Tim Brown prepares U.S. Women's Open signs by applying the printed vinyl sheets to magnets at Signs by Tomorrow in Warwick.
More than $20M to be pumped into economy
When more than 120,000 people converge on Newport to watch the best women golfers in the world compete in the U.S. Women’s Open, businesses throughout Rhode Island will see green.
The championship, to be held June 26 to July 2 at Newport Country Club, will provide an economic boon to the region, pouring an estimated $20 million to $25 million into the city of Newport and the state of Rhode Island, according to the U.S. Golf Association.
The event will be the largest that Newport has hosted in decades, dwarfing annual mainstays such as the Newport International Boat Show and the Newport JVC Jazz Festival, Newport County Convention & Visitors Bureau President Evan Smith said.
“The economic impact is going to be enormous,” Smith said. “And the advertising exposure for us is priceless. The dividends of the event are going to be harvested for the next decade.”
As of June 5, more than 5,000 hotel rooms had been booked in Newport, Middletown and Warwick to accommodate U.S. Women’s Open players, sponsors and media.
Shuttle buses will travel between the golf course and downtown Newport every half hour throughout the event, enabling thousands of visitors to shop, dine or take a harbor cruise, Smith said.
That influx of visitors is being happily anticipated by Albert Bouchard, owner of Bouchard Restaurant & Inn on Thames Street in Newport. The inn is expected to be fully booked during the U.S. Open Bouchard said he got his first indication of how busy when a Japanese television production team called to book the entire restaurant for a gathering at the end of the event.
The U.S. Women’s Open also will provide 24 regional vendors with work including BankNewport, which is operating on-site ATMs, JAM Construction in Middletown, which is providing land preparation and remediation, and a Signs by Tomorrow franchise in Warwick.
“The event brings us a lot of credibility,” said Jeremy Doran, owner of Signs by Tomorrow. “Anytime somebody finds out we’re doing signs for the U.S. Women’s Open their eyes kind of light up and they’re like, ‘Really?’ ”
Several local manufacturers’ merchandise will be sold in the U.S. Women’s Open Golf Shop. Costume jewelry sold is provided by Newport-based Angela Moore Inc.; hats and apparel to be sold is made by New Bedford-based Ahead Golf and Connecticut-based Fairway & Greene.
While Titleist golf balls manufactured by Acushnet-based the Acushnet Co. will be sold in the golf shop and used by up to 75 percent of the golfers playing in the event will not impact Acushnet Co. more because it is being held locally this year, said spokesman Joe Gomes.
Local companies that can afford to have become patrons of the championship, underwriting the event in return for worldwide television exposure, as well as space to entertain clients and associates.
Major companies in Rhode Island that are patrons include Sovereign Bank, Fidelity Investments, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, CVS, Cox Communications, Carnegie Abbey, Bank Newport, Bank Rhode Island and Amica Mutual Insurance.
This year’s U.S. Women’s Open is the biggest event that Amica has ever sponsored. The Lincoln-based insurance company will use the Newport Country Club’s private villa throughout the tournament to host members of the R.I. Women’s Golf Association, Amica policyholders and pensioners, rotarians from the local business community and employees, said Vincent Burks, senior assistant vice president.
“You really cannot put a dollar amount to such a huge event coming to our back yard,” Burks said. “It’s a perfect opportunity to showcase the company for people who may not be familiar with Amica.”
