Raimondo calls on business community for ideas, introduces new commerce secretary

GOV-ELECT GINA M. RAIMONDO kicked off her
GOV-ELECT GINA M. RAIMONDO kicked off her "Jobs Summit" at the University of Rhode Island's Providence campus Tuesday night, asking for the gathered business community leaders to work together to help Rhode Island on its "comeback." / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – Gov.-elect Gina M. Raimondo called on more than 80 invited business people Tuesday night at the “Jobs Summit” to marshal the “palpable” energy and optimism in the room and do the “work” of isolating action steps toward future policy decisions in her upcoming administration.
“You’re invited tonight because you’re on the front lines of Rhode Island – not the policy makers,” Raimondo said. “You’re the most invested in our future here. … I can’t do this alone. We’re on this journey together, got that? You’re here. You’re committed. We’re going to work together. Rhode Island deserves a comeback and that’s what we’re going to do.”
After introductory remarks, the transition policy summit at the University of Rhode Island Providence campus included a nod to and an impromptu press briefing with newly nominated Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor.
“Rhode Island is positioned for success with the arrival of the Raimondo administration,” Pryor said. “There are so many assets in Rhode Island that are under-leveraged. We will import ideas from outside Rhode Island, but many of the ideas are right here in our midst, so I’m looking forward to hearing about what’s working.”
Bill Foulkes, co-chairman of the Jobs Summit, gave the audience, who had been pre-assigned color-coded working groups, instructions, asking them to break into their designated groups and discuss what’s working, identify possibilities for change, outline action steps and then leave the event committed to engaging others who could not be here.
The five groups focused on the topics of workforce development, infrastructure, small business and startups, tourism and hospitality, and manufacturing, with moderators in each group documenting the discussion to present to the governor. It was unclear at the event what the next public steps are going to be for the ideas presented.

Constance A. Howes, executive vice president for women’s health at the Care New England Hospital System, was one of the first in the workforce development group to point out programs that are working well, including Work Immersion, which helps unemployed Rhode Islanders get jobs and gives employers a chance to feel out a prospective hire. The program is about to run out of money, she said.

“There’s so much positive energy here,” Howes said after the event. “People really want to make a difference in Rhode Island. When you’ve got that kind of energy focused, you’re going to get positive results. There’s confidence in [Raimondo’s] leadership.”
In the manufacturing group, Jacky Beshar of Groov-Pin in Smithfield and Cheryl Merchant, president and CEO of Hope Global in Cumberland, said marketing and wooing of corporations is coming out of the governor’s offices in other states.

Other states “have got their package together,” Merchant said. “They’re marketing [their states].”

- Advertisement -

No posts to display