Category Archives for People

Survival Story: Former Business Owner Overcomes Devastating Setbacks 

Published in Senior Digest, April 2016

If you are in pursuit of the American Dream, you probably weren’t given a roadmap that would guarantee a successful journey. Ask the average man or woman on the street today what immediate thoughts come to mind about owning your own business, and you’ll probably hear ‘being your own boss’, and ‘working your own hours’ that top the list of perceptions. But when opening your own business becomes the alternative to unemployment in your later years, as Donald, Russell, Jr. found out, it may not be what you expected or even planned. Like millions of middle-aged workers in the early 1990s, a severe economic downturn forced this Central Falls resident to make choices that ultimately would financially hit his pocketbook as he approached retirement.

Donald Russell had worked his way up from stock boy to manager at F.W. Woolworth Co., one of the areas original five-and-dime stores. During his 33 year career with this large big-box retail company, what was at the time the fourth largest retailer in the world operating over 5,000 stores, he eventually managed seven of the retail company’s stores, one located in Providence (at Westminster and Dorrance Streets), and the others in Massachusetts, Vermont and New York.

But everything changed in the late 1990’s, and this 117 year old company struggled to compete with the growing big discount stores. F.W. Woolworth filed for bankruptcy protection, and Russell, facing unemployment, had to quickly make major career decisions. He knew that, “at age 52, big box competitors don’t want you,” or if he was offered a position, the salary would be much lower than what he was used to. “I could not take less because I had to pay for my daughter’s college education,” he added.

Russell credits “courses he took at Boston College” for teaching him valuable lessons on how to open a small business, and with knowledge in hand, he was ready to take that leap of faith and open his own business. . Russell decided to cash out his $80,000 pension (less penalties) and combined with a loan from U.S. Small Business Administration, he would have enough capital to open a small retail business.

Getting into the Pet Business

Russell spent time researching a market niche, searching for one that would not put him in direct competition with the chain store. He discovered that the pet business was not really sought after by “big box retailers” and at that time “there were only 30,000 pet stores throughout the country. Today the number has decreased to 6,000.” Now . Russell found his niche, and in 1997 opened his business “Dr. Doolittle’s Pets & More”, a small pet store in an East Providence shopping plaza. Though situated between two large Petco stores – one in Rumford, RI and the other in North Attleboro, MA., Russell did not view the large chain stores as competition, for he knew his prices were better. In 1997 when Russell opened his store, small business accounted for about 85 percent of the nation’s economy, he states, noting that today this percentage has dropped to 70 percent.

Business was strong when Dr. Doolittle’s first opened and for over 13 years, Russell employed seven full and part time employees. However, by 2004 “the economy began to take a dive” and juggling the monthly rent, utilities and employee salaries became difficult when his cash flow slowed. Russell began to loose money.
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By 2006 his revenue had dropped 30 percent from the previous year, and neighboring big stores located in the plaza, like Ocean State Job Lot, began to close. In an effort to trim expenses, Russell was able to renegotiate his rent to a lower amount, however “losing the Stop & Shop Supermarket in the next plaza, which was a main draw to the area, “was ultimately the straw that broke the camel’s back”.

Taking from Peter to Pay Paul

Like thousands of small business owners in the Ocean State, Russell had to juggle each month to meet his expenses, which included his RI sales tax. Choosing to pay his monthly sales tax or paying his employees salary was not an easy choice to make, but he could not pay both. “I chose to pay my employees” first, with the plan to make up my [delinquent] sales tax later” he stated, noting however, that the “economy put the brakes to that”. “I could not even borrow a dime even with an excellent credit rating of 750,” added Russell. The poor economy had forced banks to cut off credit to small businesses – period.

In 2009, the Rhode Island Department of Taxation came knocking on his door, and the now 65-year-old pet store owner was forced to close his business because he was in arrears on his payment of sales taxes. While his business was his sole-source of income, the forced closing of the business put him in a ‘catch 22’ situation – blocking any attempt to rescue his business and pay off the remaining sales tax owed, which had now grown to thousands of dollars. Rather than padlock the door, the State did allow him access to the store to feed and maintain the animals until other arrangements were made.

