PROVIDENCE – Laurie White, longtime president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, is being honored for Business Leadership in Providence Business News’ 19th annual Business Excellence Awards program.
White has been president of the state’s largest Chamber since October 2005 and also serves as chief executive of the Greater Providence Chamber Foundation. She has led the Chamber during a period in which the organization has been a strong advocate for the development of the state’s innovation economy.
Earlier this year, White was appointed by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo to the R.I. Council of Economic Advisors. She also founded the Taricani Lecture Series on First Amendment Rights at the University of Rhode Island in June in honor of her late husband and acclaimed TV journalist Jim Taricani.
Joining White as an individual honoree in the BEA program is Ronald K. Machtley, president of Bryant University, who is being recognized with the Corporate Citizenship award. Machtley is set to retire at the end of the 2019-2020 school year.
Machtley, a former Rhode Island congressman who has led Bryant for 23 years, announced earlier this year that he will retire after commencement in May 2020. His collegiate presidency is one of the longest-running in the country and he has been praised widely for leading the institution through a transformation from a struggling college to a thriving university.
Other winners in the 2019 BEA program include:
- Excellence at a Large Company: Brown University’s Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science
- Excellence at a Midsize Company: (add)ventures
- Excellence at a Small Company: Vertikal6
- Community Involvement: Lifespan Corp.
- Excellence at a Social Service Agency: The College Crusade of Rhode Island
- Excellence at a Nonprofit: American Heart Association
- Entrepreneurship: GrowthLab Financial Services Inc.
- Education: The Wolf School Inc.
- Family-owned Business: American Cord & Webbing Co.
- Workforce Development: Igus Inc.
- Women-owned Business: CORE Cycle.Fitness.Lagree Studio
The winners will be recognized at the BEA dinner and ceremony at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 7 at the Crowne Plaza Providence-Warwick. For more information about the program, visit the event page at PBN.com.
The partner sponsor for the event is Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP.
William Hamilton is PBN managing editor. You can follow him on Twitter @waham or email him at hamilton@pbn.com.
