20 to Watch in RI in 2020: Gary Sasse

Nick Albanese and Billy Manzo

They have both achieved a level of fame in their own right in Rhode Island. 

Now, playwright, actor, producer, and comedian Nick Albanese and restaurateur and top pizza professional Billy Manzo have paired up to bring Providence something it certainly needs — live entertainment with great food. 

Manzo, who owns Federal Hill Pizza on Chalkstone Avenue -- which is located in the historic Castle Cinema -- and Albanese announced the addition of live entertainment to the iconic theater-turned-restaurant venue in the fall — and now the schedule is gearing up for 2020. 

“We decided back then to use the cinema for what it was — entertainment,” Manzo said.

With comedy shows a natural fit, the duo is now expanding the offerings into music, plays, and more.

On January 25, Federal Hill Pizza will welcome “An Evening of Pop and Broadway Hits,” with Mike Daniels and Chantell Marie Arraial — and hosted by Albanese, of course. 

Netflix and chill is so 2019. 

Manzo and Albanese are bringing “going out” back in 2020. 

Briana White

She is a local young musician on the move — and in 2020, she has a packed schedule to kick-off the new year. 

Briana White has the voice to make it in the music industry — her voice and lyrics are an amazing talent for those who see her play in clubs around Rhode Island.

White is a treat. Unexpected and initially subtle, almost immediately there is the realization that this is a woman at the beginning of a career that could go up and up.

Her style ranges from soft-spoken acoustic pop to rock-driven anthems. In 2012, Briana attended Berklee College of Music where she studied to become a professional musician. In 2013, she set off for Chicago, where she played numerous venues and events, including the Kollaboration Chicago Asian-American talent competition where she placed third.

And now, Rhode Island is lucky to be home to White. 

VIDEO: Watch her performance in The Alex and Ani Lounge at GoLocalProv.

Want to check her out? She’ll be playing at The Rosendale in downtown Providence on Friday, January 10. 

On January 11, she’ll be at The Guild in Pawtucket. 

On January 18, White will be playing EP Kitchen in Pawtucket.

On February 7, she’ll be at Muldowney’s Pup in Providence. 

There are hardworking musicians in Rhode Island. And White is up there leading the pack. 

Pat McNiff

You can’t get much more local than Pat’s Pastured in Rhode Island. 

McNiff and his team at Pat's Pastured in East Greenwich have taken the business back to the basics.

Their model allows their livestock to graze in a pasture environment, improving the land through organic measures — and providing Rhode Islanders with fresh quality meat. 

“That means that pigs get to root, run and play; chickens get to peck, scratch, and crow; turkeys gobble and strut; cows eat grass outside, not corn in confinement,” says McNiff. 

And Pat’s Pastured is everywhere — you can pick up orders from Pat’s at farmer’s markets going on in Newport, Narragansett, or Pawtucket, visit the farm store on Fridays and Saturdays — or have the meat delivered directly to you. 

Appearing on GoLocal LIVE’s Business Monday, McNiff discussed the farm's meat production, retail efforts at farmers' markets, use of solar to produce energy on the farm, and their new home delivery.

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.

As Rhode Islanders look more and more to buy local — and know where their food is coming from — except to see more from Pat’s Pastured as it continues to grow. 

Kathleen Bellicchi

For most seniors, the loss of a spouse to Alzheimer’s would be devastating. For Kathleen Bellicchi, it has fueled her passion to create a business — a delicious business.

This 73-year-old woman sees 2020 as a year of hyper-growth.

Her business Bellicchi’s Best Biscotti can be found throughout the region --Savory Grape in East Greenwich, Whole Foods around New England, and more than two dozen other retailers.

Bellicchi is expecting to announce a big box retailer agreement. And, she is launching a CBD line in partnership with two veterans.

This is a woman on the move.

With the help of Hope and Main, Rhode Island’s incubator hub for new food businesses, Bellicchi’s Best Biscotti is part of a movement that is helping to grow Rhode Island’s local food economy. Hope and Main’s physical surroundings and personal “help and support offer a nurturing environment populated by people passionate about food.”

“I started my business with my husband Eric. Baking biscotti together with my husband is a cherished memory. Eric was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s and died in October 2013. To honor him and those with loved ones impacted by this disease, I donate monthly to the Alzheimer’s Association,”  said Bellicchi.

Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung

Cranston’s First Lady is a force to be reckoned with — and in 2020, could be a political power player in her own right. 

Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, the wife of Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, upped her public profile last fall when she was named the new Chair of the Providence Committee on Foreign Relations.

Not afraid to makes waves in the state Republican Party, Fenton-Fung publicly quit the Rhode Island State Central Committee — on Twitter — last spring.

The rift arose when Sue Cienki was named the party’s new Executive Director, after Fenton-Fung — and Fung — had backed Cienki’s opponent. 

While Fung has now twice lost his bid for Governor, there are growing rumblings that Fenton could be eyeing a more political role in 2020.

Possibilities include taking up the household mantle and running for Mayor — which could pit her against GOP City Council President Michael Farina.

Another potential political avenue? Squaring off to face Democratic Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello in Cranston House District 15.

Mattiello has faced Republican National Committeeman Steve Frias in the last two elections — including the contentious 2016 campaign which saw former Mattiello aide Jeff Britt indicted for his role in purportedly orchestrating the funneling of illegal donations for a last-minute campaign mailer.

While Fenton-Fung will be one to watch in 2020 — keep an eye on state GOP machinations. The party clearly hasn’t recovered from the bruising 2018 campaign season, but a Presidential election year could help change that. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: She is no relation to GoLocal's founder Josh Fenton.

Kyle Bennett

Expect long-standing community leader Kyle Bennett to take on an even greater role in 2020. 

Bennett, who serves at the Director of Policy and Research at the United Way of Rhode Island, is at the forefront of addressing one of the state’s most pressing issues — affordable housing.

In November, Bennett along with the United Way were among the organizing leaders of the State of Rhode Island Housing Forum, which was headlined by Governor Raimondo and included stakeholders and the public in a cross-sector dialogue spanning business, non-profits, government, and healthcare.

The timing could not be more urgent. 

A report released in the fall of 2019 found that Rhode Island's housing costs are at a crisis and that "there are no municipalities where a household with $50,000 in income could affordably buy." According to census data, the median household income in Rhode Island is about $61,000.

The data released by HousingWorks Rhode Island paints a dire situation on the affordability of housing in Rhode Island.

In 2020, watch Bennett push Raimondo and the General Assembly to provide the resources in the state’s budget in 2020 — not just bonds — to address the state’s affordable housing crisis. 

“I believe that in my role, I am able to bring together individuals and organizations that may not naturally speak to one another. This is helpful both at work and at home in that I am able to help connect people. Sometimes my job is to bring resources to the need, other times it is to connect people that have not met and whose work may benefit one another,” Bennett told GoLocal in 2018 when he was tapped as an “Emerging Leader.”

“I learned a long time ago from a friend that people who join others together are just as important those who lead and follow,” he said.

Dr. Eugenio Fernandez Jr.

Dr. Eugenio Fernandez Jr. is that American success story; a Cuban immigrant, educated at Providence public schools, who then went on to earn a stack of college degrees from the University of Rhode Island and Harvard University.

Fernandez was loaded with academic healthcare and business hardware.

Now, he is back in Providence creating a new model of pharmacy

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 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.”

Fernandez sees a gap in healthcare and hopes to provide greater education to residents in the area. 

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

“The average length of a doctor's office visit is 15 minutes, so if you've ever been a patient, you've ever been to your doctor's office, usually you feel a little bit rushed, right? It's not the doctor's fault but that's just the way things are built into the system,” said Fernandez during an interview on GoLocal LIVE.

Fernandez comes across as a cool -- and confident --  entrepreneur, and the pharmacist is ready for all business challenges.

“On the business side I was very thoughtful, very carefully but just as many entrepreneurs can say, you don't know what comes up. It's just your ability to kind of just extinguish a fire, right? Fires are always going to come up and so you just kind of just have that extinguisher there right by your side,” said Fernandez.

Fernandez credits Social Enterprise Greenhouse’s Kelly Ramirez’s support as a key to helping launch Asthenis and Commerce RI’s Small Business Assistance program for helping to provide critical early-stage capital.

 RI Craft Beer Industry

Maybe nothing was more of a representation of the 2010 decade than the growth of the craft beer industry that wreaked havoc on all the big boys from Budweiser to Samuel Adams.

In Rhode Island, the industry grew from one or two to more than two dozen craft breweries and the collective group is continuing to see new additions.

But for the first time last year, the industry saw its first chink when one of the industries poster boys for craft beer industry Nick Garrison of Foolproof Brewing Company announced that his company was for sale.

