CHARLES A. LOMBARDI, mayor of North Providence, was recently presented the Barbara Burlingame Award from the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce during the Chamber’s annual dinner held Feb. 6 at Twin River Casino Hotel in Lincoln. The award, according to the Chamber’s website, is presented annually to a Rhode Island elected official who has made outstanding contributions to the business community. Lombardi, who owns Luxury Cleaners, was first elected mayor in 2009.
What does receiving the Burlingame Award mean to you? It confirms that people are looking at what we’re doing [in North Providence] and it also appears that they have confidence in what’s going on here.
What were your goals in improving the business climate in North Providence? I’m a business owner myself. I always had a problem with bureaucracy, [such as] if you go to a building inspector’s office, they say, “Can you come back tomorrow?” or “You have to go across the street.” I didn’t like it and I said that it would never happen here. So, when we came here, we were the first community to have a one-stop shop. It was my intention to make it very easy to do business in North Providence. If you want a permit, or [to] talk to someone about zoning or planning, or see the fire marshal, you make one stop. We streamlined the permitting process.
The town’s business climate has flourished since you were elected, with new businesses opening on Mineral Spring Avenue and new town structures currently being built. How much have those initiatives had an effect on this expansion? When you have these conglomerates, [such as] Cumberland Farms, Wendy’s and The Washington Trust Co., come and talk to you saying it has been very, very easy for them to relocate here [to North Providence], that’s what I want. I want the word to be North Providence is an easy town to do business in. The fellow from Wendy’s said, “We’ve never put up a Wendy’s this quick anywhere with very few issues.”
Does being a business owner yourself make it easier to relate to other business owners in the community? Absolutely, because I can relate to what it takes to being successful [in business]. I can relate to making payroll; I can relate to paying energy costs. I know that it’s not easy to do business today and I want to make sure that I can make it easy for those who we can attract here. We make sure that we visit businesses and talk to the business people here. We encourage people to stay, expand and call people asking if they want to relocate here, and it’s working. A number of new businesses have come to open here.
What additional plans do you have for the town as it relates to business? We just received a streetscape grant because our next plan is to revitalize the Centerdale business district, right where the town hall is. This is Route 44, a major corridor here for northern Rhode Island. I want to clean it up and get more businesses to come here.