 My old boss Gov. Bruce Sundlun had a gift for being direct. One day, proponents of a large project which had encountered significant opposition came to the State House seeking his support. The Governor heard them out and read their material. Then, he took off his glasses, looked across his desk and said "So your plan is to let this become a political liability, then come to me (to expend my political capital) to bail you out?"
He didn't wait for an answer. "That's a bad plan," he said.
Today - more than ever - large energy, transportation and real estate projects have a political and community relations component that proponents ignore at their peril. Our firm has a quarter-century record of success with projects like these, and
you can read the highlights here.
One last thing: an early investment in communications usually saves enormous amounts of money and time in the long run. So if you're planning something, give us a call - the earlier the better.
Best,
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Following an eventful, exciting year at New Harbor Group we concluded 2016 with some self-improvement: a new website. With the help of
Ella J Designs, we redesigned our site to tell our story to the people who need to hear it.
Check it out here - and let us know what you think.
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Community Leadership at New Harbor
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Cait Amirault
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Our colleague Cait Amirault has been selected to serve as Secretary on the Board of Trustees for the Providence Preservation Society (PPS). A history and architecture enthusiast, Cait has been involved with PPS for several years.
PPS works to "improve Providence by advocating for historic preservation and the enhancement of its unique character through thoughtful design and planning" for the last 60 years.
"I'm thrilled to serve with an organization that is so important to our community," Cait said. "Providence has many exciting developments taking place. The South Street Landing project (once on PPS's Most Endangered Properties list) is being completed just next door to our offices at New Harbor Group. PPS is critical to advocating for Providence's built environment."
Congratulations, Cait!
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 One of our 2016 highlights was to work with two great teams on two successful statewide referendum campaigns - the R.I. Ports Coalition's campaign for funding to modernize two Rhode Island ports (Question 5), and the University of Rhode Island's proposed financing of an Innovation Center (Question 4).
 In addition to quickly conducting market research (polling) we created a comprehensive brand identity and established a website and social media channels for both efforts. We also worked with talented local artists to produce effective and persuasive commercials for TV and radio on both Question 4 and Question 5 campaigns. The campaigns successfully earned significant favorable coverage in print and digital media, as well as television and radio.
Voters approved both questions by wide margins, maintaining New Harbor's undefeated record in statewide ballot questions.
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Rhode Island Housing
R.I. Housing's contribution to the state's economy by increasing the supply of housing continued in 2016 under the leadership of Executive Director Barbara Fields. The independent agency invested in 1,200 new homes last year and provided a record-breaking 1,600 mortgages for Rhode Island families. The independent agency pumped $650 million into the state's economy, supporting 820 jobs while successfully competing to manage MaineHousing's half-billion dollar mortgage portfolio.
In December, they announced new investments that will support nearly 150 jobs and develop more than 230 units of housing, many at market rate.
Link: R.I. Housing makes housing investments in Providence, Warwick
Link: R.I. Housing to add jobs after winning Maine contract
DiPrete Engineering
New England's DiPrete Engineering played a key role in one of the biggest economic development announcements in Rhode Island last year with its work on the Citizens Bank corporate campus in Johnston, R.I. The project officially began in May of 2016 and includes 425,000 square feet of new office space, structured parking, athletic fields, tennis and basketball courts and walking trails.
Link: Citizens Bank Breaks Ground for 2018 Opening of New Corporate Campus
Quonset Business Park
Quonset Business Park continued to establish itself as the "Leading Engine of Rhode Island's Economy" in 2016. In a December piece in the New England Real Estate Journal, Rhode Island's Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello and Senate President M. Teresa Paiva-Weed highlighted Bryant University's study on Quonset's multi-billion dollar impact on the state's economy.
Link: Mattiello, Paiva Weed: Quonset a Leading Engine of Rhode Island's Economy
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