“Hey everyone, some news to share with you all today. First off, don't worry – we're still brewing and selling delicious beer. These are complicated and difficult times for the beer industry, and it's time for a change for me and my family,” wrote Garrison.

2020 will be a critical year for the industry to demonstrate maturity and continued growth.

There are big plans on the table with Narragansett Brewery scheduled to open a new facility along the waterfront at India Point Park in the Fox Point section of Providence. And, Shaidzon Beer Company in West Kingston is continuing to look to expand.

Jennifer Brinton of Gray Sail Brewing told GoLocal in December, “I think the culture of drinking locally is expanding — I think more consumers are getting on board and are supporting [local breweries]. There are a ton of new breweries and some that are closing. I’ve felt for a few years now that it’s been a lot of new entries and have been waiting to see if the market will bear it. I think it remains to be seen.”

“I think [the craft brew industry] will continue to contract for a little while. The brewers association put out data [recently] that more breweries closed than opened. Rhode Island has always been behind the curve, we're always playing catch up,” said Brinton.

While Grey Sail is nearing its eight-year mark, Derek Luke with Newport Craft Brewing is celebrating his 20th year in the business. 

“It’s an industry with ADHD — and as someone who has [ADHD], it’s not necessarily a bad thing. We just heard here about a brewery who says that their flagship [beer] changes every year. I have a bunch of unfinished projects. I see what’s happening, and it’s exciting, that brewers are trying to do new things. The quality and uniqueness now versus five years ago is much better,” said Luke, who started his company just out of college.

Liz Gledhill

It will be an interesting election year ahead for Liz Gledhill, chair of the newly formed Rhode Island Democratic Woman’s Caucus. 

Last fall, the faction voted to officially split from the Rhode Island Democratic Party — taking issue with the establishment when they split with the following statement.

“They have endorsed republican white supremists over progressive female incumbents. They have forced women to endorse candidates who read Bible passages during Senate hearings, condemning women who support reproductive justice to eternal damnation," stated the Caucus.

"They have required women to fundraise into a party account that spends more money on pizza and liquor than on progressive, democratic female candidates. For too long, this state’s party leadership has openly opposed the Democratic Party platforms and principles," they stated. 

The first indications of the fissure came in December when Democratic Party Executive Director warned the Chiefs of Staff of Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation — four men working for four men — of any fundraising requests from the Women’s Caucus. 

On eve of the impeachment vote in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Caucus shared an open letter to the delegation making it clear they supported them, however. 

“We are deeply concerned about the future of democracy in our country. The 2020 election will be one of the most significant ones we have all experienced. As a local Democratic organization, we want to take this time to express our mutual goals of electing more Democrats into office and regaining control of the White House. We look forward to working with you, and all the members of the Democratic Party, in our shared vision of upholding democracy at the local, state, and national levels,” stated the Caucus. 

As Gledhill helps steer the Caucus in 2020 — Democrats and politicos will be watching. 

Photo: Gledhill Facebook

Fatts Russell 

They should play the theme song to the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" every time he touches the ball.

“Who can turn the world on with [his] smile?

Who can take a nothing day

And suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?”

There may be no college basketball player in America that is as exciting as Russell, a junior guard at the University of Rhode Island.

In Rhode Island history, from an excitement standpoint, he is building a resume that puts him in the same class as Lenny Wilkins, Vin Ernst, Ernie D, Silk Owens, God Shammgod, Jason Forte, and Brandon Anderson.

He came to URI as a defensive water bug that wreaked havoc on opponents and, now, has turned into so much more.

“Well, it’s you Fatts and you should know it
With each glance and every little movement you show it

Love is all around, no need to fake it
You can have the town, why don’t you take it?
You’re gonna make it after all

How will you make it on your own?
This world is awfully big
And all this time you’re all alone

Last season he set a Rhode Island record for points in a road game when he scored 41 at Saint Joseph's in an 86-85 overtime win. He was named the CBS Sports College Basketball National Player of the Week for that performance.

He averaged that week 34.0 points, 4.5 steals, 4.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds in wins over Saint Joseph's and Massachusetts.

His second half against Providence College this year was one for the ages and in the game, Russell netted 24 points and dished out eight assists.

It was the seventh straight game in which Russell has scored at least 20 points.

“Well it’s time you started livin’
Its time you let someone else do some giving

Love is all around, no need to fake it
You can have the town, why don’t you take it?
You’re gonna make it after all
You’re gonna make it after all”

From defensive back up to emerging NCAA star, Russell is someone to watch in 2020 and beyond.

