GPCC continues to advocate for the immediate implementation of the FAA approved improvements at TF Green.

Thursday night, the Chamber joined members of the labor community to testify before the Warwick City Council Sub-Committee on Airport Litigation. Three hundred concerned citizens packed the Council Chambers in support of the approved airport runway expansion. It was an impressive show of support for this important economic development project.

Laurie White, president of the Chamber, in conjunction with representatives from the Labor Community including Greg Mancini from BuildRI, Michael Sabitoni, president of the Rhode Island Building Trades and Paul MacDonald, president of the Providence Central Federation Council of the AFL-CIO, testified to the urgency of the proposed airport improvement projects and the need to begin construction as soon as possible without any further litigation delays.

We wish to thank our business and labor members who attended the hearing. The Chamber will continue to monitor the work of the Airport Litigation Sub-Committee of the Warwick City Council, as this important development project will create much needed jobs and economic benefits to the State of Rhode Island.

The high cost of generic and brand name medications concerns many Rhode Islanders. Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce has joined the Statewide Prescription Assistance Program (RIRX Free Prescription Program), designed to give Rhode Island residents access to health care savings and discounts on their medications. Utilization of this card can provide Rhode Island families with Rx medication savings of up to 75 percent at more than 56,000 pharmacies across the country —including CVS pharmacy, Walgreens, Walmart and many more.

This program is not just for those who do not have access to prescription coverage. It also benefits residents with medication savings for prescriptions not covered by their health plan. Common non-covered drugs this program accommodates includes medications used to treat sexual wellness, depression, attention deficit disorders, smoking cessation, weight loss, blood pressure regulation and more.

RIRX guarantees the best pricing on prescriptions (card holders pay the lower discount off average wholesale price-AWP, MAC pricing, or pharmacy promotional/retail price). Some residents have experienced up to 75 percent savings on their medications, the average savings comes to roughly 30 percent. All prescriptions remain confidential when processed through this program. The discount cards are preactivated and can be printed in unlimited quantities for immediate use at rirx.com or by visiting the link on the GPCC homepage. If you have any questions, please contact Allie Springer at aspringer@provchamber.com

Alert your neighbors! Start earning huge savings for your family today

Raising taxes needs to be a last resort. For effective economic development, Rhode Island needs to have a simple and predictable tax code. 

That was the sentiment echoed by leaders of the Rhode Island House and Senate to a crowd of close to 650 at the Chamber’s Legislative Luncheon held today at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Participating in the discussion were President of the Senate M. Teresa Paiva Weed; Speaker of the House Gordon Fox; House Majority Leader Nicholas Mattiello; Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio; House Minority Leader Brian Newberry; and Senate Minority Leader Dennis Algiere.

Another key topic during the conversation moderated by Chamber President Laurie White– municipal pension reform. Both Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed and House Speaker Gordon Fox said they are working with local municipalities to aid them in addressing their issues, but cautioned it’s not something that is likely to be fixed legislatively. 

In addressing the addition of casino table games to Twin River and Newport Grand, Fox said the process will be “transparent” and will certainly “weight and balance” the needs of the state economy, and those services that are funded by Rhode Island’s current gaming structure.

Other topics discussed: effective development of the land made available by the relocation of Route 195, development of Quonset Point and regulatory reform.

Leaders from both the House and Senate also urged members of the audience to get engaged in the process by contacting their local representative and senator on issues important to them, and their businesses.  An idea also championed by Jon Duffy, Chair of theChamber’s Board of Directors who eluded to a new online advocacy tool for members which will be launched in the coming week.

Thank you to all that participated in today’s program.

For the past few months, Bryant University’s Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization has been planning a regional interactive “how-to” conference, branded as BU_NEEC (Bryant University New England Entrepreneurship Conference). The regional conference, open to students studying entrepreneurship in the Northeast, and those who participate in various entrepreneurial-based organizations throughout New England; is scheduled to take place Friday, February 3rd – Saturday, February 4th on the Bryant University campus in the George E. Bello Center in Smithfield, RI.

Keynote Speakers:

Mark Hellendrung, Narragansett Brewery CEO

Susan Rittscher, President & CEO of Center for Women and Enterprise

Duane Spires, President of Extreme Youth Sports and Motivational Speaker

The goal of this event is to provide an exchange of ideas between entrepreneurial students and established entrepreneurs, through forums that showcase inspirational testimony of lessons learned; and practical interactive “How-to” workshops, teaching specific skill sets necessary to launch a business idea. The workshops have been categorized into 4 groups: New Venture Creation, Marketing Your Venture, Managing Your Finances, and Power of the Internet.

