President Steve Hug presided over the meeting.
Zoom Attendees
Anthony Landi, Michaela Hermann, Jonathan Kaufman, Emily Bernstein, Rob Brewster, Bob Moss, Mary Brewster
Guest
Dick Brassard
Pledge of Allegiance
George Babcock led the Pledge.
Inspiration
Alex David asked for a moment of silence in reverence for all those who served and are serving our country.
“Our thanks to you for all you do
Defending our flag the red, white and blue
As Americans, we know what freedom means
The joy, the peace and the right to dream
Freedom we love but it is not free
The sacrifice is great and you give willingly
Our thoughts and prayers are with you today
As you fight for freedom so far away
May God keep you safe in all that you do
And bring you back home to those who love you”
Announcements
A special message to Margaret Kane
Margaret, so glad you are following the Club through the newsletter. We truly miss your energy, smile and wild sense of humor!
Get well wishes to Rev. Barlow.
Condolences to the Maury Ryan and family on the passing of Mary Lou. Services will be on Saturday, June 10, 11am – 2pm at the Thomas and Walter Quinn Funeral Home, 2435 Warwick Avenue, Warwick.
Past president Don Saracen presented a Rotary banner from the past president of the Bra, Italy Rotary Club.
The June 6 meeting will include the induction of three new Rotary members and a cake to celebrate the 10 new members who joined the Providence Rotary in the 2022-2023 year!
New member Bob Watt will speak on June 6 about the Golden Rule ship that will be docked in Providence from June 6 to June 13.
Steve suggested signing into Premium Parking app for parking at the Marriott – use “Rotary” as a code.
Happy Bucks
- Pete Brock collected happy bucks starting with $10 for his recent trip to Israel.
- Rob Black had $10 happy bucks because he moved to RI 10 years ago.
- Past president Richard Applebaum had a happy buck in memory and in honor of those who’ve served and will serve our country.
- Don Saracen had $17 happy bucks for his once in a lifetime time visit to Italy and surrounding areas. His Italian ancestors emigrated to the United States in 1903.
- Cap Willey had unhappy bucks for the Celtics and Bruins, a hopeful buck for the Red Sox, and a happy buck for his friend Liz Tanner.
- Lisa Hill gave $5 happy bucks for her return from Florida and for being an onboard her sister’s retirement flight as she piloted a 787 Dreamliner plane to Amsterdam.
- Jim Gilcreast for his trip to Boston College where he graduated from 55 years ago.
- Mary Brewster was sorry to hear of Mary Lou Ryan’s passing. She had ten happy bucks for the six day, 75-mile walk on the Camino de Santiago in Spain that she and Rob recently completed.
Speaker
President-elect Kris David introduced Liz Tanner, RI Secretary of Commerce, who gave an overview of the Commerce Department and highlighted several current and future initiatives. The Secretary stressed her mandate to reach out to community organizations, like Rotary Clubs. Her outreach intent is twofold: to increase awareness of many financial and technical resources available to RI businesses and to hear directly about the barriers faced by businesses in RI. Liz stressed her continued commitment to trying to streamline processes based on what businesses say they need and to fix laws and regulations that are either bad or outdated.
The problems faced by businesses now are different from before the pandemic. There are four major issues now: it’s hard to find workers, supply chain issues and the high cost of supplies, difficulty finding and paying for housing, and the high cost of energy. Liz highlighted the Skills for Rhode Island’s Future grant program for small businesses ($1 million available; up to $10,000 per applicant) to give technical support needed to recover from the pandemic and grow stronger. This assistance might include working with an attorney, accountant, coach or human resource professional to strengthen the businesses’ infrastructure. The Commerce Department needs vendors in these areas to give technical assistance as well as fund applicants.
Other programs include funding for ventilation systems and strengthening women and minority owned businesses. The Governor’s budget this year includes $5 million for small business energy projects and $45 million to expand the Life Science industry. The scope of assistance available through the Commerce Department is broad and Liz encourages businesses not to go it alone, but to reach out to staff at the department for help determining the appropriate programs and establish ongoing support. –– With so many programs in place, Liz said it’s never been a better time for small businesses in RI and she encourages community groups to help get the word out.