PHOTO: URI Athletics 

Kelly MacArthur Coates

The Chief Executive Officer of the Carpionato Group has a busy 2020 ahead of him. 

Kelly MacArthur Coates, who had over 30 years of Rhode Island acquisition and development experience before taking the helm after Freddy Carpionato in 2018, has a full plate of projects in the state — and some that will take additional effort. 

In Newport, the Carpionato Group proposed a new development at the site of the former Newport Grand that 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, however — the Newport City Council, specifically — decided in September to put a six-month moratorium on new development at the location. 

Game on for Coates in 2020 to make it happen. 

In Providence, and across the state, the Carpionato Group is working to redevelop former Benny’s properties, and in Providence at Branch Avenue, to rehab the store to accommodate new retail tenants — as well as transform the adjacent Dryden Mill complex.

Oh, and Coates and Carpionato Group are making their way through zoning in Cranston to likely break ground on a new Topgolf facility in the new year, at the location of the old Citizens Bank headquarters on Sockanosset Cross Road. 

Rhode Island’s landscape could look significantly different at the end of 2020. And Coates will have had a key role. 

Gary Sasse

For decades, Gary Sasse was the technical finance expert that Governors and Mayors sought counsel from to right fiscal ships.

Now, Sasse has morphed into the conscious of Rhode Island government. 

While many moderate Republicans have been muted in the era of President Donald Trump, Sasse has never been more vocal.

In October, Sasse who heads of the Hassenfeld Institute at Bryant University, called for the impeachment of the President. 

Sasse has credentials. In 2008, he was appointed by former Governor Donald Carcieri to serve as Director of the Department of Administration and Department of Revenue. He served as Executive Director for the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC), a public policy research organization, from 1977 until 2007. Sasse previously held senior positions as a member of the Governor’s staff for the State of Tennessee.

Then in 2019, Sasse called on the top business leaders in Rhode Island to individually step forward and to take a direct role in Rhode Island’s school reform.

To date, the Partnership for Rhode Island — an organization comprised of the Chief Executive Officers of Rhode Island’s largest corporations -- has funded the Johns Hopkins report and a financial report.

“These guys are getting on cheap. First, of all they got all kinds of tax cuts here over the last ten years, from the income tax to the corporate tax...which could have been used to pay for, you know, schools there,” said Sasse on GoLocal LIVE’s Business Monday.

Sasse called on leaders in the business community to personally invest -- and for the leading companies to step up and directly adopt schools in distress.

"It would be great if these 12 guys [there is one woman, Brown President Christina Paxson] would stand up and say we're taking over this high school and we're going to put hundreds of thousands each - millions of dollars into this high school and we're going to make it a demonstration school, a 'show' school and the two thousand kids that attend that high school are going to get a good education," said Sasse.

“Now, they're coming up with a hundred thousand here and a hundred thousand there...if they say they're gonna do good work, that's fine but they've got to get personally involved and committed," added Sasse. 

It would be easy for Sasse to live the academic life, but instead, he has become Rhode Island's most powerful voice for reform

Gonzalo Cuervo

Life is complicated for Gonzalo Cuervo.

First, he is the chief of staff for Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea.

Second, she may run for Governor. It certainly seems that way as she is term-limited from her office, yet she is fundraising like it is a matter of political a death.

Third, he is the whisper candidate for Mayor of Providence.

Cuervo has a long political resume ranging from David Cicilline to Angel Taveras to Gorbea.

While Rhode Island sports betting does not allow betting of political races -- yet -- Cuervo may be the long shot smart money. He may emerge as a candidate that can appeal to both the Latino community and the East Side.

While other possible candidates -- Council President Sabina Matos, Governor Gina Raimondo's now acting Director of Administration Brett Smiley, and other potential contenders have yet to define themselves, Cuervo could be the Democrat who also understands how cities work.

Maribeth Calabro

The fate of Providence schools may be influenced by Maribeth Calabro as much as any person involved in the effort to reform the Providence school system.

Calabro is the head of the Providence Teachers Union and make no mistake about it — de facto — she has veto power over much that Rhode Island Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green may propose to shake up the anemic Providence schools.

In 2011, newly-elected Providence Mayor Angel Taveras fired all the teachers in Providence — it was a big and bold decision, and it was reversed within days.

Not too many politicians, especially Democrats. will take on teachers unions in this country and especially in the heavily union-based Rhode Island.

