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Articles by Karl Wadensten
The public side of trust
(Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series, When did confidentiality become optional? The first can be found here.) Previously, I wrote about something very personal. More than 30 years ago, when Kym and I were frightened about our 6-year-old son, I had a room of people I trusted enough to let my Already a Subscriber? Log in To Continue Reading This Article Become a Providence Business News subscriber and get immediate access to all of our premier content and much more.
The private side of trust
(Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series, When Did Confidentiality Become Optional?) For more than 30 years, I have been part of the Young Presidents Organization. One of the principles drilled into us about confidentiality was pretty simple – Nothing, Nobody, Never! I always understood the rule; but never realized at first
Healthcare should measure outcomes, not just approvals
Ten days ago, my 82-year-old mother-in-law, Jane, was living a remarkably active and independent life. She walked regularly, swam at the YMCA and did water aerobics with her “Silver Flippers” crowd, gardened and routinely rode her bicycle one to 2 miles along Rhode Island’s bike paths. She babysat her 4- and 6-year-old grandchildren and had
America’s 250th celebration is bigger than one day
As America approaches 250 years, I find myself asking a simple question: Is this milestone just about the Fourth of July? I do not think it is. The Fourth of July matters. Fireworks, parades, hot dogs, hamburgers, flags, music and the family gatherings are all part of the American rhythm. We have celebrated our independence Already a Subscriber? Log in To Continue Reading This Article Become a Providence Business News subscriber and get immediate access to all of our premier content and much more.
Rhode Island’s future is standing inside the URI Engineering Building
Last week, I saw something the state needs to pay much closer attention to when I arrived at the University of Rhode Island College of Engineering Capstone Showcase. The future was standing in the room. This was not just an end-of-year college event; it was a preview of Rhode Island’s next generation of talent. Young engineers, business thinkers, problem-solvers, makers, international students, young women engineers, faculty mentors and industry partners. Students Already a Subscriber?
Leaning on fewer people for more revenue is risky for R.I.
I spend a lot of time walking factory floors, sitting with founders and shaking hands with people trying to build something in Rhode Island. Not once in those conversations does someone say, “I’m trying to become a millionaire.” What they say is: “I’m trying to grow.” “I’m trying to hire.” “I’m trying to make this work.” That’s why the Already a Subscriber?
What R.I.’s SBA honorees remind us about America at 250
I am honored to be heading to Washington after being named Rhode Island’s Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. However, this moment is not really about one person, one company or one title. It is about possibility and purpose. It’s about the kind of people Rhode Island continues to produce and celebrate. I began thinking about that as I Already a Subscriber?
Our workforce behaves like a system, everything is connected
After participating as a panelist at Providence Business News’ 2026 Workforce Development Summit last month, one realization became clear: The workforce is not something we can manage, it behaves like a system. When we use the word management, we imply control, inputs, outputs, accountability and oversight. We assume that if we adjust a lever, we’ll predictably change the outcome. However, Rhode Island doesn’t behave that way. The state’s workforce connects to education.
Grow the tax base. Don’t squeeze it with millionaires tax
I’m writing this from Matunuck Atelier, restaurateur Perry Raso’s newest venture. The room is alive, the staff moves with purpose and Guests lean in. Another Rhode Island entrepreneur is betting on Rhode Island. That’s what an economy looks like. It’s not a line in a budget, and not a fiscal projection. It’s people taking risks. Already a Subscriber? Log in To Continue Reading This Article Become a Providence Business News subscriber and get immediate access to all of our premier content and much more.
Rhode Islanders rode the wave of the blizzard together
When Winter Storm Hernando slammed Rhode Island in February 2026, it didn’t just snow – it buried us. Nearly 38 inches fell in parts of the state; the largest single-storm snowfall ever recorded here, surpassing even the Blizzard of ’78. Roads disappeared, wind turned powder into concrete and drifts stacked up like the summer sets at Matunuck Beach. Already a Subscriber?
Man, machine and making wise choices in an AI economy
I’ve spent my life in manufacturing real factories, real people, real machines. I’ve lived through multiple waves of technology – computer numerical control machines, robotics, enterprise resource planning systems and automation. Each time, the same fear surfaced: This will replace us. Each time, the truth proved more nuanced. Artificial intelligence is the next wave. And Already a Subscriber?
Paying forward the DNA of learning at URI
Walking into the classroom on the first night always feels new, no matter how many years I’ve done it. The desks are filled with seniors. Some confident and some are uncertain. All of them carrying that quiet electricity that comes with a first day of class, new notebooks and new expectations. Whether they realize it or not, this moment matters: It’s their last first day as undergraduates. They don’t say it out loud, but they feel it. The clock is ticking louder now. The next stop is the real world.
When health care breaks, everything else follows
Fellow Rhode Island manufacturers, health care costs are no longer a background issue. They are now a front-line threat to our ability to compete, invest and take care of our people. Recent national and regional data show employer health benefit costs rising at the fastest pace in more than 15 years. According to Mercer’s National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans, total Already a Subscriber?
The process, not people, is hurting state's health care system
The story didn’t begin in a hospital. It began hours earlier on a Zoom screen during my very first board meeting as a member of the R.I. Business Group on Health. I was sitting with well-tenured leaders who have spent decades inside health care, policy and public service. These were thoughtful professionals focused on outcomes – not optics. Our guest that day was R.I. Health Insurance Commissioner Cory Already a Subscriber?
