colleges to work with other schools they have relationships with to have out-of-state students who would normally attend college in Rhode Island take classes closer to their homes.

He said colleges in the Midwest did that when they took in college students from Louisiana who were displaced when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005.

“Everything is on the table,” Egan said. “People have to be really creative in terms of how we deliver quality education on the other side of this pandemic.”

Salve Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer William Hall said the university will use funds that would have normally been used to pay for food services on campus and to rent tents for the now-canceled commencement ceremonies to help fill some of a $4.2 million budget gap caused by room-and-board refunds. The Newportbased Catholic school could also receive about $420,000 from the federal stimulus package for assistance.

“We’re not going to get it to zero, but it will help soften the blow,” Hall said, noting that Salve also lost an estimated $450,000 in room revenue from a canceled 12-week summer conference, which impacts the school’s 2021 fiscal budget, Hall said.

Hall said Salve will not raise fees or reduce returning students’ financial aid packages. If a student’s financial situation has changed because of the pandemic, Hall said their financial aid could be increased.

RWU is also reallocating money, in its case because of less energy consumption and canceled spring sporting events and trips, to help bridge its approximately $10 million gap from room-andboard rebates, RWU interim Chief of Staff Brian Williams said. Like Salve, RWU won’t raise its fee structure for students to help cover losses, Williams said.

PC had to renegotiate contracts with its dining and custodial providers to create cost savings and took other steps to build up financial liquidity, according to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer John Sweeney.

That will help compensate for the $10 million hit it took on rebates and credits issued on room and board. Sweeney also said PC will not recoup the loss from students in any way and expects financial aid to increase in the coming year.

Like other schools, PC’s endowment fund was also hit hard when financial markets tanked in late February and March, dropping from $250 million as of the end of December to $210 million.

To help restore it, Sweeney said the school will be looking for buying opportunities in the markets.

“The trick is having managers that can find the opportunities at the right time,” Sweeney said.

Lost funds and inactivity on campus forced many colleges to make staffing changes, particularly with food and service.

Sodexo Campus Services, which handles Salve’s CONTINUES ON PAGE 16

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CORONAVIRUS CRISIS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

food operations, had to lay off 74 of the 75 hourly employees due to no one being on campus, Sodexo General Manager Mark Rodriguez said.

RWU laid off 170 dining-service workers and 12 shuttle personnel to help cover some of the costs tied to moving to online learning and refunding room and board, according to a letter to staff and students from RWU President Ioannis N. Mioaoulis.

TROUBLING TREND Many colleges were already worried about the national trend toward declining enrollment even before the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the world, said Edinaldo Tebaldi, a professor of economics at Bryant.

Based on U.S. census data, it is expected that there will be fewer high school graduates in New England over the next few years. There has already been a downward trend in the number of high school students enrolled across the six states.

According to census data, estimated high school enrollment in New England dropped from 779,494 in 2011 to 732,092 in 2018.

In Rhode Island, high school enrollment was estimated at 49,786 in 2018, down from 55,145 in 2011, census data shows.

“Now, we have a situation [the virus pandemic] that would cause many people to lose jobs, lose income and families may not be able to send their children to colleges, where tuitions have been increasing faster than the pace of inflation,” Tebaldi said.

Baltimore-based consulting firm Art & Science Group LLC recently polled high school students across the country on their thoughts about attending college next year, and the results are troubling for higher education.

Approximately 1 in 6 of survey respondents said they “appear to be near the point of giving up” on the idea of attending a four-year college in the fall.

Additionally, the survey found that two-thirds of graduating seniors “may have to change their firstchoice school” due to the virus pandemic.

Salve has seen enrollment declines before. Hall said along with the 2008 recession, which saw Salve’s enrollment decrease by about 15% in the fall of 2009, the attacks on 9/11 caused the student population at the Newport campus to decrease. Hall said Salve’s enrollment dropped about 5% in the fall of 2002 due to 9/11, mainly due to fewer students enrolling from New York and New Jersey.

“There was a feeling that some kids were looking to stay home because of a little bit of a fear factor from 9/11,” Hall said. “That is a legitimate concern [now].”

If there is an enrollment drop, Hall said, Salve will look at ways to further reduce expenses, such as holding off on raises for faculty and staff and reducing the university’s contribution to retirement plans. There may also be temporary pay reductions

PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

for staffers, in addition to holds for them. minimizing normal expenses Dan Carrigg, a visitsuch as food and utility costs, ing English professor at Hall said.

Brown University who Sweeney said PC’s admishad also taught on an adsion numbers for the fall junct basis at URI, Salve semester are “strong,” but acand RWU, said certain knowledges the full extent of courses are not held if the hardships some families there aren’t enough stumay face after the pandemic dents enrolled in them. is “not yet clear.”

When asked if he worries He also said the college about being at risk of would need to find savings not having a job, Carrigg in areas, including regular said, “That’s absolutely maintenance spending, utilipossible.” ties and dining, and possibly Lisa McClure, an implement a hiring freeze RWU adjunct profesor eliminate temporary and sor who teaches public seasonal staff, if enrollment speaking, is more than drops next year. worried.

DeHayes worries the “I’m terrified,” she spread of the new coronavisaid. “If I have a job at rus could hurt enrollment if all, it will be at a reduced FROZEN: Brown University Provost too many students or family load. I can’t live on it; Richard M. Locke says all faculty and members become infected. this is barely living.” staff will have their salaries frozen for Plus, travel restrictions – if Hall acknowledges the new fiscal year starting July 1. they are still in place – could that if Salve saw reduced COURTESY BROWN UNIVERSITY pose problems. DeHayes said enrollment, the school URI has about 650 students would not hire as many who live internationally. adjunct professors.

DeHayes said URI will still look to “lighten the RWU School of Law student Sheya Rivard said [financial] load a little bit” for students whose the university held a virtual town hall discussion finances have been hurt by COVID-19. in which school officials mentioned a “fund” would But state schools such as URI are “particularly be created to help students who are in financial vulnerable” right now because they are dependent trouble. However, school officials were vague on on state budgets, according to David Tandberg, vice details, Rivard said. president of policy research and strategic initia“There really wasn’t a whole lot of explanation tives for the Colorado-based State Higher Educaas to how that fund would be allocated, how would tion Executive Officers Association. He feels the you qualify for it, how do people pay into it,” Rihit state colleges may receive from this pandemic vard said. “There really isn’t a whole lot of concrete could be “pretty dramatic” because states will face answers about what might be done to help students new costs around health care and its response to monetarily.” the pandemic, in addition to seeing decreased tax Rivard added that she’s concerned whether or revenue. not her summer internship – which would potenEighty-three percent of URI’s operating budget tially get her a $2,500 stipend – will still be availis based on tuition revenue, with the rest coming able. The stipend money, Rivard said, would help from state aid, DeHayes said. He acknowledged pay her college expenses.

