PBN January 20, 2023

FOCUS: SMALL BUSINESS

pbn.com

For 110

perfecting a pattern of success

BY CLAUDIA CHIAPPA | Chiappa@PBN.com

GOODWIN-BRADLEY PATTERN CO. has contributed to a lot of firsts in history.

It worked with Igor Sikorsky on the first prototype helicopters. It worked with Hyman Rickover on the first atomicpowered submarine, Nautilus.

Whether it’s by creating molds for rubber seals that find their way on a commercial plane or by producing metal components that make up the tail rollerblade of a helicopter, the

to the economy and, in many cases, our way of life.)

SCHOOL ERIK

RIC searches for identity amid severe enrollment drop

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

Christiansen didn’t know much about Rhode Island College when he agreed to take a job teaching history there in 2010.

The Maryland native quickly fell in love with the bustling suburban campus, filled with eager students and enthusiastic faculty members, many of whom, like him, turned down offers from elite, private colleges because they wanted to help RIC’s large group of hardworking, first-generation college students who didn’t come from well-heeled families.

“I really felt like I found my home,” Christiansen said. But things have changed.

Over the last 10 years, enrollment has dwindled from 8,700 to 5,787 – a precipitous drop of about 33% that has sapped some of the energy from the campus. And with fewer students paying tuition, the school’s financial problems have been growing, with the annual operating loss projected to reach $10.6 million by fiscal 2025.

Then there’s the lack of stable leadership. RIC is on its fourth president since 2008, a temporary appointee who has upset some faculty members by seeking changes at the school without getting their input. And the search for a permanent leader is only just starting now, a full year after the previous president announced that he’d be stepping down.

As a result, Christiansen and others at RIC are struggling to maintain their school spirit these days.

“There’s a lot of insecurity there,” said Christiansen, who is also RIC’s faculty union president. “I get the feeling I am not as welcome there now.”

years,

(Editor’s note: This is the fifth installment in a monthly series highlight ing some of the region’s unsung manufacturers that make products essential

ARMED AND READY: GoodwinBradley employee Luke Howard holds the arm of a coordinate measuring machine in the company’s quality control room.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

ROUGH PATCH: Rhode Island College nursing student Mel “Rising Dawn” Cordeiro says some frustrating experiences after transferring from the Community College of Rhode Island sometimes left her questioning if it was worth the trouble.

PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

COVER STORY

SCHOOL DAZE

RIC searches for identity amid severe enrollment drop 1

Meet the Makers:

For 110 years, perfecting a pattern of success 1

FOR STARTERS

Who’s on the Board?

Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce 3

5Q: Xaykham ‘Xay’ Khamsyvoravong 4

Dining Out: Chili returns to Newport 5

Spotlight: Roots Specialty Services LLC 6

Something New: Jackie on Broadway 6

Hot Topic: What’s R.I.’s answer to breaches? 7

Health Matters:

Electronic health records unhealthy for doctors? 8

Another Look:

Taylor Box acquired by European packaging group 9

What’s Happening 10

IT’S PERSONAL

People in the News 24

Mackay’s Moral 25

Cyber Sessions: Jason Albuquerque 26

Guest Column: Nada R. Sanders 27

Editorials and Opinion 28

One Last Thing: James Connell 30

FOCUS: SMALL BUSINESS

Easing

labor shortages give employers hope

Despite an ongoing labor shortage in many industries, some Rhode Island employers are seeing incremental improvements, giving them confidence in staffing numbers in 2023. 16

City looks to improve MBE contract program

As part of a $10 million racial reparations program, the city of Providence has set aside money to improve its women- and minority-owned business contracting program. 17

FOCUS: INNOVATION/STARTUPS

Restaurant robots serve meals on wheels

As labor shortages continue in the food industry, some Rhode Island restaurants have turned to robot servers and Johnson & Wales University students are studying the tech. 20

Helping colleges in R.I. to grow more startups

RIHub is working with local higher education leaders to form a new group focused on helping Rhode Island higher education institutions develop more successful startups. 21

Lists

Rhode Island Distilleries, Breweries and Vineyards 18 Business Development Resources 22 High-Tech Funding Sources 23

R.I. Department of Health 7 R.I. Department of Labor and Training 20 R.I. Division of Information Technology 7 RIHub 21

R.I. Office of the Attorney General 7

R.I. Public Transit Authority 7

Roger Williams University 20

Roots Specialty Services LLC 6

Salve Regina University 21

Taco Inc. 15

Taylor Box Co. 9

University of Rhode Island 12

Westerly Hospital 8

400 Westminster St. Providence, RI 02903

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Providence Business News is published every two weeks by Providence Business News, 400 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903 (USPS 002-254) (ISSN 0887-8226)

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WHO’S ON THE BOARD?

Top executive: Laurie White, president Year founded: 1868

Mission statement: The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce focuses on matters that are top of mind in business circles today: business development, peer-to-peer connections and activism.

2021 revenue: WND

BOARD MEMBERS:

Meghan L. Hughes, board chair

President, Community College of Rhode Island

Alden Anderson Jr., board past chair

Senior vice president, CBRE Inc.

David J. Rubin, board secretary

Former managing partner, Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP

Patricia A. Thompson, board treasurer

Tax and business partner, Marcum LLP

David M. Gilden, board legal counsel

Partner, Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP

The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce board also includes 40 directors representing various industries, including education, energy, finance, health care, legal, manufacturing and technology.

GOODWIN, Goodwin-Bradley Pattern Co. vice president of sales

CHRISTOPHER

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

5Q: Xaykham ‘Xay’ Khamsyvoravong

Mayor of Newport

BY CHRISTOPHER ALLEN | Allen@PBN.com

1What is the most pressing issue facing Newport you would like to address?

Newport needs to remain a place where middle-class, working families can continue living because they are the cultural core that makes Newport such a dynamic and attractive community. This requires solutions to address housing. These problems are much more severe because we’re located on an island. Newport has limited options to construct new housing because it is largely developed. Additionally, the limited housing stock we do have is rapidly snatched up as investment properties.

ties, it needs to let the private sector lead on where and how best to invest and innovate.

3

Diversity among elected officials has been increasing in Rhode Island. W hat are the positives of greater representation among leaders?

Diversity brings new perspectives and energy – two attributes government needs to address the unique challenges our communities are facing. Having diverse representation also highlights that the doors of our democracy are open to all.

2

As someone with experience in both the public and private sector, what does government do best and what is best left to the private sector?

When run well, government gives individuals the opportunity to have an impact that far exceeds what one could accomplish on their own.

However, that also gives the government an enormous amount of power. It’s important that government exercises restraint and remains cognizant of the limits of where its influence should end. Once the government sets its priorities and establishes the guardrails necessary to protect and advance those priori-

4

How can the issues with housing and education be best addressed?

First, we need to implement multiyear strategies that transcend our short election and public funding cycles. One way to do this is by working with community partners … to ensure sustained support by our elected leaders for smart policies. Second, local leaders need [not only] the power of state and federal funding but the flexibility to deploy these funds thoughtfully and carefully.

5How can the city keep its identity while encouraging private investment and economic development?

When done correctly, good development should strengthen our community and reflect its priorities. The key is attracting the best possible partners by clearly defining the community’s priorities and expectations, and then ensuring the processes for development are as objective, clear and predictable as possible. n

PBN PHOTO/DAVID HANSEN

brings new perspectives and energy – two attributes government needs.

Danielle E. Dufault

Michael A. D’Ippolito III

Counsel

Joshua S. Parks Shareholder

Stephen N. Nelson Counsel

Stephen

Connolly Counsel

DINING OUT | BRUCE NEWBURY

Chili returns to Newport

AFTER A TWO-YEAR HIATUS due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues, it looked as if we had seen the last of the Newport Winter Festival, but under the leadership of organizer David Rosenberg, the event will make its return to the City by the Sea from Feb. 17-26.

“The Newport Winter Festival is excited to be back this year and welcome everyone to Newport,” according to a message on the festival’s website. “We are currently working on the 2023 schedule. We look forward to you all joining us for family fun, musical entertainment, and all the festivities!”

Rosenberg, president of Meetings & Events Unlimited in Newport, has long served as the producer of the arts, music, craft and food festival. One of the festival’s popular events is the Chili Cook-Off, which will also be making its return.

At first glance, it would seem to be a simple proposition. Fans, friends and chili aficionados crowd into the location – this year at the new Newport Harbor Island Resort at 1 Goat Island Road (formerly Gurney’s Newport Resort & Marina).

There is an admission charge connected with a bracelet that is purchased to attend many of the festival events. The competitors hand out small cups of their chili specialty and then votes are collected for first, second and third place.

There are rules and even a governing body for such contests, although the Newport event does not subscribe. There is an International Chili Society in Texas. On its website, it is spelled out: “As any Texas cook will tell you, a chili contest is serious business. You don’t just grab a bunch of people, tell them to cook up a batch of their best and call it a cook-off. There are rules for these things.”

Basic rules, regulations and guidelines spelled out by the International Chili Society are interesting to review, although a bit on the serious

side. There is an actual chili definition according to the ICS. Officially, “there are only two kinds of chili, and neither contains beans. Red chili is made with meat, red chili peppers, spices and sauce

ingredients; green chili is the same, except it has green chili peppers instead of red.” To the relief of chili cooks everywhere, the organization said “the use of pre-cooked, canned tomatoes [is allowed].”

One of the “rules” is a bit of a head-scratcher. It states, “All cooks should have the same amount of time to prepare their entries. Contestants should start cooking at the same time, with a set number of hours to finish before judging starts. The ICS allows three to four hours.” Any chili chef will tell you time is a key ingredient. A set time is not. After all, when is chili the best? The next day.

Judging is the crux of the event and has its own set of regulations, not the least of which is a standardized set of criteria that determines what makes a great chili.

As one of a panel of judges in an annual chili competition in Vermont that features home cooks, I can say from firsthand experience that the competition can get fierce. Food is known to bring people together, but cooking has become a real competition. In last fall’s contest, the winner turned out to be two neighbors who collaborated on a sophisticated concoction involving venison, bratwurst, homegrown chipotle peppers and homemade seasoned crema (sour cream).

The Newport contest should prove to be a celebration not only of cooking but of gathering. To enter the competition, visit the Newport Winter Festival website or social media pages. n

“Dining Out With Bruce Newbury” is broadcast locally on WADK 101.1 FM and 1540 AM and on WWRI 105.5 FM and 1450 AM. The show is also broadcast on radio stations in Vermont and Indiana. Contact Bruce at bruce@ brucenewbury.com.

‘There are only two kinds of chili, and neither contains beans.’ INTERNATIONAL CHILI SOCIETY

WINTER WARMER: The Chili Cook-Off is coming back to Newport after a two-year hiatus. From left, Jeff Rollings, Annie Sheehan and Kyle Bennett from Scratch Kitchen & Catering in Newport took part in the previous cook-off in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

COURTESY NEWPORT WINTER FESTIVAL

SOMETHING NEW SPOTLIGHT

A store that offers thrill of the hunt

BY CLAUDIA CHIAPPA | Chiappa@PBN.com

FOR JACLYN “JACKIE”

TRUDEL, secondhand shopping is a lot like hunting.

It’s navigating aisles, rummaging through racks of clothing, scanning every corner for the perfect, one-of-a-kind treasure.

It’s that thrill that she is hoping customers experience at Jackie on Broadway, her women’s consignment clothing and artisan jewelry shop in the Rumford section of East Providence.

Trudel’s store is only 8 months old, but her passion for environmentally conscious shopping is much older, motivated by years of research into the damage clothing waste can cause. And when the COVID-19 pandemic led her to reconsider her career path, settling on this new business venture was a “nobrainer.”

Now she sells secondhand clothes and accessories out of her shop, helping customers find the best deals, and partners with local jewelry shops and artisans to help them sell their products. This is yet another passion close to Trudel’s heart, who has a certificate in jewelry making and metalsmithing from the Rhode Island School of Design.

“I have an appreciation for how much work goes into each piece of jewelry,” Trudel said. “And it was important to me to help out local jewelry artists.” n

Holistic care takes root

Physical therapist offers yoga, massage

BY CLAUDIA CHIAPPA | Chiappa@PBN.com

FOR AMY E. SMITH, physical therapy is about much more than getting over a physical injury. It’s about fostering a relationship with the client, encouraging mental and spiritual healing. It’s what led her to leave her job as a physical therapist at an outpatient practice and founding Roots Specialty Services LLC in 2020, where she could rely on her own approach.

“It was a giant leap of faith. It was really intimidating to stick out and say let’s see how this goes,” Smith said.

Unsatisfied with traditional physical therapy practices that she felt could never truly help some of the clients with more-complex needs, Smith decided to turn to a more holistic approach to physical therapy –an approach that takes into account the mental and emotional well-being of the patients.

“This is what excites me, helping people make significant changes in their life,” Smith said. “Seeing physical therapy as not just a way to heal physical injury but tap into the mental, emotional component.”

The next two years were marked by slow but steady growth: from what she calls a tiny “closet” across the hall from her current location, Roots grew into its current space, equipped with a gym, a yoga studio

OWNERS: Amy E. Smith and Emily C. Smith

TYPE OF BUSINESS: Physical therapy

and three treatment room suites. Despite a small hiccup brought by the COVID-19 outbreak, which forced Smith to temporarily shift to virtual classes, her fledgling business bloomed into a thriving one mostly through word-of-mouth: one client led to two, to three and eventually to today’s buzzing studio.

There, Smith and 11 other employees offer clients services ranging from one-on-one physical therapy sessions to yoga and massage therapy. Much of her approach focuses on “working with the person in front of us, focusing on not just what hurts them but getting to know them, learning their background, what’s important to them, what their goals are,” Smith said. From there, she is able to build a personalized approach that can heal even chronic conditions.

The most recent expansion was the addition of the Roots Yoga +

Movement program and massage therapy services in October 2022. The new yoga program, open to the public, offers small, intimate classes for eight to 10 people, dedicated to teaching them how to move safely while building a community.

