Partnership for R.I. proves state’s top CEOs up to infrastructure challenge

Update: 10:21 a.m., June 3

TOM GIORDANO, executive director of Partnership for Rhode Island, speaks at an event announcing the organization's $250,000 investment in grant writing support on Tuesday. / COURTESY MIKE RAIA

PROVIDENCE – Earlier this week, Partnership for Rhode Island made headlines for a newly announced $250,000 contribution into the state’s infrastructure. 

While the partnership’s name may not be as familiar as other groups with statewide influence, it includes some influential members, including organization leaders such as Brown University President Christina H. Paxson and and R.I. Foundation CEO Neil D. Steinberg. 

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Formed in 2017, the group came together under then-Gov. Gina Raimondo, who, seeing other states successfully launch similar initiatives, gathered CEOs from the state’s largest employers with a challenge to look beyond policies and bills for more ways to drive infrastructure improvements, said Thomas Giordano, executive director of Partnership for Rhode Island.  

“A challenge was out in front of them to better have their voices be heard — not on policies or bills like a Chamber of Commerce would, but on investments here,” said Giordano, a Providence College graduate who previously worked in campaign management and fundraising in New York before returning to Rhode Island.

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The group also stands out as being made up of “uniquely, the chief executives of the largest employers in the state,” he added. 

Those organizations in the partnership are AAA Northeast, Amica, Bank of America, Blue Cross Blue Shield of R.I., Brown University, Citizens Bank, CVS Health, FM Global, Gilbane Building Company, Hasbro, IGT, Providence Equity Partners and the Rhode Island Foundation. 

Since its formation five years ago, the organization has prompted some of the state’s highest earners to direct about $4 million into four focus areas: Rhode Island’s K-12 education, infrastructure, workforce development and business attraction. 

Its latest investment went to CompeteRI, an educational campaign and technical assistance program announced alongside Gov. Daniel J. Mckee and the R.I. congressional delegation on May 31. 

The program is intended to assist local leaders and other Rhode Island institutions with grant writing, with the state eligible for up to $700 million in federal grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act. But with other states vying for this same funding, Rhode Island faces stiff competition. 

Other investments include an additional $250,000 pledged earlier this year toward staffing and planning resources for a grant funding the a University of Rhode Island’s Blue Economy and Smart Bay initiative, and a partnership with Amazon Web Services, which employs computer science programs to find new ways to address areas such as vegetation management and electric vehicle accessibility. 

Additionally, the group funded “SMART Clinics” in Providence Public Schools during the pandemic, though the idea predates COVID-19. The clinics, a $1.4 million initiative, provide health care services to students, teachers and families regardless of immigration or insurance status, with the idea starting with former CVS Health CEO Larry J. Merlo in 2019. 

The partership’s full membership meets quarterly, with more frequent meetings by the executive committee and board chairs, and does not allow the groups to send proxies. This direct-involvement policy also makes the group stand out from others, said Mike Raia, a spokesperson for the group. 

“It’s a meeting where they’re not only able to share best practices but have a CEO-to-CEO conversation about what their specific companies are willing to put in or commit to when it comes to the state’s’ development,” Raia said. 

With their membership, each organization must pledge at least $100,000 per year towards the group’s mission. 

(Update: Photo corrected)

Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Voghel@PBN.com.

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