Providence Business News

In 2023, the General Assembly made its biggest bet yet on Rhode Island’s life sciences industry. Lawmakers committed $45 million over three years to create the R.I. Life Science Hub, a quasi-public state entity charged with centralizing, connecting, funding and coordinating life sciences initiatives across the state. Since then, the hub has poured most of

Artificial intelligence has become another tool in the lawyer’s toolbox, but the R.I. Supreme Court is making it clear that lawyers need a solid grasp of the rapidly developing technology before using it. In June, the court amended its rules of professional conduct to say lawyers should keep abreast of the benefits and risks of

(Editor’s note: This is the 74th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each will be asked their views on minority-business conditions in the state and for ways to improve those businesses’ chances for success. See previous features here.) David Lawlor was born in Pune, India, and raised in an orphanage

The Providence Board of Licenses has the power to put a bar or nightclub out of business by revoking the licenses that allow it to operate. When the city should exercise that power is at the center of its case against Mezzo Lounge following the Sept. 19 fatal stabbing of University of Massachusetts Dartmouth football

Tim Hodge | Northeast regional vice president, Charter Communications Inc., doing business as Spectrum 1. What will the transition from Cox Communications to Spectrum mean for customers in Rhode Island? Rhode Island customers now have the choice to choose Spectrum Internet, Mobile and TV options, including internet with no data caps or contracts, a free

The U.S. Navy is looking beyond its traditional defense contractors for new undersea technology, and Rhode Island companies see an opening. In a Sept. 15 announcement, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport said it wants to involve more companies earlier in the development and acquisition of technologies, moving promising innovations to the fleet faster

Sydney Webb scrimped and saved to pay for an eight-week certified nursing assistant program at a North Carolina community college. On top of the $255 registration fee, the 26-year-old bartender also had to pay for a background check, scrubs, a stethoscope, special shoes and a state certification exam – all while working half as much

MORE NEEDED: Bob Cormier, CEO and president of the R.I. Life Science Hub, is looking for significantly more state investment in the promising life sciences sector. He stands here outside Brown University’s life sciences building in Providence’s Jewelry District. PBN FILE PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM The promise of Rhode Island’s life sciences sector is easy to see. About 6,000 people already work in the local industry, with advocates projecting that number to double over the next decade.

A board game cafe has opened in North Providence, giving residents a place to play, socialize and gather. The Game House LLC, located at 1726 Smith St. and owned by Genesis Sanchez and August Bogner, welcomed its first customers Aug. 23. The opening exceeded expectations, the couple said, with a line forming outside before the

CLOSING THE GAP: Craig Force founded ExactPay Payroll Services in 2023 after his former long-term employer, Complete Payroll Solutions, sold its 12,000-client book of business to a national provider, leaving New England with what he felt was a massive gap in the local payroll industry. PBN PHOTO/STEPHANIE BERNABA As the co-owner of Warwick-based ExactPay Payroll Services LLC, Craig Force knows his payroll and human resources technology business is up against some stiff competition.