It’s not just her professional life that’s deeply entangled with Roots, but her personal life too: for some time now, Smith’s wife, Emily, has been working alongside her as a co-owner and taking care of all financial and operational aspects of the business. It’s the dream team, Smith said.

“It’s challenging but special when you get to step back and look at the success,” Smith said.

Another pillar of Roots is the practice’s commitment to inclusivity. As members of the LGBTQ+ community, Smith said she and Emily recognize how important it is to offer safe spaces for the community, where people can feel safe and welcome.

“It’s part of the fabric of our being. We recognize the need to put this out there and be a resource for the queer community in Providence,” Smith said.

The goal for 2023? Consistency and stability, Smith said.

“We planted the seeds and now we want to watch them grow,” Smith said. n

LOCATION: 1 Richmond Square, Providence

EMPLOYEES: 12

YEAR FOUNDED: 2020

ANNUAL SALES: WND

HEALING HANDS: Amy E. Smith, one of the two owners of Roots Specialty Services LLC in Providence, a studio offering physical therapy, yoga and massage services, works on Shariah Landry from Cranston.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

HIDDEN TREASURES? Jaclyn “Jackie” Trudel opened Jackie on Broadway consignment and artisan jewelry shop in East Providence in 2022.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

What’s R.I.’s answer to breaches?

BY JACQUELYN VOGHEL | Voghel@PBN.com

THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND hasn’t been immune to major data breaches – the latest example being an R.I. Department of Health mishap that exposed the protected information of nearly 9,000 people last summer and fall.

So what is the government’s top technology agency doing to prevent future security breakdowns across all state departments?

It’s been four months since Bijay Kumar left his job as the state’s chief information officer and chief digital officer, a position in which he also supervised the R.I. Division of Information Technology

The CIO/CDO “is ultimately responsible for the cybersecurity of state systems and the implementation of protective measures and controls with state departments to protect their sensitive data,” said R.I. Department of Administration spokesperson Laura Hart. “As such, both the agency involved and the Division of Information Technology share responsibility for any data breach response.”

The state is still in the process of finding a long-term replacement for Kumar. Chief Information Security Officer Brian Tardiff is in the position on an interim basis, Hart said.

Meanwhile, RIDOH and the R.I. Public Transit Authority are separately resolving security issues that affected a combined total of close to 30,000 Rhode Island residents.

In December, RIDOH revealed it had accidentally shared the health information of about 8,800 people a few months earlier.

In that instance, RIDOH staff accidentally included a link to a document containing thousands of individuals’ COVID-19 isolation and quarantine information in email messages. The document also included personal

details such as phone numbers and addresses.

Hart said the state’s IT division responded and “an assessment of sensitive data storage and sharing protocols was executed, as were additional cybersecurity and data hygiene training with agency staff.”

In August 2021, a cyberattack against RIPTA, which also breached UnitedHealthcare of New England Inc. data shared with the agency, compromised the personal data of more than 20,000 current and former state employees. The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island Inc. has since filed a class-action lawsuit against RIPTA and UnitedHealthcare.

Hart noted that the quasi-public transit agency isn’t directly supported by the state IT division, but it “did share best practices with the RIPTA team and recommended an external cybersecurity assessment.”

The RIPTA lawsuit has highlighted a state mechanism directed at cybersecurity: when a data breach affects at least 500 people, the law requires the R.I. Office of the Attorney General to investigate.

Federal law also encourages state attorneys general to cooperate with the U.S. government when health care privacy laws are involved,

The RIPTA investigation is ongoing. Brian Hodge, spokesperson for Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, said the office “continues to pursue all available authorities to ensure the protection of personal information in the custody of state agencies, as well as accountability for failure to safeguard this information.”

In general, states benefit from a multipronged approach to cybersecurity, said Leah Rosenbloom, a doctoral candidate in cryptography and privacy at Brown University

Best practices typically look at cybersecurity in stages, Rosenbloom said, starting with preventative measures and ending with accountability and reparations for those affected.

That includes “a larger system of transparency and communication between state departments,” Rosenbloom said, and “making sure there’s some kind of coordinated effort for data security.” n

Electronic health records unhealthy for doctors?

BY ANTHONY VECCHIONE | Contributing Writer

DR.

Westerly Hospital emergency room who was suffering from cancer.

The patient, a Rhode Island resident, had received treatment at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston but couldn’t recall exactly what medications they were on or even what surgeries they had undergone.

“But what I was able to do was sit down, and within five minutes, I could see exactly what was done in Boston,” said Mayorga, the hospital’s chief medical officer. “I was able to rapidly get to the correct diagnosis and treat the patient.”

The introduction of electronic health records has revolutionized the way health care practitioners track patient information such as demographic data, lab results, insurance information, allergies, medication history and medical records.

EHRs are often confused with electronic medical records, and while there are similarities, electronic health records go beyond standard clinical data collected in a provider’s office. And despite the positives of EHRs, they do have a downside.

According to some studies, health care practitioners often spend too much time charting electronic health records via a computer or tablet and less time with patients. They have also been linked to stress and burnout among practitioners.

In one study published in the Jour-

nal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 4,197 practicing physicians in Rhode Island were surveyed on their use of health care information technology. The main outcome was selfreported burnout.

The study found that 26% of the physician respondents reported burnout. Among those using electronic health records, 70% reported stress related to health care information technology.

Dr. Jared Anderson, an emergency physician at Lifespan Corp. and a professor of emergency medicine at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School, says there are clear benefits to electronic health records, allowing for better integration between health care systems with individual patients.

“It creates the ability to have much more clinical decision support, where health care data that might not be right in front of your face can be identified by a computer system and then brought to your attention in order to make sure the patients are getting good and safe care,” said Anderson, who is also director of clinical informatics for Brown Emergency Medicine

Yet, Anderson notes, EHRs can hinder a clinician’s workflow and create more work or fatigue. For example, interruptive electronic alerts that attempt to give the physician useful information about a patient. They’re not always useful.

Sometimes, popup alerts appear on the electronic records warning a health care provider to complete a procedure

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS: Dr. Jared Anderson, standing outside Rhode Island Hospital, where he works as an emergency physician, says electronic health records are beneficial for care but interfaces need to be optimized so doctors aren’t spending so much time on data entry.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

that is routine practice, Anderson said, but each alert requires a confirmation that can force a doctor to navigate to a separate menu and click multiple buttons – a process that can take 10 to 15 seconds each time.

“Does not sound like much, but then you need to consider what happens at scale, when millions of patient encounters are disrupted in the same way every year,” he said. “That is a lot of time and money for no reason.”

He cites data from the American Medical Informatics Association suggesting that the amount of time that clinicians have taken to complete documentation on patients has doubled over the past 20 years. Anderson says as much as 50% of clinician time can be spent with the EHR, including writing orders, reviewing results, communicating and documenting clinical notes.

At this point, there’s no avoiding the documentation.

Reimbursements from insurance companies and governmental payers are dependent on thorough record keeping. “The care, arguably, is just as good, but you have to document all of it perfectly or you cannot claim revenue,” Mayorga said.

The most obvious consequence other than physician burnout is the financial cost for the health care system.

“Why would you want some of the most expensive personnel in the hospital spending hours clicking through menus when they could be seeing additional patients?” Anderson said. “The health care system implemented EHRs with the overall assumption that physician time is a ‘free’ or very low-cost resource, which is, of course, not true.”

What can be done about it?

Mayorga says every effort should be made to try to mitigate burnout.

Sophisticated systems such as the one at Westerly Hospital – which is owned by Connecticut-based Yale New Haven Health Services Corp. –track “pillow time,” the time physicians spend filling in EHRs at home.

“We know that is very detrimental to work-life balance,” Maryorga said.

“So we try to identify those individuals and give them support mechanisms and systems to make sure they don’t have to do that.”

Doctors also acknowledge that many younger “digital native” clinicians interact with EHRs differently, looking to optimize the interaction rather than seeing it as a hindrance.

In fact, instruction on EHR use is now woven into courses at the Alpert Medical School, according to Dr. Steven Rougas, director of the school’s doctoring program.

In the future, Anderson would like to remove the burden of data entry on physicians.

“Data could be entered by patients themselves, automatically pulled from other health record sources, or be entered by other staff such as medical assistants and clerks,” Anderson said. “The answer comes down to a financial investment in the time of informatics experts and clinical end users to design more-efficient systems in the future.” n

Oliver Mayorga recalls one time attending to a patient in the

‘That is a lot of time and money for no reason.’

DR. JARED ANDERSON, Lifespan Corp. emergency physician

Taylor Box acquired by European packaging group

BY PBN STAFF

(Editor’s note: A version of this story was first published on PBN.com on Jan. 9.)

WARREN – Family-owned manufacturer Taylor Box Co. has been acquired by European secondary packaging group Pusterla 1880 S.P.A. for an undisclosed amount.

Taylor Box has been based in Rhode Island since its founding in 1885, and the company’s president, Daniel Shedd, has been a prominent member of the state’s manufacturing community for years.

The transaction includes Burt Rigid Box Inc. of Oneonta, N.Y., and will allow Pusterla – which is based in Venegono, Italy – to expand into the North American market, according to a news release from Taylor Box. Pusterla is a packaging company with manufacturing sites in the United Kingdom, Moldova and Tunisia, and offices in Asia.

“Our U.S. expansion continues our strategic focus on the high-end market. We are honored to serve our clients wherever they are and want to be and doing so regionally advances our foundational commitment to sustainable production,” Pusterla CEO Roberto Marini said in a statement.

“The addition to our group of two thriving American companies known for their quality, innovative solutions and manufacturing experience will allow us to be present on a truly global scale.”

Terms of the deals were not disclosed. Neither Taylor Box nor Shedd could immediately be reached for comment. It was not immediately clear how the transaction will affect operations at the Warren factory, which employs about 70 people, according to PBN’s 2023 Book of Lists.

Taylor Box started in Warren in 1885. It offers high-end rigid box packaging for industries such as wine and spirits, financial, publishing, sports and entertainment.

“I have enjoyed the past 45 years with my amazingly talented and hardworking team,” Shedd said in the news release announcing the acquisition. “Together, we built the award-winning, innovative, customerfocused market leader, Taylor Box Company.

“Merging with Burt to become part of Pusterla 1880 will continue to power our growth,” Shedd said. “As a fourth-generation, family-owned business, it is exciting to join with another multi-generational group that shares our culture of excellence and integrity. My team is all looking forward to a future filled with new opportunities to grow as an organization and as individuals. Most importantly, our clients are excited to explore with us the new capabilities and global luxury

packaging presence of Pusterla’s international footprint.”

Shedd has served on the executive board of the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association for several years, and David M. Chenevert, association executive director, said that Shedd has been a strong advocate for Rhode Island’s manufacturing sector.

Like many company owners, Chenevert said, Shedd is at retirement age.

“He got an offer he couldn’t refuse. It becomes a little bit of a loss [for the sector],” said Chenevert, adding that Shedd has already called him to say he would like to remain involved in the community.

Laura Brodie, president and coowner of Burt, will become the first nonfamily shareholder with Pusterla 1880, and will serve as president of the group’s North American operations, according to the release.

“To offer our clients and team the chance to participate in a global, yet very personal, business with a humble approach to service alongside industry-leading innovation and know-how is a privilege,” Brodie said in a statement. “I’m very excited to join owners Luca Meana, the Meana family, and Roberto Marini as a member of the leadership team of a company I believe in, serving an industry I love.”

Burt Rigid Box has been a leading supplier of rigid boxes to international and regional clients since its founding in 1886, serving clients in the fragrance and skin care, confectionary, entertainment and retail markets.

Pusterla employs more than 1,700 team members in 15 sites across the United Kingdom, Europe, North Africa and Asia. n

LOOKING AHEAD: Taylor Box Co. President Daniel Shedd is excited about the growth opportunities for his company following its acquisition by Pusterla 1880 S.P.A.

PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

STATEWIDE

DECISIONS: Multiple members of the General Assembly will take part in the 2023 Legislative Luncheon hosted by the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 15 at noon at the R.I. Convention Center. Pictured is the R.I. Statehouse.

PBN FILE PHOTO/NICOLE DOTZENROD

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Greater Providence Chamber to host Legislative Luncheon

THE GREATER PROVIDENCE Chamber of Commerce will hold its 2023 Rhode Island Legislative Luncheon. The Chamber will hold a candid conversation with leaders of the R.I. House of Representatives and R.I. Senate as they respond to questions regarding the many critical issues facing the business community today. Among the General Assembly members expected to attend are House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, D-Warwick; Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio, D-North Providence; Reps. Christopher R. Blazejewski, D-Providence, and Michael W. Chippendale, R-Foster; and Sens. Ryan W. Pearson, D-Cumberland, and Jessica de la Cruz, R-North Smithfield. Reservations are due Feb. 10.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15, NOON TO 1:30 P.M. $85/person; $950/corporate table of eight R.I. Convention Center, 1 Sabin St., Providence.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3VWvaZO

Getting started

PROVIDENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY will offer a workshop to English-language learners who are interested in starting a business. This program will introduce you to the language and computer skills for developing your plans to establish a small business in Rhode Island. Topics to be discussed include customer communication, marketing, finances and business planning.

MONDAY, JAN. 23, 5-7 P.M. Free Providence Public Library, 150 Empire St., Providence.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3iedomg

Pay equity compliance

THE NORTHERN RHODE ISLAND Chamber of Commerce will hold a workshop, titled “Pay Equity Act Compliance: What Employers & HR Professionals Need to Know,” as part of the Chamber’s HR Roundtable series. The event will discuss the state’s Pay Equity Act requirements and review the guidance and tools created by the R.I. Department of Labor and Training to assist employers in performing a self-evaluation to resolve

potential problems and avoid liability and penalties for noncompliance.

