Rhode Island News Briefs

Starkweather & Shepley acquires People’s Insurance
EAST PROVIDENCE – Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage, Inc. has acquired People’s Insurance Agency, Inc. of Cranston, as of Feb. 2, 2000. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, except that Rocco Grosso, People’s president, will join S&S as vice president and four People’s employees will join S&S’s staff. Fred R. Tripp remains president of he consolidated company of Starkweather & Shepley. Meanwhile People’s Cranston office closed on April 6 as the two companies completed their consolidation at S&S’s East Providence office. People’s Insurance was established in 1981and developed a statewide business. S&S is an Assurex Partner and employs more than 100 people to serve its Southeastern New England customer base.

Textron announces top level appointments
PROVIDENCE – Textron, Inc. has announced a series of top-level appointments involving information and communications, e-business, and company finances. Kenneth Bohlen was promoted to executive vice president and chief innovation officer, becoming the seventh member of the company’s management committee. He leads the company’s growing e-business initiatives. Bohlen came to Textron from AlliedSignal last November. Also the company announced the promotion of Edward C. Arditte from vice president and treasurer to the newly-created position of vice president e-procurement, concentrating on online purchases to reduce company expenses. Filling Arditte’s vice president and treasurer role will be Mary F. Lovejoy, who moves from vice president communications and investor relations. And filling Lovejoy’s role as vice president communications and investor relations is Douglas R. Wilburne, who most recently headed investor relations for Rite Aid Corporation.

Lifespan hospitals appoint doctors presidents
PROVIDENCE – In a departure from previous practice, doctors have been appointed president of two Lifespan hospitals, Rhode Island and Miriam. Dr. Joseph F. Amarala, a surgeon, has been named president at Rhode Island, and Dr. Kathleen C. Hittner has been chosen president of Miriam. Previously Lifespan’s chief operating officer had been the head of both hospitals. George Vecchione, president and chief executive officer of Lifespan said the decision to appoint doctors from each hospital as presidents was made to give each of the hospitals more autonomy. Lifespan includes five hospitals. Vecchione was quoted by the Providence Journal as saying, “It’s a change of focus to less centralization.” Lifespan’s chief operating officer, Edward Schottland has resigned, effective April 30.

DiPretes sell their insurance business
CRANSTON – The DiPrete family, including former Governor Edward DiPrete, has sold its insurance business to Angelo Menna, 45, of this city. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. The DiPretes retained their real estate business, the F.A. DiPrete Realty Company, named for the governor’s father, who founded the business in 1911. Edward DiPrete’s brother, Walter DiPrete is president of the company. Edward DiPrete is listed as corporate vice president. Menna is listed as secretary of the corporation. Both businesses will continue to operate out of the small brick building owned by the DiPrete corporation on Reservoir Avenue, according to a DiPrete family spokesperson, with Menna renting space.

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Delta Dental’s enrollment, revenues grow
Nineteen ninety-nine was a banner financial year for Delta Dental of Rhode Island – the state’s largest dental insurer, the company reported. Enrollment grew to an all-time high of nearly 450,000 members, with the company expecting to reach the 500,000 mark this year. The company reported a net gain of nearly $4 million in 1999 on $95 million in subscriber premium revenue. Joseph A. Nagle, the company’s president and chief executive officer, said Delta Dental had “reaped the rewards” of investing in its operations and said the record results demonstrated that the company could flourish, despite “difficult market conditions.” Delta Dental ended 1999 with $27.7 million in reserves. Operating expenses on a per subscriber basis decreased for the seventh straight year. The company surpassed the one million mark in total claims volume for the first time last year, and paid out nearly $82 million in claims. The company also boasts of processing 99 percent of its claims within 15 days throughout 1999.

GTech calls off purchase of On-Point Technologies
WEST GREENWICH – GTech,, the No. 1 maker of lottery systems, called off its $48.6 million purchase of On-Point Technology Systems Inc. after On-Point said it would restate its 1997 and 1998 earnings. GTech said it would continue discussions with On-Point’s management over its interest in On-Point’s instant ticket vending technology. The discussions, though, may not result in a new agreement between the two companies, GTech said. GTech agreed in January to buy San Marcos, California-based On-Point to expand in the instant lottery ticket business. On-Point said that it’s restating its results for 1997 and 1998 to reduce earnings.

Center General Complex wins preservation award
CRANSTON – The Center General Complex at Howard in Cranston was recognized with a state Historic Preservation Award presented last week by the Rhode Island Historical and Preservation Commission. Other organizations and individuals that were cited by the commission were the Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket; Salve Regina University’; the First Unitarian Church in Providence; the Aquidneck Island Land Trust; Kaiser Mill in Bristol; and Neighbor’s Lane in Providence. Elizabeth Warren of Barrington received the Antoinette F. Downing Volunteer Service Award and the Frederick C. Williamson Professional Service Award was presented to the professional staff of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.

(Compiled from news reports and releases, print and electronic.)

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