Rhode Island is in a “precarious situation,” with “Any little bit [of help] is a lot,” Rivard said. businesses temporarily closed. If URI’s enrollment Williams said RWU offers opportunities for decreases next year, its operating budget will also financial aid appeals for both new students and dip, DeHayes said. returning students if their situations have been JWU declined an interview request from Proviimpacted by the pandemic. dence Business News. In a statement, the school RWU is also offering seniors who were unable said it does anticipate the pandemic will “have to complete graduation requirements due to the some impact” on enrollment, but it’s “too early to pandemic an additional year of eligibility. Such project what it would look like.” JWU added that students, the school’s website states, will be eligible it has taken “proactive steps” to manage student for an RWU grant “equal to the amount” previously debt by increasing institutional aid for the last five awarded to the student. years, and it anticipates that trend will continue.

Williams added that federal stimulus funding Officials from Bryant, RIC, Brown and the will also provide some help to students, but the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth were not imschool is waiting on further guidance from the U.S. mediately available for comment on how they plan Department of Education on that. to handle the fiscal challenges and uncertainties.

Despite the uncertainties for many students and colleges, there’s one thing that is clear, said ‘I’M TERRIFIED’ Tandberg.

Though many of the schools aren’t talking about “The longer this [pandemic] continues, the their financial plans, some adjunct professors and worse it’s going to be” financially, he said. n students are clearly anxious about what the future

‘If there is decreased enrollment and increased aid, that becomes a tough equation for us to manage.’

DONALD DEHAYES, University of Rhode Island provost 16 | APRIL 17-23, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

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FOCUS | ADULT/EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Shutdown of job training may have lingering effect

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

YOU

can’t learn to drive a tractor-trailer over Zoom.

Which is why the Teamsters ­Local 251 Driving School, which offers commercial driver’s license certification training through a partnership with Real Jobs Rhode Island, shut down the program in mid-March, according to Brian Palmer, the director of training for the Teamsters.

Palmer backed the decision to indefinitely suspend the program as a safety precaution – there’s no way to maintain social distancing in a 3-foot cab space, and many of the trainers fall in the highrisk category if infected by COVID-19 because of their older age. But it was a hard call to make, leaving more than 30 trainees unable to complete training and the 11 trainers furloughed until the coronavirus crisis subsides.

Also weighing heavily on Palmer’s mind is the future of the program, which relies on state funding that, given the current budget constraints, may not be a priority compared with other, more urgent spending needs.

Scott R. Jensen, the director of the R.I. Department of Labor and Training, which oversees Real Jobs RI, echoed

the concern about the state’s ability to funnel money into the program. DLT has stopped approving new grants and adopted a “wait and see mode” regarding continued funding for existing programs.

Expanding the state allocation for Real Jobs RI to $14.1 million was among the highlights touted by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo in the $10.2 billion fiscal 2021 budget proposal she unveiled in January.

But an expected shortfall in revenue, coupled with increased expenses – including skyrocketing unemployment insurance claims – are sapping the state’s coffers.

Josh Block, a spokesman for the governor, said in an email that it was too early to tell how specific items included in the governor’s budget proposal will be affected by coronavirus-related constraints, adding that job training remains a priority but will need to be balanced with ensuring the state has the necessary revenue.

Participants in other Real Jobs RI programs have seen courses similarly halted, including those in the Shipbuilding/Marine Trades and Advanced Manufacturing Institute through the New England Institute of Technology.

Like the driving school, the experiential,

PROGRAM PARKED: Brian Palmer is the director of training for the Teamsters Local 251 Driving School, which offers commercial driver’s license certification training through a partnership with Real Jobs RI. The program has been temporarily shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

‘If we come out of this ready to train people ... it’s an opportunity to grow quickly.’

SCOTT R. JENSEN, R.I Department of Labor and Training director 18 | APRIL 17-23, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com

hands-on nature of learning welding, shipbuilding and computer numerical control made virtual learning impossible, according to Steven H. Kitchin, vice president for corporate education and training at NEIT. He wasn’t overly concerned about funding, confident in the state and federal commitments to the program, as well as those by major employers such as Electric Boat Corp. He was more concerned about the 25 to 35 students whose coursework has been interrupted indefinitely and who might not be able to return once the program gets back up and running.

Kitchin expected demand for manufacturing and shipbuilding training programs to rise when the crisis abates, anticipating the supply-chain disruptions caused by the new coronavirus would spur some manufacturers to return operations to the U.S. But first, the program has to survive what Kitchin described as a “break your neck kind of stoppage in the economy.”

While truckers and manufacturers have largely continued operations, the hospitality industry – a central part of the state economy – ground to a halt almost overnight as hotels and restaurants went dark.

The Rhode Island Hospitality Association has been hard at work not only raising money for industry workers but also retooling its own workforcetraining programs to serve a now largely unemployed workforce that might be looking to fill some newfound free time with a certification or training course.

“My phone is ringing nonstop with a lot of people saying, ‘I’m ready to take my exam,’ ” said Heather Singleton, the association’s chief operating officer. “I am a firm believer that if you have any down time, let’s do something to keep the brain going and be prepared so you can jump back in.”

After initially postponing most of its Real Jobs RI training programs, RIHA has shifted to almost entirely virtual training, including an updated food-safety course related to protocol around takeout and delivery and COVID-19. Singleton also anticipated the association would come up with new training courses sparked by the coronavirus, naming a mental health education class as one possibility.

While acknowledging that workforce training has fallen further down the funding priority list, Jensen also noted that Real Jobs RI could be a vital part of helping the state economy recover when the worst of the crisis is over.

“If we come out of this ready to train people into the right kinds of positions relative to our economic strengths, it’s an opportunity to grow quickly,” he said.

Charles Beausejour, a retired truck driver and trainer for the Teamsters Local 251, also spoke to how the crisis has underscored the importance of workforce training, particularly for the trucking industry.

“We always say, America moves by truck,” he said. “The masks, the food on the shelves of the supermarket, it’s not magic that moves it there. It’s truckers.” n

ADULT/EXECUTIVE EDUCATION | FOCUS Flexibility crucial for continuing-ed classes

BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com

COLLEGES IN THE AREA have their fingers crossed that their adult-education and certification programs will remain relatively unscathed during the corona­virus pandemic, and in its aftermath.

For many schools that aim degree and enrichment programs at working adults, the transition to online instruction began years before COVID-19 arrived. That means the heavy lifting of the switch to completely online instruction had already been done, but it required some changes in the process and review of student work.

That was the case at Roger Williams University’s University College – what was formerly called its School of Continuing Studies – where degree and nondegree classes were offered in either a hybrid format or as a completely online experience long before the pandemic.

In a hybrid course, students do most of the work online, and meet with the instructor and their classmates regularly throughout the semester. Now all courses have moved entirely online, said Jamie Scurry, vice president for RWU’s University College.