TUESDAY, JAN. 24, NOON TO 1 P.M. Free Online.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3ibFkr3

Reimagining the workplace

THE GREATER PROVIDENCE Chamber of Commerce will host the first of a three-part webinar series that is designed to help business professionals create workplaces that blend high performance and accountability with a strong company culture. The first session, titled “No Turning Back –The New Workforce Landscape,” will dive deeper into the reasons for the drought of finding qualified workers and the shifts that employers must make today to remain competitive.

TUESDAY, JAN. 24, NOON TO 1 P.M. $30

Interested in having your business-related event included in What’s Happening?

Contact PBN Researcher James Bessette at (401) 680-4838 or Research@PBN.com.

MURPHY

HAROLD M. HORVAT

Online.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3vE1pS1

Smarter way to buy a home

THE TRI-TOWN CHAMBER of Commerce will hold a seminar titled “The Smarter Way to Buy a Home.” Attendees will learn the basics on how to purchase a home, how to work with a real estate agent and how to finance the purchase of your home. Attendees will also learn about the mortgage process.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 25, 6-7:30 P.M. Free

Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce, 280 School St., Suite L100, Mansfield.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3IkYIMU

Business is brewing

THE NORTHERN RHODE ISLAND

Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Business Council & Emerging Leaders will hold a pop-up networking event, hosted by Narragansett Brewing Co. The event will help connect local business professionals and entrepreneurs in a casual setting. At-

tendees will have the opportunity to build relationships and generate new customers and clients.

THURSDAY, JAN. 26, 5-7 P.M. $20/members; $30/nonmembers Narragansett Brewing Co., 271 Tockwotton St., Providence.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3BwCrrl

Diverse meeting

ONE SOUTHCOAST CHAMBER of Commerce will hold a diversity, equity and inclusion Business After Hours networking event, hosted by the University of Massachusetts College of Visual and Performing Arts. The event will welcome a diverse group of businesses within southeastern Massachusetts. Business professionals will have an opportunity to build connections with one another.

THURSDAY, JAN. 26, 5-7 P.M. Free University of Massachusetts College of Visual and Performing Arts, 715 Purchase St., New Bedford.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3X1kKJf

Honoring manufacturers

THE RHODE ISLAND Manufacturers Association will hold its annual awards dinner. The annual program recognizes local companies and leaders for their contributions to the growth and success of manufacturing in Rhode Island.

TUESDAY, FEB. 7, 5:30-9 P.M. $165 Graduate Providence, 11 Dorrance St., Providence.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3FYFYkV

Building new relationships

THE EAST GREENWICH Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual meeting and business expo. Various business owners and entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to showcase their respective operations, as well as build business connections with one another. Marc B. Parlange, University of Rhode Island president, will be the guest speaker.

THURSDAY, FEB. 16, 5:30-8 P.M. $45 Quidnessett Country Club, 950 North Quidnessett Road, North Kingstown.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: bit.ly/3Cj7sPR

Growing your business

GOLDMAN SACHS 10,000 Small Businesses at the Community College of Rhode Island invites local smallbusiness owners to apply for its Summer 2023 cohort. With a curriculum designed by Babson College, expert advisers and a supportive network of peers, small-business owners can gain practical skills and develop an actionable growth plan for their business. Applications are due Feb. 1.

TUESDAY, MAY 2, THROUGH WEDNESDAY, AUG. 2. Free Community College of Rhode Island, 400 East Ave., Warwick.

INFO AND REGISTRATION: ccri.edu/10ksb

UPCOMING PBN EVENT: The 2023 Economic Trends Summit will be held on Thursday, Jan. 26, from 9-11 a.m. at the Providence Marriott. For more information, visit PBN.com. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Advertising@PBN.com.

HIGHER EDUCATION

RIC

What’s the problem? Some blame Rhode Island Promise, a free tuition program started in 2017 that seems to have lured more students in search of an affordable education – RIC’s target market – to the Community College of Rhode Island. Others say the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which decimated college enrollment nationwide, are lingering longer at RIC.

Still, state education officials see great value in RIC, with its acclaimed teaching and nursing program and its place somewhere between CCRI and the University of Rhode Island – offering more than two-year associate degrees but at a more affordable cost than the state’s research university.

That’s left officials devising ways to rescue RIC from its downward spiral.

“From a business perspective, the market is there,” said R.I. Postsecondary Commissioner Shannon Gilkey. “We have to reimagine RIC underneath its strengths.”

BEST VALUE?

Reinvention is the undercurrent that has kept Rhode Island’s first state-funded higher education institution alive.

Opening in 1854 as a teacher preparation program called the Rhode Island Normal School, it became a general higher education institution in 1959 when it moved to the suburban, 180-acre campus tucked along the Providence-North Providence border.

Now the college boasts approximately 120 liberal arts and sciences degree programs, drawing nearly 6,000 students, mostly from inside Rhode Island. With its annual in-state tuition at $11,000, national rankings routinely recognize RIC as a “best value” college in the region.

But how to convince prospective students that a bargain price does not mean an inferior education, and sell employers on RIC as an academic and workforce powerhouse? That’s what Jack Warner, RIC’s interim president, is trying to figure out.

Warner, whose contract was recently extended to June 2024, has decades of experience in higher education, including serving as the state commissioner of higher education from 2002 to 2009.

He says demographic changes and the pandemic are partly to blame for RIC’s struggles. Falling birth rates depleted the pool of potential college students, and higher education doesn’t hold the same weight it used to, especially during the pandemic, he says.

But those factors can’t be responsible for all the enrollment woes. Other colleges in Rhode Island began seeing admissions surge again in the fall of 2022. Not RIC.

Undergraduate enrollment fell 10.2% compared with a year ago – down to 4,719 students at the start of the 2022-23 school year. Over the last decade, RIC has lost 37.1% of its undergraduates, from a 7,505 peak in the 2013-14 school year. Graduate enrollment has been flat, at about 1,100 students.

The $61.4 million collected in tuition and fees in fiscal 2022 marks a $9 million decline from fiscal 2019. Meanwhile, state aid to the college has increased nearly $11 million in that time to $60 million annually as of fiscal 2022, according to the college. But that’s not enough to cover

CHEERLEADER:

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

other rising costs, including salaries, student support and capital projects.

TRANSFER TROUBLES

A steady decline in enrollment accelerated to a freefall in 2017, when Rhode Island Promise began. An initiative of former Gov. Gina M. Raimondo, the free state college tuition program was originally pitched for all three state colleges. After lawmakers raised cost concerns, a scaled-back version included only CCRI.

Full-time freshmen enrollment at RIC fell 19% between the fall of 2017 and 2018. Meanwhile, applications from students transferring to RIC fell by 17.3%.

“The promise inside of the Promise [program] was that four-year institutions would begin to experience a bump in transfer students from CCRI,” Warner said. “We never did.”

Now Warner and Gilkey are lobbying for lawmakers to support coming legislation to create a scholarship that would cover tuition for two of the four years for full-time RIC students who enroll directly out of high school. A similar bill died in committee last year.

Warner is also working to ease RIC’s transfer policies, which are so rigid that students often can’t get their credits from other schools, including CCRI, to count toward RIC’s general education or degree program.

“If they are seeing an unfavorable picture here, where it’s going to take them too long to graduate, then they are going to go elsewhere, and they are even willing to pay a higher price,” Warner said.

It’s a problem faced by Mel “Rising Dawn” Cordeiro, who is pursuing a nursing degree while working full time as a certified nursing assistant.

Cordeiro, 31, a Native American, studied for three semesters at CCRI and found transferring to Rhode Island

College a “slight nightmare” because of paperwork errors. But the issues didn’t end when she arrived at RIC.

The nursing program advisers pick classes for her, which means she has no say in what fits with her work schedule. She hasn’t been able to develop relationships with most of her advisers or professors, constantly shuffling between class and work on the dementia unit at Wingate Residences on the East Side of Providence.

“There are days where I am like, ‘Why the hell am I doing this?’ ” Cordeiro said.

Though RIC’s price tag was a draw, she’s racking up debt – over $40,000 and growing – that includes her first bachelor’s degree at Bridgewater State University and the CCRI courses.

“At this point, it’s like a mortgage and I am just working my [butt] off to pay it off,” she said.

While most of RIC’s degree programs have seen enrollment decline, the nursing school has been a bright spot, with student numbers growing slightly in the last few years, according to Carolynn Masters, the dean of RIC’s Zvart Onanian School of Nursing. The number could be even higher; RIC has to turn away about 20 of the 100 students who apply every semester because there aren’t enough teachers or clinical placements.

Masters is thinking about how to add seats to RIC’s nursing program, but such a process could take years and would require approvals from state and accreditation groups.

Meanwhile, Warner is focused on one of RIC’s other signature programs: education.

The Feinstein School of Education and Human Development has seen the steepest enrollment losses, down more than 37% over the last decade.

Fewer people want to be teachers, especially since the pandemic, Warner says.

But there are other factors, too, including state requirements for standardized test scores that force RIC to turn away applicants – especially students of color – for the teacher preparation program. R.I. Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green approved a pilot program in December that waives the requirements for prospective RIC education students.

Warner now expects to double the number of students RIC can accept into its teaching program to 300.

CHIEF

Rhode Island College interim President Jack Warner is looking to turn around the school’s falling enrollment numbers, but not everybody is happy with what he has in mind.

‘We are a sleeping giant who needs to get the word out about what we do.’

JACK WARNER, RIC interim president

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2023: THE CHALLENGES AHEAD

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

CHANGE OF STRATEGY

Degree programs that fill workforce needs –such as teaching, nursing and cybersecurity – have gotten most of the attention since Warner took over, something that has distressed faculty members in other programs.

In the fall, Warner suggested he had already cut or was going to terminate two dozen of the college’s 120 majors based on low enrollment. Most were in arts and social sciences.

Faculty members revolted, partly because Warner had not followed the process for eliminating majors, including a review and approval by department heads and a panel of faculty members. Warner later agreed to follow procedures, but his actions left lingering tensions.

“Jack was brought in to make cuts, but I don’t think that’s the way to turn this place around,” said Maureen Reddy, an English professor and coordinator of RIC’s First Year Seminar program. “You don’t build a business by shutting down parts of the operations. You figure out [how] you can grow what you do well.”

In 35 years at RIC, Reddy has seen ups and downs. Lately, it seems like all downs, especially in leadership, she says.

It started in 2008, when former President John Nazarian, a RIC alumnus and longtime professor, retired after 18 years. His successor, Nancy Carriuolo, resigned eight years later amid disagreements with the Council on Postsecondary Education and a petition by faculty calling for her ouster. Then there was Frank D. Sánchez, who stepped down after six years, saying he had “other opportunities.” Carriuolo and Sánchez could not be reached for comment.

It’s been more than six months since Sánchez departed. Gilkey blamed turnover in the postsecondary council for the delay in getting a search committee for a new president up and running.

Meanwhile, the changes at the top have stoked resentment among faculty members, who feel they’re being ignored. “Faculty are constantly being faced with a new initiative, but no one ever asked us if this was actually the problem,” Reddy said.

She has decided to retire this spring, earlier than she expected, because she’s so disheartened with what has happened at the college. “I don’t want to end my career bitter or angry,” she said, choking back tears. “I still feel good about what I do, but I see that waning.”

BUILDING BACK

Tough choices are unpopular but necessary in Gilkey’s view.

“RIC can’t be everything to everyone,” he said. “We have to make some financial pivots to make sure we have a Rhode Island College in the next 10 years, and it is thriving.”

In fiscal 2021, RIC reported a $10 million budget deficit, forcing layoffs and pay cuts. The college ran a $13.7 million deficit over the previous three fiscal years, as well.

Federal relief aid provided a temporary cushion, but the college budget office projects its deficit will swell beyond $10.6 million by fiscal 2025 if nothing is done.

Warner insists he won’t let that happen. That means cutting costs by eliminating underused majors or classes and not replacing retiring faculty members. It also means boosting revenue by adding more students and keeping them. Student retention has dipped along with enrollment.

Warner thinks it goes back to money; even with federal aid that most RIC students qualify for, extra expenses at home or on campus force them to work more hours and ultimately abandon school before they’re done.

RIC recently increased student wages for nearly 500 on-campus jobs, which Warner hopes will keep students on campus and make it easier for them to balance work and school.

DOWNWARD SLOPE

Rhode Island College’s undergraduate enrollment has sunk over the last 10 years from 7,505 to 4,046, which has also pulled down the college’s total enrollment – both part-time and full-time students – from 8,700 to 5,787. School officials say COVID-19 and the state’s tuition-free program at the Community College of Rhode Island have played a role in the decline.

SOURCE: RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE

Students don’t care much about budget projections or enrollment figures when deciding where to go to college, says state Rep. Karen Alzate, D-Pawtucket, a 2013 RIC graduate. Alzate thinks students want a low price and a vibrant campus with stateof-the-art facilities.

The transformation of the campus is still underway, but it’s a vast improvement compared with when Alzate studied political science there a decade ago. Though the campus was more active then, she remembers depressing buildings with peeling classroom floors and few community spaces.

Vestiges of RIC’s outdated infrastructure linger, such as a pair of 1960s dormitories, but are overshadowed by eye-catching renovations. A $50 million bond approved in 2012 covered the new School of Nursing wing within the Fogarty Life Science Building, as well as 2018 renovations to two academic buildings, Craig Lee and Gaige halls. A $25 million upgrade to Horace Mann Hall, which houses the education program, is scheduled to be completed soon. Up next: A $38 million renovation of the Clark Science building, approved as part of a 2021 bond, and a new student services center covered with $35 million in federal stimulus funds.

Gov. Daniel J. McKee also plans to include funding in his fiscal 2024 budget for on-campus housing for RIC graduates who work in the state as teachers or nurses. Details haven’t been finalized, such as cost and how many people could live there.

Alzate wishes the attention came sooner.

“We shouldn’t be waiting until things are

deplorable,” she said. “RIC is one of those schools that doesn’t ask for money and maybe they should.”

SLEEPING GIANT?

Christiansen also says RIC has gotten slighted when it comes to state funding. While the percentage of the college’s revenue coming from state aid has increased in the last decade, it has not kept pace with inflation, he says.

