Christopher Allen

NEWPORT – The restaurant group led by Nicholas Schorsch is adding another establishment to its growing portfolio.  Heritage Restaurant Group on Monday announced it will acquire Jo’s American Bistro at 24 Memorial Blvd West. The acquisition is anticipated to be finalized within 90 days, pending customary closing conditions.  The two-floor restaurant opened in 2013 and […]

EAST PROVIDENCE – Igus Bearings Inc., a company specializing in motion plastics technology, has announced the opening of a 110,000-square-foot lead screw manufacturing facility in East Providence, with production slated to commence in 2026. The new plant, which will cater to sectors that include automation, medical equipment, packaging and conveying, additive manufacturing, and intralogistics, is […]

PROVIDENCE – Ocean State 2026 Chairman and R.I. General Treasurer James A. Diossa  has said that Rhode Island will need approximately $4 million to $5 million to fully leverage tourism opportunities during next summer’s World Cup matches being held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Ocean State 2026 has received around 40 pre-applications from various […]

PROVIDENCE – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha has told the R.I. Public Utilities Commission that Rhode Island Energy’s proposed bill credits filed with state regulators downplay the financial obligations owed to ratepayers, who he said stand to lose up to $39 million if a proper discount rate is not applied. Rhode Island Energy recently proposed […]

(Editor’s note: This is the 35th installment in a monthly series highlighting some of the region’s ­unsung manufacturers that make products essential to the economy and, in many cases, our way of life. See previous installments here.) Haverhill Leach was by birthright heir to a Rhode Island family jewelry-making dynasty spanning five generations. Her great-grandfather, […]

EXETER – Gov. Daniel J. McKee and Cranston Mayor Kenneth Hopkins alongside state and local officials on Friday marked the completion of the 6.5 megawatt ‘Exeter Mail’ solar farm.  The first solar array installation of its kind, spearheaded by Nautilus Solar Energy, the Public Housing Association of Rhode Island, and Veolia North America, will supply […]

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Senate, by a 33-2 vote, approved a bill on June 4 that would dismantle the state’s current sports betting monopoly and pave the way for the introduction of up to five additional operators by 2026. The state legalized sports betting in 2019 with International Gaming Technology PLC managing Sportsbook Rhode Island, […]

Only 30% of business owners looking to sell find a buyer for their company, and only 10% get what they want. Interestingly, roughly the same percentage have a robust and documented succession plan, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2023 Global Family Business Survey, which shows that 31.4% of respondents said they have no estate plan beyond a […]

PROVIDENCE – Senate Majority Leader Valarie J. Lawson, D-East Providence, and Rep. Megan L. Cotter, D-Exeter, have introduced legislation to require social media platforms, apps, and other online services and products that are likely to be used by children “to design their products to protect them,” according to a legislative news release. Roughly 97% of […]

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Commerce Corp. board of directors on Monday unanimously awarded four innovation vouchers totaling $282,921 to accelerate product innovation and expand high school career technical education in ocean technology.  Created in 2016, the Innovation Voucher Program offers eligible entrepreneurs and small businesses up to $75,000 in grant funding to expand research and development. […]

PROVIDENDCE – Offshore wind energy development has positive and negative effects in several areas, but it is too early in the deployment of commercial offshore wind projects to know the full extent of some of those impacts, according to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The office convened a panel of 23 experts, with assistance from […]

PROVIDENCE – Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., is urging the Trump administration to release around $80 million in previously awarded federal funds “to help Rhode Island accelerate its clean energy transition, lower prices, and drive economic growth,” according to a news release. Calling energy subsidies for products such as heat pumps “a win-win that lowers energy costs, […]

WARWICK – The R.I. Cannabis Control Commission has approved its long-awaited draft rules and regulations governing the state’s adult-use industry. Effective May 1, the approval of the regulations marks a major step in the implementation of the Rhode Island Cannabis Act and paves the way for the awarding of 24 new retail recreational licenses, half […]

PROVIDENCE – R.I. Commerce Corp. is now accepting proposals for projects under the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program aimed at providing low-cost high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved communities. The state was awarded $108.7 million from the $42.45 billion program, which was approved in 2021 as part of the Infrastructure Investment and […]

PROVIDENCE – Chicago-based Portal Innovations LLC has been selected to manage Ocean State Labs, the state’s first life science startup incubator being built in the I-195 Redevelopment District, the R.I. Life Science Hub and Brown University announced Monday. Expected to be completed by the end of 2025, the 30,000-square-foot lab at 150 Richmond St. will […]

With the blowback against any public policies specifically ­tailored to a single demographic – whether racial, gender-based or otherwise, there are still vocal advocates fighting to not only continue implementing such policies, but to remind people these initiatives weren’t created in a vacuum. During Providence Business News’ 2025 Business of Cannabis Summit held at the […]

EAST PROVIDENCE – A new production studio is leveraging virtual production and emerging artificial intelligence technology to build immersive video experiences through its new LED virtual production wall. Billed as the tallest virtual production wall in New England and one that will remove “the constraints of time, location and logistics,” according to a company news […]

PROVIDENCE – Wagers and revenues from iGaming in December 2024 set a new monthly record since the state launched the online platform the previous March.  According to the latest data from R.I. Lottery, iGaming took in $97.2 million in wagers in December, netting $3.69 million before commissions and operating expenses. The previous record was the […]

PROVIDENCE – Almost two weeks after hackers released stolen information from the RIBridges public benefits system on the dark web, state officials have begun mailing letters to those whose personal data was compromised.  During a press briefing in the Governor’s Room at the Statehouse, Daniel J. McKee said Friday the process “may take several days,” […]

PROVIDENCE – The agency that administers the state’s $11.3 billion public pension plan is releasing a Request for Proposals on Jan. 6 for a contractor to assess its data security and IT infrastructure.  The call, which will be open until Feb. 14, was posted by the Employees’ Retirement System of Rhode Island, the political subdivision […]