The biggest change with COVID-19 isn’t the format or technology, Scurry said. It’s that the lives of University College’s 3,000 students have been ­upended.

“The transition to online wasn’t really a transition for our students,” Scurry said. “The transition has been their world has changed. [They’re] already working adults. So, [they’re] balancing work and school and family obli-

‘I have to imagine there is going to be an impact on our numbers.

Life is in transition.’

JAMIE SCURRY, Roger Williams University’s University College vice president gations and community. So now, the support of our students looks a bit different. You’re trying to do school.

You’re trying to work remotely and you’re trying to possibly home-school your children.”

Flexibility with students is key, she said, and an understanding that people are living in a stressful environment and their needs may change.

So far, Roger Williams University’s University College hasn’t seen a change in demand for registration for summer semester classes, she said. But the reality is there may be changes ahead, given the economic contraction.

“I have to imagine there is going to be an impact on our numbers. Life is in transition,” she said. “People’s spending patterns may look differently [in the future].”

Rhode Island College said it has not seen a drop in student participation in its certificate programs and adult-education courses, as well as its Intensive English as a Second Language course.

The start of new cohorts, however, has been postponed as the school evaluates its teaching methods and moves more courses online. “We are looking at an early June launch of CONTINUES ON PAGE 23

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FOCUS | ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS (ranked by number of students) FOCUS | ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS (ranked by number of students) Education center | Website Director

Address Phone

No. of adult education students

Total adult education faculty

Bryant University | bryant.edu Ronald K. Machtley, president 1

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

2,076

74

Providence Public Library | provlib.org Jack Martin, executive director

150 Empire St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 455-8000

2019: 5

Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island | diiri.org Kathleen Cloutier, executive director

645 Elmwood Ave. Providence, R.I. 02907 (401) 784-8600

1,620

17

4 2019: 2

Rhode Island School of Design | ce.risd.edu Sarah Caggiano, executive director

2 College St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 454-6200

1,572

102

Animation, art history and appreciation, ceramics, drawing, game design, graphic design

Nonprofit

5 2019: 1

Community College of Rhode Island | ccri.edu Meghan Hughes, president

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

974

28

Business-language training, CNC manufacturing, community ESL, teaching assistant, pharmacy tech

Public

6

Community Care Alliance | CommunityCareRI.org Benedict F. Lessing Jr., CEO and president

55 Main St. Woonsocket, R.I. 02895 (401) 919-1071

902

5

Independence and Dignity career program, Pathways to Adulting, Project Learn (adult education, ESL courses, GED courses)

Nonprofit

7

The Genesis Center | gencenter.org Shannon Carroll, CEO and president

620 Potters Ave. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 781-6110

900

38

Citizenship preparation, national external diploma program preparation

Nonprofit

2020 Rank

1 2019: 3 2 2019: 4 3

2019: 13

2019: 6

Aquidneck Island Adult Learning Center Program | newportcommunityschool.org Kathy Evans, program coordinator, Aquidneck Island Adult Learning Center; Tracy Shea, executive director, Newport Community School

740 West Main Road Middletown, R.I. 02842 (401) 847-7171

Rhode Island Regional Adult Learning | riral.org Patricia Bellart, executive director

191 Social St., 3rd Floor Woonsocket, R.I. 02895 (401) 762-3841

Salve Regina University | salve.edu Kelli Armstrong, president

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

Progreso Latino | progresolatino.org Mario Bueno, executive director; Rossis Melendez, adult education case manager; Esther Acevedo, GED/adult basic education coordinator

626 Broad St. Central Falls, R.I. 02863 (401) 728-5920

12 2019: 10

Rhode Island College | ric.edu Frank D. Sánchez, president

13 2019: NL

8 2019: 8

1,918

17

Adult education programs offered Certificate programs in various fields, including business analytics, cybersecurity, human resources management and project management Data Navigators data analytics program, GED classes, ESL classes, Learning Lounge digital resource program, Rhode Coders web-development program Adult basic education/GED classes, Home Builders International credits program with Rhode Island Builders Association, OSHA-10 certification

Type of organization

Nonprofit

Nonprofit

Nonprofit

Citizenship preparation, English language acquisition, GED/high school completion, workplace literacy

25

Adult basic education, ESL courses, citizenship, high school credential courses (GED, NEDP), Transition to College course

82

Administration of justice, business, Catholic school leadership, holistic leadership/ counseling, international relations, nursing

Nonprofit

625

16

Adult basic literacy, Bridge to Careers program, digital literacy, ESOL, general education development, integrated English literacy and civics education

Nonprofit

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

454

NA

For-credit certificates available in areas such as education, health care and nonprofit studies

Public

Tri-County Community Action Agency | tritown.org Joseph DeSantis, CEO and president

1126 Hartford Ave. Johnston, R.I. 02919 (401) 351-2750

450

12

Adult basic education, adult job training, CNA training program, financial literacy, GED prep classes

Nonprofit

Providence College | providence.edu Rev. Brian J. Shanley, president 2

1 Cunningham Square Providence, R.I. 02918 (401) 865-2294

286

63

Several degree and certificate programs, including accounting, business, fire administration, health care administration and legal studies

Nonprofit

15 2019: NL

Institute for Labor Studies & Research | riilsr.org Robert Delaney, executive director

1540 Pontiac Ave. Cranston, R.I. 02920 (401) 463-9900

252

8

English classes, health and safety, teacher assistant certification, workplace education,

Nonprofit

16 2019: 14

Cranston Adult Education Center | cranstonadulteducation.weebly.com Gayle Dzekevich, director

83 Rolfe Square Cranston, R.I. 02920 (401) 270-8166

200

15

Adult basic education, certified nursing assistant training, dental assistant training, ESL, medical assistant training

Public

17

Year Up | yearup.org Cathy Doyle, executive director

40 Fountain St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 421-7819

180

5

2019: 19

18

West Bay Collaborative | westbaycollaborative.org Maryann Struble, executive director

144 Bignall St. Warwick, R.I. 02888 (401) 941-8353

166

11

19 2019: 14

Crossroads Rhode Island | crossroadsri.org Karen Santilli, CEO and president

160 Broad St. Providence, R.I. 02903 (401) 521-2255

120

3

Adult basic education for reading and math; integrated education and training program

Nonprofit

20 2019: 19

Westbay Community Action 3 | westbaycap.org Paul Salera, CEO and president; Heather Braga, chief finance officer; Melanie LaMountain, adult education director

2480 Post Road Warwick, R.I. 02886 (401) 732-4660

100

3

Academic course work, including reading, writing, math and computer literacy for employment and training

Nonprofit

9

2019: 11

10

2019: 16

11

2019: 12

14 2019: 7

2019: NL

650

629

Intensive training involving corporate internships, coursework eligible for college credit, hands-on skills development, and wraparound support Computer literacy, digital literacy, Google suite for business, health care, hospitality, landscaping, Microsoft basics, shop math/ numeracy, Spanish for managers

1 Ronald K. Machtley will retire after the university's commencement on May 16, 2020. Bryant University is currently searching for a successor.