And Warner acknowledges RIC has not done a good job advertising itself – to lawmakers, to students, to anyone.

“We are a sleeping giant who needs to get the word out about what we do,” Warner said.

To that end, he’s increased the college’s marketing budget, starting a $50,000 ad campaign in the summer that helped to double the number of students in the college’s online adult degree program.

“That was our little experiment,” Warner said. “And it worked.”

RIC is also broadening recruitment of adult students and people outside of Rhode Island. “Our traditional demographics are shrinking, but there are other markets out there,” he said.

That includes the state’s growing Hispanic population. RIC is the only school in New England recognized as a federal Hispanic-Serving Institution, which makes the college eligible for more federal funding.

That 25% of the college’s students identify as Hispanic or Latino is a contrast to when Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos attended in the late 1990s. A native of the Dominican Republic who immigrated to the U.S., Matos felt shy and out of place amid the mostly white student body. She found comfort with the students and faculty who ran the Language Lab for nonnative English speakers.

“It wasn’t just academic support, it was also emotional support,” Matos said.

Matos saw the Hispanic-Serving Institution designation – announced in May 2022 – as an accomplishment for RIC, but one that perhaps hasn’t gotten much attention.

Reddy agreed.

“You would think that would be such a selling point,” Reddy said. “It should be a big recruitment for Spanish-speaking students.”

Preliminary application and acceptance numbers for RIC’s fall 2023 freshman class are higher than the prior year, but it’s still too early to tell how that will shape final enrollment. No one has a clear answer for how long it should take to see if the new policies and programs initiated under Warner are working.

And the bigger question: Can RIC be saved at all? Or should it be folded into another state institution?

Warner and Christiansen don’t always see eye to eye, but they both are adamantly against that.

“That would be a huge mistake,” Christiansen said. “What we do at RIC, the population we serve, is fundamentally different from the other two [state schools].” n

UNWELCOME FEELING: Erik Christiansen, Rhode Island College history professor and faculty union president, says the college has undergone changes in the last decade, not all for the better.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

company has a long list of achievements in its past.

The 20,000-square-foot factory on Oxford Street in Providence is scattered with mementos of the historic collaborations that helped the business make a name for itself, from newspaper clippings on walls to metal parts sitting in glass displays. But it’s not just the past that Goodwin-Bradley treasures. Christopher Goodwin, vice president of sales, has his eyes set on the future of the company.

He is the fourth generation Goodwin to take the reins of the manufacturing company. Goodwin’s great-grandfather purchased the company in 1912, and he credits his father, Robert Goodwin – the company president who recently retired from running day-to-day operations – with modernizing the factory’s machinery and expanding the company’s reach.

Goodwin-Bradley has done a lot of evolving, especially in the last eight years. While in its early decades, the company earned most of its revenue from the foundry work, it has broadened its horizons: now Goodwin-Bradley’s 18 employees also create molds for the rubber industry; tooling for forming, or shaping, metal; and metal parts for the aerospace and defense industries.

That work requires precision, which is why all of Goodwin-Bradley’s equipment is now automated computer numerical control machines. The Providence factory space was also renovated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The costly investments are necessary to keep the manufacturer competitive. Goodwin says the company reinvests between $150,000 and $350,000 each year into machine and software updates and workforce training.

“You need to stay on top of it, even if it means investing thousands into the business,” Goodwin said. “If you’re not using the latest and greatest, someone else will be and they will end up with your customers, your job and maybe even your guys.”

GOOD TIMES

Manufacturing is experiencing a boom right now, Goodwin says.

It’s a combination of factors. Several competitors went out of business during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many companies that were burned by supply chain problems are relying more on domestic suppliers such as Goodwin-Bradley. Higher demand has allowed for price increases, too.

Travel restrictions and shutdowns following the arrival of COVID-19 in March 2020 also touched off a shift in the type of work Goodwin-Bradley was performing. While commercial aerospace contracts dried up, defense companies such as Raytheon Technologies Corp. stepped in.

Now Goodwin-Bradley is doing much more than surviving; it’s thriving, busier than it has been in years, Goodwin says.

The company works with 46 customers, half of which are multibillion-dollar companies. Some of its biggest clients include Raytheon, General Dynamics Corp., Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. and Taco Inc.

On any given day, the team is working on up to 50 projects that can take anywhere from a day to several months to complete. Revenue was nearly $3 million last year, up from $1 million about five years ago.

‘Every mold poses its own challenges.’

CHRISTOPHER GOODWIN, Goodwin-Bradley Pattern Co. vice president of sales

But Goodwin is even more optimistic about 2023. The company kicked off January with about $800,000 of projects already booked –compared with the typical $200,000 of booking at the start of the year. He is hoping to approach $5 million in revenue by year’s end.

EXACTING MINDSET

Making money in a manufacturing business is no easy feat. On top of the constant reinvestment of capital, the industry requires problem-solving skills and constant attention to detail.

And in a business where the thickness of half a hair can make the difference between keeping or tossing a product, Goodwin-Bradley can hardly afford even the slightest mistake.

“Sometimes that drives me nuts in this business,” Goodwin said. “You can make something that … would be completely perfect but because it’s half a human hair off and the engineer said it has to be to this tolerance, it’s junk. It can make your day rough.”

Small mistakes do not just ruin the employees’ days, but they can cost the company tens of thousands of dollars. That’s why everything is meticulously checked using expensive, highly calibrated measuring equipment.

“Every mold poses its own challenges,” Goodwin said. “It doesn’t have that finish line moment. You figure out how to do the impossible and as soon as you’re done, you might get a pat on the back, the customer might say good job, but then

the job is shipped out and here’s the next job.”

No two projects can be completed the same way, no solution can be used twice. And it’s this challenging spirit that drew employees such as Todd Sposato to Goodwin-Bradley. A former advanced manufacturing coordinator at the New England Institute of Technology, Sposato found himself out of a job when the school lost some of its funding last year. And while other companies came knocking with job offers, Sposato’s eyes were set on GoodwinBradley almost right away.

“It’s been a real eye-opening experience,” said Sposato, who is now the floor supervisor. “Ever since I was a kid, I had a knack for looking at something and seeing what to do with it. And that’s what’s neat here. I like the ‘How am I going to do this’ part of the job.”

HIRING HANGUPS

Because of the nature of the manufacturing industry, being able to rely on a skilled workforce is essential, Goodwin says. And because of the computerized machinery, workers at GoodwinBradley must be both machine operators and programmers.

This is not an easy set of skills to acquire and despite the growing number of academic programs dedicated to the industry, continuing training remains essential. And it’s why Goodwin encourages his most seasoned workers to “transfer knowledge” to younger team members.

“We can have all the equipment in the world, but without the right people, we have gigantic, expensive paperweights,” Goodwin said.

Goodwin says he has been looking to add two or three more qualified workers. But surrounded by multibillion-dollar companies that can siphon away talent, Goodwin says his company has struggled to recruit graduating students in recent years.

“You can only do so much,” Goodwin said. “There’s a lot of opportunity out there.” n

HEAVY METAL: Christopher Goodwin, vice president of sales at Goodwin-Bradley Pattern Co., a Providence manufacturer that produces molds for the rubber industry and high-tech parts for the aerospace industry, shows off one of the company’s products on the factory floor.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

HANDIWORK: Goodwin-Bradley Pattern Co. Vice President of Sales Christopher Goodwin holds one of the company’s products, which are made using a meticulous measuring process.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

BUSINESS

unfilled for long periods of time. The bakery, which now employs 15 people, at one point was staying afloat with a staff of seven employees.

Like many other businesses, Sabbag had to modify her hours to fit her reduced staff: the bakery went from being open seven days a week to five days a week.

“We saw across the board, whether it was a donut shop, a bakery or a restaurant or a gym, they basically just tried to modify things so that they can meet the demand and still satisfy the customers’ needs,” Simone said. “And I think all of these small-business owners did a tremendous job considering the challenges that they faced this past year.”

As business owners manage to fill their positions quicker and more easily, customers are likely to see a further return to normal business hours.

Provencal Bakery is now able to open six days a week, still unable to match its pre-COVID-19 operations but in a better place compared with last year.

Easing labor shortages give employers hope

BY CLAUDIA CHIAPPA | Chiappa@PBN.com

WHENBrenda Sabbag posted an online ad for a part-time server position at her cafe, she expected near radio silence. After all, that’s how it had been for her and many other small businesses in the last two years. But to her surprise, the ad was flooded with responses: over a dozen resumes in a few days.

“I was pleasantly surprised,” said Sabbag, who owns Provencal Bakery and Cafe in Middletown. “With COVID-19 and the big unemployment, it was very difficult to get people to come to work.”

Difficult indeed.

Small businesses have been reporting labor shortages since 2020, which have given little to no sign of improvement. The food and hospitality industries have been hit particularly hard, with several hotels and restaurants reporting adjusted hours or closures due to lack of personnel.

According to a recent survey by the National Federation of Independent Business, which collected 456 responses between Dec. 8 and Dec. 12., 20% of small-business employers said they are currently experiencing a significant staffing shortage, down from 24% in March 2022. It’s a small improvement, but it gives many businesses some relief from the hiring challenges that have defined the last two years.

“I can name probably a dozen restaurants or small businesses that have openings no matter what,” said Rick Simone, executive director of the Rhode Island Small Business Coalition and president of the Federal Hill Commerce Association. “There is definitely still a shortage, but the shortage is not as dramatic this time of year as it was over the second, third and fourth quarters of last year.”

Evan Smith, CEO and president of Discover Newport, agrees. Around Newport, many hotels, restaurants and resorts suffered from the lack of foreign workers during the pandemic, but the return of international employees is bringing back some of that lost labor. And with projections of a strong tourism and travel season ahead, many small businesses in Newport are confident they will have the staff needed to meet the demand.

“Some businesses will reach 100% of their need, others may only get to [80%] to 90%, but that is growth over last year,” Smith said.

For Provencal Bakery, this surge of interest in the server position is relatively new.

Only last fall, it took Sabbag three months to hire a cook, a position that would take her mere weeks to fill prior to the pandemic. At any given time, she had multiple positions open, each remaining

ON THE WAY? Brenda Sabbag, left, owner of Provencal Bakery and Cafe in Middletown, says she is seeing an increasing number of people applying for job openings at her business. At right is waitress Breyanna Baer and another worker, Paige Jones, is behind the counter in the background.

HANSEN

While some businesses are recovering, others are still scrambling to fill positions. At Blue Sky Spaworks, a wellness spa in Warwick, operations manager Trish Dubois has been trying to fill eight positions for three years now, from aestheticians and hair stylists to nail techs and massage therapists.

But despite working with local training schools and posting openings on a variety of job boards, most ads go unanswered. And when candidates do apply, they often fail to follow-up.

“We’ve been doing nothing but advertising for help,” Dubois said. “It’s not really getting any better.”

For Sabbag, while the interest in jobs has grown, the talent pool still worries her. Many applicants lack experience. Smith says it’s a phenomenon he has seen, too.

“A lot of people left the [hospitality] industry during COVID,” he said. “Now we see a lot of younger faces coming in, which is a promising thing, but a lot of them don’t present the experience you’d like them to have.”

Many businesses will choose to focus on training and workforce development to adapt to the surge of young and inexperienced candidates, Smith says.

Lindsay Russel, a spokesperson for the R.I. Commerce Corp., said many businesses are offering higher salaries, more benefits, a signing bonus, or more-flexible work arrangements.

“When shortages occur, it can be difficult for businesses to find the skilled workers they need to keep their operations running smoothly,” Russel said. “As a result, many businesses are forced to change their hiring practices in order to accommodate the changing labor market.”

While small businesses all over the state continue to grapple with rising prices and volatile sales, many look at the new year – and at the incoming season – with hope, particularly when it comes to the labor market.

RICK SIMONE, Rhode Island Small Business Coalition executive director

“The majority of business owners that I’ve spoken to are much more optimistic about this new year than they were about last year,” Simone said. n

‘Business owners … are much more optimistic about this new year.’

HELP

PBN PHOTO/ DAVID

City looks to improve MBE contract program

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

LEROY BELONA THOUGHT certifying his Providence construction company through the state’s Minority Business Enterprise program would open the door to more opportunities.

But in the decade since he started B & D Veteran’s Corp., he hasn’t seen many benefits. The process to submit bids for city or state contracts is riddled with red tape, and as a oneman operation – he only hires workers if he has a big job – Belona must wade through complex insurance and bonding paperwork himself.

Usually, he decides it’s not worth it to even try. And when he does?

“It gets a little hectic,” Belona said. “And then, I might still get denied the contract.”

Well aware of the shortcomings of the MBE program, including routinely failing to meet the minimum 10% participation rate mandated by law, the state has started to make changes. Now, the city of Providence is looking to follow suit.

As part of its $10 million racial reparations program, the city set aside money to improve its own women- and minority-owned busi-

ness contracting program. Specifically, the budget includes $300,000 to hire a consultant to study and make recommendations on disparities between the number of minorityowned businesses in the city and the actual city dollars awarded to these businesses. Another $245,000 would pay for a recruitment and technical support program to help more eligible women- and minority-owned businesses get certified, with the goal

of adding another 100 to the list by the end of the year.

Lack of awareness and difficulty completing the certification paperwork is a main reason the city has not met its 20% minority- and women-owned business participation goal in most years, according to Keith Stokes, the city’s former business and development director. Case in point: There are currently 110 certified Providence women- and minority-owned businesses, which Stokes called a “significantly low number” for a city where nearly half of the residents identify as people of color.

With a limited list of certified businesses, and most of them concen-

trated in certain industries such as construction, it’s nearly impossible for the city to meet its annual participation requirement, Stokes explained. Indeed, the city only hit 20% once in the last seven fiscal years – in 2020. Many years, less than 4% of contract and purchase dollars awarded went to minority- and women-owned businesses, although in fiscal 2022 (the most recent available) it jumped to 15%, according to data shared by the city.

