In This Issue
Quonset Tenants Featured in RI Manufacturing Survey
New Vessel Launch at Senesco Marine
Martha's Vineyard Fast Ferry Ready for Summer
News About Quonset    

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Quonset Tenants Featured in 
Rhode Island Manufacturing Survey

The Quonset Business Park is home to more than 175 companies with 9,100 employees in both full-time and part-time jobs across a variety of industries. As part of the Quonset Master Plan, we have a diverse scope of industries throughout the Park, a strategy which helped protect us from job-loss during the recent recession.

Manufacturing is one sector of the economy with a significant presence at Quonset. In fact, we estimate that close to 44 percent of the workforce at the Park is in manufacturing.

The Rhode Island Manufacturing Renaissance Project recently began a survey of the top 1000 manufacturing companies in the state. Their goal is to identify and define the capabilities of manufacturing companies throughout Rhode Island. The initial findings of the survey offer some positive news as more than 80 percent of respondents plan to add employees in the next three years, with more than 85 percent of those looking for entry level production or machine operator employees.

Several Quonset Business Park manufacturers took part in the survey, including:
If you are a manufacturer who would like to participate in the survey, or learn more about the initial findings, click here.

The Latest New Vessel Launch 
at Senesco Marine



With little fanfare, the latest dry dock built by longtime Quonset Business Park tenant, Senesco Marine, was launched into Narragansett Bay earlier this month. The new vessel was built for Caddell Dry Dock, one of the largest shipyard and marine repair companies serving the New York Metropolitan area. And as the video above shows, the launch was a success.

 

The launch took place thanks in part to the efforts of Rhode Island's Congressional delegation, including Sens. Jack Reed, Sheldon Whitehouse and Reps. James Langevin and David Cicilline. Through their efforts, in August 2011 the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded Senesco close to $280,000 to be put towards new launch equipment, including a new ramp, roller system, and launch software.  

 

The grant was part of MARAD's Small Shipyard Grants Program, which provides money to help modernize facilities, increase productivity, and help make the country's small shipyards more competitive in the global marketplace. To learn more about MARAD's Small Shipyards Grant Program click here. 

 

Fast Ferry to Martha's Vineyard Ready for Summer Season with New Dock, Gangway

 

 

 

Now that the Memorial Day Weekend has come and gone, the unofficial start of summer has begun. And with that means the start of business for Rhode Island Fast Ferry's service from Quonset Business Park to Martha's Vineyard, as well as the Fast Ferry's Tour of Narragansett Bay Lighthouses.

Fortunately, this year's passengers will have a smoother walk from land to vessel on the Quonset side, as a new dock and gangway were recently completed before the season began. The infrastructure improvements were made possible through a joint grant delivered by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) through their Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) program.

The Rhode Island Fast Ferry and these improvements give Vineyard travelers another option than having to head to Woods Hole, MA to catch a ferry, essentially taking more cars off the congested I-195 roadway and reducing congestion and emissions. The project, which was completed by Narragansett Dock Works and managed by the Quonset Development Corporation, included the construction of new timber mooring piles, timber piers, a landing platform, timber dolphins, and gangway improvements. To learn more about the Rhode Island Fast Ferry service at Quonset, click here.