PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS
PBN pbn.com
JUNE 5-11, 2020
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ONE LAST THING
‘It was gut-wrenching,’ shop owner says of riots | 16
Rick Norberg | 30
YOUR SOURCE FOR BUSINESS NEWS IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND | VOL. 35, NO. 11 | $2
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
Should newspapers be rescued? BY ALEXA GAGOSZ | Gagosz@PBN.com
NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER John Howell didn’t think he would ever have to lay himself off. But when COVID-19 hit the United States, that’s exactly what he had to do to save his Warwick-based newspaper company, Beacon Communications Inc., which publishes the Warwick Beacon and other small newspapers. As advertising revenue quickly evaporated during the economic shutdown in March, Howell cut eight positions, SEE NEWSPAPERS PAGE 12
SEEKING SUPPORT: Beacon Communications Inc. owner John Howell has been calling on government to come to the aid of newspapers. PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
OFFICE ALTERATIONS
NEW ARRANGEMENTS: Newport Yachting Center Office Manager Leanne Arsenault, left, is no longer using her regular office desk. Now she greets visitors from a makeshift desk at the door with a plexiglass shield. At right is Carter Fisher, Newport Yachting Center dock master. PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
Pandemic reshaping the workplace as employees begin returning
THE
BY MARY MACDONALD | MacDonald@PBN.com
community candy dish in the office is gone. So is the team lunch, the overthe-desk conversation and people rushing into a crowded elevator. As Rhode Islanders return to their offices in June, their behaviors will change and many will encounter an unfamiliar environment. Depending on the size and function of an office, walls are going up to create more separation, or
FOCUS: CONSTRUCTION, DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE
they’re coming down to improve interior air flow. Sanitation is king. The cleaning of common surfaces, which can contain contaminated droplets, will be as important as layout for businesses bringing employees back into offices, and trying SEE WORKPLACE PAGE 19
Restaurants coping with indoor rules BY BRUCE NEWBURY | Contributing writer
WHEN THE STATE ISSUED guidelines for Phase II of reopening for restaurants – allowing for indoor dining – Rhode Island restaurateurs scrutinized them word for word. The state’s 3,000 eateries, consisting primarily of nearly independent business owners, have been desperate to get back on their feet after months of forced
DINING OUT
lockdown. But the rules were being looked at warily for any impediments. Many, judging from the chatter of the restaurant owners on social media, were anticipating a
SEE DINING OUT PAGE 5
MORE INSIDE: n McKee floats relief plan on his own. Page 7 n Pandemic Diary: New reality for sales team. Page 15 n Construction projects near finish in uncertain times. Page 18 n Tourism will need support from R.I. leaders. Page 29
Congratulations to this year’s winners. See page 20.