Public

Nonprofit

Nonprofit

Nonprofit

2 Rev. Brian J. Shanley will step down as president on June 30, 2020. Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard will assume the role July 1, 2020.

20 | APRIL 17-23, 2020 | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | www.pbn.com 3 Current physical location is at New England Institute of Technology at 2480 Post Road, Warwick. During the COVID-19 crisis they are offering distance education. The

organization plans on moving to 487 Jefferson Blvd., Warwick, in the near future. The timing will depend on how soon things resume to typical programming.

Total number of students:

14,921 LIST RESEARCHED BY Cassius Shuman

22

847

CLOSER LOOK

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 Commercial Real Estate Sales for Bristol County and Rhode Island (April 24); Rhode Island SBA Lenders and Rhode Island’s Largest Loans (May 1) 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.

NL = Not listed last year.

FOOTNOTES j Ronald K. Machtley will retire after the 2019-20 academic year. Bryant University is currently searching for a successor.  Rev. Brian J. Shanley will step down as president on June 30, 2020. Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard will assume the role July 1, 2020.  Current physical location is at New England Institute of Technology at 2480 Post Road, Warwick. During the COVID-19 crisis the center is offering distance education.

The organization plans on moving to 487 Jefferson Blvd., Warwick, in the near future. The timing will depend on how soon things resume to typical programming.

FOCUS | ONLINE DEGREES AND PROGRAMS (ranked by number of students enrolled) FOCUS | ONLINE DEGREES AND PROGRAMS (Ranked by number of students enrolled) 2020 Rank

1

2019: 1

2

College/university | Website Program Director(s)

Address Phone

Johnson & Wales University | jwu.edu David Cartwright, dean, College of Online Education

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

Salve Regina University | salve.edu Tobias M. Stapleton, dean of graduate studies and continuing education programs

2019: 4

3

University of Rhode Island | uri.edu David M. Dooley, president

2019: 5

4

Roger Williams University | rwu.edu Jamie Scurry, vice president of University College

2019: NL

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

35 Campus Ave. South Kingstown, R.I. 02881 (401) 874-1000

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

CLOSER LOOK

No. of students enrolled in full online degree programs

Total online program staff

Online degree programs offered

1759

NA

Bachelor's, master's, doctoral degrees offered in various programs at the university

85

Administration of justice and homeland security, business administration, health care administration, humanities, innovation and strategic management, international relations, nursing

629

506

296

28

NA

Cybersecurity, dietetics, digital forensics, digital literacy, nursing, TESOL/bilingual and dual language

Arts, corporate communications, criminal justice, cybersecurity, digital forensics, health care administration, paralegal studies, psychology, public administration, school finance and operations, social science, technology and other programs

5 2019: 6

New England Institute of Technology | neit.edu Douglas H. Sherman, senior vice president and provost

1 New England Tech Blvd.

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

152

15

RN to BSN; Master of Science degrees in cybersecurity defense, construction management, information technology, nursing and public health; and postprofessional doctorate of occupational therapy

6 2019: 3

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | umassd.edu David Pedro, assistant vice chancellor for online and continuing education

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

132

13

Bachelor’s and master’s degrees for various programs, including accounting, economics, finance, health care, liberal arts, and women’s and gender studies

7 2019: 7

Community College of Rhode Island | ccri.edu Ali Rafieymehr, interim dean of business, science, technology, engineering and math

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

57

NA

Business administration, with a concentration in general business

Total number of students enrolled:

3,531 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 Commercial Real Estate Sales for Bristol County and Rhode Island (April 24); Rhode Island SBA Lenders and Rhode Island’s Largest Loans (May 1) 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.

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ON PACE: Kelly Donnell, associate professor of education at Roger Williams University, is teaching three courses from her Barrington home this semester because of the pandemic, but it hasn’t disrupted the pace or content of the instruction.

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Morning Call newsletter CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

new cohorts,” said Jenifer Giroux, RIC associate vice president for professional studies and continuing education.

At Providence College’s School of Continuing Education, 10-week online summer courses are still scheduled to take place. The college said it has also converted its “MayMester” and Summer I courses, which had called for varying amounts of in-person class time, to online exclusively.

The college has yet to make a decision on whether to hold a second summer session, which had been expected to begin in early July. Typically, the sessions are five weeks of in-person classes that meet twice a week. A PC spokesperson acknowledged that summer registration has been slow, but added that processing has been made more challenging because staff members are working remotely.

Johnson & Wales University said it was able to move some of its continuing-education degree programs and certificate programs online. But for other programs, it wasn’t possible.

The continuing-education students enrolled in baking and pastry, and the culinary arts labs, were not able to meet, according to a university spokesperson. Those labs were postponed as a result.

The university expects to resume the labs for continuing-ed students in the fall. For undergraduates, those labs are scheduled to resume July 6.

Summer camps, meanwhile, are still scheduled to run in July and August.

For Kelly Donnell, an associate professor of education at RWU’s University College, the COVID-19 pandemic has required some changes to each of her three courses this semester, but none that upset the pace or content of the instruction.

As the interim program director for the ESL teacher certification class, she is coordinating a class that will allow existing classroom teachers to gain a certificate to teach ESL. For these working teachers, the class had been conducted in a hybrid format. Teachers had been videotaping their instruction as part of their evaluation, but since they’ve all moved online with their own students, that’s had to be changed because the children cannot be videotaped while in a remote classroom.

So, the evaluation will be a combination of submitted materials, including a voice recording of the teacher’s instruction and submitted student work.

“We have brainstormed different ways that the same quality of evidence can be submitted,” Donnell said.

The situation has been challenging for everyone.

“Trying to find ways to build relationships with people who are understandably stressed” has been one of the most challenging things for Donnell, she said. “I want them to thrive. I want them to feel successful.” n

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PBN.COM | ANOTHER LOOK Stimulus loans arrive for companies

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

(Editor’s note: A version of this story was first published on PBN.com on April 13.)

PROVIDENCE – Christopher Bicho originally anticipated making a second round of layoffs on April 10.

Amid the abrupt economic shutdown, the owner and founder of Newport-based Landings Real Estate Group had cut 28 people from his staff of 78 and planned to lay off nine more.

But after learning he would be receiving a paycheck-relief loan on April 10, part of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program, Bicho changed course. He halted layoff plans and after signing the promissory note with his lender, Centreville Bank, called back all the employees he laid off to give them their jobs back.

Bicho was among the very first PPP loan applicants through Centre­ ville Bank – and possibly in the entire state – to receive funds through the forgivable loan program aimed at helping small businesses cover payroll expenses for the next eight weeks.

