Rhode Island Commerce

🚨 Calling all Rhode Island Small Businesses 🚨 The SBA is searching for the BEST in American innovation. If you are interested in the Patriot Pitch competition and a potential prize of $1million, learn more at the link below! Link: lnkd.in/ghgXqPNG

Earlier today, Secretary @stefanpryor joined the RI Life Science Hub along with state and local leaders to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of Ocean State Labs, Rhode Island's first dedicated life sciences incubator. Rhode Island's investment in the life sciences sector is paying off - establishing infrastructure, attracting innovators, and growing jobs. It's energizing to see the state's growing momentum. Congratulations Ocean State Labs!

Monday, Commerce celebrated the opening of a satellite office on Aquidneck Island at Innovate Newport. Newport Mayor Charles Holder; Jim Bennett, RI Commerce Corporation President & CEO; and Erin Donovan-Boyle, Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce President & CEO offered remarks. Rich Rainer, Portsmouth Town Administrator and Melody Weeks, Commerce Executive Vice President, joined in the official ribbon-cutting, welcoming additional business support services to one of Rhode Island’s economic hubs. We are excited to expand our resources on the island. The satellite office is located at Innovate Newport (2nd floor of 513 Broadway).

On Saturday, the Commerce team had a great time staffing a table at the RI STEAM Expo hosted by @GovDanMcKee and the @RIDeptEd. We highlighted Commerce programs, including the Wavemaker Fellowship, as well as our work in Ocean Tech. Nishita Roy-Pope from Courage Builder and

Last week, the U.S. Access Board came to Rhode Island to learn more about how we are advancing accessibility across our state. They also attended the first annual Rhode Island Accessibility Summit and hosted a Town Hall meeting to hear directly from Rhode Islanders about their experiences, challenges, and opportunities. On Thursday, Secretary @stefanpryor participated in a panel discussion where he shared about some of Rhode Island's accessibility initiatives related to economic development and business. The week's events were spearheaded by Rhode Island accessibility champion, Tina Guenette, vice-chair to the U.S. Access Board and its acting chair, as well as the founder and CEO of R.A.M.P. Thank you to the Board's federal and public members for learning more about Rhode Island and supporting our continued efforts to ensure our state's beauty and opportunities are accessible to everyone. Thank you also to our U.S. Department of Commerce counterpart Junish Arora on the Board. Learn more about the U.S. Access Board - access-board.gov

What an amazing way to close out 2026 National Small Business Week - yesterday, Secretary Pryor and members of the Commerce team joined @SBA_RhodeIsland, @SkillsforRI, and a full room at the Crowne Plaza to celebrate this year's awardees. This impressive group of entrepreneurs and small business leaders are at the forefront of Rhode Island's innovation and small business growth. Commerce is proud to support them - and all businesses - through access to capital, resources, technical assistance, and more. Congratulations to the Rhode Island 2026 Small Business Week winners!

Last week, Secretary @stefanpryor joined @W_H_Group leadership and state and local officials for a ribbon-cutting of the company's newly renovated facility. The project doubled W&H's warehouse capacity, doubled its office space, and modernized the building. W&H also took advantage of Commerce's REF program to install a solar system, which is estimated to offset approximately 90% of the facility’s electricity usage and remove 32 metric tons of CO2 each year. Congratulations W&H!

🚨 Now Open 🚨 The Renewable Energy Fund (REF) is launching its spring 2026 grant rounds for Small-scale PV and Commercial-scale PV. REF provides renewable energy grants for projects that generate cleaner electricity while supporting job growth in the green technology and energy sectors. 📅: Small-scale PV applications are due by Friday, May 1. 📅: Large-scale PV applications are due by Friday, May 15. Learn more and apply here: commerceri.com/renewable-ener…

This morning, @stefanpryor joined federal, state, and local leaders, along with the @SBAgov and @SkillsforRI, to celebrate Rhode Island's 2026 Small Business Week winners. Congratulations to this year's awardees, who are leaders, innovators, and the backbone of our economy and vibrant communities. A special shout-out also to VIBCO President and Commerce board member, Karl Wadensten, who was named Small Business Person of the Year.