Low minority-business participation was no surprise to Lisa Ranglin, CEO and president of the Rhode Island Black Business Association While she welcomed the city’s efforts

don’t have Black or brown businesses able

always going to have the same problem.’

LISA RANGLIN, Rhode Island Black Business Association CEO and president

‘If you

to participate, you’re

FOCUS | RHODE ISLAND DISTILLERIES, BREWERIES AND VINEYARDS

1

FOCUS | RHODE ISLAND DISTILLERIES, BREWERIES AND VINEYARDS (listed alphabetically)

Apponaug BrewingCo. | apponaugbrewing.com TamaraMcKenneyandKrisWaugh, owners and co-founders

Beer On Earth | beeronearth.com AdamHenderson, owner

Coddington BrewPub | coddbrew.com Heidi and BillyChristy, owners

Crooked Current Brewery | crookedcurrentbrewery.com JasonLourenco, president;NicholePelletier, vice president and brewmaster

Foolproof BrewingCo. | brewerycollective.com/foolproof-brewingcompany NickGarrison, founder and president

Greenvale Vineyards | greenvale.com Nancy ParkerWilson, president and general manager;BillWilson Sr., vice president of planning;BillWilson, operations manager and winemaker

Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island | greysailbrewing.com JenniferBrinton, owner and operator

The Industrious SpiritCo. | iscospirits.com Manya K.Rubinstein, CEO;DanielNeff, distiller

Langworthy Farm Winery | langworthyfarm.com/thewinery.html Joe and GailSharry, owners

Leyden Farm Vineyards & Winery | leydenfarm.com Jack and MaureenLeyden, owners

Linesider Brewing Co.LLC | linesiderbrewing.com JeremyRuff, owner and head brewer

Long Live BeerworksInc. | longlivebeerworks.com ArmandoDeDona, president and brewer

Mulbury Vineyards | mulberryvineyards.com David and MelissaWright, owners and managers

Narragansett BrewingCo. | narragansettbeer.com MarkHellendrung, CEO and president

Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co. | newportcraft.com BrendanO'Donnell, CEO

Newport Vineyards and WineryLLC | newportvineyards.com JohnNunes, owner, vintner and brewmaster

Nickle Creek Vineyard | nicklecreekvineyard.com Steven J. O'Connor and SheriO'Connor, owners

334 Knight St. Warwick, R.I.02886 (401)681-4321

425 West Fountain St., No. 104 Providence, R.I.02903 (401)885-0580

210 Coddington Highway Middletown, R.I.02842 (401)847-6690

560 Mineral Spring Ave. Pawtucket, R.I.02860 (401)473-8312

241 Grotto Ave. Pawtucket, R.I.02860 (401)721-5970

582 Wapping Road Portsmouth, R.I.02871 (401)847-3777

63 Canal St. Westerly, R.I.02891 (401)212-7592

1 Sims Ave., No. 103 Providence, R.I.02909

308 Shore Road Westerly, R.I.02891 (401)322-7791

160 Plain Meeting House Road West Greenwich, R.I.02817 (401)392-1133

1485 South County Trail, Suite 201 East Greenwich, R.I.02818 (401)398-7700

40R Sprague St. Providence, R.I.02907 (401)213-9830

95 Pound Road Glocester, R.I.02814 (401)217-9288

271 Tockwotton St. Providence, R.I.02903 (401)437-8970

293 JT Connell Highway Newport, R.I.02840 (401)849-5232

909 East Main Road Middletown, R.I.02842 (401)848-5161

12 King Road Foster, R.I.02825 (401)369-3694

Proclamation AleCo. | proclamationaleco.com LoriWitham, president 298 Kilvert St. Warwick, R.I.02886 (401)787-6450

Providence BrewingCo. 1 | pvd.beer Efren J.Hidalgo II, CEO, founder and brewmaster

Ragged Island Brewing Co.LLC | raggedislandbrewing.com MatthewGrayandKathrynGray, owners

Ravenous BrewingCo. | ravenousbrew.com DorianRave, founder and brewer

Revival BrewingCo. | revivalbrewing.com OwenJohnson, chairman;SeanLarkin, brewmaster

Rhode Island Spirits Distillery & Tasting Room | rhodeislandspirits.com

CathyPlourdeandKaraLarson, co-owners and distillers

Smug BrewingCo. | smugbrewing.com RobertDaRosa, founder and master brewer

110 Sims Ave., Unit 110 Providence, R.I.02909 (401)424-1817

200 High Point Ave., Unit B6 Portsmouth, R.I.02871 (401)318-2991

10 Industrial Road Cumberland, R.I.02864 (401)216-5331

50 Sims Ave. Providence, R.I.02909 (401)372-7009

59 Blackstone Ave. Pawtucket, R.I. 02860 (401)856-4111

100 Carver St. Pawtucket, R.I.02860 (401)642-5701

Dio's Child, Empress Maeve, Holy Mountain, Temple of Plenty

Blonde Ale, Chocolate Porter, Dopplebock, Irish Red Ale, Nut Brown Ale, Oatmeal Stout, Summer Wheat

Retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room

Restaurant/food on-site; tasting/tap room

Blueberry American Wheat, Hawaiian Robust Porter, Irish Red Ale, Pumpkin Maple Ale, Oatmeal Raisin Stout, S'Mores Brown Ale, Neopolitan Brown Ale Tasting/tap room

Backyahd, Big Blue Beer, Ocean State IPA, Pawtucket Patriot, The Bluffs

Albarino, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay Select, Greenvale Vidal Blanc, Ramato, Skipping Stone White, Vermouth

Captain's Daughter Double IPA, Flagship Ale, Flying Jenny EPA, Haze Ho New England IPA, Rotating Series, Leaning Chimney Smoked Porter, Little Sister Session IPA, Pour Judgement IPA

Sustainably sourced vodka, gins, bourbons and experimental spirits made from scratch at Providence’s first distillery since Prohibition

Misquamicut Merlot, Pawcatuck River Red, Rhody Riesling, Shelter Harbor Chardonnay, Watch Hill Merlot

Jack's White Merlot, Leyden Vineyard Merlot, Leyden Vineyard Riesling, Leyden Vineyard American White Zinfandel

VII Stripes, Black Point, Blonde Jovi, Harvest Kent County Common, Patience & Prudence, StrIPAh, White Knuckles

Weekly releases

Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gamay Noir (Blush), Merlot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling

12 unique craft beers on tap, including flagship IPA Musik Express; full kitchen, including flatbreads, pretzels and more; beautiful patio views of Narragansett Bay; dog-friendly

Bushwick Pilsner, Rhode Rage, Coast, Thomas Tew Single Barrel Rum

Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Rose, Gewurztraminer, Newport Merlot, Newport Riesling, Rising Tide

Cabernet, Foster Red, Foster White, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling

Adelia, Derivative: Galaxy, Ethereous, Flummox Pilsner, Knock It Off, Nomenclature Double IPA, Tendril, The Ender

Astroberfest, Can't Deny It, In the Mood, Uncontrollable Urge

Beach Night, Donde Esta la Biblioteca, Liquid Hugs, Hoop House

Bienvenu French Quarter Red Ale, Blackstone American Pale Ale, Rhode Haze, El Hefe

HAMR Oceanic State Pale Ale, Night Swim'ah Belgian Wheat Ale, Pinky Swear Berliner Weisse

Rhodium

Blocker, Chubby Unicorn, Dad Bod, Driving Miss Hazy, Hoppy Little Trees

Private event/meeting space; retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room

Private event/meeting space; retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room; tours

Private event/meeting space; restaurant/food on-site; retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room

Private event/meeting space; retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room; tours

Private event/meeting space; retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room

Private event/meeting space; retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room

Tasting/tap room

Tasting/tap room

Private event/meeting space; retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room; tours

Tasting/tap room; tours

Private event/meeting space; retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room; tours

Private event/meeting space; restaurant/food on-site; retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room; tours

Retail sales on-site

Retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room

Private event/meeting space; restaurant/food on-site; retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room

Private event/meeting space; tasting/tap room

Private event/meeting space; restaurant/food on-site; retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room; tours

Restaurant/food on-site; tasting/tap room

Private event/meeting space; retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room

Private event/meeting space; retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room; tours

CLOSER LOOK

Ranked by oldest: 1

Providence Brewing Co. Year founded: 1817

2

Narragansett Brewing Co. Year founded: 1890

3

Greenvale Vineyards Year founded: 1992

LIST RESEARCHED BY James Bessette

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To purchase a copy of this list, call (401) 273-2201 or visit PBN.com/lists for more information.

UPCOMING LISTS

Feb. 3: College Technology Programs, Health Care Educators, Physician Group Practices; Feb. 17: Public Companies in Rhode Island, Rhode Island Property Tax Rates.

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For more information about participating in PBN’s Top Lists, or to make additions or corrections, call (401) 6804838 or write to Research@ PBN.com.

FOOTNOTE

j Providence Brewing Co. is the oldest recorded brewery in Rhode Island. James Hanley purchased the brewery in 1896 and operated it until 1929 before the prohibition era. Efrin Hidalgo purchased the brewery’s naming rights in 2013 and opened the brewery in 2018.

CWR, Apponaug Ale, Pawtuxet Pils, Thousand Ways, Lake Runner, Occasional Disruption, It's Fine No Worries

Private event/meeting space; restaurant/food on-site; retail sales on-site; tasting/tap room; tours

Gin, Rhodium Forager's Gin, Rhodium Newport Restaurant Group Gin, Rhodium Vodka, Rhode Island Red Vodka, Rhodium Coffee & Black Walnut Vodka

Providence Brewing Co. is the oldest recorded brewery in Rhode Island. James Hanley purchased the brewery in 1896 and operated it until 1929 before the Prohibition era. Efrin Hidalgo purchased the brewery’s naming rights in 2013 and opened the brewery in 2018.

to make it easier for Black businesses to get certified, she thought the disparity study was a waste of time.

“We have studied and analyzed all of these challenges for decades,” she said. “I don’t care how much you have studied the thing – if you don’t have Black or brown businesses able to participate, you’re always going to have the same problem.”

Indeed, the state released its own MBE study in 2021, which spanned contracts and purchases awarded to minority- and women-owned businesses across all cities and towns, including in Providence.

Dwayne Keys, a member of the Providence panel that helped develop the racial reparations spending plan, initially shared Ranglin’s skepticism about the need for another study.

“If it’s the same study we’ve already had, I am going to be extremely disappointed and very frustrated with the waste of dollars,” Keys said.

But Keys was somewhat convinced after Stokes pitched the Providence Municipal Reparations Commission on the need for updated data that includes the pandemic; the state study reflected contracts awarded from fiscal 2014-2017.

Stokes also said it was important to have city-specific data (the state study does not break out Providence businesses) to back up any recommended changes to the program.

Although Stokes was the driving force behind funding for the study and the certification program, he stepped down from his job when the new mayor took office. Meanwhile, the city has closed its bids but not hired a consultant for each of the solicitations related to its womenand minority-owned business enterprise program.

With Stokes gone and no replacement named, Ranglin worried that any efforts to understand or improve access to and participation from minority businesses could fall by the wayside.

Mayor Brett Smiley and members of his administration were not available to comment.

Meanwhile, Belona was eyeing an upcoming city project to demolish and redevelop the former Urban League of Rhode Island building. The plans are still in the preliminary phases, and the initial solicitation will be to hire a consultant to gather community feedback.

But Belona hoped that by the time the city was looking to award contracts for demolition and construction work, there might also be more support for minority-owned businesses.

“I would definitely welcome some help with the paperwork,” he said. n

INNOVATION/STARTUPS

says many students – no strangers to modern tech – have embraced the revolution.

“We are discussing it every day in the classroom, these paradigm shifts in the industry,” he said. “We have to use it to our advantage, like any other tool.”

However, certain tasks still require old-fashioned methods. After Bella’s arrival, Astrologo says he made a trial run to test its skills at directing customers to tables but found the robot more suited to grunt labor than hosting. Though it was preprogrammed with a layout of the restaurant and equipped with sensors, seating people still requires thinking on your feet and not your wheels.

“Customers often asked if they could have a different table instead,” said Astrologo, noting the robot’s current limitations.

Restaurant robots serve meals on wheels

BY CHRISTOPHER ALLEN | Allen@PBN.com

CUSTOMERS

at Jacky’s Waterplace & Sushi Bar in Providence may have noticed a certain restaurant employee that stands out from the others.

Or rather, rolls out.

While delivering trays of sushi rolls and steamed dumplings to tables, this particular worker doesn’t engage in small talk with customers but will sing “Happy Birthday,” so long as the proper buttons are pushed.

Retailing for $15,000, BellaBot, or “Bella,” was designed by Shenzhen Pudu Technology Co. Ltd., a Chinese robotics firm that “provides users with an unprecedented food delivery robot experience,” according to its website. In its latest report, Pudu says it exported over 53,000 robots to more than 600 cities in 2022.

Jacky’s General Manger Val Astrologo says Bella’s purpose was not to replace staff but to help them.

“We look at it more as an assistant and not something there to replace anyone,” he said, noting its ability to carry multiple large trays over to tables in one trip, a challenging task for the most seasoned food runner.

“It will load up four trays, get the food to the table and the server can follow,” he said.

As other sectors of the economy rebound, the hospitality industry continues to contend with rising prices and labor shortages. The number of Rhode Island jobs in the accommodation and food services sector fell by 300 in November 2022, marking three consecutive months of declines totaling 2,400 jobs, according to the R.I. Department of Labor and Training. The state now has 9% fewer industry jobs than it did in 2019.

Observers are keeping a close eye on the speed and scope of industrywide adaptations.

In Rhode Island, at least four restaurants have used robots as food runners, including Jacky’s, Lemongrass LLC in Warwick and Angelo’s Palace Pizza in Cumberland.

“More industry businesses will employ the use of robotics to create a more efficient workflow, provide new experiences for guests, and to give staff the tools and support necessary to provide the best service,” said Dale J. Venturini, CEO and president of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association. “[But robots] cannot and will not take the place of restaurant workers, whose personal touch and work ethic have made the industry what it is today.”

