Tuesday, August 18, 2026

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PBN Summit

FUTURE SHOCK: Arnell Milhouse, second from right, founder and CEO of CareerDevs Inc., speaks during the PBN Cybersecurity & Tech Summit on Oct. 12. Milhouse sees massive changes coming because of artificial intelligence, but many of the changes will be positive, he says. With Milhouse on the panel are Jeffrey Wilhelm, left, founder and CEO of Infused Innovations Inc., and Timothy Henry, seated right, assistant professor and researcher at Rhode Island College. Christopher Parisi, standing, founder and president of marketing firm Trailblaze Inc., moderates. 
PBN PHOTO/MIKE SKORSKI

Firms hesitating on AI are falling behind, PBN summit panel says

With artificial intelligence rapidly advancing, businesses in Rhode Island will have no choice but to invest in the technology tools to ensure they survive. The...
BE PREPARED: Linn F. Freedman, second from right, explains the importance of assembling a strong cybersecurity plan during a panel discussion at PBN’s Cybersecurity & Tech Summit on Oct. 12. With her on the panel are, from left, Douglas Tondreau, associate professor of computer science at Johnson & Wales University; Rick Norberg, founder and CEO of Vertikal6 Inc.; and Robby Gulri, engineering solutions expert at RapidScale Inc. Moderating is Normand Duquette, standing at right, Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Inc. senior vice president. 
PBN PHOTO/MIKE SKORSKI

Ready for the hackers? Many companies are woefully unprepared

By the time the average data breach is detected by an organization, hackers have already been in the system for 256 days on average...
TALKING POINT: State Rep. Scott A. Slater, second from left, speaks during one of the panel discussions at Providence Business News’ The Business of Cannabis Summit on Sept. 7. Also participating was, from left, Kelly Wishart, chief operating officer of Coastline EAP; Drew Richards, director of Marcum LLP; Benjamin Rackliffe, partner at Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC; and Kristyn M. Glennon, first vice president and Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering officer of BayCoast Bank. 
PBN PHOTO/MIKE SKORSKI

Workplace still a place of confusion on cannabis

Both employers and employees have continued to grapple with the role of cannabis in the workplace as Rhode Island’s recreational market continues to develop. “We’ve...
ATTENTION-GETTING: Stuart Procter, PureVita Labs LLC co-owner and laboratory director, left, speaks during a panel discussion at Providence Business News’ The Business of Cannabis Summit on Sept. 7 while panelists Ronald Crosson, center, chairman of the R.I. Cannabis Advisory Board, and Spencer Blier, CEO of Mammoth Inc., listen. Not visible behind Procter is panelist Armand T. Lusi, president of the Rhode Island Cultivator Industry Association. 
PBN PHOTO/MIKE SKORSKI

Cannabis industry says advertising key to overcoming glut of products

After the Rhode Island Cannabis Act was passed, Spencer Blier, CEO and founder of cannabis cultivator ­Mammoth Inc., says he saw the number of...
STATE REP. SCOTT A. SLATER, second from left, speaks during one of the panel discussions at Providence Business News’ 2023 Business of Cannabis Summit at the Providence Marriott on Thursday morning. Also on the panel, from left, is and Kelly Wishart, chief operating officer of Coastline EAP/RISAS; Drew Richards, director of Marcum LLP; Benjamin Rackliffe, partner with Pannone Lopes Devereaux and O’Gara LLC; and Kristyn M. Glennon, first vice president and Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering officer of BayCoast Bank. The discussion was moderated by PBN Editor Michael Mello, far right. / PBN PHOTO/MIKE SKORSKI

PBN summit: Cannabis sector ‘a struggle’ but making progress

PROVIDENCE – As the R.I. Cannabis Control Commission takes the next several months to draw up the state's crucial first set of regulations on...
WORKING TOGETHER: Panelist Dr. Claire Levesque of Point32Health Services Inc., third from left, speaks during the PBN Spring 2023 Health Care Summit and Health Care Heroes Awards on April 6 at the Providence Marriott Downtown. Also on the panel, from left, are Eric Swain of United HealthCare of New England Inc.; Kirsten Hokeness of Bryant University; Peter Marino of Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island; Dr. Methodius Tuuli of Women & Infants Hospital; and Martha Wofford of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. 
PBN PHOTO/MIKE SKORSKI

Panel: Collaboration needed across the board to resolve health inequities in...

Inequities within the health care system are not only proving to be persistent, but they are getting worse. Panelists at the Providence Business News Spring...
EASING OUTLOOK: Panelists discuss the official end to the COVID-19 national emergency at PBN’s Spring 2023 Health Care Summit on April 6. On the panel, from left, are Kristine Campagna of the R.I. Department of Health; Jane Hayward of the Rhode Island Foundation’s Long-Term Health Planning Committee; Corey McCarty of CCA Health Rhode Island; and Dr. G. Dean Roye of Rhode Island Hospital.  
PBN PHOTO/MIKE SKORSKI

PBN health summit: A ‘welcome milestone’ in pandemic

Dr. G. Dean Roye is a self-declared pessimist, always concerned about everything. But when thinking about the next few months and the state of...
HEALTH CONSCIOUS: A panel of health care sector leaders participates in a discussion at the Providence Business News' Health Care Summit and Health Care Heroes Awards on Thursday morning at the Providence Marriott Downtown. On the panel, from left, were Eric Swain, an executive at United Healthcare; Dr. Kirsten Hokeness, director of the School of Health and Behavioral Sciences at Bryant University; Dr. Claire Levesque, chief medical office of commercial products at Point32 Health; Peter Marino, CEO and president of Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island; Dr. Methodius Tuuli, chief OB/GYN at Women & Infants Hospital; and Martha Wofford, CEO and president of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. This was one of two panel discussions that took place at the summit. PBN PHOTO/MIKE SKORSKI

PBN health summit: Fixing R.I.’s ‘fragile’ system will require across-the-board collaboration

PROVIDENCE – With the national COVID-19 public health emergency set to end in May, health care providers and leaders in the state agree on...
WORK-FOCUSED: Panelists lead a discussion at Providence Business News’ 2023 Workforce Development Summit on Feb. 16. The panel included, from left, Julie Matthew, Nina Pande, Bill Schmiedeknecht, Doug Sherman and Matthew Weldon. 
PBN PHOTO/MIKE SKORSKI

Panel: Offering flexible workplace is now a must

From an employer perspective, the labor market may appear to be in poor shape as many fear the U.S. is nearing, or is already...
THE PANEL at Providence Business News' 2023 Workforce Development Summit on Thursday includes, from left, Julie Matthew, Amgen Inc. manufacturing director; Nina Pande, Skills for Rhode Island's Future executive director; Bill Schmiedeknecht, Lifespan Corp. interim senior vice president of human resources and chief human resources officer; Doug Sherman, New England Institute of Technology senior vice president and provost; and Matthew Weldon, R.I. Department of Labor and Training director. Moderating is PBN Editor Michael Mello, standing at right. / PBN PHOTO/MIKE SKORSKI

PBN Summit: ‘Human capital is your single greatest investment’ for a...

PROVIDENCE – As Rhode Island’s largest private employer, Lifespan Corp. hires about 100 new employees each month.  While that’s an improvement on earlier COVID-19-induced hiring...
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