Governor, Commerce Secretary and 

Elected Officials Celebrate Progress 

on Finlays New Facility

(Left to right) Town Council President Richard Welch, Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor; Governor Gina Raimondo; Steve Olyha, CEO of Finlays and Steven King, Managing Director of the QDC sign the final beam for Finlays New Facility

Governor Gina Raimondo joined elected officials and business leaders yesterday morning for an event celebrating the completion of the steel framing of Finlays' new global research and development center at Quonset Business Park.

Founded in 1750, Finlays is a global leader in the development and distribution of tea and coffee extracts.

The highlight of the event was state and local officials ceremonially signing one of the final steel beams of the 28,800 square-foot global research and development facility and pilot plant. The project will be completed in two phases with the second phase consisting of construction of a 65,000 square-foot full-scale manufacturing and distribution plant. The creation of the new Finlays facility represents an investment of approximately $54.3 million.

"This new facility will bring Finlays products to market, but will also bring good, family-supporting jobs to Rhode Island," Governor Raimondo said. "Because of our hard work reinvesting in our manufacturing industries and supporting high-skill, high-wage opportunities for our residents, global leaders like Finlays want to be here and create jobs. I'm thrilled to see another business building here in Rhode Island."

The full project is anticipated to add 73 full-time jobs and increase the state's GDP by $15.3 million. The company states that it will commit to maintaining the new jobs in Rhode Island for over 10 years.

In planting their flag in North Kingstown one draw for Finlays was Quonset's innovative site-readiness program which allows businesses to begin construction within 90 days of taking site control.

"This significant investment in our infrastructure will enhance our ability to bring world class solutions and innovative ideas to market. As we continue to grow our leadership position in the industry, we are proud to be doing it here in Rhode Island, a state that shares our values and promotes our ambitions." stated Steve Olyha, CEO of Finlay USA.

To read the full press release, click here.

Members of the Quonset Development Corporation joined the community in celebrating local success at the recent North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Business Excellence Awards Dinner.

Quonset Board Member Greg Mancini had the pleasure of introducing Governor Gina Raimondo, the keynote speaker at the event.

"EB, Edesia, and other great companies are expanding at Quonset," said the Governor when discussing business growth in the state. "We need to make sure Rhode Islanders get those jobs."

Following the Governor's speech, the Chamber recognized local businesses through an awards ceremony. Longtime Quonset tenant Ocean State Job Lot was honored with the, "Digital Innovator of the Year" award.

Ocean State Job Lot is currently embarking on a major expansion at Quonset Business Park to support its 127 stores located across the Northeast. The Corporate Headquarters will grow by more than 400,000 square feet to accommodate their continued growth.

Long-time Quonset tenant Toray Plastics (America), Inc. was recently recognized by the Providence Business News as part of their 2017 Manufacturing Awards. The event, held at the new WaterFire Providence Arts Center, recognized leaders in Rhode Island's manufacturing community. Toray was presented with the "Overall Excellence Large Company" award.

Toray Plastics (America), Inc., is a subsidiary of Toray Industries, Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the largest producer of carbon fibers in the world. The Toray campus at Quonset Business Park spans 70-acres and celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2015.

Toray's unique precision-performance films can be found on the inside of many of your snack bags. When Providence Business News recognized Toray for their accomplishments they pointed to their skills with listening for unique problems and finding innovative solutions. Toray says that at least 50 percent of new product ideas come from sales-team members, who are themselves in consistent and regular contact with customers

Click here to read more on the PBN's 2017 Manufacturing Awards.