| R 277 |
| 2019 -- S 0860 Enacted 05/08/2019 |
| S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
| CELEBRATING THE WEEK OF MAY 5TH THROUGH 11TH , 2019, AS "NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK" AND PROCLAIMING THE WEEK OF MAY 6TH THROUGH MAY 10TH, 2019, TO BE "RHODE ISLAND SMALL BUSINESS WEEK" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND |
| Introduced By: Senators Picard, Cano, Ruggerio, Paolino, and de la Cruz |
| Date Introduced: May 08, 2019 |
| WHEREAS, Every year the State of Rhode Island sets aside time to honor small business |
| owners and their employees and to thank them for helping to ensure that the United States |
| remains the world's economic leader and for their contributions to the economic growth and |
| vitality of our state; and |
| WHEREAS, Small businesses are responsible for the creation of close to two-thirds of all |
| new jobs in America and employ more than half of all Americans. In Rhode Island, as of 2015, |
| small businesses employed 224,254 people equaling 52.7 percent of the private workforce. |
| Businesses with fewer than 100 employees have the largest share of small business employment; |
| and |
| WHEREAS, The creativity, ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit exhibited on a daily basis |
| by hard-working small business owners and employees form the backbone of our nation and are |
| the lifeblood of the cities and towns across America and within Rhode Island; and |
| WHEREAS, Each year, the United States Small Business Administration hands out |
| various "Small Business Week Awards" to outstanding small business leaders in every state and |
| region in the nation. This year, during the week of May 6 through May 10, the Rhode Island State |
| Senate will be honoring the United States Small Business Administration Rhode Island honorees; |
| and |
| WHEREAS, The distinguished 2019 recipients are: Small Business Persons of the Year |
| Award, Justin Oakley and Michael Vieira, Owners of Oakley Home Access; Rhode Island & New |
| England Small Business Manufacturer Award, Sennen G. Conte, Owner/CFO, Gerbs Allergen |
| Friendly Foods; Rhode Island & New England Veteran-Owned Small Business Award, |
| Christopher Sanford, Owner of PuroClean Disaster Restoration Services; Rhode Island & New |
| England Woman-Owned Small Business Award, Susan Pascale-Frechette, Owner and Director of |
| PODS Swimming, Inc.; Rhode Island & New England Young Entrepreneur Award, Bryan Gibb |
| Co-Owner of Bolt Coffee; Small Business Exporter Award, Naresh Mehta, Co-Founder & CEO, |
| Aman Mehta, Co-Founder, and Christopher Mainiero, Partner of Grow Materials, LLC; Financial |
| Services Champion Award, Pamela LaBreche, AVP, Relationship Manager of Navigant Credit |
| Union; Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Small Business Award, Gwendolyn Graham, President, |
| Roger Graham, Vice President of Miller's Roast Beef; Microenterprise Award, Matthew Banoub, |
| Owner of Alten Energy Conservation LLC; Minority-Owned Small Business Award, Lei Nichols, |
| CEO of Wise Mouth Inc.; Rhode Island District Director Award, Posthumously, Raymond |
| Fogarty, Director, The John H. Chaffee Center for International Business, Bryant University; and |
| the Joseph G.E. Knight Award For Entrepreneurial Excellence, Kristi Langslet, CEO of |
| Sommerfly LLC; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
| hereby celebrates the week of May 5th through May 11th, 2019, as "National Small Business |
| Week" and proclaims the week of May 6th through May 10th, 2019, to be "Rhode Island Small |
| Business Week" in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mr. Mark S. Hayward, District Director, Rhode |
| Island District Office, United States Small Business Administration. |
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| LC002426 |
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