Academic institutions have already pivoted, preparing the next generation of restaurateurs, managers and chefs. At Johnson & Wales University’s Department of Culinary Arts, professor Ray McCue

The restaurant industry is still short 400,000 workers compared with pre-pandemic levels, according to national data. Brian Warrener, associate professor of food and beverage industry management at JWU’s College of Hospitality Management, says robots might be a financially feasible solution to the worker shortage but predicts its long-term growth more in the kitchen than on the floor.

“Robots completing manual tasks in the front of the house have limited usefulness and are probably more performative at this point,” he said, highlighting research indicating American consumers’ stubborn preference for “real human service.”

Warrener says the topic of emerging technology is now a prominent focus within the JWU curriculum.

Customers disinclined toward robot appreciation may have to become more accustomed, according to professor Farbod Farhadi at Roger Williams University’s Mario J. Gabelli School of Business.

“The computing power that we have has made these technologies cheaper and more accessible,” he said. “There is going to have to be shifts in expectations of both the consumers and producers.”

The pandemic showed how technological innovation in this space can be the difference between survival and extinction. During the pandemic, “many restaurants that didn’t have options for ordering online and food delivery went out of business,” Farhadi said. “Everybody had to adjust.”

Astrologo says customers are critical of Bella, accusing the restaurant of outsourcing jobs. But that was never the intention. In fact, Bella’s arrival led to more tips for waitstaff, now freer to attend to customers.

There may be more to these naysayers than simple neo-luddism, according to McCue.

“Currently, it’s more of a conversational piece than anything else,” he said. “Is that robot going to bring you extra napkins or remember an extra sauce on the side? We’re not there yet.”

But Bella can perform one task often dreaded by waitstaff. “I don’t know any restaurant people that like to sing ‘Happy Birthday,’ ” Astrologo said. n

ROLLING

OUT: Jacky’s Waterplace Sushi Bar robot server “Bella” waits on a table with Ignacio Davila, left, and Galen Tate.

PBN PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

‘The computing power ... has made these technologies cheaper and more accessible.’

FARBOD FARHADI, Roger Williams University Mario J. Gabelli School of Business professor

Helping colleges in R.I. to grow more startups

BY JACQUELYN VOGHEL | Voghel@PBN.com

IN RECENT YEARS, Rhode Island’s entrepreneurial community – once a relatively quiet landscape – has made significant strides, says RIHub Executive Director Annette Tonti, with a growing number of innovation services, Rhode Island-founded ventures and out-of-state startups expanding into the Ocean State.

But another key source of entrepreneurial energy – the state’s colleges and universities – remains largely behind the curve compared with regional and nationwide competition, Tonti says.

While observers have highlighted Rhode Island’s colleges and universities as significant attractions for entrepreneurial talent, much of this potential remains untapped, Tonti said.

“It doesn’t mean [startups] aren’t there, but we certainly haven’t seen them the way we think we should,” Tonti said.

To help bring Rhode Island’s higher education landscape up to speed with its competition, RIHub and local higher education leaders are partnering to form the University Network of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Convened by RIHub, the group, composed of college and university officials with an innovation focus, will begin meeting this month.

The group’s purpose is straightforward: Bring together all of Rhode Island’s colleges and universities to network and share innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities.

“The reason to do that is to help foster even more high-growth startups coming out of our universities here in Rhode Island,” Tonti said. “If you look at the data, many of our universities are woefully behind” in producing startups.

In 2011, research from the University of Notre Dame found that on average, universities produced 2.5 fundable startups per year, with some achieving up to 55. Since that time, Tonti suspects this average has gone up, but she has also observed that most Rhode Island universities aren’t hitting this mark.

It doesn’t need to be that way, Tonti says – Rhode Island has the second-highest population of college students in relation to its overall residency, according to research by Insurify insurance comparison shopping company.

“We have a lot of college students here, and we’d like to see more of them compelled to build these high-growth startups,” Tonti said. Students “maybe don’t know that’s a pathway, or don’t know all the support structures they can get through the universities and in Rhode Island.”

There are some exceptions in the state’s higher education landscape: most notably, Brown University, which hosts a robust entrepreneurial community at its Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship.

But other schools, lacking the level of funding and resources available at Brown, remain behind the curve.

That’s apparent at the CIC Providence LLC, which includes RIHub’s headquarters and many of its clients.

The center itself has experienced standout growth compared with the CIC’s global network of “innovation campuses,” more than doubling in occupancy since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and currently boasting 180 business clients and more than 600 individuals.

Around half of the CIC Providence’s clients are affiliated with universities, says Tim Rowe, founder and CEO of the CIC network.

For RIHub startups in particular, the bulk of university ties, at 42, stem from Brown, according to RIHub data. Another 24 are associated with URI, three with Bryant University and two with Johnson & Wales University. The state’s other colleges and universities don’t currently have any representation among this group.

Rowe and Stacey Messier, general manager of the CIC Providence, say that having a dedicated entrepreneurship center tends to give university startup scenes a sizable boost. Rhode Island’s leading entrepreneur-producing university, Brown, has the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship, while URI has an Innovate@URI campus initiative, for instance.

But many schools – especially those with multiple colleges under one umbrella – sometimes “have

trouble connecting the dots,” Messier said.

Through UNIE discussions, members hope to fill in these gaps.

Similar groups exist in other states – for example, the Texas University Network for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which formed in 2008 and includes 17 of the state’s colleges and universities.

In addition to inspiration, UNIE draws a former member from this Texas-based network: David Altounian, vice provost of graduate and professional studies at Salve Regina University, was involved with TUNIE for almost a decade before moving to Rhode Island in late 2021.

During that time, Altounian worked at St. Edward’s University, a small liberal arts school in Austin, Texas.

Like Salve Regina, St. Edwards wasn’t known for the large research capacities associated with institutions such as Brown or URI. But the university’s involvement with TUNIE helped to foster a mutually beneficial relationship between its students and TUNIE’s more research-intensive members, such as the University of Texas at Austin.

At some colleges, “the benefit is that students are well-studied, great at critical thinking but not likely doing the kind of research that is going to launch the next bio innovation,” Altounian said. “But many of their skills are complementary to research.”

There are multiple ways UNIE can forge these connections between the state’s universities, Altounian says, such as opening entrepreneurial events organized by one institution to all area college students.

ANNETTE TONTI, RIHub executive director

Altounian and Tonti both say that universitybased startup growth would go beyond benefiting students, as it would attract talent to the area and supply high-paying jobs.

“It’s one of the things to move the needle on economic strength in a region,” Tonti said. n

UNIE-FYING FORCE: Annette Tonti, executive director of RIHub, is helping to assemble a group of higher education leaders to form the University Network of Innovation and Entrepreneurship to share innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities.

PBN FILE PHOTO/DAVID HANSEN

‘We’d like to see more … [students] compelled to build these highgrowth startups.’

BDC

Bristol Workforce Investment Board | bristolwib.org ThomasPerreira, executive director

The Business DevelopmentCo. | bdcri.com PeterDorsey Jr., president

Business Innovation Factory | businessinnovationfactory.com SaulKaplan, founder and chief catalyst

Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship | umassd.edu/innovate MarkFuller, chancellor, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

The Center for Technology and Industry | cti.neit.edu StevenKitchin, vice president for corporate education and training

Center for Women & Enterprise | cweonline.org LindseyRamirez, Rhode Island program manager

Governor's Workforce Board Rhode Island | gwb.ri.gov MichaelGrey, chairman;AlyssaAlvarado, executive director

John

Massachusetts Small Business Development Center – Southeast Region | msbdc.org ChristianConroy, interim state director;MelindaAiles, senior business adviser, southeast region

Mayor's Office of Economic Development | providenceeconomicdevelopment.net

netWORKri | dlt.ri.gov/onestop JeanLuisi, Providence office manager 1

New Bedford Economic Development Council | nbedc.org DerekSantos, executive director

Ocean State Business Development Authority | osbda.com RussellGaston, president

PolarisMEP | polarismep.org SarahReggio, center manager

Providence Business Loan FundInc. | providencebusinessloanfund.com Thomas W.Hoagland, executive director

Providence Public Library | provlib.org JackMartin, executive director

R.I. CommerceCorp. | commerceri.com

BillAsh, interim president;Elizabeth M.Tanner, secretary of commerce

R.I. Department of Human Services | dhs.ri.gov

KimberlyMerolla-Brito, acting director

R.I. Department of Human Services/Office of Rehabilitation Services | ors.ri.gov

RonaldRacine, associate director

R.I. Department of Labor and Training – Workforce Development Services | dlt.ri.gov/wds

SusanBiagioni, chief, workforce development services;ScottGreco, chief of labor and training operations

Rhode Island Black Business Association | ri-bba.org

LisaRanglin, president

Rhode Island Business Competition | ri-business.com

E. ElizabethCarter, executive director

Rhode Island Business Services | sos.ri.gov/divisions/businessservices

MaureenEwing, director of business services

30 Exchange Terrace, 4th floor Providence, R.I.02903 (401) 450-0047

1 Government Center, 5th Floor Fall River, Mass.02722 (508) 675-1165

40 Westminster St. Providence, R.I.02903 (401) 351-3036

60 Valley St., Unit 107B Providence, R.I.02909 (401) 270-7906

151 Martine St. Fall River, Mass.02723 (508) 910-9807

1 New England Tech Blvd. East Greenwich, R.I.02818 (401) 739-5000

132 George M. Cohan Blvd. Providence, R.I.02903 (401) 277-0800

1511 Pontiac Ave., Building 72-2 Cranston, R.I.02920 (401) 462-8860

1150 Douglas Pike Smithfield, R.I.02917 (401) 232-6407

200 Pocasset St. Fall River, Mass.02721 (508) 673-9783

444 Westminster St., Suite 3A Providence, R.I.02903 (401) 680-8400

1 Reservoir Ave. Providence, R.I.02907 (401) 462-8900

1213 Purchase St., 2nd Floor New Bedford, Mass.02740 (508) 991-3122

155 South Main St. Providence, R.I.02903 (401) 454-4630

315 Iron Horse Way Providence, R.I.02908 (401) 270-8896

44 Westminster St., Suite 3A Providence, R.I. (401) 680-4812

150 Empire St. Providence, R.I.02903 (401) 455-8005

315 Iron Horse Way, Suite 101 Providence, R.I.02908 (401) 278-9100

57 Howard Ave. Cranston, R.I.02920 (401) 462-2121

40 Fountain St. Providence, R.I.02903 (401) 462-7781

1511 Pontiac Ave., Building 73-3 Cranston, R.I.02920 (888) 616-5627

3 Regency Plaza, Suite 3E Providence, R.I.02903 (401) 383-1179

40 Westminster St., Suite 702 Providence, R.I.02903 (401) 245-7050

148 West River St. Providence, R.I.02904 (401) 222-3040

1 Contacts vary by office; visit the website for additional contacts and locations.

Provides customized small-business loans

Helps leaders design and test new business models and social systems

Center within University of Massachusetts Dartmouth that assists early-stage companies to develop into employers within the region

Center within New England Institute of Technology that provides customized programs to assist organizations and industries with technical training needs of its employees

Provides technical assistance on U.S. Small Business Administration loan programs; provides counseling, training and networking to help individuals grow their businesses

Conducts oversight, develops and institutes policies, goals and strategies; provides training grants to support businesses and system partners

Manages the State Trade Office and the U.S. Small Business Administration State Trade Export and Promotions program; open to individuals and organizations interested in trade

Pools federal, state and local government resources, academic institutions and the private sector to provide small businesses with management and educational programs

Integrates Greater Providence into the new economies from the regional, national and global perspective

Career counseling, job-search support, online learning and short-term training referrals for employers and job seekers; managed by the R.I. Department of Labor and Training

Nonprofit consisting of business, government and education leaders that markets New Bedford for economic expansion; offers local businesses assistance with its startups and other issues

Nonprofit lender authorized to package and service U.S. Small Business Administration loans utilizing the 504 lending program

Provides competitive business-improvement programs for Rhode Island's manufacturing industry

Offers loans that accommodate specific neighborhoods, incentivize new businesses, and provide a wider range of workforce and technical assistance within Providence

Offers classes and research assistance for startups and small businesses; patent and trademark resource center

R.I. Commerce's mission is to work with public, private and nonprofit partners to create the conditions for businesses in all sectors to thrive and to improve the quality of life for citizens by promoting the state's long-term economic health and prosperity

Offers services for families, adults, children, elders, individuals with disabilities and veterans

Assists businesses with hiring and recruiting; empowers individuals with disabilities to find and keep quality employment opportunities

Employment and training

Nonprofit dedicated to advancing the business opportunities and vitality of Black-owned and minority businesses in Rhode Island through access to capital, contracting, business development resources, entrepreneur training and business advocacy

Promotes entrepreneurship, startup and early-stage companies through an annual business competition

Trained staff offering full-service support and online tools to help you plan, start and maintain your business or nonprofit in Rhode Island

Number of Rhode Islandbased resources: 20 Number of Bristol County, Mass.-based

resources: 4

LIST RESEARCHED BY James Bessette

NEED A COPY?

To purchase a copy of this list, call (401) 273-2201 or visit PBN.com/lists for more information.

UPCOMING LISTS Feb. 3: College Technology Programs, Health Care Educators, Physician Group Practices; Feb. 17: Public Companies in Rhode Island, Rhode Island Property Tax Rates.

WANT TO JOIN? For more information about participating in PBN’s Top Lists, or to make additions or corrections, call (401) 6804838 or write to Research@ PBN.com.

FOOTNOTE j Contacts vary by office; visit the website for additional contacts and locations.

