(Editor’s note: This essay is part of PBN’s 35th anniversary publication, which can be viewed here.)
As a small-business owner, former mayor and lieutenant governor and now as governor, I have certainly seen a lot of changes over the past 35 years.
From the state’s banking crisis, which left scores of Rhode Islanders without access to their money, to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, whose 20th anniversary we commemorated this year, to the global pandemic that reached our borders last year, the state has faced its fair share of challenges.
Through it all, however, Rhode Islanders were resilient, meeting every obstacle with persistence, every problem with bravery – and together we will emerge stronger than ever.
Thankfully, Providence Business News has been there reporting on it along the way, informing our citizens on these important issues and the impacts on the business community. The state is better for this publication.
While we have not yet fully emerged from the COVID-19 crisis, the early signs are encouraging. Rhode Island has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country and leads the nation in testing. And Rhode Island maintains low numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations. As a result, Rhode Island is already emerging from the global pandemic with strength.
Unlike past recessions, Rhode Island is no longer the last out. In fact, we are leading the way forward in overcoming this crisis. According to the CNN/Moody’s ‘Back to Normal’ Index, Rhode Island consistently leads the Northeast in its economic recovery.
We know that we are not out of the woods yet. Certain areas of our state economy have not rebounded at the same rate as others. This is especially true of our urban cores, our hospitality industry and our state’s small businesses. Additionally, industries such as tourism, travel and events have also been hit particularly hard and face major challenges and long-term shifts in business demand in response to trends due to COVID-19 and its variants.
We can and will continue to rise out of this pandemic, but it will take a team effort.
One of my first efforts when I became governor was to quickly get approximately $20 million dollars on the street in the form of $5,000 checks to our state’s small businesses. R.I. Commerce Corp. has helped deploy more than $140 million into the business community, including programs to help businesses adapt, shift to remote work and set up e-commerce opportunities. To help address the worker shortage, statewide programs led by the Department of Labor and Training are connecting Rhode Islanders to meaningful employment opportunities. Truly, the ability of Rhode Islanders and our businesses to endure, adapt and ultimately emerge stronger is nothing short of remarkable.
I am also encouraged that some of the state’s largest employers – CVS Health Corp. [220 new jobs] and Fidelity Investments Inc. [350 new jobs] – have recently announced their plans to hire hundreds of workers in Rhode Island this year. In Johnston, Amazon.com Services LLC has recently announced plans to build a state-of-the-art robotics sorting facility, employing 1,500 construction workers in its building and 1,500 full-time employees when complete.
This facility – at 3.5 million square feet – is anticipated to become the largest commercial project in Rhode Island history and is happening without any direct state subsidy.
But now is not the time to let up on investments in our economic recovery. We need to continue to connect our businesses and our citizens to additional resources, including federal stimulus dollars, which we hope to deploy rapidly and efficiently. Targeted investments can be made presently to address our state’s housing situation, assist families struggling with child care and help our small businesses, especially minority- and women-owned businesses that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
I often reflect back on my days coaching youth basketball. It was about teamwork, opportunity and belief – belief in yourself, belief in your teammates and belief that together you can achieve success. I know that we can and will continue to rise out of this pandemic, but it will take a team effort. Challenges present opportunities, and as a state, we are well-positioned to move forward. To do so we must work together, and that includes staying informed.
Despite the many changes over the past three and a half decades, PBN has been there keeping the public informed on myriad issues affecting our state. We thank PBN for their 35 years of coverage, and we look forward to at least 35 more better and brighter years ahead.
(Daniel J. McKee was sworn in as Rhode Island’s 76th governor in March 2021, after former Gov. Gina M. Raimondo resigned to serve as U.S. commerce secretary.)