RI is ready for a Summer of Soccer. ⚽️ We’re bringing fan events to communities across the state so RIers can be part of it. We’re also proud to host Ghana right here at @BryantUniv. Big thanks to @RITreasury, Ocean State 2026, and all partners helping make it happen.

Yesterday, @GovDanMcKee, Chair of the Rhode Island Commerce Board, announced that the Board awarded $623,202 in incentives through Commerce’s Qualified Jobs Incentive Tax Credit and Innovation Voucher programs to support business growth and job creation. Read the article here: shorturl.at/M1p5J

Rhode Island Commerce is proud to announce we have been named one of the 2026 Best Places to Work in Rhode Island by @ProvBusNews. We are so grateful for our amazing staff, who work every day to move Rhode Island forward. We are proud to be an organization filled with talented, committed professionals who genuinely care about the work they do as well as the people they work with. That is not something we take for granted.

Last week, we gathered at @cicnow Providence to witness the power of Rhode Island’s Anchor Institutions in action. A huge thank you to @BCBSRI, @BrownUniversity, @CitizensBank, @CVSHealth, and @GilbaneBuilding for nominating their "tried-and-true" suppliers to pitch to new buyers across the state. When our state’s largest institutions choose to buy local, they aren't just procuring services and goods - they are fueling job creation and building a more resilient economy. Congratulations to our 2026 Anchor-Nominated Cohort: KITE Architects | Visual Creations/Rose Displays | Spartina Consulting | Eagle Eye Construction | Sheehans Office Interiors | half full, llc | New Harvest Coffee Roasters | Martins Maintenance, Inc., | Be Moore Interpreting, LLC | Heroica Construction | Cool Air Creations, Inc | & a special shout-out to Casa Azul for the incredible catering! The conversations started are just the beginning. Let’s keep Rhode Island dollars working for Rhode Island businesses.

Growing our life sciences industry means driving innovation, creating good-paying jobs, and improving health outcomes. I joined the Regenerative Medicine Forum hosted by @RILifeSciHub and Organogenesis whose $100M investment in RI is helping position us as a leader in the space.

Today, we announced the opening of a new application period for its Main Street RI Streetscape Improvement Fund (Main Street) and Site Readiness programs. Main Street and Site Readiness programs invest in local business districts and key site development; deadline to apply is Friday, May 29 Read the article here: shorturl.at/I3QKF

Last week, Secretary Pryor offered closing remarks at the Rhode Island Regenerative Medicine Forum hosted by the RI Life Science Hub and Organogenesis. The event brought together an engaging lineup of government, academic, and industry leaders to highlight Rhode Island's growing leadership in the life sciences, particularly regenerative medicine.

Earlier this week, Rhode Island Commerce President and CEO Jim Bennett joined @GovDanMcKee to highlight the 2-cent gas tax reduction in his proposed FY27 budget. Bennett talked about the importance of helping small businesses, especially during turbulent times: “Commerce supports efforts that help reduce the cost burden on businesses,” he said. “Governor McKee’s proposed reduction of the gas tax is a meaningful step toward lowering operating expenses and strengthening Rhode Island’s business climate.”

Commerce's Chief Strategy Officer, Daniela Fairchild joined REGENT Craft’s Billy Thalheimer, SeaAhead’s Alissa Peterson, Moore Brothers Company’ Oliver Moore, and Ocean State Sensing’s Brian Amaral to discuss Rhode Island's growing Ocean Economy at Senator Whitehouse’s annual

Rhode Island is growing top companies and creating real opportunity for our workforce. AAA Northeast’s expansion will bring 370 new, good-paying jobs to our state, another sign of our strong economy and talent pipeline. pbn.com/aaa-northeast-…