The action in 2011 drew national attention. In a statement, the American Federation of Teachers national President Randi Weingarten called the decision "stunning," especially given that the union and city "have been working collaboratively on a groundbreaking, nationally recognized school transformation model."

"We looked up 'flexibility' in the dictionary, and it does not mean destabilizing education for all students in Providence or taking away workers' voice or rights," said Weingarten, whose organization includes 1.5 million teachers and staff. "Mass firings, whether in one school or an entire district, are not fiscally or educationally sound."

Well, the teachers union claim that Providence Schools were a ‘transformational model’ did not prove to be correct. Providence Schools are considered to be among the worst in America.

Infante-Green has said she believes she has the power to "break contracts." 

The teachers -- and labor -- are known for mobilizing quickly. 

In 2020, Calabro may have more impact on the future of Providence Public Schools than anyone else in the state.

David Ortiz

He once was a business writer for a local weekly publication. 

He rose through the ranks of Rhode Island Democratic politics over the past decade, cleaning up for politicians as a public relations flack.

Now, he is the top staffer for Governor Gina Raimondo.

David Ortiz may be among the biggest game-changers in politics in 2020. He is tasked with defining Raimondo’s legacy over her final three years. And, he needs to improve the oftentimes dysfunctional relationship between Speaker Nick Mattiello and Raimondo.

In 2011, he was named press secretary to newly elected Mayor Angel Taveras and within months Director of Communications Melissa Withers was out and Ortiz began to emerge as the top communications pro.

Ortiz has had to clean up some big messes, including explaining Taveras’ decision to fire all the Providence teachers and then to hire them back a few days later.

And, he tried to explain Taveras’ decision to close the Davey Lopes swimming pool located in one of the poorest areas of the city.

When Taveras lost to Democratic challenger Gina Raimondo, Ortiz joined the staff of sitting Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and then a stop at General Treasurer Seth Magaziner’s staff.

After serving as Press Secretary for Raimondo, he got tapped to serve as Chief of Staff starting in January of 2020.

Brett Johnson and Berke Bakay

In early December, Rhode Island was introduced to Fortuitous Partners — a company led by Brett Johnson and Berke Bakay.

Fortuitous is proposing a $400 million project, a mix of sports, retail, office and residential — a project promised to transform a struggling city and region.

The two have complex backgrounds complete with big successes and questionable deals.

Johnson, a Brown University grad is the frontman in Rhode Island. Bekay has recently had his troubles.

Initial questions from GoLocal about Bakay’s track business record first sparked claims from Johnson’s public relations team that Bakay is not on the Rhode Island project and that he is not involved in sports.

"Bakay’s not in the sports space and isn’t involved in the project," wrote Brett Johnson's public relations spokesperson David Preston in an email to GoLocal.

When GoLocal pointed out that Bakey is the co-chairman of the Phoenix Rising soccer team and a top-tier equity partner in Fortuitous both in partnership with Johnson, the narrative changed that Bakay would not be directly involved in the Pawtucket project.

Bakay is inextricably tied to Johnson via their co-chairmanship roles in the phoenix soccer team — Phoenix Rising — and well as Fortuitous.

Bankruptcy - Investors Lose Everything

Just prior to his role in Fortuitous, Bakay headed Kona Grill, the 45 restaurant chain that was publicly traded on NASDAQ. Bakay's tenure at Kona Grill is absent from his bio on LinkedIn.

By August of 2018 Kona Grill announced that its Board of Directors appointed Jim Kuhn to succeed Bakay as President and Chief Executive Officer. Bakay was appointed as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors and would "remain with the Company in a strategic role.”

“Leading Kona Grill over the past six years has been a tremendous honor. We’ve doubled the number of restaurants, started franchising internationally and domestically and have positioned ourselves as a truly unique brand serving global cuisine in a contemporary ambiance,” said Bakay at the time of the leadership change.

Within months, the company was filing for bankruptcy and the company was purchased out of bankruptcy for pennies on the dollar. While the company was in distress, one business tracking database says that Bakay still collected nearly $500,000 in compensation in his last year at the top executive. Bakay has refused to reply to repeated press calls.

The Phoenix Business Journal reports investors lost everything in the bankruptcy, "Investors in the Kona Grill restaurant chain won’t recoup anything from its $25 million bankruptcy buyout, the company made clear on Tuesday. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Scottsdale-based Kona Grill said “No portion of the proceeds of the asset sale will be distributed to holders of its common stock.”