The chaotic rollout of the federal relief program left many local lenders scrambling to process a surge of

applications, while applicants waited for the money to hit their accounts.

News reports indicate many are still waiting – both to submit their loans and even for those who have received SBA approval, to get the funding.

Having closed and deposited funds into a handful of the earliest approved applicants’ accounts, Centreville Bank has ramped up distribution, according to Justin DeShaw, senior vice president and chief lending officer.

While lenders were working hard to help small-business borrowers get the funding they need to keep or rehire employees, federal guidelines about the program remained unclear.

Specifically, the legislation passed by Congress and the updated final rule provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury contradict one another with regard to details of the loan forgiveness, DeShaw said.

While he was not worried about what the contradiction meant for Centreville as a lender – the SBA has made it clear it will back the loans – it made it difficult for him to answer questions from worried borrowers.

Among the questions: What happens if an approved borrower is unable to hire back all of its laid-off employees? Will there be a pro-rated-

HEAVY WORKLOAD: West Warwickbased Centreville Bank reported 130 approved applications, totaling $34 million, for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program.

COURTESY CENTREVILLE BANK

style forgiveness based on the percentage of the workforce they can retain or rehire? What about seasonal businesses and those in industries under forced closure?

DeShaw hoped additional guidance would answer these questions and pledged to continue “plowing ahead” with getting money quickly.

While the initial inundation of

inquiries and applications has slowed since the program opened on April 3, the pace remains steady, and could see another wave of interest.

As of April 13, more than 4,000 Rhode Island small businesses had been approved for $875.6 million in PPP loans, according to the SBA. That same day, The Washington Trust Co. reported 500 loan applications had been submitted and authorized, out of 1,200 “indications of interest.” Centreville reported 130 approved applications totaling $34 million.

While Bicho was grateful to be among the first recipients, he also worried about the still-unclear terms of the forgiveness loan and hoped for leniency.

Bicho also worried about what would happen when the eight-week forgiveness period on the loan runs out, noting that much of his business depends on the hospitality industry, which may not be up and running again at that time.

“If the economy is still not open, we’re in the same situation again,” he said. “Either we have to reopen the economy or the government is going to have to supply some more stimulus funding.”n

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IT’S PERSONAL Évora lauded as tech leader VICTOR ÉVORA is the recipient of the Modern-Day Technology Leader Award, which was awarded at the Black Engineer of the Year Award Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Conference in Washington, D.C., in February. Évora is the technical project manager for the Sensors and Sonar Systems Department at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, where he has served for 23 years. The award honors outstanding technical professionals working in STEM fields.

What was your reaction to winning this award?

I was humbled and pleasantly surprised to be nominated and then to be selected to receive the award, given the caliber of professionals employed at NUWC Division Newport. The Sensors and Sonar Systems Department, and NUWC Division Newport as a whole, is very good about recognizing employees for their overall contributions to the [U.S.] Navy.

What led you down this career path, and what roles have your background and technical leadership skills played in augmenting what you do for the Navy?

I started at NUWC Division Newport with an M.S. in mechanical engineering and obtained my Ph.D. some years later with the assistance of the great educational opportunities NUWC Division Newport has to offer. Given the wide spectrum of technical areas available, I personally chose to initially work in areas more directly related to mechanical engineering and then gradually began to learn other areas, such as underwater acoustics, having some small leadership roles along the way. Eighteen years later, I decided to move formally into the world of technical management.

Are there any innovations that you plan to implement to evolve or improve the center’s day-to-day operations?

My current plan is to continue to support the people in

my branch – [the] Underwater Sound Reference Division – with their professional growth, and to continue to grow the USRD as an organization, as well and in line with the latter plan to maintain and leverage the status that the USRD recently obtained of being a National Institute of Standards and Technology Designated Institute for Acoustics: Sound in Water.

How do you approach mentoring the next generation of leaders and acoustic metrology professionals to support the fleet?

Mentoring the next generation and ensuring that they are being trained in acoustics metrology so they can be future leaders is front and center for me as the USRD manager.

Although there are structured mentoring programs, I find that the best type of mentoring is that which is done informally; for instance, when a supervisor/leader just happens to be chatting with a professional about a topic and then uses the opportunity to mentor within the context of the topic being discussed.

What do you hope to accomplish and leave as your legacy at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center?

The most I could ever hope to leave and what could be considered a legacy at NUWC … is for a person to one day perhaps say that something that I said to them, or did for them, somehow helped them in some way – nothing else. n | SPONSORED CONTENT |

BANKING BankNewport is pleased to announce that Gregory A. Brooks, II has been promoted to Vice President of Business Intelligence.

In his new position, Greg is responsible for all aspects of data analytics, including managing the Tableau software application, training data workers throughout the bank, performing ad hoc data analysis for strategy development, and spearheading artificial intelligencerelated opportunities. Most recently, Greg was Assistant Vice President of Business Intelligence. Greg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems and Accounting from Rhode Island College and an MBA from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He currently resides in Wakefield, RI.

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BANKING BankNewport is pleased to announce that Julia N. Reinhardt has been appointed to Assistant Vice President and Branch Sales Manager of the Bank’s North Kingstown branch located at 1350 Ten Rod Road. In her new position, Julia is responsible for branch operations, customer service, and team development. Julia joined BankNewport in 2016 as a Senior Universal Banker at the Narragansett branch, before being promoted to her most recent position as Branch Operations Manager there in 2018. A native of East Lyme, CT, Julia holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Connecticut. She is a member of the United Way of Rhode Island Young Leaders Circle and resides in Newport with her husband, Matthew Reinhardt.

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

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | APRIL 17-23, 2020 | 25

IT’S PERSONAL MACKAY’S MORAL | HARVEY MACKAY

Dealing with hesitation “I NEED YOU TO GO OUT to the orchard and pick a basket full of apples,” a mother instructed her young daughter. “Just walk row by row and pick the prettiest ones. There are plenty on the trees, so just check each tree once and move along. You won’t have time to dawdle; I’ll need them in time for lunch in a half-hour.”

The girl thought this should be simple enough when she arrived at the orchard. However, as she walked the rows of trees, she found it difficult to choose. Each apple she inspected seemed to be of exceptional quality.

She would look over one tree but decide that the next tree might hold better apples. After all, she only wanted to pick the best and reddest.

But when she reached the edge of the orchard, her basket was empty. And she was late for lunch!

“All those trees and I couldn’t make up my mind,” she thought. “What if I didn’t get the best ones?”

Was it the fear of making a poor

decision or just uncertainty? That day, she realized that hesitating to make a decision and holding out for something better had prevented her from realizing the value of what was right in front of her.

We have all second-guessed ourselves or hesitated at some point – and usually for good reason. Perhaps new information came to light, or a budget couldn’t be stretched, or staff couldn’t handle any more work.

