Touch Some Trucks in E.P. Saturday

The East Providence Area Chamber of Commerce hosts its 7th annual 'Touch a Truck' event on Saturday.

  Come out and touch some trucks on Saturday in East Providence.  It’s the seventh annual East Providence Area Chamber of Commerce “Touch-A-Truck” fundraising event in its office-building parking lot at 1011 Waterman Ave. It will run from 9 am to 1 pm.  Admission is $5 for children and adults or $20 for a family of four or more. The event will take up the entire parking lot behind two office buildings. It’s being described by the Chamber as “bigger than ever with over 30 different vehicles from area businesses, organizations and individuals.” The vehicles will include a World War II Army Jeep, a cement truck, a limousine, a RIPTA bus, vehicles from the East Providence Police and Fire Departments, and assorted construction vehicles. Kids …

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Give a Pint to Get a Pound

If you donate a pint of blood in East Providence on Tuesday, Jan. 29, you will get a coupon for a free pound of Dunkin' Donuts coffee.

Donate a pint of blood on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 29. Get a pound of coffee. Weaver Library at 41 Grove Ave. hosts a blood drive sponsored by the East Providence Area Chamber of Commerce. It runs from 2 to 7 pm.  Anyone who donates a pint of blood will receive a coupon for a free pound of coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts. All blood goes to the Rhode Island Blood Center. Visit the blood center’s website www.ribc.org to make an appointment. Use this sponsor Code: 1055.

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Tickets for Chamber Dinner Going Fast

The East Providence Area Chamber of Commerce annual dinner meeting is Nov. 28; guest speaker is Joe Andruzzi, former New England Patriots lineman.

Tickets are selling fast for the annual dinner meeting of the East Providence Area Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 28, according to Laura McNamara, executive director. Only about 80 seats are left, she said. The deadline for the tickets is Nov. 9. The guest speaker for the dinnr is Joe Andruzzi, former New England Patriots offensive guard and president and founder of the Joe Andruzzi Foundation. The event will be held at Metacomet Country Club, 500 Veterans Parkway. Dinner will start after a cocktail hour from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. The dinner includes annual chamber awards, election of a board of directors, raffle drawings and a silent auction. The Joe Andruzzi Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance for cancer …

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Letter to the Editor

East Providence Business Owners Angered by New Registration Fee

This letter was submitted by Laura McNamara, executive director of the East Providence Area Chamber of Commerce.

To the editor, This week approximately 1,600 envelopes were mailed to East Providence businesses with a $25 invoice from the City of East Providence for a business registration fee. The business registration ordinance was recently approved by the city council on February 28. The fee and a notarized registration form must be returned to the City by April 1, 2012 with a fine of $25/day for each day that it is not returned by the deadline. The East Providence Area Chamber of Commerce phones started ringing as soon as the envelopes started arriving in the mail. Laura McNamara, the chamber’s executive director, said that members and non-members were calling to express their outrage at this “nuisance tax.”  “It isn’t the dollar amount that …

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Joe Botelho

7:13 pm on Sunday, April 8, 2012

Business entities in EP also have to pay an onerous tangible tax for every chair, pencil and piece of equipment they use for the privilege of up opening shop here. They also must pay a minimum of $500 to RI whether they make a profit or not, and if they do, they want a big chunk of that as well. There is a reason that if you look just to the north of us in Pawtucket and especially to our west in …   more ›

Energy-Smart East Providence Offers Businesses Energy-Efficient Bulbs

Local residents, businesses and their employees will have a final opportunity to purchase a box of ten energy-efficient light bulbs, two night lights and two lamps for only $10.

The East Providence Area Chamber of Commerce, City of East Providence, and the non-profit People’s Power & Light have joined efforts to increase awareness of and participation in National Grid’s ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs, according to a press release from the Chamber. The initiative, Energy Smart East Providence, focuses on educational outreach to East Providence homeowners and small businesses. The program is only being offered in East Providence and Cranston. Over the past few months, People’s Power & Light has presented to the East Providence City Council, canvassed with Brown University RISCC (Rhode Island Student Climate Coalition) members, and is now wrapping up their outreach efforts in the City. Local residents, …

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East Providence Chamber of Commerce Gives Vote of Confidence to State Budget Commission

Executive Director Laura McNamara said business owners want to see attention devoted to long-term solutions to stabilize the city's future expenses.

East Providence Area Chamber of Commerce administrators say they're in support of the state's recent appointment of a budget commission for East Providence, according to a press release from the organization. "We believe the commission will move the city forward with recommendations and decisions that will put East Providence’s future finances on a positive path," said Executive Director Laura McNamara. She added that the Chamber is also wary of the means in which that might be achieved. "Businesses are fearful of residential and commercial tax increases being used to fill the budget gap. They want to see attention devoted to long-term solutions to the city’s future expenses, and for the continuation of services for all citizens." The city…

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