Driving Economic Development and Growth

• Launched a new tourism marketing campaign, “All That,” with the intention of driving occupancy throughout Rhode Island and bringing revenue into communities. This campaign includes national ads featuring Rhode Island’s history, dining destinations, and picturesque shorelines.
  • Won four gold Travel Weekly Magellan awards in 2024 in the categories of Campaign- Advertising/Marketing, Print Advertising, TV Commercial, and Overall-Family Destination, enhancing Rhode Island’s visibility, setting us apart from other destinations, and making the state more appealing to visitors.
  • Grew Rhode Island visitor volume by 2.2 percent to 28.4 million people in 2023 and increased visitor spending by 4.6 percent from 2022 to $5.6 billion in 2023, generating $935 million in state and local tax revenue.
• Invested in the RI Rebounds Placemaking Initiative, a $3-million statewide effort that seeks to support the tourism and hospitality (including events) industries. This initiative has supported programs such as Waterfire Providence’s annual Clear Currents Community Paddling Night, Federal Hill Commerce Association’s Al Fresco on the Hill and Summer Festival, the City of East Providence’s July 14th Intertribal Powwow, and the Rhode Island Troll Trail.
• Invested in the network of beautiful state parks, beaches, campgrounds, and forests by enhancing staffing levels and improving facilities, as well as increasing naturalist programs and emergency preparedness.
• Continued to support the Rhode Island Main Street Streetscape Improvement Fund, appropriating an additional $1 million in FY 2025 with a one- year sunset extension. This program awards grants on a competitive basis for improvements to our commercial districts, such as signage, lighting, facade, and sidewalk improvements to revitalize main street and downtown business districts and generate activity in these areas.
  • For the first time, allowed grants to be used towards technical assistance to support future physical improvements and streetscape projects in the FY 2024 budget. Eligible applicants are now able to request up to $50,000 in funds to support project planning, engineering, design, and environmental assessments.
  • Awarded 26 grants totaling over $5.4 million in 2023 and 2024, including $1.25 million to the City of Providence to support improvements to Wayland Square, upgrade lighting in Federal Hill, and create downtown wayfinding signage in partnership with the Downtown Parks Network; $150,000 to support the development of the theatre district in downtown Woonsocket; and $250,000 to East Providence to support Watchemoket/Warren Ave Commercial Corridor Improvements.
• Launched Breeze Airways’ Base of Operations on March 29, 2023. T.F. Green continues to be a base of operations for Breeze Airways, which is expanding under a new agreement to offer a total of 35 underserved or unserved nonstop routes over the next five years. These include seven routes to destinations west of the Mississippi, with up to 12 locally-based aircraft flying 200 flights per week. Notably, at least three of these 35 destinations will be international routes, further enhancing the airport’s global connectivity. Breeze is also expecting to create up to 400 permanent well-paying airport jobs over the coming years.

• Continued to receive “Best Airport” accolades at Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport, which was recently ranked #2 out of more than 500 commercial airports in the United States in the Travel + Leisure “World’s Best Awards” based on readers’ survey results. The airport has been recognized by national and international reviewers 12 times in the last seven years, including being named one of the “Best Small Airports” in the nation in USA Today’s “Ten Best” Readers’ Choice Awards and most recently the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards Top Ten Airports in the World.
  • As of October 2024, benefited from a remarkable 129 percent increase in nonstop flights since 2017. The flights, comprised of 39 nonstop routes served by 9 airlines, include regularly scheduled seasonal nonstop flights from Rhode Island T. F. Green to the West Coast and new nonstop daily flights to San Juan, PR starting in October 2024.
  • Experienced 31 percent more scheduled seats across all airlines in and out of Rhode Island T. F. Green for the upcoming winter season (October 2024 – March 2025) compared to the previous year. According to Airlines for America, T.F. Green is now the fastest- growing small hub airport in the country, driven by this significant seat growth.
• Awarded a “Taste of Rhode Island” food and beverage contract for Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport through Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) to provide travelers with more diverse concession options and to serve as an opportunity for local restauranteurs to promote their local eateries, wineries, coffee houses and breweries. New dining options include Saugy’s and Narragansett Brewing Company, as well as other local Rhode Island favorites.

• Created Litter-Free Rhode Island, a statewide initiative aimed at reducing litter and preserving the natural beauty of the Ocean State through community engagement, cleanup efforts, and educational outreach. An interactive online “TrashBoard” tracks the progress of cleanups, showcasing the collective impact, with over 400 tons of big-litter items collected between March and October 2024. The Governor’s FY 2025 budget included the resources to sustain the Litter-Free program, including 10 groundskeeper positions and over 100 microgrants to supporting community organizations to conduct litter cleanups.