And while I often advise people to trust their instincts, it’s also important to know the difference between hesitating and deciding on inaction because you don’t know where to begin.

Small or large problems that can be overcome should not hold up a project when all the other elements are in place.

If making a decision is the problem, explore the possible reasons: Fear of failure, fear of success, lack of resources or experience, tight deadlines, even sheer laziness.

Those are, however, all surmountable problems. Fears, even when reasonable, are only as scary as you make them. Failure isn’t fatal, as I like to say, and success is sweet.

Visualize what a completed project would look like and go from there. Put your imagination to work and allow yourself to dream a little. Think about what could go right instead of what could go wrong.

When resources are in short supply, turn it into an opportunity to make do with what you have. Look for ways to repurpose existing budgets or staffing to adjust to changing needs.

If you’re short on experience, get busy and study up. Find a mentor, take a class, read everything you can get your hands on. Pick the brains of your staff and colleagues.

If laziness is the big issue, then move aside and get out of the way for those who can get the job done. Motivation is critical to decision-making, and if your hesitation is causing a project to suffer, then the problem is not the project.

I’ll share a little rhyme that has helped me get moving when I need a jump-start. I

Know the difference between hesitating and deciding on inaction.

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wish I could find the author so I could express my gratitude for the inspiration. See if it doesn’t help you, too.

How and When We are often greatly bothered By two fussy little men, Who sometimes block our pathway – Their names are How and When.

If we have a task or duty Which we can put off awhile, And we do not go and do it – You should see those two rogues smile.

But there is a way to beat them, And I will tell you how: If you have a task or duty, Do it well, and do it now.

If you see yourself in this little ditty, it’s time to rethink your future.

Because the future belongs to those who act!

Mackay’s Moral: “Do it well” – or why bother? “Do it now” – and then get on to the next challenge! 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 | RYAN MATTHEW BREWER

What can the Federal Reserve do?

THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL RESERVE has committed to do everything it can to save the financial system and the American economy from collapse.

Most recently, it began an unprecedented effort to ensure banks, companies and now households have all the money they need by offering to buy unlimited amounts of securities.

Here’s a quick primer on the U.S. central bank, how the Fed works and what it’s doing to keep the economy from sinking into depression.

Before Congress created the Federal Reserve System, the safety and soundness of U.S. banks was hardly a sure thing. Bank runs were common.

Without a central bank, it fell to private financiers such as John Pierpont Morgan to avert financial crises by infusing their own capital into the economy. That led more people to believe that monetary policy and banking should be centralized, culminating in the 1913 Federal Reserve Act. The act said the Fed would handle monetary policy and stimulus, keep banks safe and sound, and make sure the amount of money circulating was appropriate.

While initially limiting bank runs, the Fed failed to prevent the

speculative bubble that preceded the Great Depression – and the bankruptcy of nearly 10,000 banks. This led to the Glass-Steagall Act in 1933, which separated commercial and investment banking and created federal deposit insurance to prevent bank runs.

In 1977, Congress passed the Federal Reserve Reform Act and established what became known as the “dual mandate” of maximum employment and stable prices.

The Fed consists of a group of seven economists – collectively known as the Board of Governors – who have two key tools to affect monetary policy. The Board of Governors uses 12 regional Federal Reserve banks to perform banking services.

The most well-known tool is the Fed’s ability to set short-term interest rates. When it lowers rates, the

Fed aims to reduce borrowing costs for companies and consumers to encourage more lending and investment, thus stimulating the economy.

It raises rates primarily when the economy is strong, when it wants to keep a lid on inflation.

The other key tool is its ability to buy and sell debt securities in openmarket operations.

By buying Treasury securities from private sellers, it is able to pump more money into the banking system, ensuring there was enough cheap credit for borrowers.

The Fed reimagined this powerful tool during the 2008 financial crisis, when it began a program of “quantitative easing” to buy longer-term, riskier debt.

Financial markets have been in a panic since late February, when they began to reflect anxiety about

The most well-known tool is the Fed’s ability to set short-term interest rates.

the economic impact of the new coronavirus.

Since then, the Fed has engaged in a variety of actions to keep financial markets working and calm investors, including backstopping the commercial paper market and supporting money market funds.

It has also been using its two tools in more traditional ways.

The Fed used its first tool in dramatic fashion recently when it cut rates twice, first by half a percentage point and then by a full point, bringing its target rate to basically zero.

So it turned to its second tool and committed to essentially buy as many securities as necessary to stave off mass layoffs, debt defaults, bankruptcies and depression. This includes buying bundles of investment-grade corporate bonds, student loans and credit-card debt for the first time.

As a result, the Fed’s balance sheet, which had fallen below $4 trillion last year, has now swelled to a new record of $4.7 trillion – and could double in size before it’s done. n Ryan Matthew Brewer is an associate professor of finance at Indiana University. Distributed by The Associated Press.

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OPINION EDITORIALS

Endangered local news outlets fill essential community role “Local news is in a state of crisis that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” wrote a group of 19 mostly Democratic U.S. senators in a letter FOCUS: ADULT ED SPOTLIGHT to Senate leaders earlier this month. The lawmakers, CORONAVIRUS CRISIS including R.I. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon WhiteLosses mounting, house, are urging direct federal funding to support R.I. colleges face big test local journalism during a time when information – and understanding what it means – can be a matter of life and death for both people and businesses.

The rapid shutdown of many state economies to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus has nearly dried up already declining advertising revenue, leading to staff and salary cuts and threatening the long-term Business groups straining to help keep members informed, afloat survival of many news outlets.

Countless other individual businesses, including thousands in Rhode Island, are of course suddenly in the same predicament.

But the added public-service role of news outlets PBN Virtual Summit places journalists in the categories of “essential workers” and, yes, “first responders” who every state and community relies on in times of crisis. Yet, the senators noted, local news is CRUCIAL ­RESOURCE: Local becoming scarcer when it is needed most. news outlets such The senators are urging funding for the industry in federal COVID-19 reas Providence sponse legislation. A lack of Republican support, however, means it needs to be Business News part of a future funding package, according to Reed’s office. are among the “essential workers” Preserving community advocates and crucial information sources during a businesses and global crisis is not about personal politics. It’s a question of what we want our communities rely communities to be like whenever we make decisions, be it in the current crisis on, especially in times of crisis. or what comes next. n PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS

PBN pbn.com

APRIL 17-23, 2020

Shutdown of job training may have lingering effect | 18

Remaining in high spirits | 6

YOUR SOURCE FOR BUSINESS NEWS IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND | VOL. 35, NO. 4 | $2

PRESSURE CHAMBERS

BY JAMES BESSETTE | Bessette@PBN.com

RHODE ISLAND-BASED COLLEGES are already feeling the financial strain from the COVID-19 pandemic, with the cancellation of usually profitable events and the loss of tens of millions of dollars in planned refunds for students’ room and board for the last quarter of the academic year.

