Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - July 26, 2019

HOT

Nuts 'N More

It all started in 2013 on Season 4 of the TV series Shark Tank, when Rhode Island’s Nuts ’N More appeared and received $250,000 from Sharks Mark Cuban and Robert Herjavec for 35 percent of the company.

When the company appeared on the show, its sales were just $100,000.

Two years later on an update segment of Shark Tank— sales had risen to $6 million after a deal with retailer GNC.  

In 2018, according to Inc. Magazine sales have grown to more than $30 million. The magazine ranks the Rhode Island startup as Cuban's second-best investment on the show.

Peter Ferreira, CEO of Nuts 'N more tells GoLocal about working with Cuban, “He’s always 10 years ahead and has honesty shaped the direction of this company.  We have regular monthly meetings and he’ll dive right into the weeds at times. It’s crazy! “

“Frankly I have no idea how he does it and keeps track of everything. He’s extremely generous and all he wants in return is for his investments to give it 1000% effort + a return, of course, lol,” adds Ferreira.

Now, Inc. magazine ranking joins Fortune magazine’s designation in 2016 that Nuts ’N More is one of the top 10 Shark Tank investments of all-time.

HOT

Louise Durfee and Huck Little 

The two long-time Tiverton residents will serve as grand marshalls to the Tiverton Days parade.

Durfee, who was a trailblazing female lawyer in Rhode Island, was one of the founders of Save the Bay, and Director of RI Department of Environmental Management.

Durfee has served on the Tiverton Council, on and off, over the decades. And, in 1994 she ran for the Democratic nominee for Governor.

Little was on the Town Council in Portsmouth for 28 years and served as state representative for six years.

Two fine people, long in service -- one a Democrat and one a Republican. Good selections for grand marshalls.

HOT

Pat's Pastured

It is an unlikely story of a history major from suburban Long Island, who came to Rhode Island to attend Providence College and play lacrosse, who then helped create one of Rhode Island’s most interesting businesses and successful farms.

Pat McNiff took an unlikely path, but he and his wife Kelly started Pat’s Pastured in East Greenwich and now it is one of the most diversified farms in Rhode Island

According to McNiff, the farm features the “highest quality pasture-raised and grass-fed meats. We raise 100% grass-fed beef and pasture-raised chickens, ducks, turkeys and pigs.”

McNiff says, “Our goal is to provide our livestock with a life that allows them to express their natural instincts fully in a pastured environment. That means that pigs get to root, run and play; chickens get to peck, scratch and crow; turkeys goggle and strut; cows eat grass outside, not corn in confinement.”

HOT

$100 Million Investment

The Carpionato Group unveiled development plans for the former Newport Grand Casino property this week.

The project unveiled in Newport by Carpionato’s CEO K. MacArthur Coates proposed to demolish the former Casino and create Newport North End -- a $100-million mixed-use development to serve as the amenity anchor for the Newport Resilience Innovation District

When completed the project will generate approximately $1.5 million in tax revenue to the City of Newport.

Newport North End will be the largest private development project in Newport to date, said the company.

Latest for Rhode Island Developer

Carpionato last year acquired nearly all of the former Benny’s retail location properties.

The new development will include two six-story hotels (182,604 sq. ft.) featuring a total of 260 rooms targeted to business travelers; two six-story apartment buildings (179,876 sq. ft) targeting younger workers and those seeking to downsize; as well as 164,548 square feet of innovative research and office space, as well as medical, retail and restaurant space. It is anticipated the project will create approximately 250 construction jobs, and approximately 500 full-time permanent jobs upon completion.

“Newport is seeking to create a national model for resilience and innovation that will attract new economy companies, and the people who will work there, and this project is designed to provide the amenities and infrastructure necessary to support that vision and the people working there,” said K. MacArthur Coates, President and CEO of Carpionato Group.

HOT

3 High School Students in Newport

Viking Hot Dog cart was started by Will Farley, Kayleigh Mosher and Peyton Gardner. The three are all juniors at Rogers High School.

According to Viking Hot Dog’s social media Mosher wrote the business plan, Gardner handles the menu and prices, and Farley handled the permitting, logo design and social media marketing. The three have obtained all state-required permits including from the DOH, the DBR, the State Fire Marshal, the DOT and the IRS, according to Farley. 

One of the most exclusive beach clubs in America — Spouting Rock Beach Association (SRBA) or better known as Bailey’s Beach Club — called the Newport Police on Friday to try and force the removal of a hot dog stand which was started by three Newport high schools students. The students' stand was located more than 1,200 feet from the entrance of Bailey's and not visible from the club.

The not-for-profit beach club demanded the for-profit high school vendors be barred from selling on the sidewalk. The hot dog stand had set up outside the entrance to "Rejects Beach" -- the beach used primarily by Newport locals. It has no parking or concessions.

After a series of GoLocal stories, Bailey's reversed course and announced that they supported the highschoolers' efforts.

Bailey’s Beach club's members include the Vanderbilt, Astor, and Whitehouse families -- some of the wealthiest and most influential in America's history.

“They first starting selling hot dogs there two and a half weeks ago. They all have other jobs -- they do this on the weekends mostly, Saturdays and Sundays. They might have sold 42 hot dogs at lunch the other day, I know today they said it was 58,” added Farley.

Farley said the matter of the food cart -- and its location -- will be taken up shortly by the Newport City Council. "The council has the opportunity to do the right thing," said Farley. 

NOT

Beach Closures

The bay is cleaner than it has been in the last 150 years thanks to better wastewater treatment and stronger environmental enforcement, but this week about a dozen public beaches had to be closed. 

NOT

Barbara Cottam

Do we really need to wonder why RI's schools are performing so poorly?

According to the Chair of the Providence School Committee, Barbara Cottam, the State of Rhode Island’s Chair of the Board of Education has never visited a Providence School other than for “maybe a press conference.”

Cottam, a long-time Democratic staffer and close personal ally to Governor Gina Raimondo was appointed by Raimondo in February of 2015. She refused to respond to a series of questions about her involvement with Providence schools during her four-plus years as chair of the Board. Today, she serves as a top communications executive for Citizens Bank.

Nick Hemond says that in the three-and-a-half years that he has chaired the Providence School Committee Board, he and Cottam have only met one time — two years ago.

Hemond while appearing on GoLocal LIVE on Monday said, “We met one time and it was in response to talk of this sort of thing -- two years ago under Ken Wagner [former RI Commissioner of Education] and you know we pushed back at that time to say listen, all of our winds are together.”

According to minutes of meetings of the Board of Education, it has never held a meeting at a Providence School.  Neither Hemond nor other schools officials remember Cottam visiting a Providence school in her tenure as chair.

NOT

Wexford Innovation Center

RI has invested more than $40 million towards the construction of the $88 million innovation center.

The nearly 200,000 square foot tech center opens with just 12 new jobs for Rhode Island.

We need to do better.