Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - September 5, 2025

HOT

Annette Maggiacomo, New CEO of Duffy & Shanley

Public relations and advertising firm Duffy & Shanley has been sold.

In 2023, the firm, headquartered in Providence, celebrated its 50th anniversary.

“Founded by Dave Duffy as DA Duffy & Co. in 1973, the agency was one of more than 40 in the state. Duffy & Shanley has evolved and innovated to remain relevant and successful today – one of just two agencies in Rhode Island that has stood the test of time since the 1970s,” said the firm’s press release in 2023.

The firm was the creator of the Big East brand and had notable clients like Citizens Bank.

Providence was once a hotbed for advertising firms. Companies like Leonard/Monhan and Pagano Schenck & Kay had national reputations and dominated the global award shows. But nothing stays the same.

Dave Duffy was succeeded by his son, Jon Duffy, who led the firm until 2025.

Now, there are no more Duffys in the firm.

Today, long-time PR staffer Annette Maggiacomo owns the firm.

In 2024, GoLocal reported she had been elevated to President.  

No Duffys, New Leadership

In 2025, Maggiacomo took over as CEO and assumed ownership this year.

Maggiacomo speaks glowingly about the Duffy family's impact on her. She has been at the firm for decades and says, “Dave and Jon always supported me. I have the greatest respect for them.”

The company’s client list includes a range of top-brands — Hanes, Dunkin’, BJ’s, and Orsted, the now-troubled offshore wind company.

Maggiacomo says she is rare. There are few firms led by women in New England, and she says, “It is something I have worked on for years.”

She adds that she is optimistic about her team and the future.

“We have a very solid business and I believe we are the best in the business. We all love what we do, and the clients know it," she said. 

HOT

The Journey of an NHL Prospect to Youth Coach — Mike Murray Has Written the Book

Mike Murray was one of those Rhode Island hockey stars during the golden era of the game in the state.

At the time when a steady flow of players made their way through Rhode Island high schools into the NHL, Murray was a player on that path.

He was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the ninth round, #188 overall in the 1990 NHL entry draft.

Despite the talent and the pedigree, Murray did not make the proverbial show.

His numbers were gaudy. Murray set a state high school scoring record with 105 points in 24 games in 1989, including three unassisted goals in the last three minutes of a State Championship series game, which led his team to its third straight state division title. Murray was a 3-sport captain of the Cumberland Clippers' hockey, baseball, and football teams before being drafted by the Flames out of Cushing Academy.

He then starred at UMass Lowell and then played in the AHL for three years with the St. John's Flames. He ended his pro career in 2001 after a 265-point output over 3 years with the Louisiana IceGators of the ECHL.

But that was then, and this is now.

Now

Today, he is a dad and a coach for girls' youth hockey. He has seen the good and the bad, and wrote a book to help coaches, parents, and players.

It is titled "Finding Genius in the Average Athlete — Chasing the Goal."

“They say you have to be writing the book to someone. And I was writing it to two people. One was my daughter, who's now 16, going to be a junior at Bishop Feehan. And the other one was to 17-year-old Mike Murray, to myself, and basically saying, 'Hey, you're on the right path,'” said Murray.

“And I think showing them the process of the good and bad and the ups and downs of what you need to focus on is helpful in maybe translating that to your own kid. So it's really been a target audience,” said Murray.

The book has sold well, hitting the top in two Amazon categories.

Lessons

When asked about his regrets, Murray said, “It's interesting, because I write about this in the book and how I coach, I don't really have any regrets. As an athlete, I have a lot of disappointments. So, I really define the way I look at it and the way I look at it as an athlete and how I coach. Listen, you don't want to live with your regrets. So do everything possible to be the best you can be. The worst thing that will happen is that you can reach your goal and it's great, or you don't reach your goal, you did everything possible, now you're living with disappointment, that's just the fact of life.”

The book can be found at Amazon and major book retailers.

He cites his own experience of managing expectations. 

"I look back at it with more perspective, like, hey, it was really about the journey and the process, and I have to respect that and be happy with what I did," said Murray. "I think from where I went as a Division four high school hockey player in Rhode Island. In my senior high school, where I led the state in scoring, yeah, I wasn't considered one of the top 15 players in the state. I wasn't picked for the first three teams in all-state or honorable mention, and so it set me off on a kind of journey.  But later, I was the captain with a D1 team, and I was considered one of the top candidates for the Hobie Baker national player of the year.”

For Murray, his own lesson and the lesson of his book is to enjoy the journey.

HOT

URI Football

The #9-ranked University of Rhode Island football trailed by 10 points and lost three fumbles in the first half, but came back to defeat Campbell 31-20 in the season opener for both teams on Friday night in Kingston.

The Rams (1-0, 1-0 CAA Football) scored on the game's opening possession on a four-play, 75-yard drive that featured a 30-yard pass play to Marquis Buchanan and a 31-yard touchdown pass from Devin Farrell to tight end Kevin Schaeffer.

Aided by three lost fumbles by the Rams, Campbell (0-1, 0-1 CAA Football) scored 17 unanswered points to build a 10-point lead. URI regained momentum just before the half when Antwain Littleton, Jr. capped a 75-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. A 59-yard reception by Buchanan set up the score.