But an even bigger fiscal challenge may be looming for the next school year. This summer, students and families left jobless by local and national business shutdowns to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus must decide whether they can still afford to attend college in September. “[Colleges] could be looking at significantly decreased enrollments for the fall, both for new students and returning students,” said Lee Gardner, a senior reporter for The Chronicle of Higher

SEE COLLEGES PAGE 14

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

MORE INSIDE:

n Pandemic Diary: CEO seeks silver linings. Page 5 n Insisting on essential safeguards for workers.

Page 7

n COVID-19 raises workload for mental health agencies.

Page 8 n What can the Fed do to help? Page 27

ELIZABETH

CATUCCI’S DAILY ROUTINE HAS SHIFTED dramatically in recent weeks.

The president of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce starts her day early, filtering through as many emails as she can before turning her attention to her three young daughters’ virtual learning. At noon, her husband returns home from his job in the financialservices sector. The couple exchange a high five and Catucci hightails it to the now-empty Chamber office, where she spends the afternoon fielding a flood of phone calls from the Chamber’s 600-plus members.

SEE CHAMBERS PAGE 12

REACHING OUT: Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce President Elizabeth Catucci says even if a business doesn’t have questions or demands, calling members can be a source of comfort, a way to show somebody cares.

PBN PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

April 30, 2020 | 9-11am

Masks at work a step toward recovery The news that manufacturer Hope Global had to temporarily shut down its Cumberland facility after several workers tested positive for COVID-19 is a reminder of the risks as the state and employers look to gradually restart the economy.

Manufacturing is one of the few industries operating at or near capacity in Rhode Island. Gov. Gina M. Raimondo has repeatedly praised manufacturers for shifting gears to contribute much-needed medical clothing and supplies.

David Chenevert, executive director of the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association, says Hope Global helped develop best practices to keep local workers safe during the crisis. He believes the company, which employs more than 200 locally, was following the procedures. Yet some workers still got sick. The company did the right thing in closing to try and prevent a widespread outbreak.

Gov. Raimondo was also right to order all employees of customer-facing businesses, along with manufacturers and other businesses, to start wearing cloth face masks at work.

Keeping active businesses operating with healthy employees is the first step in any successful recovery plan. n

POLL CENTRAL EXECUTIVE POLL

PBN.COM POLL

Tracking COVID-19’s impact

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? APRIL 3-9

Is your company analyzing data to track the impact of the coronavirus on your business?

How are you collecting the data?

(Select any that apply) Using our own business reports: 100%

Yes: 100% Tracking/forecasting technology: 14% No: 0% Dashboard-style platforms: 14%

What are you hoping to accomplish by using the data?

(Select any that apply) Measure the financial impact, including projections, etc.: 71%

Maps, and location-based data: 0% We haven’t been using data: 0%

How useful has data been to your

Assess potential impact to staff, customers company during the pandemic? and suppliers: 29% Somewhat useful: 57% Monitor the virus in regions of economic interest: 0%

Extremely useful: 29%

We haven’t been using data: 0%

Not very useful: 14%

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

Not applicable; we aren’t using data: 0%

Read even MORE business news on PBN.com

The state and local communities have done all they can and I am optimistic about Rhode Island not becoming a hotspot 63% 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 10% Like other states, we should have started sooner on prevention measures 22% The state shut some things down, especially for businesses, too quickly 6%

Are government sources and news outlets keeping you as informed as you’d like about the local effects of the COVID-19 pandemic?

THIS WEEK’S POLL:

• Yes, I rely on both to give me a full picture of the toll and the ongoing government and business response • I trust what I get directly from government sources but feel news outlets too often sensationalize the crisis • I trust news outlets to help me sort through all the information being produced by myriad sources, including the government • No, I don’t feel as informed on the crisis and what it means for me and my business as I’d like to be

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I am satisfied with the state’s overall

OPINION OPINION

Remove cloak of COVID-19’s invisibility DANIEL N. ROCKMORE AND MICHAEL HERRON GUEST COLUMN

What percentage of Americans are, or have been, infected with the coronavirus?

And, what is the probability of dying from the virus if you catch it? One of the most unsettling aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic is that these two fundamental rates – the coronavirus infection rate and the case fatality rate – are not known.

But the same approaches used for political polling can be used to answer how widespread and how deadly the coronavirus is.

The simplest way to find out how many Americans have the virus and what risk it poses would be to test every person in the U.S. But there are not infinite resources, and testing for the coronavirus has been much more selective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s top priorities for testing have been hospitalized patients and medical staff with symptoms, and overall it is generally symptomatic people who have been tested.

Because of this selective testing, epidemiologists and public health officials in the U.S. simply do not know the true extent of the coronavirus’s penetration into the country.

And without knowing how many people have been infected, the case fatality rate and other coronavirus statistics are impossible to calculate. Fortunately, there is a straightforward way to learn how widespread and deadly COVID-19 really is: test randomly.

So why isn’t it possible to calculate the

infection and case fatality rates from the millions of COVID-19 tests that have already been performed? The problem lies in who has been tested.

Testing symptomatic patients reflects a classic error in sampling. Researchers want to know who has coronavirus, but since most of those tested have symptoms, medical professionals have been sampling from a group with higher rates of infection. It’s not a good representation of the U.S. population at large.

By testing a large enough number of people randomly, it is possible to get a sample group whose demographics are representative of the whole country.

Public health officials could start randomly picking and testing people from across the U.S., and then following up to see what fraction of those who tested positive died from COVID-19. If random testing is done right, the infection and case fatality rates in the random sample should be very close to the actual rates.

So how many people do you need to randomly test to get data that can accurately describe the whole U.S.? The mathematics behind this question have long been worked out.

Presidential approval polls often sample roughly 1,000 people. This produces a margin of error of about 3%, meaning that random chance could make the results off by

Testing symptomatic patients reflects a classic error in sampling.

up to 3%.

A margin of error of 3% may be fine for estimating presidential approval, but it is probably not accurate enough for the coronavirus pandemic. If 10,000 individuals in the U.S. were tested, the margin of error becomes 1%. In practice, these margins of error are conservative. Actual margins of error from a random sample of 10,000 individuals will probably be much smaller and likely accurate enough to give public health officials useful information about the total number of infected and fatality rates.

The key is in random selection. A sample of 10,000 Americans is most useful if those being tested are chosen by lottery.

Random testing would also mean people who are infected but not sick would be tested and the rate of asymptomatic cases also could be determined.

Random sampling could illuminate trends involving geography, ethnicity and other demographic variables before the worst damage is done, and public health officials could enact targeted and nuanced policies to help high-risk groups or regions.

Public health officials have used randomization in other settings, such as monitoring the spread of typhoid fever in parts of Egypt, and it works. The mathematics behind random sampling is foundational to many areas of polling and statistics. The only thing public health officials need to do is figure out the execution. It is possible. n Daniel N. Rockmore is associate dean for the sciences at Dartmouth College.