• Appropriated $45 million in SFRF in the enacted FY 2024 budget to create the new Rhode Island Life Science Hub (RILSH), a quasi-state agency, and support the growth of life sciences in the state, including financing a new wet lab facility (Ocean State Labs) and providing other business supports.
  • Awarded the first round of RILSH small grants to industry partners and is in the process of awarding grants to other partners and companies.
  • Aided in the commercialization of technology and business development in the life sciences industry, inclusive of medical devices, biomedical technology, medical therapeutic therapies, biogenetics, biomedical engineering, biopharmaceuticals, and genomics.
  • Established a 15-member RILSH Board to coordinate state life science initiatives and manage a new RI Life Science Investment Fund to make investments and provide grants and loans.
• Announced plans for Ocean State Labs, the state’s first incubator space for life science startup companies. The lab space, located at 150 Richmond St. that is anticipated to open by the end of 2025, will be home for up to 30 life science startups. The 30,000 square feet of lab space will include several private labs, flex and open lab spaces, a freezer room, space dedicated to microbiology, a microscope, as well as offices and collaboration rooms.
• Included a one-year sunset extension and allocated an additional $2 million in FY 2024 to the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission to support the development of land made available in downtown Providence because of the relocation of Interstate 195 (“the Innovation District”).
  • Financially supported Wexford Science and Technology’s catalytic development of an approximately 200,000 square- foot commercial building.
  • Financed infrastructure improvements, including the adjacent property owned by National Grid and the extension of the Riverwalk pathway to support the district in its preparation to manage and operate 195 District Park.
  • Filled project financing gaps, purchase adjacent property, and cover Development Plan expenses related to its status as a Special Economic Development District, among other projects.
  • Allowed the Innovation District to close the project financing gap on a 249-unit mixed-use development by allocating $1.2 million for Emblem 125, enabling the project to provide 12 workforce housing units.
• Redeveloped several parcels since the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission’s inception, including Point225, a commercial building anchored by the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) and Brown University that includes laboratory space, public workspace, an event facility, and a dine-in restaurant; a 175-room Aloft hotel with a rooftop bar and ground-floor retail; a mixed-use project anchored by a grocery store, 60 mixed- income residential units, and approximately 9,200 SF of retail space; Chestnut Commons, a 92-unit residential building with ground floor retail space; and Emblem 125, a 249-unit residential building with ground-floor retail.

• Supported construction at 150 Richmond, a 208,000-square foot laboratory building anchored by a new Rhode Island State Health Laboratory, which is anticipated to be complete in the 2025. The State Health Lab will occupy 80,000 square feet of the facility and will feature cutting-edge technology to strengthen public health, enhance preparedness, and support vital functions like lead testing, pollution monitoring, and infectious disease surveillance. It will play a key role in expanding Rhode Island’s bioscience sector.
• Supported the Rebuild Rhode Island Tax Credit program, which provides real estate development tax credits for qualified construction. This program is designed to forward fund credits to create a lesser burden on state sources when those credits begin to be redeemed in the future.
  • Distributed 51 awards valued at an estimated $198.1 million, inclusive of sales and use tax exemptions, as of August 2024.
• Increased the award cap for the Rebuild Rhode Island program by $15 million in FY 2024 and included a one-year sunset extension in FY 2025.
  • Supported such projects as the recently reopened historic Studley Building in downtown Providence, creating workforce housing and increased economic vitality in downtown Providence, and the redevelopment of the once- industrial Arctic Mills into rental housing and commercial retail space in West Warwick.
• Created a Site Readiness program that partners with municipalities and developers to fund municipal technical assistance and site-specific planning projects. Grants under this program assist municipalities in developing the strategies and plans needed to spur local development and support municipalities and private developers by preparing sites for development or redevelopment.
  • Awarded $4.0 million to 64 projects as of June 2024.
• Received a $500,000 Ocean Tech Hub Consortium Accelerator Grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to continue implementing an Ocean Tech Hub focused on advancing ocean technology innovation and solidifying the region as a global leader in the growing ocean economy.
• Supported the manufacturing industry with an annual passthrough grant to the Polaris Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Polaris). Polaris, a Providence-based non-profit organization, provides support to manufacturers within the state through training and consultation for sustainable growth, innovative technology strategies, cost- efficient operations, and talent development.