The Ram defense took over in the second half. Rhode Island allowed just three points after the break and shut Campbell out on seven third-down attempts. Led by defensive lineman Case Mankins and linebacker Rohan Davy, the defense never let the visitors get back into the game. Mankins forced a fumble that led to a URI field goal and had a third-down sack to end another drive in the fourth quarter. Davy had six tackles, including a sack and a quarterback hurry that ended two other drives.

HOT

Real Estate Market Continues to Spike in RI

Two sales this week demonstrate the dramatic increase in house prices. A home in Bonnet Shores sold for $3.85 million - see photo.

And, the sale of 10 Brown Street on Providence’s East Side closed for $5,625,000. 

According to State-Wide MLS data, this is the highest sale in Providence County year to date and the second-highest sale in Providence history. 

The house has doubled in value in less than a decade. In July 2016, then-Upserve CEO Angus Davis sold the home for a reported $2.8 million, GoLocalProv.com reported at the time. 

NOT

Conflict

Mayor Don Grebien seems to need a lesson in ethics.

Earlier this year, the City of Pawtucket hired Providence-based Advocacy Solutions — a political consulting and lobbying firm — to handle the city’s communications.

The contract was awarded on April 24, and in just four months, Advocacy Solutions has billed Pawtucket $51,300.

The firm lobbies at the Rhode Island State House for 34 registered clients, including Verizon, Providence College, and Flock, the license plate reading tech firm.

Prior to hiring an outside firm, Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien had a steady flow of communication staffers, but now, at an hourly rate of $300 per hour, the staff at Advocacy Solutions handles everything from answering the media call about shootings in the city to, according to the contract, social media and email strategy.

The firm was selected after a request for proposals.

Donations to Grebien

Advocacy Solutions staff have made 17 donations to Grebien’s political campaign totaling nearly $5,000.

Now you can add another client to Advocacy Solution’s list — Don Grebien’s reelection campaign.

On Tuesday, Advocacy Solutions sent out an email announcing Grebien’s campaign kickoff, complete with political VIPs.

The event is being held at Pawtucket’s minor league soccer stadium — a stadium owned by private developers but underwritten by Rhode Island taxpayers with $140 million in bond payments.

According to the political announcement, “Grebien will gather with elected leaders, community champions, and supporters to officially kick off his 2026 reelection campaign.”

The soccer stadium stands in contrast to many parts of Pawtucket, such as City Hall, the former Apex site, and the former Memorial hospital site — all in decay and combined needing hundreds of millions in investment for reuse. 

During Grebien's tenure, the city has lost the PawSox, the Gamm Theatre, and its only hospital and its 1,800 jobs.

Grebien is sitting on more than $100,000 in his campaign account and was first elected in 2010.

Scheduled to attend the Grebien event are U.S. Senator Jack Reed, Congressman Gabe Amo, Ron Beaupre of the Pawtucket Teachers Union and Donato (Dan) A. Bianco, Jr. of the Laborers’ International Union of North America.

According to Chris Hunter of Advocacy Solutions, who serves as the point person for both the city campaign and the political campaign work, “We are billing Grebien for Mayor $1,000 for assistance with his campaign kickoff.”

GoLocal asked Grebien if he thought it was appropriate if the firm that he selected to be the City's communications consultant should also be his campaign consultant, shortly after the publication of the article, he offered the following, "The city went out to bid years ago for PR consultants. Advocacy Solutions is one of the consultants used by the city. The city was without a Communications person for several months. The city has recently filled the Comm’s position. There is no conflict. The campaign is invoiced separately."

NOT

Manufacturing in the U.S. Falls Again

"US factory activity shrank in August for a sixth straight month, driven by a pullback in production that shows manufacturing remains bogged down by higher import duties tied to President Donald Trump’s trade war." - Bloomberg

PHOTO: Christopher Burns, Unsplash

NOT

Four Teenagers Shot in Providence in a Month

In one month, four teenagers were shot and hospitalized in Providence.

Two 16-year-olds

One 17-year-old

One 19-year-old

NOT

Deadly “Nitazenes” - 800 Times More Potent Than Morphine - Have Now Been Detected in RI

The new illegal drug raising concerns is nitazenes — which can be 800 times more potent than morphine and far deadlier than fentanyl.

Nitazenes are a class of extremely potent synthetic opioids originally developed in the 1950s as painkillers, but never approved for medical use due to their high risk of overdose and severe side effects.

The progression of drugs from OxyContin to heroin to fentanyl, and now, to nitazenes continues, and the number of deaths is beginning to mount.

“Nitazenes have been detected in the drug supply in Rhode Island. When they are found here, it is often in combination with fentanyl. These findings are consistent with findings in drug samples across the country,” said Joseph Wendelken, the spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Health, who wrote in an email to GoLocal.

“We have not had any nitazene-involved fatalities in Rhode Island,” he added.

There are some early indications that the spread is beginning. Three non-contiguous states, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Colorado, are seeing spikes, according to the CDC.

In 2024, there were approximately 320 nitazene-related deaths in the United States, according to the latest available reports and statistical summaries.  A tiny fraction compared to 54,000 opioid deaths and 80,000 total drug overdoses in 2024.

One worry is that Narcan (naloxone) can be effective in reversing nitazene overdoses, but often requires higher or repeated doses due to the extreme potency of these synthetic opioids.