Capital | bdcnewengland.com Paul F.Flynn Jr., CEO and president

A nonbank lender, private company funded by banks that works with lenders and investors to provide innovative financing for businesses, including asset-based lending, mezzanine capital, SBA 504 loans

Oversees and coordinates workforce development initiatives within the Greater Attleboro, Fall River and Taunton areas

H. Chafee Center for International Business | bryant.edu/chafeecenter AndrewGelfuso, director

FOCUS | HIGH-TECH FUNDING SOURCES (listed

Advanced Technology Ventures | atvcapital.com BobHower, general partner

Angel Street Capital | angelstreetcapital.com RobertJ.MacciniandJosephV.Gallagher, managing directors

Bain Capital Ventures | baincapital.com AjayAgarwal, partner

BDC Capital | bdcnewengland.com Paul F.Flynn Jr., CEO and president

Biograph

The Business DevelopmentCo. | bdcri.com PeterC.Dorsey Jr., president

The Capital Network | thecapitalnetwork.org MarieD.Meslin, president and executive director

Charles River Ventures | crv.com IzharArmony, partner

Cherrystone Angel Group | cherrystoneangelgroup.com EllaHood, executive director

Commonwealth Capital Ventures | commonwealthvc.com MichaelT.Fitzgerald, founder and managing general partner

DEW VenturesLLC | dannywarshay.com

DannyWarshay, founder and managing director

Guidepost Growth Equity | guidepostgrowth.com DouglasKingsley,RoshenMenon,MikePehland RussPyle, managing partners

Highland Capital Partners | hcp.com

PaulMaeder, chair and founding partner

Home Run VenturesLLC | homerun-ventures.com

PaulOliviera, managing director

MassVentures | mass-ventures.com

CharlieHipwood, CEO and president

Point Judith Capital PartnersLLC 1 | pjc.vc

DavidJ.Martirano, managing partner

Providence Equity PartnersLLC | provequity.com

JonathanM.Nelson, founder and executive chairman

Slater Technology Fund | slaterfund.com

RobertChatham, director;ThorneSparkman, managing director

TA Associates | ta.com

BrianJ.Conway, chairman and managing partner

1000 Winter St., Suite 3700 Waltham, Mass.02451 (781) 290-0707

402 Angell St. Providence, R.I.02906 (401) 854-1850

200 Clarendon St. Boston, Mass.02199 (617) 516-2000

30 Exchange Terrace, 4th floor Providence, R.I.02903 (401) 450-0047

349 Eddy St. Providence, R.I.02903 (401) 301-7354

40 Westminster St. Providence, R.I.02903 (401) 351-3036

281 Summer St., 2nd Floor Boston, Mass.02210 (781) 591-0291

Virtual office Boston, Mass.02116 (781) 768-6000

50 South Main St., Suite 301 Providence, R.I.02906 (401) 519-4311

400 West Cummings Park Woburn, Mass.01801 (781) 890-5554

321 Taber Ave. Providence, R.I.02906 (401) 272-5287

800 Boylston St., Suite 1310 Boston, Mass.02199 (617) 807-8800

1 Broadway, 16th Floor Cambridge, Mass.02142 (617) 401-4500

951 North Main St. Providence, R.I.02904 (401) 519-0200

308 Congress St., 5th Floor Boston, Mass.02210 (617) 723-4920

4 Liberty Square Boston, Mass.02109 (617) 600-6260

50 Kennedy Plaza Providence, R.I.02903 (401) 751-1700

PO Box 9142 Providence, R.I.02940 (401) 831-6633

200 Clarendon St., 56th Floor Boston, Mass.02116 (617) 574-6700

alphabetically)

Venture capital $5 mil. to $20 mil. Startup, early and growth stage

Provides capital for early-stage digital media companies $50,000 to $250,000 Early stage

Venture capital $1 mil. to $100 mil.

Invests across all stages of a company's development

Venture capitalist funded by banks that works with lenders and investors $50,000 to $5 mil. Later stages

Venture capital for biomedical/life sciences companies $500,000 to $5 mil. Early stage

Nonbank lender that can go outside the box in helping growing companies meet their funding requirements when conventional sources fall short

$100,000 to $1 mil.

Nonprofit educating entrepreneurs on funding and raising their first outside capital; open to all, also runs the Fellowship for Female Founders NA

Recurring revenue established; profitable or trending to near break-even cash flow

Early-stage growth company

Venture capital firm with limited partnerships $1 mil. to $5 mil. Startup, early stage

Angel investment group $250,000 to $750,000-plus Early stage

Venture capital

$2 mil. to $8 mil. Mostly early, with some growthstage technology companies

Provides "mentor capital," a combination of investment, coaching and active participation Varies Seed and early stage

Early-stage venture investment to later-stage, growth-equity investing $15 mil. to $75 mil.

Venture capital

Growth-equity capital to fund liquidity, growth, acquisitions and buyouts

$1 mil. to $10 mil. Early and growth stages

Early-stage venture investment to later-stage, growth-equity investing $25,000 to $200,000

Number of sources in R.I.:

9 Number of sources in Mass.: 10

LIST RESEARCHED BY James Bessette

NEED A COPY? To purchase a copy of this list, call (401) 273-2201 or visit PBN.com/lists for more information.

UPCOMING LISTS Feb. 3: College Technology Programs, Health Care Educators, Physician Group Practices; Feb. 17: Public Companies in Rhode Island, Rhode Island Property Tax Rates.

WANT TO JOIN? For more information about participating in PBN’s Top Lists, or to make additions or corrections, call (401) 6804838 or write to Research@ PBN.com.

FOOTNOTE j Also known as PJC.

Venture capital

Venture capital

Private equity focused on media, entertainment, communications and information investments

Early-to-midstage investment fund for life sciences, energy, environment, media and software

Private equity

www.pbn.com

Mostly early stage with some growth stage

$250,000 to $500,000 Pre-revenue

$500,000 to $3 mil. Early stage

$20 mil. to $500 mil. Stage independent

$250,000 to $1 mil. Seed to midstage

$70 mil. to $500 mil. Later stage, growth equity

Venture DevelopmentLLC |NA RichardG.Horan, founder and director

Pereira named top R.I. Realtor

MICHAEL PEREIRA, principal broker for East Greenwich-based real estate agency June Realty, was chosen by his peers in the Rhode Island Association of Realtors as the 2022 Rhode Island Realtor of the Year. Pereira, who has been a Realtor for the past 19 years, has served as treasurer, president-elect and president of the Greater Providence Board of Realtors, and as a board director and member of the executive team of the Rhode Island Association of Realtors. He also has served on the board of directors of the National Association of Realtors and on numerous committees for the Greater Providence Board of Realtors, including the shared services, finance, technology and grievance committees.

What does it mean to you to be named Realtor of the Year?

This means that not only does my hard work and dedication pay off but in the eyes of my industry peers, I have added value to the real estate industry. This means that I have paid back in many ways through leadership and volunteerism to an industry that has helped me create a better life for me and my family.

What initially led you to having a career in real estate? I was the store manager of Durfee Hardware in Cranston, which many know is prided on exceptional customer service. During my tenure there, I met a Realtor, now retired, who really piqued my curiosity. She was always so busy and happy and had the freedom to do whatever she wanted, so I figured that I have excellent customer skills coupled with a vast knowledge of everything related to houses – the perfect mixture to be a real estate agent. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved working at the hardware store, but the thought of the freedom and unlimited income potential had me hooked. I got my license shortly thereafter and the rest is history.

How has the real estate market been this past year from your perspective?

The real estate market has been very advantageous for many people, and I am talking about both buyers with low rates and sellers with high prices. Yes, Realtors and many of our affiliated industries did great as well, but you really earned it considering how complicated the market was – let’s not forget how fast-paced and demanding, too. I was more exhausted [these] past two years than any other in my 19 years in the business, but you just grind it out because that’s what you signed up for when you took the oath.

What do you feel the market will be like in 2023? Will it remain fast-paced, or do you feel it will slow down? There will definitely be a market correction; interest rates and home prices always adjust in the opposite direction, and these rate hikes came quickly. I don’t necessarily see a slowdown unless inventory outweighs demand, and right now inventory is still very low. What we will see is pricing adjustments to match rates so that buyers are comfortable with the monthly payment. We are currently in a mixing pool, as many buyers are priced out or are holding out for prices to adjust. n

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

ARCHITECTURE

DBVW Architects is pleased to announce the promotion of Kejon Sampson to Job Captain. With his passion for preserving natural and cultural resources in the community, Kejon has become an adept member of DBVW’s housing and adaptive reuse teams. He’s brought his positive attitude and community focus to projects like Adelaide-Riverside Gateway and the Joseph Caffey Apartments and Jordan Caffey Townhomes in Providence, RI.

ARCHITECTURE

DBVW Architects is pleased to announce the promotion of Ben Lueck, AIA, to Associate.

Ben specializes in the preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of historic structures. With a focus on condition assessments and repair designs, he’s worked on a number of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places and managed by the National Park Service. As a member of DBVW’s historic preservation team, he’s played an important role in many preservation projects in the region such as the Mary Baker Eddy House Museum in Newton, MA, and the Rough Point Museum in Newport, RI.

For

ARCHITECTURE

DBVW Architects is pleased to announce the promotion of Nealia Morrison, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, to Senior Associate. A highly skilled, detail-oriented architect, Nealia is an essential member of the DBVW historic preservation team and excels at handling complicated projects. She has served as project manager for several preservation projects at Yale University, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and recently at the Rough Point Museum in Newport, RI.

ARCHITECTURE

DBVW Architects is pleased to announce the promotion of Bob Peixoto, LEED, AP, to Senior Project Manager. Bob has played a key role on some of DBVW’s most technically complex projects, including the Woodman Family Community and Performance Center at Moses Brown School, the University of Rhode Island

Robert J. Higgins Welcome Center, Edge College Hill in Providence, RI, and Taunton City Hall.

WISHING TO ENCOURAGE her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took her little boy to a concert featuring the famous pianist Paderewski. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked “No Admittance.”

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was missing. Suddenly the curtains parted, and the spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway piano on stage.

In horror, the mother saw her son sitting at the keyboard. Innocently, he then began to play “Chopsticks.” The crowd reacted with disgust. Who would bring a little boy to a concert?

When Paderewski heard the uproar backstage, he grabbed his coat and rushed to the stage. Realizing what was going on, he went to the piano and reached around the little boy from behind. The master began to improvise a countermelody to “Chopsticks.”

As the two of them played together, Paderewski kept whispering in the

Don’t react with emotion

boy’s ear, “Keep going. Don’t quit, son ... don’t stop ... don’t stop.”

Together, the old master and the little boy transformed an embarrassing situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was mesmerized.

I learned early on, especially as a parent, that how you react to situations is huge. It’s hard not to act emotionally. That’s how our brains are wired to react. Reactions are instinctive. Resist the urge. When you react with emotions, you do and say things without thinking and don’t realize the ramifications of your comments.

Emotions can be like a ticking time bomb. Learning how to control your emotions can do wonders for your health.

Instead of reacting to these types of situations, learn how to respond and focus on the outcome rather than on the emotions. Successful people have a plan for how to respond positively and productively. Practicing self-

control is a learned trait, and it pays to study hard to acquire that skill.

Anger is an emotion that fades over time, so a good defensive strategy is to pause and create some space between your emotions and reactions. Just a few seconds can help. If you need to, walk away or take several deep breaths to calm yourself down.

It’s also possible to train your mind to respond slower. When you slow down, you feel more in control. Take a minute to put the situation in perspective.

Empathy is another way to respond to situations positively. You never know what is going on in the lives of others that might cause them to behave in a certain way.

I have found that coaching myself and self-talk are also beneficial techniques. I try to block out negative thoughts and replace them with positive responses. I tell myself I have everything under control. That helps me avoid knee-jerk reactions that I

will likely regret later.

A level head is important in both your personal and professional lives. No one wants to do business with a hothead. If your behavior is affecting your bottom line, fix it now.

I’m not saying that any of this is easy. I’m guilty of letting my emotions get the best of me sometimes. But I try to learn from those missteps and consider how I could have handled the situation better. It takes a lot of hard work to break a bad habit, but it’s worth it.

Most of us live and work in such hectic and pressure-ridden environments that it’s wise to remember the words of the psychiatrist whose assistant was trying to answer two telephones at once. “Miss Smith,” he said, “just say we’re terribly busy –not ‘It’s a madhouse here.’ ” n

Mackay’s Moral: Keep your cool when you’re hot under the collar.

Harvey Mackay is the author of the New York Times bestseller “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.” He can be reached through his website, www.harveymackay.com.

(Editor’s note: This is the sixth installment of a monthly column on the growing number of cyberthreats facing businesses of all sizes and what they can do about it. A version of this column was first published on PBN.com on Jan. 12.)

FOR 2023, I wanted to begin the new year with strategies that make our businesses stronger, more secure and more resilient to cyberattacks.

As business leaders who need to manage cybersecurity risk, we want reasonable and actionable approaches to keep us safe. On “Business Security Weekly,” a podcast I cohost, we recently discussed the core functions or “have to haves” for reasonable cybersecurity practices. These are programs that organizations need to have in place to ensure fundamental safeguards. They are easy to talk about but not easy to execute. They are the critical initiatives that will help shape businesses’ resilient

management is considered a critical measure in most of the best-practice frameworks. There is no better time than now to build or update inventory and document hardware, software, data repositories, cloud platforms, vendors, partners and people – any resource that can introduce risk to the organization.

Manage risk. Now that you know what you have, cyber-risk management is an essential program. Large and small businesses must have a clear understanding of what makes them a target and where they could be attacked. Having an active risk management approach, one that focuses on classifying assets and mitigating risks specific to a business, is a powerful tool that can help executives make better decisions about the risks in day-to-day operations.

Protect and detect. Endpoint detection and response – or EDR – is a modern security technology that monitors all endpoints in a network,

behavior analytics and forensics while, at the same time, hunting for dormant threats.

Control access. Managing access to an organization’s resources is the ultimate protection. This starts with having an identity and access management framework that consists of business processes, policies and technologies that allow an organization to manage their digital identities and access to data, applications, systems and more. Building and effectively managing these policies protects an organization’s data by controlling user access, based on role and need.