Competitions & Awards:

Build-A-Brand Competition:

Teams will be provided with materials to create a unique new product for the beverage industry! The teams will be required to brand the product by making strategic decisions about the name, packaging, distribution area, costs, and promotional items. The goal of this challenge: Be Unique! At the end of the competition, teams will pitch their brand to a panel of judges, all of who have experience in the beverage industry. Cash prizes will be given to the winning team. Judges include: H. Shahidi, Former Pepsi-Co2 Executive; Jon Mason, CEO SwingJuice, Miguel Dominguez, CEO Avant Tea. Participation is open to all registered conference attendees.

BU NEEC’s Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award:

Individuals will submit a written entry describing their entrepreneurial accomplishments of 2011. Entries should be emailed to bunique@bryantceo.org and should be no more than two pages, doubled spaced,in length. Those entering will need to provide their name, address, phone, and email at the top of the document. Attaching links to business/organization websites and providing any media coverage received in the past year will be beneficial to all individuals entering. Participation is open to all student registered conference attendees.

BU NEEC’s Most Unique Award:

Individuals will be required to post a video pitch of their unique business idea to the Bryant CEO (Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization) Facebook page or to twitter @CEO_Bryant with the hashtag #bu_neec. Note that this does not need to be an established business. We are merely hoping to get conference attendees to think creatively and share their ideas with the public. The prize for the Most Unique award is free business consulting from Bryant CEO and their advisers. The winning video will be sent to a venture capitalist! Judging is based on uniqueness and feasibility of the idea as well as how the public reacts to the idea via social media. Participation is open to all registered conference attendees.

Fun Events:

Entrepreneurial Speed Dating- Find your new Business Partner in this networking event!

Shark Tank LIVE! - Watch a live broadcast of the hit entrepreneurship show in Janikies Theater.

Event Itinerary:

The conference will begin with registration at 2pm on Friday, February 3rd followed by a networking social hour in our Bello Center Grand Hall. This will provide an opportunity for all participants to network with the guest speakers while also getting a better idea of which workshops they wish to attend. On Friday afternoon from 4-6PM, the first series of break out “how-to” workshops will begin. These will be held in the Bryant Center’s meeting rooms and classrooms. We will then provide a sit down dinner featuring a Keynote Speaker.

Saturday morning will begin with a one day participant registration from 8-9 AM followed by the second series of workshops. Lunch hour on Saturday will conclude our conference with Keynote Address and an awards ceremony.

Please Join Us!  If you know of an inspiring student entrepreneur, please pass along the information to this “not-to-miss” event.

Registration URL: http://bryantceo.eventbrite.com/

The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce is bringing leaders of both the Rhode Island House and Senate together for the Legislative Luncheon: A Forum for 2012, on Thursday, January 26 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Tax policy, the state budget, pension reform, and economic development strategies are several of the issues that members of the Assembly are being asked to address as part of this panel discussion.

Scheduled to be on the panel are: Speaker of the House Gordon Fox; President of the Senate M. Teresa Paiva Weed; House Majority Leader Nicholas Mattiello; Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio; House Minority Leader Brian Newberry; and Senate Minority Leader Dennis Algiere.

This annual event is expected to attract more than 600 local business leaders. Fidelity Investments is the event’s Presenting Sponsor.

 

Part I: Planning to Win

New Zig Ziglar book explains how everybody is Born to Win

 By Jennifer Chang  January 24, 2012 

Editor’s note: Zig Ziglar’s new book Born to Win, released Jan. 24 on SUCCESS.com. In this SUCCESS exclusive excerpt, learn how the first step to achievement is simple planning. 

In his new book Born to Win,  Zig Ziglar says everybody is capable of achieving success. Everybody. The weird cousin you avoid at family reunions? She’s designed for accomplishment. Your neighbor who is—simply put—a jerk? He’s engineered for success. Anyone can be great. The difference, Ziglar says, “Many people who want to be great aren’t willing to do the work to make it possible!”

Planning to win, as the book’s first part suggests, is a mindset makeover of how to begin living your life as it was meant to be lived. Ziglar begins with the foundation he laid in his previous best-selling book, See You at the Top,—desire is the most powerful motivator you have in your arsenal—and builds on it with helpful tools to sharpen your goal-setting and tips on how to effectively map out your plan.