Recognizing truck drivers, vendors with a small holiday gift still matters
AT VIBCO Inc. in Richmond gives a small holiday gift to the truck drivers and vendors that help keep the company producing on a daily basis. /COURTESY VIBCO INC. Every holiday season, something quietly disappears in business – recognition. Schedules tighten, volumes spike and everyone is racing to close the year strong.
VIBCO's Elf on the Shelf tradition more than just holiday fun
VIBCO INC. celebrates the holidays with 25 days of Where’s the Elf at VIBCO. The tiny troublemakers show up in the most outrageous, OSHA-questionable and laugh-out-loud spots across the factory. /COURTESY VIBCO INC. This time of year hits different at VIBCO Inc.
R.I. losing more than a business with closure of another foundry
Rhode Island is losing another one. Friends Foundry of Woonsocket, VIBCO’s casting partner since 1974, announced it will cease operations on Jan. 31. Their retirement notice, simple and humble, marks the end of nearly 60 years of hard, gritty, indispensable work. For most people, this is just another small business closure. For me, and for anyone Already a Subscriber?
Our children, grandchildren are the answer to fixing R.I.'s machinist shortage
Rhode Island has a machinist shortage. Not a mild one – a real, painful, business-strangling shortage. Every manufacturer in the state is feeling it. Let’s stop pretending that another task force, binder full of initiatives or round of talking points will fix this. The solution is far simpler, standing right in front of us in steel-toed Crocs. Take a look at this moment. My son, not even 30 years old, a Already a Subscriber?
When the SNAP supply chain breaks, Rhode Islanders must become the human government
Every month, about 140,000 Rhode Islanders depend the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to feed themselves and their families. That’s 86,000 households, including 23,000 families with children, receiving about $29 million in food assistance. This program isn’t a luxury – it’s a lifeline. It’s the quiet system that keeps kitchen tables filled and grocery carts moving. Already a Subscriber?
Health of R.I. workforce is all of our jobs
Rising drug prices, skyrocketing hospital costs, and high-cost claims are hammering employers across the country. Rhode Island is no exception. While there are efforts underway to address the problem, too often business leaders, policymakers, and communities sit on the sidelines as this beast grows, thinking someone else will fix it. But whose job is Already a Subscriber?
Closure of Newport Creamery in Cranston a huge loss for R.I.
The news that the Newport Creamery at Garden City Center will close in 2026 is deeply unsettling – but let’s be clear: Newport Creamery is not going out of business. The brand will live on. But the closure of the Cranston location isn’t just about a lease – it’s about losing a Rhode Island landmark. Already a Subscriber? Log in To Continue Reading This Article Become a Providence Business News subscriber and get immediate access to all of our premier content and much more.
Don’t tax the builders of our economy - support them instead
As Rhode Islanders, we pride ourselves on grit, ingenuity and community – values that built this state and fuel its economy to this day. That’s why the latest proposal from the General Assembly – Bill S0329, a 3% surtax on income over $625,000 – isn’t just misguided, it’s dangerous. This so-called “millionaire’s tax” is being pitched as a tax on the wealthy.
Lesson learned in testifying against bottle bill
I’ve run a factory. I’ve weathered tariffs. I’ve navigated a pandemic, served on R.I. Commerce Corp. and watched millions of dollars invested in the state, trained welders, hired engineers, paid overtime, and lost sleep over supply chains that span the globe and a pothole that never seems to get filled on Route 1. But until Already a Subscriber? Log in To Continue Reading This Article Become a Providence Business News subscriber and get immediate access to all of our premier content and much more.
Let’s modernize R.I.’s tax enforcement and lead the nation in fairness
If you ask any business owner what they value most in a state tax system, you’ll likely hear the same words: fair, predictable and transparent. Unfortunately, Rhode Island’s current tax enforcement policies – especially around delinquent interest rates and audit timeframes – fall short on all three counts. It’s time we fixed that. Bill H5757 currently before the Already a Subscriber?
Commentary: Businesses must ‘make their voices heard’ on state budget
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi’s Jan. 8 address at the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce’s Eggs & Issues Breakfast “Shekarchi: No money for new programs, tax cuts” highlighted the stark reality Rhode Island faces in the 2026 fiscal year budget: no new programs and no tax cuts. While this news may frustrate business owners Already a Subscriber?
GoLocalProv | Business | RI Business Climate: Time for a Change —Chenevert, Hazen White, Wadensten, and Travis
Tuesday, June 15, 2021 David Chenevert, John Hazen White, Karl Wadensten, and Melissa Travis Guest MINDSETTERS™ View Larger + Most of us have known Governor McKee for years; he is an honest, family-oriented individual who wants to do what is best for Rhode Island and its citizens. He and his team have gone out of their way to meet with each of us to discuss our concerns; he has indicated he is not supportive of efforts to raise taxes; we are grateful that he is listening.
Case Study: VIBCO’s Lean Transformation Journey
VIBCO was founded in 1962 by Theodore S. Wadensten, my father. Since then we have recorded over 25 U.S. Patents for our designs. The company is headquartered in Wyoming, RI, USA, with sales and warehouse locations in Toronto, Florida, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. We sell to a global audience, enabled by our global distribution partner network. VIBCO manufactures more than 1,800 unique SKUs, with 6,000+ manufactured components.
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