Michael Herron is chair of the Program in Quantitative Social Science at Dartmouth College. Distributed by The Associated Press.

Income inequality gets worse in urban areas BRIAN THIEDE, DAVID L. BROWN, JACLYN BUTLER AND LEIF JENSEN GUEST COLUMN

Income inequality has surged in the United States over recent decades, surpassing its previous peak in the 1920s.

In 2016, the average income among the bottom 24.9 million households was $21,000.

Meanwhile, the top 1%, or 1.2 million households, earned an average household income of $1.8 million.

These disparities have become a central issue for some candidates in the 2020 presidential election.

However, much of the attention has focused on inequality across the entire U.S. population.

Our research and other studies show that levels of income inequality within counties and cities vary considerably across the U.S. U.S. Census Bureau data was used to look at the Gini coefficient, a common measure of income inequality. This measurement ranges from zero, where everyone earns exactly the same amount and there is complete equality, to 1, or complete inequality, where all resources are held by one individual or household. Values above 0.4 are often considered high, and values near or below 0.3 very low.

For most of the past five decades, income inequality has been higher in rural counties than in urban areas.

The most rural counties – those with the smallest, least dense populations – suffer the

highest levels of income inequality. Meanwhile, the most urban areas tend to have the lowest levels of inequality.

However, rural-urban differences at the county level have narrowed over the past decade or so. On average, in 1970, the Gini coefficient within rural counties was 10.2% higher than within urban counties. In 2016, it was just 0.5% higher. This convergence is happening because inequality is worsening in urban areas – not because things are getting better in rural communities.

We found a similar pattern when comparing inequality between the most rural and most urban counties.

There is one exception: suburban counties. While suburban counties are getting more unequal, they are doing so at a much slower rate than the core cities in the nation’s metropolitan areas.

What’s more, more Americans now live in highly unequal counties. In 1970, 1% of the urban population lived in counties where the Gini coefficient was over 0.48, an especially high score. In 2016, it was 8.2%.

Rural counties have seen a more modest increase in the proportion of their population living in highly unequal counties – from 5.7% to 7.6%.

Strikingly, the population living in lowinequality counties has all but disappeared.

While 8.3% of the rural population and 30% of the urban population lived in lowinequality places in 1970, by 2016 less than 1% of America lived in low-inequality places, where the Gini coefficient was less than 0.36.

Rural poverty has received considerable attention from scholars and the media.

Urban inequality is an increasingly important issue. Since the average level of income inequality within rural counties has changed little over the decades, it seems the growing inequality within urban counties has driven income disparities nationwide.

Research shows that living in highinequality places is associated with poor health and diminished mobility up the socioeconomic ladder.

Income inequality is clearly on the upswing in the United States, but this process is playing out unevenly across the different parts of the country. n Brian Thiede is an assistant professor for rural sociology and demography, at Penn State; David L. Brown is professor emeritus of development sociology at Cornell University; Jaclyn Butler is a Ph.D. student in rural sociology and demography at PSU; and Leif Jensen is distinguished professor of rural sociology and demography at PSU. Distributed by The Associated Press.

www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | APRIL 17-23, 2020 | 29

ONE LAST THING Trust your instincts Keith Kelly Citizens Bank Rhode Island president Keith Kelly has lived and worked in Rhode Island for more than 25 years and has nearly 35 years of experience in the banking industry. He joined Citizens Bank 10 years ago and became state president of the Rhode Island-based, superregional bank in 2017.

I

see my role as a leader as part teacher and part motivator.

I want to both help and encourage my team to achieve their goals, both personally and professionally.

from them. Nobody is perfect and every career has its ups and downs. It’s important not to be afraid to make mistakes, and so I have that philosophy leading my team.

These are very challenging times and my team is focused on helping our clients and our communities, but we are also trying to support each other more than ever.

I’ve also had some mentors who led more by fear and intimidation, as opposed to respect and understanding. I made a conscious decision not to manage like that.

During my career, I’ve had great mentors. Steve Higginbotham, who hired me at Citizens 10 years ago and has since retired, taught me a lot, including the importance of getting to the facts of a situation and never overreacting when something unexpected happens.

Finally, it is somewhat of a cliché, but I really believe that you should never be afraid to ask a question. There are no silly questions, only the one that doesn’t get asked. Follow your gut instincts. If you are confident in your ability, your instincts are going to lead you down the right path. n

I’ve had mentors who allowed me to make mistakes and learn PBN PHOTO/MIKE SKORSKI

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7 Tips When Migrating Your Business to the Cloud M

igrating to the cloud is one of the most powerful things your business can use do to increase your flexibility, resilience, and efficiency.

Here are seven key steps you need to take to migrate your business to the cloud.

1. Understand the Business Needs That Drive a Migration to the Cloud Before we talk about what you need to do, an excellent place to start is understanding why you need to make a move in the first place. That means looking at what parts of your business stand to gain the most from moving to the cloud.

This is, of course, entirely dependent on what industry you’re in. An excellent place to start is to follow the data. What information do you have, how do you access it, and where is it stored? The usual suspects for migrating to the cloud include marketing (email lists, segmentation, targeted offers), HR (payroll, benefits), finance (invoicing, finance, and customer service interactions), but there are many more. Take a thorough look at your business processes and data on hand to find the best solution.

2. Start with a SWOT Analysis One of the best, most organized ways of taking stock of where you are is to perform a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. This gives you a solid basis for understanding where you need to improve and what migrating to the cloud can do for your business.

3. Identify Which Applications to Migrate The main point of SWOT analysis is to narrow your focus and identify which applications to migrate. Now, you should have a good idea of why you’re moving to the cloud, so it’s just a question of priorities.

4. Look at the Numbers Once you have your priorities, it’s a good idea to look at the numbers of what it will cost to migrate your business to the cloud. By now, you know what you want to do and how you stand to benefit from it, so the obvious course of action is to determine the cost.

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5. Choose the Right Cloud Partner Choosing the right cloud partner comes down to a combination of your needs and your budget. You want to find someone who has experience working in a similar area or industry and understands the needs and nuances of your business. Cox Business Cloud Solutions powered by RapidScale technology, for example, is one such company and assists clients with a comprehensive cloud roadmap that makes migration simple.

6. Plan Your Migration When it comes to transitioning key business processes to the cloud, your number one priority should be to minimize disruption time for your team. Take a close look at your schedule and figure out how to best time your transition. Determine the order of migration and set some deadlines and metrics to define success.

7. Actively Monitor How It’s Going As you make your transition to the cloud, make sure you’re actively monitoring how it’s going. Be ready to address any issues as they come up.

The full article originally appeared on CoxBLUE.com

To learn more visit: coxbusiness.com

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