Perhaps the most revealing of ‘Part I: Planning to Win’ are two simple questions: “What is your definition of success? And do you know what success is and what it isn’t?” If you hesitated, struggled, or tried to answer either question with one sentence, or attempted to define success with one idea, then you need to re-think your plans to attain success. After all, how can you achieve something you can’t even describe? “True success,” explains Ziglar, “has more components than one sentence or idea can contain.” Knowing what you want, being able to clearly relate it to an outsider—that is the first step which many jump over, only to misstep later on in the race of life.

If understanding success is the easily forgotten step, then understanding your goals is the next underrated course of action. Zig Ziglar gives a compelling illustration of the power of understanding one’s purpose:

“Three men were busy at the same task, and a passerby stopped and asked each of the men what they were doing. The first man said, “I am cutting stone.” The second man said, “I am earning my living.” The third man said, “I am building a cathedral.” All three of the men were involved in cutting stone. The first man saw no purpose or value in what he was doing, and my guess is that his days were long and tedious. He probably went home tired and exhausted every night and dreaded going to work each day.

The second man had a different perspective. He saw cutting the stones as a means to earn a living and probably had a better attitude than the first man. However, the value and purpose he saw in his effort was merely about getting his paycheck. I imagine this man spent a lot of time thinking about other jobs he might be able to get and probably found his work boring and repetitive.

The third man knew he was cutting stone, and he knew he was earning a paycheck, but he also saw value and purpose in his work that transcended those basic realities. The third man was building a cathedral that would be used by people. The cathedral would be a spiritual and social center where men and women could come to worship and fellowship together. That church, when completed, would give people hope and help them live better lives. What do you think the third man’s attitude was about his work? My guess is that he couldn’t wait to get to work every day. I imagine he arrived early and stayed late. He probably talked about his work all the time and was grateful to be doing something that was so much fun! I’m sure he could visualize that finished church in his mind and couldn’t wait to go there.”

Which of those three workers are you?

Acclaimed author, radio and television personality and motivational speaker to Highlight New Breakfast Forum

Mel Robbins, nationally recognized syndicated radio personality, Donald Trump endorsed motivational speaker and host of A&E’s newest relationship building reality show “Monsters in Law,” will kick off the speaking program at The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce Rhode Island Business EXPO (RIBX) taking place Thursday, May 3, 2012 at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

The Success magazine columnist, TED Talks presenter, award winning author and entrepreneur is expected to utilize her trademark quick wit and refreshing take on current affairs to awaken attendees’ business neurons.  Mel will take the stage as the keynote at a newly created breakfast forum at RIBX.  Her address entitled “How to Become Unstoppable –The Winner’s Breakfast: The Science Behind Winning in Business and in Life” will feature her “in-your-face” advice, proven to ignite many revelations for those on the quest for success.

“We are truly excited to have someone with Mel’s extensive background and expertise take the stage at this year’s show,” said Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. “I am certain her fresh perspective and candid delivery on how to live a powerful life will certainly resonate with RIBX attendees.”

Following her keynote, Robbins will lead a forum geared toward local business women. Entitled, “In Five Seconds Your Opportunities Will Self-Destruct –
RIBX Women’s Bootcamp: The Secrets to Raising Your Professional Game,” the intense, interactive session is designed to arm participants with the tools to maximize and cultivate productive connections; foster success-driven mindsets; and encourage women to chart and design an innovation arsenal.

The Breakfast forum will run from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. with a cost of $25.00 per person. The Bootcamp will run from 10:30 to noon with a cost of $50.00 per person.

For additional event information or to register visit www.providencechamber.com

Rhode Island’s Hiring Our Heroes (RIHOH) mission is to offer transition assistance, job search assistance, and job placement services to those who have honorably served in the US military – and to their spouses – in order to reduce veteran unemployment. RIHOH prioritizes veterans statistically most likely to be unemployed: veterans of Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM, and veterans that are wounded or disabled.  Hire Our Heroes services are provided at no cost to the veteran.

Here in RI, the RI National Guard’s Committee for Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (RIESGR) coordinates the Hire Our Heroes effort.  They oversee a comprehensive program which includes coordinating local job fairs with recruiting businesses and other strategic partners; and maintenance of a returning personnel data base, which matches an unemployed vet’s education and skill sets to career opportunities in the private sector. We currently have 260 heroes without employment in the Ocean State.

