LETTERS

Help keep jobs in Rhode Island

Posted 8/13/19

To the Editor: I've had a business relationship with IGT since they were GTECH and well before they moved into the new office tower near the State House. My company - which is located in the heart of Cranston - provides IT staffing services for companies

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LETTERS

Help keep jobs in Rhode Island

Posted

To the Editor:

I’ve had a business relationship with IGT since they were GTECH and well before they moved into the new office tower near the State House. My company – which is located in the heart of Cranston – provides IT staffing services for companies in Rhode Island and across the country. We’ve grown and kept our office here in Rhode Island in part because it’s where we’re from, but also because IGT is a short drive away in Providence and West Greenwich.

Small, Veteran-owned businesses like mine count on strong, long-term relationships with larger companies. Too often in Rhode Island, we read more about those big companies moving out of state or choosing to be somewhere else.

 The fact is that IGT could set up its operations anywhere. They’re still here because 20 years ago the state smartly negotiated an employment mandate into their contract. Because of that mandate, IGT’s 1,000 employees create $330 million of economic activity in Rhode Island each year, including revenue and profit for small local businesses like mine. IGT’s presence in Rhode Island supports 1,300 additional jobs in the broader Rhode Island economy.

There’s a proposal on the table to keep IGT – and 1,100 good-paying jobs – in Rhode Island until 2043 and it deserves a fair and full vetting. It’s time for all of our elected officials to come together and keep jobs in Rhode Island.

Mark C. Murtagh

Cranston

The writer is founder and managing partner of Corvus Technology Resources.

Comments

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  • Cat2222

    I think that one of the biggest misconceptions right now is that gaming is indestructible and we will always have it in RI. The revenue is down because of an over saturated market. You can now go to Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey to gamble. There are options! Expecting that Twin River can withstand the competition and stay in the game is a little overstated. We could be throwing money at IGT for 20 years and the facility could be standing vacant before the contract ends.

    The once giant pool is now filled with many different players, each vying for their piece. We aren't going to be seeing big numbers rolling in from VLT's anymore. There are just too many in the market.

    Are we really that desperate that we want to tie ourselves to IGT for another 20 years? A contract, I might add, that was totally crappy for the other vendors with games on the floor. Wouldn't it be great if we did our research and studied other avenues before taking this on again and get trapped by it?

    Thursday, August 15, 2019 Report this

  • KimLorene

    I'm all for keeping jobs in RI; however, the way this deal was done is dirty. No bid contracts do not serve the public good.

    Monday, August 26, 2019 Report this