Two weeks after his closing, Russell hammered out an agreeable payment plan with the State of RI for back taxes, but the economy never recovered, and by September, 2010 the doors closed for the final time. In a valiant effort, Russell paid off $18,500 of the $20,000 owed before he closed, but two years later to his surprise, he was blocked from registering his car because of the remaining taxes (and penalties) still owed. A dispute as to the amount of sales taxes (plus penalties and interest) paid ultimately ended with the state’s tax agency backing off and allowing him to register his vehicle.

Russell’s forced closing and ultimately his bankruptcy caught the eye of both statewide and national media. Two radio talk shows and television coverage brought the news of his closure to the public. Even the nation’s most popular Web site, “The Drudge Report,” posted articles. Amazingly, he says that over 100 pages of blog posting were also generated, too.

Making Ends Meet

Today, Russell, 72, is collecting Social Security supplemented by a part-time job delivering pizzas. He notes that beneficiaries will not receive cost of living this year. Like millions of Social Security beneficiaries, Russell feels the impact of inflation. “There is no extra money to buy groceries after paying my rent and utilities,” he says. Local food pantries provide additional food and the Pawtucket-based Blackstone Valley Community Action Program pays for some of his heating bills.

Reflecting on the lay off in his fifties that led to the opening of his small business and ultimately its closing as he reached his mid-sixties because of an ailing economy, Russell admits he did not have a strategy for getting through the tough times in his later years.

“I just coped,” says Russell. The former business owner has a strong opinion on opening a small business in Rhode Island. “Never,” he says. .

Gerritt is Green with Commitment

Published in Senior Digest on January 2016

 

Some people ease into retirement, traveling to exotic locales, catching up with friends at the neighborhood supermarket, or fixing up the homestead, long put off because of time constraints.  Not so for 62-year-old Greg Gerritt, who still sees many years of work ahead of him to make Rhode Island economically sustainable through protecting the environment and advocating for the poor and downtrodden.

 

When Gerritt was 14 years old, he remembers reading a book on endangered species. At that young age, he would intuitively know that environmental advocacy would become his life’s mission. Three years later he would create the first Earth Day celebration at his high school in Teaneck, N.J. Later he would relocate to Maine to attend college, ultimately receiving his bachelor’s degree in anthropology in 1974 from the University of Maine. With degree in hand, the college graduate hitch hiked across the country before returning to Maine.

 

As a self-taught carpenter, Gerritt was able to make a living on his 10 acres of land. He offered low-cost work to seniors. During his 25 years in Maine, he worked to create a sustainable economy by growing a garden and putting up solar panels on his house along with creating an organic homestead.

 

Gerritt and his wife, Kathleen Rourke, met in 1991 through a personal ad placed in “The Maine Times.” The couple got married at Town Hall in Industry, Maine, and would later relocate to Rhode Island to be close to Kathleen’s family.

His passion for protecting the environment is “on and off the clock,” notes Gerritt. During the day, the Providence resident works as an administrator for the Environment Council of Rhode Island and leads the nonprofit group’s Rhode Island Compost Initiative. In 2012, he received a Merit Award from the Environmental Protection Agency Region I for advancing the cause of compost in the state.

 

Gerritt gives countless hours of his work off time to environmental causes. As the founder of Friends of the Moshassuck, he promotes using sound ecological principles to enhance the community. He even took his environmental advocacy into the political sphere, where he helped to found the Green Party of the United States and ran for mayor of Providence as a Green Party candidate in 2002. He admits, “There’s just no way to distinguish where my time goes because everything I do is interconnected.”

 

Through his love for the environment, Gerritt has learned to shoot videos and has become an expert on amphibians in the North Burial Ground in Providence. He has shot countless hours of video showing the development, feeding habits and behavior of fowler toads,” he says.