In Bakay’s final year as president and CEO the stock fells from a 12-month high of $13 per share to $2.50 — an 80 percent loss in stock value.

Brett Johnson defends Bakay’s performance at Kona. “Berke Bakay is not involved in the Pawtucket proposal. Berke does, however, have a lengthy record of business success. He also played a central role in the success of Phoenix Rising.  As you know, Berke was neither President/ CEO nor on the board of directors when Kona filed for chapter 11 reorganization.  In fact, between his end date as CEO and the chapter 11 filing no less than five people served as CEO,” said Johnson in an email to GoLocal.

Sandra Pattie

For most people on Aquidneck Island, they never want to cross the bridges and leave, but for Sandra Pattie, the president and CEO of BankNewport, she has been blasting over the bridges and expanding the bank.

In the past couple of years, Pattie has been growing the bank both west and north — there is nowhere else to go eastward. They already have two branches in Tiverton.

BankNewport, which was founded in 1819 as a mutual company, now has over $1.7 billion in assets.

Under Pattie, the bank is much different, and now, is a lot more than that pretty bank in Washington Square in Newport — it now claims 18 branches in Rhode Island.

In 2018, Forbes magazine named BankNewport Best-in-State.

When named in 2012 to head the bank, Pattie was the first female leader. She has emerged as one of the most strategic and forward community bankers in Rhode Island.

The bank has expanded -- with multiple branches in Providence, Cranston and one in Johnston.

Pattie has emerged as one of the top business leaders in Rhode Island. It does not look like the expansion is over.

Jeanine Sinanan-Singh

The mark of a good Founder and CEO of a startup is that they can create a unique product or service, build a great team, raise capital, and have a plan.

Jeanine Sinanan-Singh, the Co-Founder & CEO of Vitae Industries, can check those boxes.

The company is one of Rhode Island's most innovative startups. The venture-backed company looking to reinvent and improve the economics for independent pharmacies.

Vitae Industries is building processing equipment that allows independent pharmacists to compete with the CVS and Walgreens of the world by doing their own drug compounding.

She is not building the company alone. Sinanan-Singh, who graduated from Harvard in 2013, has built a top-level team including Brown University researcher and Chief Technology Officer Daniel DeCiccio and others from Brown and the University of Rhode Island.

As the company says, "Skip the tedious part of the compounding process with the push of a button. The AutoCompounder takes care of making the desired final dosage forms, while your staff does more important things. With Vitae, you will look forward to making gummies, lozenges and more and feel like you have an extra technician available around the clock.”

For Sinanan-Singh, the next steps in the company's growth are to increase production and marketing to "smart" independent pharmacists who are looking to grow their revenue stream.

 Paige Clausius-Parks

If Providence schools are going to be improved, it is going to be because of critical education leaders who can help develop policy and also engage parents, students and teachers

Paige Clausius-Parks is a Senior Policy Analyst at Rhode Island KIDS COUNT -- and was recently named to the "Excellence in Learning" community design team by the Rhode Island Department of Education. 

She is one of the key education leaders in Rhode who trying to engage a range of stakeholders to drive change.

In the day-to-day, she is responsible for policy analysis, advocacy, research, and project management in areas related to education and economic well-being.

But now, KIDS COUNT is not her first rodeo in Rhode Island.

Prior to joining Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, was Director of Advancement and Assistant Director at Books Are Wings, Network Director at Youth in Action, Teacher/Advisor at the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center, and Program Coordinator at Youth Pride, Inc.

Paige has a Bachelor of Arts from Providence College and a Master of Education from Harvard University.

She has been everywhere and done most everything. Now, let’s watch her in 2020 and beyond.

 Mark DePasquale

Deepwater Wind has made a lot of headlines for being America’s first offshore wind farm, but the company that is slated to have a potentially bigger impact on Rhode Island’s energy independence is Green Development, founded by Mark DePasquale.

If Rhode Island is going to make significant progress towards shifting from fossil fuels to renewables, wind and solar play a critical role.

DePasquale’s Green Development is Rhode Island’s leader.

He has three decades of experience, designing, building, and leading construction projects.

Combined, he has developed and managed over $100 million in projects that include commercial-sized wind turbines and solar arrays.

His projects have helped farmers save farmland and preserve open space from residential development.

DePasquale can be rough around the edges, extremely charitable and driven to success — sounds like the embodiment of Rhode Island.