May 1, 2020 - Office Activity Update

Lt. Governor McKee welcomed hundreds of guests to his first Facebook Live Small Business Virtual Town Hall Meeting which also included a call-in feature and was streamed on YouTube for accessibility. Lt. Governor McKee encouraged viewers to comment and ask questions during the meeting to allow panelists to answer questions in real time. Throughout the livestream, Lt. Governor McKee's staff also interacted with viewers in real time to get them the information they needed.

Mark Hayward, District Director of the Rhode Island Small Business Administration (SBA) Office, provided an update on federal assistance for small businesses. Matthew Weldon, Assistant Director of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, discussed frequently asked questions on the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and encouraged unemployment insurance claimants to read through the FAQs on their website.

The Lt. Governor received an update from the co-creators of the Gift it Forward initiative that was launched in partnership with the Lt. Governor's Office. Lori Giuttari of Visual Thrive, Chris Parisi of Trailblaze Marketing, and Justin Gontarek of Oceanside Graphics participated in the discussion.

The following small business owners were introduced to participate in a panel discussion: Gary Reis of Pawtucket Country Club, former Mayor Richard Sardella of Sardella's, Imbriglio's, and Marina Pub, both who discussed their innovative reopening plans and Tyler Young of Young Family Farm who discussed the reduced restrictions on farms and greenhouses that happened because of help from Lt. Governor McKee.

Lt. Governor McKee provided closing remarks, thanked the guest panelists, and also thanked everyone who joined the hour long presentation.