Governor's initiative aimed at rebuilding Rhode Island manufacturing

After declaring in her State of the State address that she aims to “rebuild and reinvent” the manufacturing industry, Gov. Gina Raimondo took a step toward keeping her promise on Thursday. She visited jewelry manufacturer Luca + Danni in Cranston to launch the Rhode Island Manufacturing Initiative and sign an executive order to establish a manufacturing advisory council.

The governor said she wants to create and bring back manufacturing jobs in Rhode Island, and that the council established by her executive order will help advise her on the best ways to fulfill that goal.

“I brought together a group of about 20 leaders from manufacturing…We’re going to meet regularly, talk about what I can be doing to make it easier to run a business manufacturing here, and make it more likely that they’re going to grow jobs in Rhode Island,” she told reporters after signing her executive order. “I figure they know what they need. They’re on the ground, they’re hiring people every day, and they’re building businesses every day. [They will] tell me what the barriers are we can get rid of, what we can be doing so they grow here.”

Luca + Danni was picked as the location for the announcement as a way of highlighting the small, family-owned manufacturers in the state, Raimondo said, adding that many of the proposals outlined in her budget are geared toward assisting these types of businesses.

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