“I think there is a little bit of a misnomer that competition
is good. That would typically be an accepted statement. I’m not sure this is the
case with health care. If you take a look at all the redundant activities that have
to take place in Rhode Island today, the lobbying efforts, the computer efforts,
the subscriber services, advertising and so forth. Everybody is doing that. Imagine
if all those redundancies were to go away. There would be huge savings from that
alone.”
Ronald A. Battista, president Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, responding
to a question about whether he thought the health care market was saturated.
“We are truly an American city that people recognize now, and that wasn’t the
case 15 years ago.”
Mayor Vincent A. Cianci, Jr., on the impact of his administration on the fortunes
of the city of Providence.
“We need to remake the marketplace so that there is room for family responsibilities
and commitments as well as a strong workplace ethic.”
ISO 9001:2026: A Practical Opportunity to Build for What’s Next
For Rhode Island manufacturers, ISO 9001 has been much more than a certificate on the…
Learn More
Alexis Herman, secretary of labor quoted by Joanne Pratt of Joanne Pratt and director of a research survey of the effects of telecommuting on society.
“The fact that nothing passed — from a public policy point of view — is a travesty.”
Steven D. Zubiago, Nixon Peabody lawyer serving as counsel for National Association of Independent Insurers, comments on the non-action by the last session of the General Assembly on a bill dealing with lead hazard control and utilization.
“The wage gap is not a myth, try as people will to explain it away.”
Evelyn Smith, president of Rhode Island Business and Professional Women, speaking about the continuing disparity between wages for men and women.
“There’s a Chinese wall at the border of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. There
is no momentum at this point for companies to come to Rhode Island because there
aren’t any buildings here.”
Jack Keigwin, builder of a so-called “smart building,” one wired and equipped to accommodate a modern company in the electronics age.
“I do worry about the future of the United States. Can a great nation preserve
its influence if it manufactures nothing and simply sends messages quickly and
consists of retail stores. I would be very worried about that.”
Joseph R. Weisberger, retiring chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, comments on the state of the nation and its future in an interview.
“The reality is these superstores are changing the environment of the state
and the community — they are slicing the pie even thinner.”
Mary Sherman, vice president of Wickford Lumber, considers the prospect of a Home Depot superstore opening soon nearby.
“I learned a lot by making mistakes. I think that everyone does, but we have
been able to build on them and really learn.”
Barry S. Shepard, president and CEO of Eastern Color Chemical of Providence.
“We have started to address the problem through education, but we can’t plant
seeds in April and expect to harvest them in May.’
Jeff Deckman, president of Synet and head of the board of directors of Rhode Island Technology Council, noting that schools in Rhode Island are producing only 500 IT grads each year to fill a need for 2,000 such graduates.
“I know we have a lot of people who think online shopping is a great thing,
but I really believe that people still like to look in windows, like to see and
feel what stores have to offer.”
Cheryl Pugliese, manager of Chico’s clothing store in Garden City, Cranston.
“The open space we lose today is gone forever. This cut is a slap in the face
to every city and town, every land trust, to every environmental group that stood
up for this bill.”
Trudi Coxe, of Open Space 2000, responds to the House Finance Committee’s slashing $16 million from Gov. Lincoln Almond’s proposal for a $50 million bond issue to preserve and protect the state’s open space.
“What frustrated me tremendously about people in Providence was the city was
not interesting, not happening. No one had this sort of excitement and pride in
their downtown. Waterfire has helped to bring this back and it is absolutely wonderful.”
Barnaby Evans, creator of Waterfire.
“It’s hard to manufacture, especially in the jewelry industry. There are copies
out there that are imported daily. There are so many that it’s really tough to
keep a handle on patent infringement. The only way to deal with it is to continue
to manufacture quality items in good time.”
Louise Lanoie, owner of Garland Industries, Inc., whose grandfather founded the company in 1927, and who considered moving the company out of Rhode Island five years ago, but decided to stick it out. The $9.5 million company has grown each year since.
“The sky is not falling, but we’re clearly in a period of slower growth.”
University of Rhode Island Economist Leonard Lardaro, sounds the alarm about the slowing economy in December of 2000.
