Earlier today, Secretary Pryor joined the @rilifesciencehub 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, @newport_chamber 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 students from @t2stem joined us, showcasing the school's new ocean engineering lab and their class project focused on removing PFAS and other harmful materials from the Bay.
Secretary Stefan Pryor joined the Commerce team alongside Daniela Fairchild, Barry O'Connor, Silvana Mercado Barrios, and Giselle Mahoney.
This 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 Pryor 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 @ramp_is_inclusion
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.
What an amazing way to close out 2026 National Small Business Week - yesterday, Secretary Pryor and members of the Commerce team joined @sbagov , @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 Pryor joined Windmoeller & Hoelscher 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!
We’re proud to represent Rhode Island at the @selectusagov Investment Summit in Maryland from May 3 to 6.
Rhode Island has many unique business advantages - from our small size to our innovative economic development programs to our vibrant ecosystem and culture. We’ve been energized to showcase Rhode Island’s many opportunities to global investors and leaders.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth and joined the conversation. Let’s keep building a strong future for business in Rhode Island!
This morning, Secretary Pryor 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.
Rhode Island Commerce is proud to announce we have been named one of the 2026 Best Places to Work in Rhode Island by @providencebusinessnews News.
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 , brownu, @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: @kitearchitects | @vci_rosedisplays | Spartina Consulting | Eagle Eye Construction | @sheehansoffice | @half_full_today | @newharvestcoffee | Martins Maintenance, Inc., | @bemooreintrprtr | @heroicaconstruction | @coolaircreations | & a special shout-out to @casaazulri 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 the Rhode Island Life Science Hub and Organogenesis whose $100M investment in RI is helping position us as a leader in the space.
Last week, Secretary Pryor offered closing remarks at the Rhode Island Regenerative Medicine Forum hosted by the @rilifesciencehub and @organogenesisofficial . 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.
