RIPEC to host public forum on state’s business climate

The R.I. Public Expenditure Council, a nonpartisan public policy research organization, invites the public to attend a Nov. 20 forum featuring national and local review panelists who will discuss specific ways Rhode Island can improve the perception that the state is not a good place to start or grow a business.
The R.I. Public Expenditure Council, a nonpartisan public policy research organization, invites the public to attend a Nov. 20 forum featuring national and local review panelists who will discuss specific ways Rhode Island can improve the perception that the state is not a good place to start or grow a business.

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Public Expenditure Council will hold a forum on the state’s business climate next week featuring review panels of policymakers, analysts and economists both from within Rhode Island and representing national organizations.

The three-hour forum, sponsored by Fidelity Investments, will be held Wednesday, Nov. 20, and focus on specific ways Rhode Island can improve the perception that the state is not a good place to start or grow a business.

Speakers on the national review panel will discuss how Rhode Island measures up on a number of metrics related to economic competitiveness and vitality, and offer specific suggestions for developing a more business-friendly climate in the state.

The national review panelists include Jonathan Haughton, senior economist at the Beacon Hill Institute for Public Policy at Suffolk University; Joseph D. Henchman, vice president of legal and state projects at the Tax Foundation; Melissa Loeb, senior policy analyst at Federal Funds Information for States; and Aaron M. Renn, urban analyst and entrepreneur at The Urbanophile.

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The local review panel – featuring Leslie Taito, director of the R.I. Office of Regulatory Reform, and Marcel A. Valois, executive director of the R.I. Economic Development Corporation – will focus on the priorities of the state’s economic development organizations and opportunities available to local businesses.

John C. Simmons, executive direcor of RIPEC, will moderate the forum, and a question and answer period will follow each panel.

The event is open to the public, but attendees must pre-register by calling (401) 521-6320 or emailing m_paredes@ripec.com. The forum will begin at 8:15 a.m. on Nov. 20 at the Fidelity Investments building at 900 Salem St. in Smithfield.

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