It has now been 18-months since the pro-business Governor Gina Raimondo was elected (November of 2014) and the expectations for the Rhode Scholar, venture capitalist were sky high. She ran as an innovator who had claimed to have created more than 1,000 jobs in Rhode Island.
“Today we begin to change this attitude. It is time to stop our decline, and to ignite a Rhode Island comeback” said Raimondo in her inaugural address in January of 2015. “It is time to redesign government, modernize hiring practices and instill accountability for results….Let's provide more digital services to citizens, and facilitate online permitting for businesses.”
The promises were big and bold, but now as the Governor edges towards the completion of her second legislative session, it is hard to see any transformation of the way Rhode Island treats business or the business environment.
Under Raimondo, the successes have been few. Citizens Banks will stay in Rhode Island, and while that is welcomed news it is hard to deem status quo a transformative success and the Johnston site has a number of adverse impacts. More cars on the road, another open space lost and the state’s tallest building still empty for the third year.
Rhode Island competed in a high stakes game to bring General Electric’s Headquarters to Rhode Island. A win would have provided RI with the ultimate bragging rights. The state could have claimed to be home to two of the top ten Fortune 500 companies in America (#8 GE and #10 CVS).
Now, the Governor faces a series of defeats and embarrassments — the tourism debacle, the sinking poll numbers and the negative impact on Hillary Clinton’s performance in the Democratic primary.
Few thought that the smart and accomplished Raimondo would ever be in such a performance void and political quagmire.
Related Slideshow: RI Business Winners and Flops - April 30, 2016
According to sales statistics released by the Rhode Island Association of Realtors, Rhode Island had the busiest first quarter in the single family home market since record keeping began in 1986.
With 1906 sales from January through March, 2016's Q1 sales beat the record set in the Q1 of 2005 of 1825 sales. Single family home sales increased nearly 15 percent in the last year alone.
The median sales price of single family homes sold in the Q1 also rose 12.5 percent compared to January through March, 2015, to $225,000.
Velofix is a Mobile Bike Shop that comes to you with tools, parts, accessories and a certified mechanic ready to provide a tune up, a repair, or an upgrade.
Velofix is a full bike shop inside a Mercedes Sprinter van built to be just like a regular bike shop. The difference is that Velofix does all the work on site - at your home, office, school, or event. Our Mobile Bike Shops have all the tools needed to fix any bike, along with all the parts and accessories a cyclist could need. There’s even a coffee maker, TV, and Wi-Fi.
“I come to you and fix your bike and depending on the tune up, I can have your bike back to you in as little as an hour,” says Velofix Southcoast RI-MA owner Mike Lee. “I enjoy the challenge of tuning a bike to perfection.”
Booking a service with Velofix is convenient and quick. Head to Velofix.com, type in your zip code, and in a few clicks your appointment is booked! You may also call 855-VELO-FIX to make an appointment. Velofix comes to you, fixes your bike, and gets you back doing what you love; riding.
Velofix is now available in Providence, East Providence, Swansea, Westport, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Little Compton, Tiverton, Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport, Jamestown, and North Kingstown. Competitively priced tune-ups start at $69.
Washington Trust’s Commercial Real Estate Group has provided $5.8 million to Linear Retail Properties, LLC, for the financing of Blackstone Place, a retail center located at 727 East Avenue in Pawtucket, RI.
Originally built in 1963, Blackstone Place is comprised of two buildings with ten retail spaces totaling 37,470 square-feet of space. The shopping center is fully leased, anchored by Rite Aid, with additional tenants including Hillside Family Medical, Dunkin’ Donuts and others. Blackstone Place is set in one of Pawtucket’s main retail corridors, located 2.5 miles north of downtown Providence.
Too often, Washington Trust's big financing packages seem to be announced about Connecticut projects. Good to see a RI project moving forward.
Saul Kaplan's creation will return again this year. One of the nation's most renowned storytelling gatherings is a back for the 16th year.
"More than 30 storytellers, 400 innovators and two unforgettable days of storytelling will jumpstart your heart and mind and push your thinking to the edge."
Discounted registration ends today, April 30, 2016.
Awards Ceremony - 2016 Rhode Island Business Plan Competition
Finalists in the 2016 Rhode Island Business Plan Competition will present their plans, after which the winners will be announced. Winners and finalists share prizes valued at more than $200,000.
May 3, 2016 / 4:30pm – 5:30pm
Metcalf Auditorium, Chace Center/RISD Museum - 20 North Main Street
On Tuesday morning at the Providence Marriott, Duffy & Sweeney partner and panelist Rachelle Green leads an Executive Leadership Seminar for a review and discussion of cyber threats and cyber risk management.
It is the opportunity to learn about the current threats, vulnerabilities and emerging cyber trends, and how you can protect your business.
Hosted by Bank of America Merrill Lynch and the Pell Center at Salve Regina University, this program is designed to help C-suite executives, business owners and senior management, and boards of directors ask the right questions to chief information security officers, technology partners and vendors. LEARN MORE HERE
Now, it is now been three years since Rhode Island's tallest building closed. The embarrassment seems to now accepted by both business and political leaders.
Once the home to one of Rhode Island's successful companies - Fleet Bank. Today, it is one of America's biggest urban blights.
In the world of branding the process starts with research, then defining the audience, from their developing the positioning, and then producing the creative.
But, in Rhode Island, we release the creative, humiliate ourselves globally, then fire our chief marketing officer, and now we have announced we are doing the research.
