It’s exciting when Providence Business News starts a new initiative, in this case the Fastest-Growing and Innovative Companies recognition program. And in a very real sense, this may be the most exciting one we do. more

There are a lot of stories in the news these days about Internet-based companies that empower employees with the best technology and support so that innovation comes standard. more

At the offices of Middletown engineering services company Systems Engineering Associates Corp., otherwise known as Sea Corp., hangs what is known as the “bid board.” It is the place where potentially great ideas are judged to see whether the company that provides high-technology support for complex naval electronic and combat systems aboard submarines will break another innovation barrier and go to market. more

As a leader in local innovation, Social Venture Partners Rhode Island is a company that uses Rhode Island’s size to its benefit. more

When the executive team at Russell Morin Fine Catering began signing exclusive agreements and management contracts with clients, they were looking for a way to survive the recession. more

Cranston-based Taco Inc. has a long history of developing new heating and air-conditioning technologies, including such advances as the tankless water heater, zone valves and vertical pumps. more

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, the state’s largest health insurer with more than 600,000 members, signed a two-year, shared-savings contract in March with Coastal Medical, the state’s largest primary care group practice, serving more than 110,000 patients at 18 locations. The contract marked a tipping point in efforts in Rhode Island to improve patient safety, outcomes and access, to increase quality and affordability of health care, and to achieve payment reform. more

Innovation, for Providence After School Alliance, comprises the core of the organization and extends right through all aspects of the group. Its AfterZone Program, which may be the crown jewel in the educational offerings it helps oversee, just led the city to be named one of America’s Promise Alliance’s 100 Best Communities for Young People. more

Howard Schachter is a water guy. more

Gurnet Consulting, a project- management-solutions firm that enables clients to deliver on successful IT initiatives, does not have a sales or marketing arm. Instead, as founder and CEO Martin John King explained, “We have grown our business through word of mouth and reputation. We’ve been able to exemplify that through social networking. We have done a very good job of nurturing our professional networking.” more