May 15, 2020 - Office Activity Update
Lt. Governor McKee today hosted one of his twice weekly COVID-19 virtual town hall meetings for Rhode Island's small business community.
Mark Hayward, District Director of the Rhode Island Small Business Administration (SBA) Office reported $109 billion in remaining PPP funding.
Matthew Weldon, Assistant Director of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training reported that 220,000 unemployment insurance claims have been filed.
Liz Tanner, Director of the Department of Business Regulation provided information on outdoor dining which begins on May 18. She urged small business owners to go to reopeningri.com for additional information.
The Lt. Governor received an update on the "Gift it Forward" initiative from Lori Giuttari of Visual Thrive, Chris Parisi of Trailblaze PVD, and Justin Gontarek of Oceanside Graphics. They announced that 1200 businesses registered on the website.
A panel representing Rhode Island's vacation rental property owners discussed the impact that the pandemic is having on their industry. Councilwoman Terri Flynn of Middletown, Leon Amarant, and Sara Minor all talked about the wave of cancellations and resulting vacancies that will occur unless regulations shift.