Update, update, update. Studies have shown that system and application vulnerabilities are some of the most common external attack methods. Recent surveys state that almost 60% of cyberattack victims have reported that their companies’ breaches could have been avoided by installing updates. And more than 30% of those businesses knew they were vulnerable but didn’t address Avoiding exposure with a patch management program is a preemptive strike against many attack

Knowledge is power. Be cyber aware. Cybersecurity awareness should be built into the DNA of a company’s workforce. It educates and empowers employees to know about and do things to protect a company’s data and assets. When staff members are cyber aware, they can recognize threats and the effect an attack could have on the business, and they can take steps to reduce risk.

These best practices are “say easy, do hard,” but the time to act is now. Risks from cyberthreats are increasing, regulatory and compliance mandates are constantly growing, and technology is evolving. No action is still an action that will place a business, its employees and its clients at significant risk.

Next month: Small- and mediumsized businesses face enterprise-level cyber-risk. n

Jason Albuquerque is the chief operating officer of Pawtucket-based Envision Technology Advisors LLC. You can reach him through www. envisionsuccess.net.

The supply chain rehab

THE GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS

that modern companies depend on were turned upside down three years ago after COVID-19 emerged in China. The spread of the illness and efforts to slow it resulted in shortages of everything. Even today, retailers continue to struggle to keep some products in stock. Overall stress in supply chains remains high

Because shortages, delays and bottlenecks can hurt their bottom line, many companies have been rethinking their supply chains and implementing changes.

As a supply chain expert, I have observed three major shifts in how companies manage their supply chains – changes that will significantly affect consumers and businesses alike.

Bringing supply chains home. One of the main downsides of having supply chains that span the globe is that they are more vulnerable.

That’s why companies have been working to relocate suppliers and production facilities closer to home or geographically spread them out so that they’re not so dependent on one country or region. The goal is to ensure they can withstand disruptions and maintain business continuity.

The pace of “reshoring” – shift-

ing production and manufacturing to domestic locations – has surged in recent years. Over 60% of European and U.S. manufacturing companies expect to reshore part of their Asia production in the next three years, according to a survey conducted in early 2022.

A more recent survey found that U.S. transport and manufacturing reshored about 350,000 jobs in 2022, up 25% from the previous year.

This trend not only has support from government subsidies but retailers as well. Walmart has committed to helping its suppliers reshore by increasing its purchases of U.S.made products by $350 billion over the next decade.

At the same time, other companies are trying to diversify their sources of supply, often away from China. India and Vietnam are popular locations

U.S.-based Apple Inc., for example, frustrated by product delays in China, where 98% of its iPhones are made, recently started producing models

in India. Overall, U.S. manufacturing orders from China are down 21% since August.

Investing in more technology. One of the biggest issues when the COVID-19 pandemic began was that companies often didn’t know what was going on with their suppliers because of poor technology. For example, prior to the pandemic, over 50% of companies didn’t communicate with or know the locations of all their suppliers, making it difficult to anticipate shortages.

Companies have since learned, if they didn’t already know, that being able to see what is happening along their supply chains is critical to avoiding and adapting to disruptions And modern digital technologies are key to making this happen.

This includes everything from state-of-the-art software to better communication with suppliers to cloud computing for efficient data storage, artificial intelligence tools to make better decisions and robotics for automating processes.

From ‘just in time’ to ‘just in case.’ One of the great supply chain advancements in recent decades is a Japanese management philosophy known as “just in time.”

That meant carrying as little stuff in warehouses as possible to minimize storage costs, maximize efficiencies and yield higher profits. As long as there were no disruptions, the system worked.

However, “just in time” made businesses vulnerable to even small disruptions.

Companies now fearful of shortages are moving toward carrying more inventory – the “just in case” model. While having more inventory will make it less likely companies will experience shortages, it’s also more costly because it can lead to a lot of excess stock and products becoming obsolete before they’re sold.

Companies learned that the cost of empty shelves was higher than the cost of some inefficiency. In most cases, these costs will be passed on to consumers in terms of higher prices. n

Nada R. Sanders is a distinguished professor of supply chain management at Northeastern University. Distributed by The Associated Press.

Give RIC scholarship to help lure students

A 33% decline in enrollment at Rhode Island College over the last decade should be sounding alarm bells on campus and at the Statehouse.

The state school long known for its nursing and education programs now lacks an identity at a time when nurses and educators are in high demand and its affordability should be attracting more, rather than fewer, students.

So, what happened?

Rhode Island College interim President Jack Warner wants state lawmakers to approve a scholarship to cover two years of tuition for students who enroll directly out of high school.

As this week’s cover story reports, the enrollment decline worsened after 2017. That’s when Rhode Island Promise began. The Community College of Rhode Island’s gain from the free state college tuition program has seemingly been RIC’s loss, though there are other factors. Leadership changes that include four presidents since 2008 have also left longtime faculty members feeling left out of decision-making and unsure of the school’s direction.

Interim President Jack Warner, whose contract was recently extended to June 2024, calls RIC “a sleeping giant,” and acknowledges it needs to better sell itself.

It should start by deciding what it does best – and including faculty in the evaluation – and focus on expanding and marketing that everywhere.

And it needs more help from the state, starting with reversing some of the unintended consequences of Rhode Island Promise.

Warner wants lawmakers to create a scholarship to cover two years of tuition at the four-year school for students who enroll directly out of high school.

Without it, the school, which dates to 1854, may not survive in a competitive marketplace where the value of a four-year education is no longer blindly accepted. n

Blame shared on housing dysfunction

Throwing gobs of cash at a problem without a vetted plan and leadership to carry it out ensures both wasted time and money.

That’s where Rhode Island stands now in its much needed efforts to address the statewide affordable housing crisis, after embattled Housing Secretary Josh Saal announced his resignation on Jan. 11 after just six months on the job.

It may be that Saal was simply not up to the enormous challenge of leading the state’s previously splintered efforts to boost affordable housing.

But if true, state leaders who rushed to elevate him to the newly created post in an election year after committing $250 million to the effort share in the blame.

The next housing czar should heed Mr. Saal’s reference in his resignation letter to a decentralized structure marked by “inefficient silos” that, along with limited staff, hindered his efforts.

Mr. Saal’s replacement must learn from both his missteps and the challenges he identified, and get the time, staff and support needed to succeed. n

Talking it out may ease political rifts

DOMINIK STECULA AND MATTHEW LEVENDUSK Y GUEST COLUMN

Simmering tension in American politics came to a head two years ago, when a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election.

But on the cusp of the November 2022 midterm elections, the majority of Republicans said they still believed the false claim – that President Joe Biden won in 2020 because of voter fraud.

The riots are an extreme example of what happens when a country becomes trapped in a cycle of polarization and distrust. But that does not mean there is no hope for bridging that divide.

While there is no quick fix to the problems of polarization and animosity, there are ways to lower the temperature of U.S. politics.

About 80% of registered voters – Democrats and Republicans alike – said in October 2020 that their differences with the other side were about core American values. Majorities of both registered Republicans and Democrats also have called the other side immoral and dishonest in 2022 public opinion polls.

Unsurprisingly, then, few voters and most people do not want to talk to those on the other side of the aisle, thinking it will be a waste of time.

The truth of the matter is quite different.

We conducted an academic study throughout 2019, bringing people who said they iden-

tified as either Republicans or Democrats together in person for cross-party conversations. We intended to examine the effects of in-person discussion on polarization.

In total, we hosted more than 500 people from around metropolitan Philadelphia in community centers, libraries, schools and other venues. The results suggest that such conversations offer a pathway to minimizing animosity.

We found that in-person conversations with people from the other side of the political spectrum reduced partisan hostility by almost 20%.

These conversations have several different effects. First, they help people to see that sometimes the parties share common ground. Second, conversation also helps people better understand other people’s point of view and may also help them see that other people might have a valid reason for their beliefs.

Importantly, this depolarizing effect lingered afterward. When we interviewed people a week later, we found that talking it out had a lasting impact.

When people think of those from the other political party, they have a rather warped view of who that person is. For example, Americans think that almost 1 in 3 Democrats are LGBTQ, while, in reality,

We found that in-person conversations … reduced partisan hostility.

only 6% are. Because people mostly interact with those like themselves, their views of the other party are heavily influenced by the mass media. Many media sources tend to amplify the loudest and most extreme voices on both sides.

But when people see that not all people in the other party are extremists, they realize that they might have painted the other party with too broad of a brush.

How, then, can Americans be encouraged to bridge the political divide and find common ground? That is hard, no doubt, but there are many civic groups that are working to do just that. For example, we’re both members of the scholars council for the bipartisan organization Braver Angels, which is an independent group bringing Americans together, trying to bridge political divides.

Bridging these divides is ultimately up to all Americans. Most people avoid in-person political discussions across lines of disagreement because they fear confrontation and discomfort.

But if people enter a conversation with an open mind, they will likely learn something.

To be clear, conversation is not a cureall for political division and animosity, and there will be divides that cannot be bridged. The goal is not unanimity but a better understanding of one another. n

Dominik Stecula is an assistant professor of political science at Colorado State University. Matthew Levendusky is a professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania. Distributed by The Associated Press.

What’s a ‘gig’? In this economy, it’s crucial to know

DAVID WEIL GUEST COLUMN

The “gig” economy has captured the attention of technology futurists, journalists, academics and policymakers.

“Future of work” discussions tend toward two extremes: breathless excitement at the brave new world that provides greater flexibility, mobility and entrepreneurial energy, or dire accounts of its immiserating impacts on workers.

These widely diverging views may be partly due to the many definitions of what constitutes “gig work” and the resulting difficulties in measuring its prevalence. As an academic who has studied workplace laws for decades and ran the federal agency that enforces workplace protections during the Obama administration, I know the way we define, measure and treat gig workers under the law has significant consequences.

While there are benefits for workers for this emerging model of employment, there are pitfalls as well. Confusion over the meaning and size of the gig workforce can obscure the problems gig status can have on workers’ earnings, workplace conditions and opportunities.

Initially, the phrase “gig economy” focused on professional and semiprofessional workers chasing short-term work. The term soon applied to a variety of jobs in low-paid occupations. Later, the rapid ascent of Uber, Lyft and DoorDash led the term gig to be associated with platform and digital business models

The imprecision of gig, therefore, con-

notes different things. These differing definitions have led to widely varying estimates of its prevalence.

A conservative estimate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ household-based survey of “alternative work arrangements” suggests that gig workers “in non-standard categories” account for about 10% of employment. Alternatively, other researchers estimate the prevalence as three times as common, or 32.5%, using a Federal Reserve survey that broadly defines gig work to include any work that is temporary and variable.

Many workers operating in gig arrangements are classified as independent contractors rather than employees. As independent contractors, workers lose rights to a minimum wage, overtime and a safe and healthy work environment, as well as protections against discrimination and harassment. Independent contractors also lose access to unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation and paid sick leave now required in many states.

Federal and state laws differ in the factors they draw on to make that call. A key concept underlying that determination is how “economically dependent” the worker is on the employer or contracting party. Greater economic independence – for example, the ability to determine the price of service, and how and where tasks are done – suggests a role as an independent contractor.

In contrast, if the hiring party basically calls the shots – for example, controlling

what the individual does, when they do their work and what performance is deemed acceptable – this suggests employee status. That’s because workplace laws are generally geared toward employees and seek to protect workers who have unequal bargaining leverage in the labor market.

Since gig work tends to be volatile and contingent, losing employment protections amplifies the precariousness of work.

Many companies have incentives to misclassify these workers as independent contractors in order to reduce costs and risks. A business using misclassified workers can gain cost advantages over competitors. And this competitive dynamic can spread misclassification.

The future of work is not governed by immutable technological forces but involves volitional private and public choices. Navigating to that future requires weighing the benefits gig work can provide some workers with greater economic independence against the continuing need to protect and bestow rights for the many workers who will continue to play on a very uneven playing field in the labor market. n

David Weil is a visiting senior faculty fellow at the Ash Center for Democracy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a professor at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. Distributed by The Associated Press.

Profit from age-blind hiring

James Connell

Age-Friendly Rhode Island executive director

James Connell was named executive director of AgeFriendly Rhode Island in November 2021. Based at Rhode Island College, AgeFriendly Rhode Island is a coalition of local groups, businesses and individuals committed to healthy aging.

a competitive advantage? Recruit and retain a multigenerational workforce! Bring together individuals of all ages and backgrounds, respect the breadth of experience and knowledge each generation and employee offers and encourage engagement, collaboration and a learning environment.

Gen Z and millennial workers can support baby boomer and older workers who generally need a hand with all things technological. The younger adult workers can bring their newer perspective and fresh ideas to the table, while older workers can add a seasoned, measured approached to decision-making, as well as finely honed executive skills to project management. This marriage leads to increased productivity, new approaches to problemsolving and a more-energized workplace in which all feel valued.

Avoid the pitfalls of ageism. Don’t limit recruitment to one age group, and don’t make the mistake of viewing older adults as out of touch or unable to thrive in today’s workplace. Some really do understand technology! If you recruit from a single generation, you will encounter a shrinking pool of candidates as Rhode Islanders age. By the end of this decade, nearly 1 in 3 of us will be 65 or older. Fortunately for Rhode Island employers, many older adults seek to stay in the workforce and stay active, engaged and valued, a win-win that benefits employers in need of reliable, loyal and time-tested workers.

Lead by seeking out talent through an age-blind lens and then foster cooperation and cultivate cross-generational skills and talent.

Age-blind hiring will positively impact both your employees’ job satisfaction and morale, as well as your company’s bottom line or nonprofit mission. n

The

summit

business community with the best insights available to handle the

care. Visit PBN.com for panelists and topic information. This hybrid event will begin with a panel discussion about the latest trends in health care. It will be followed by an awards ceremony recognizing people in the health care field who are making a difference. A buffet breakfast will be served.

Nominations

your

To nominate a hero or register for the event, go to PBN.com or hover over the QR code with your phone camera.