Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - December 6, 2019

HOT

He Could Have Worked Anywhere -- He Remained Committed to Providence

Dr. Eugenio Fernandez Jr.'s Asthenis Pharmacy's message is “Knowledge is power. We give you and your family the power to better manage your health.”

Fernandez’s back story is compelling - he grew up in Providence and went to public elementary and middle schools. He attended Classical High School and then the University of Rhode Island.

He earned four degrees from URI including a doctorate in pharmacy and then attended Harvard University. Fernandez was loaded with academic healthcare and business hardware.

When asked with his academic achievement in healthcare, why he choose to come back to Providence and start Asthenis, a community pharmacy, he said it was the connection.

“[We set up at] Wiggins Village - it's a Winn property.  It's low income, it's the projects, it's on Cranston Street.  My relation to this --  to the Village -- is I grew up nearby in Hanover Street," said Fernandez. “Hanover Street, it's low income, so that area itself -- the surrounding area -- is a low-income area, so a lot of people here in the community I knew growing up. [They] recognized me and know me and I felt like there's a need for this service there.”

HOT

Rivalry Game

Tonight at the Ryan Center at the University of Rhode Island, Providence College and URI go head-to-head in college basketball.

It is simply the best game of every season.

HOT

RI Talent on the Forbes Under 30 List

Forbes annual  “30 Under 30” list has been released for 2020 —and Rhode Island is well-represented

The list contains Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design alumni and faculty -- and more.

Kiara Butler, who developed Diversity Talks in 2017, the Rhode Island-based program empowering pupils to improve their educators' cultural competence, is one of Forbes' "30 Under 30" with Rhode Island ties featured.  SEE THE FULL LIST HERE

HOT

David Ortiz

It was not long ago David Ortiz was a reporter and editor at the PBN. Now, he has risen through the political ranks to serve as Chief-of-Staff to Governor Gina Raimondo.

Ortiz -- like any good senior advisor to any elected official -- will do his best work and no one will ever know. He will keep the Governor and the rest of the administration from making stupid mistakes.  

Previously as communications director, he had to try and explain them.

HOT

Joe Kennedy

As GoLocal editorialized this week, Joe Kennedy appears to be one of the few members of Congress focused on solutions and not political pandering. We wrote:

Many frustrated Americans are disgusted with the two political parties being unable and unwilling to work across the aisle. Each plays to its base and each has become experts at divisive and destructive politics.

For the rest of us, we look to our public servants to find solutions to healthcare, immigration, infrastructure, and many other critical issues. It matters that the two parties have refused to work together to find solutions.

It was unexpected to hear Joe Kennedy talk about his success and continued efforts to work across the aisle to pass legislation and find solutions.

In an interview with GoLocal Live, Kennedy was anything but sanctimonious and partisan.

Kennedy outlined how he believes his approach to getting things done is more effective, and spoke to what he said has been his success working on bipartisan legislation -- even during a time when the Senate is controlled by Republicans and President Donald Trump is in the White House.

“If you believe in the urgency of this moment, that there are people that are shut out, left out and locked out from a system that needs their concerns to be addressed immediately, then we're going to have to find a way to actually advance those issues immediately.  Today I've been the lead Democrat on over a dozen or so bills since I came into office, some of which I have led and some of which Republicans have led, but I was the lead on most of them,” said Kennedy.

HOT

Top Banker

Citizen’s Bank’s Bruce Van Saun has been named Banker of the Year by American Banker.

“For his leadership in positioning Citizens as a regional bank with staying power, Van Saun is American Banker’s Banker of the Year for 2019,” writes American Banker.

This comes as Citizens’ total assets have reached nearly $165 billion as of September 30, according to American Banker.

In 2018, the bank opened a $285 million campus in Johnston, RI. 

American Banker cites Van Saun's ability to turnaround the bank's fortunes, "While its competitors were ramping up lending, pursuing new revenue sources and investing in technology aimed at improving service and efficiency, Citizens was going in reverse. Total assets had shrunk by 25% from pre-crisis levels and the bank unit was losing deposit share in several of its key markets, including Boston and Philadelphia."

"A lot has changed in six years. Under Van Saun and his management team — and thanks in no small part to its well-timed spinoff from RBS — Citizens today is a thoroughly transformed company. Its commercial loan portfolio is growing faster than the industry average as the bank has moved into new markets, invested in new business lines and added a host of new fee-based services that have helped it attract larger, more sophisticated corporate clients," writes American Banker.

HOT

Gotham Greens

Gotham Greens, a pioneer in indoor agriculture and a leading fresh produce and food company in Providence, had its official ribbon-cutting and "first harvest" on Thursday.

SEE VIDEO HERE

Located at 555 Harris Avenue, Gotham Greens converted a former General Electric lighting factory into a 100,000 square foot, high-tech greenhouse located along Providence’s Woonasquatucket River. 

The new indoor farm marks the company’s expansion into the New England market, enabling Gotham Greens to deliver a year-round supply of fresh, local produce to retail, restaurant and foodservice customers across the region. 

NOT

RI's Healthcare System

It is time for Governor Gina Raimondo to play the role as a dealmaker again and get the players in healthcare around the table before the system collapses.

There is financial trouble in the Rhode Island healthcare system.

“Rhode Island continues to be a very challenging environment for the health care industry. To succeed, we need to be agile, open to new ideas, and find innovative ways to provide high quality, compassionate care for more patients with less reimbursement. We are committed to doing just that,” said Dr. Timothy J. Babineau, president and CEO of Lifespan.

Due to Lifespan’s finances, Babineau has said layoffs are on the table and union officials are furious.

In an interview on GoLocal LIVE, Linda McDonald, President of the  United Nurses and Allied Professional (UNAP) said, “UNAP represents over 2,700 direct caregivers at Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children's Hospital. It's well-known that were already stretched very thin on staffing and we would be very surprised if they could possibly handle layoffs at the bedside."

NOT

Town of Narragansett

As GoLocal was first to report, the Narragansett Town Council violated the Open Meetings Act (OMA) multiple times in the process of selecting its latest Town Manager, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.

Complaints brought by Melissa Jenkins, Amanda Moss, and Denis Monahan alleged the Council violated the OMA when it discussed, conducted interviews, negotiated the contract, and selected the new Town Manager in a series of executive session meetings between May and July 2019. 

Neronha found that during several of the executive sessions “the Council discussed…matters related to the Town Manager position, such as how to proceed with advertising the position, collecting resumes, and scheduling interviews for the position, as well as how the Council would determine which applicants to interview” — and during one executive session, "discussed possible contact terms for the posting."

“Discussion of these topics — which did not pertain to any individual applicant’s job performance or qualifications — in executive session…violated the OMA,” wrote Neronha. 

The town council, in an open meeting on August 26, voted to appoint James Tierney as the Town Manager and to approve his contract; Tierney was sworn in on September 16, 2019. 

NOT

Raimondo's Fake Christmas Tree

Really? With family farms struggling in Rhode Island and the local tree growers looking for a little PR boost, you use a fake plastic tree in the State House.

Really?

Kind of Grinchy.