Building The Team
Greetings,

As the New Harbor Group continues to grow, we are pleased to welcome Sarah Kennedy as the newest member of our team.
 
Sarah (right) joins us from the Cambridge (MA) Chamber of Commerce where she was Director of Government and Community Relations. In that role, she monitored local and regional policy while advocating for the business and institutional community. Previously, she worked on the Suffolk Downs Casino ballot referendum in East Boston and Revere after serving as Director of Constituent Services for Mayor David Maher of Cambridge.
 
Sarah’s combination of policy smarts and political messaging is a great addition to our team. As an added bonus, the unique “customer service experience” that comes with complex problem solving at City Hall and a diverse membership organization can’t be beat.
 
We are very excited to have Sarah join the team.
P.S. -- I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving
Nice Ink!
Scouts Collect Over 100 Tons of Food at 30 th Annual Food Drive


Scouting for Food has been the Boy Scouts’ largest “good turn” service project since it began in 1987. Since then, thousands of Scouts from Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut have collected over 9.2 million pounds of food from their communities for the Rhode Island Food Bank and other pantries. This year, Scouts collected 215,000 pounds of food from their neighbors and helped feed many of our community’s needy.


  A Cross Country Bike Ride for a Good Cause


Jon Wish's late mother Francesca of Westerly spent the last four months of her life receiving care from Hope Hospice RI. The family was overwhelmed by the care and emotional support she received. In honor of his mom, Jon (left) rode his bike over 3,000 miles from Rhode Island to Oregon to raise funds and awareness for Hope Hospice RI. He raised over $15,000 for Hope Hospice RI on his Go Fund Me page, and inspired people across the country. Jon recently shared his story with the Westerly Sun upon his arrival home in Rhode Island.

What Does a Chief Resiliency Officer Do?


After a summer filled with news about natural disasters, it is clear that infrastructure is more critical than ever. Recently, Shaun O’Rourke (right), whose “day job” is the Director of Stormwater Resiliency at the RI Infrastructure Bank, was named Rhode Island’s first Chief Resiliency Officer by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo. In the unpaid post Shaun is charged with driving climate resiliency efforts across the state, which in turn strengthens infrastructure. He will continue in his role at the Infrastructure Bank, and will collaborate with business, academic, and nonprofit organizations to advance climate and infrastructure resiliency. 


 
Rhode Island’s Manufacturing Capital
 
 
With one of every seven manufacturing jobs statewide at Quonset, the Business Park is rapidly becoming the Manufacturing Capital of Rhode Island. Recently, Quonset embarked on an initiative led by Managing Director Steven King, P.E. (right) designed to help current and future manufacturing tenants grow, by breaking ground on the first building in a new flex industrial campus. Based on the success of ready-to-use space for business at the Gateway Offices, we began to spread the word about the new manufacturing space in last month’s New England Real Estate Journal .

Record Breaking Quarter Boosts R.I. Economy
 
 
An adequate supply of housing is an indispensable piece of any successful economic development strategy. However, the national housing crisis makes it hard for millions of families – some with incomes as high as six figures – to find a new home that meets their needs. At RIHousing, under the leadership of Executive Director Barbara Fields (left), the agency helped 531 families secure mortgages in July, August and September – a new quarterly record. Meanwhile, the agency continues to focus on investing in housing production, the only sure way to meet the demands for housing in a growing economy.