To learn more about this program and how you might participate, please contact:

Brian LaFauci

RIESGR, 1051 North Main St, Providence RI 02904

O: 401-275-4346

Brian.b.lafauci@us.army.mil

GPCC, represented by Senior Vice President Janet Raymond, was on hand today as Providence Mayor Angel Taveras joined other community group representatives this morning at the John Hope Settlement House to kick off the 11th Annual Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Campaign (EITC).

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is the nation’s largest federal work support program, offering a credit, for certain people who don’t earn a high income, on their tax return. The Providence Earned Income Tax Credit Campaign boosts the impact of the credit locally, by raising awareness to eligible families, and by providing free tax-preparation and financial literacy education through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

Collectively, residents received $3.1 million as a result of the Providence EITC/VITA campaign last year. State wide, the program brought close to $165 million to residents who included this credit on their return. In fact, close to 78,000 families each received an average $2,000 return.

We know more can be done this year, through comprehensive education to RI residents on the eligibility requirements.

Local businesses are encouraged to support the program by:

Notifying employees through printed information on pay stubs, with such language as:  “Boost your income through the EITC!”

Encouraging employees to visit the City of Providence web site at www.providenceri.com for information on the tax credit.
                                                                                                                                                           Enlisting your workers and colleagues to become volunteer tax preparers at area Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites, which provide, free of charge to eligible workers, prompt tax help.
                                                                                                                                                   Displaying EITC posters and posting this information on your company website.

John Hope Settlement House is the lead agent for the Providence EITC/VITA Campaign, which is funded by the United Wayof Rhode Island; with support from the City of Providence and the IRS. Additional support is made possible by Citizens Bank, The Washington Trust Company, Bank of America and the GPCC.

By John Baldoni

Let those on your team do their own thing. A new book supports this claim, as does a quote from Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer.

“We expect everyone here to be team players.” 

Most of us have had a boss who preached teamwork. Some bosses even like to put up posters with slogans like there is no “I” in team.

Teamwork is essential to organizational success but too much teamwork can be deadly. This is the point that Susan Cain, author of Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, argues in an essay for the The New York Times. She points out the drawbacks of too much teaming. “Research strongly suggests that people are more creative when they enjoy privacy and freedom from interruption,” she writes.

Further, Cain explains that creative types are by nature introverts but “extroverted enough to exchange and advance ideas [and] see themselves as independent and individualistic.” Cain also quotes from the memoir of Steve “Woz” Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer and inventor of the very first Apple computer, who advises fellow engineers and inventors to “work alone… not on a committee. Not on a team.”

The challenge for leaders is to balance individual needs with team directives. To do so they must avoid collectivism and facilitate collaboration. Collectivism leads to “group think,” which, as Susan Cain argues, is the bête noir of teamwork; collaboration leads to innovation. Collectivists unite around a single purpose, which is fine, but ignore alternate paths to achieve that purpose. Collaborators are similarly focused on purpose but they arrive at their goals by incorporating variable points of view. In short, collectivists, like the Bolsheviks of Leninist Russia, value ideology over results. Collaborators are pragmatists who build upon the ideas of many in order to get things done.

The secret to effective collaboration is individuality. You want everyone on the team to feel free to contribute ideas to a project as a means of instilling ownership and therefore increase engagement.  That does not mean that every idea that anyone says goes but it does mean people can contribute their brains as well as their brawn.

Here are four steps to foster true collaboration through each contributor:

1. Affirm the purpose. The central organizing principle of a project is the why. It is up to managers to let people know how what the team is doing contributes to organizational success.

2. Encourage individualism. A secret to effective collaboration is individual contributions. When people think alike they shut out alternate viewpoints. True collaboration weighs the individual ideas and balances them with what the project needs. In short, teammates build upon the contributions of others to achieve their team goals.

3. Focus on team. Few things will get done without individuals pulling together. The managers can reinforce collaboration by making it known that individuals must coordinate with each other as well as cooperate. Sometimes this means that people will pitch in to help a teammate finish a task when their own work is finished.

4. Reflect, together. There is one other valuable ingredient to effective collaboration: reflection. The perception may be that reflection is a solo endeavor, but many teams have found it valuable to employ in group settings. Managers can stimulate the thinking process by posing a key question for the group to reflect upon in silence and then discuss openly. Open-ended questions that focus on the how and the why of process rather than purpose are effective. The purpose—where the team is headed—has been established; the process—how we do things—can very often be improved.

Teamwork is essential to getting things done and to do it effectively managers need to draw upon the talents of individuals who have a stake in the outcome. There may be no “I” in team, but as Michael Jordan, whose singular play powered the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles, used to say, “But there is in win!”