However, Gerritt may be better known in the Ocean State for establishing the “Buy Nothing Day Winter Coat Exchange” in 1997. According to Gerritt, the idea of giving substance to an already existing “Buy Nothing Day” created by consumer advocates came out of a meeting at the Rochambeau Library in Providence. The initiative had to be “better than a protest,” with the goal of helping the poor, he says.

 

Gerritt estimates that in its first year, more than 250 coats were given away at the site of the GTECH building. “We just put a piece of plastic on the ground to keep the coats dry, and people game to get their coats,” he remembers. The second year the half day event was relocated. “It was so symbolic placing it between the Statehouse and the newly built Providence Mall. You have “big government” and “large corporations” with the poor in between,” he says.

Gerritt has announced his retirement from the very successful coat giveaway initiative held the day after Thanksgiving. Thousands of coats were given to needy Rhode Islanders at 10 sites throughout the state, he says.

 

It was the perfect time to leave, notes Gerritt. “It’s grown big enough and should not depend on just me to keep it going. It’s time to pass it on to another person when it’s thriving,” he says.

In Rhode Island for more than 20 years, Gerritt has published two books and scores of articles in newspapers, magazines and on his blog, www.prosperityforri.com. He writes to advocate for a sustainable economy, social justice and protecting the environment, and he does not expect to retire in the near future from his job or other volunteer efforts.

 

“The work never ends,” he said, noting that there always will be a need for advocates. “I will actually continue my work until I can’t physically do it,” he added.

Looking back at his life as an environmental and social advocate Gerritt has some insight to pass on to those who will listen. “Do what you want to do. Look to see if you are doing what really brings you joy and makes the world a better place to be in. That’s what you should be doing,” he said.

Rhode Islanders Share ’16 Resolutions

Published in Woonsocket Call on January 3, 2016

 

Each New Year, on January 1, we make promises to ourselves to start doing something good or stop doing something bad, either way on a personal and/or professionally level. Here’s a listing of Rhode Islanders, many who you may know, who reflect on their successes of keeping last year’s resolutions and they even share their 2016 New Year Resolutions, too.

Ernie Almonte, 60, Partner at RSM, LLP and former candidate for Rhode Island Treasurer.  The Scituate resident’s 2015 resolution was to find a firm with a “great work culture.”  Did he succeed? Yes, “wildly beyond his expectations,” he says. For his 2016 New Year’s Resolution, he plans to create a great future for his family.

Jonathan Bissonnette, 28, a reporter covering the Pawtucket Beat for the Pawtucket Times. In 2015, the journalist looked to cut back on junk food from fast food restaurants.  He did not succeed.  For this year, he repeats last year’s resolution and continues to look for ways to improve his nutrition.  He again looks to stay away from fast food restaurants.

Rep. David N. Cicilline, 54, representing Rhode Island’s First Congressional District.  Last year, the lawmaker backed legislation that helps create jobs and grow the economy and worked to ensure that government was “fair and more efficient” for his constituents  He was successful in enacted that strengthens America’s manufacturing sector, a bill that renamed a local post office for the late Sister Ann Keefe, provisions in the new education legislation that enhance after school partnerships across the nation, and ensuring Rhode Island receives funding for infrastructure as part of the new multi-year federal highway funding bill fund. This coming year Cicilline looks to curb the skyrocketing costs prescription and education.  He will also focus his attention on fixing the broken campaign finance system and making our communities safer from gun violence.

Scott Davis, 58, owner of Rhode Island Antiques Mall and an Entrepreneur.  The Providence resident worked last year to “eliminate stressors” in his life.  Did he succeed?  “Mostly,” he responded. For 2016, Davis says he will “figure out how to make a living once stressors are eliminated.”

Linda Dewing, ageless, is a broker associate at Places & and Spaces Realty and a seasoned artist.  The Pawtucket resident’s 2015 New Year’s Resolution was “to grow in business and wisdom.”  When asked if she succeeded, Dewing responded “somewhat.”  For next year, 2016 she plans to finish two pieces of art work and continue to contribute to Pawtucket’s growth by bringing more businesses into the City’s historic downtown.

Josh Fenton, 52, CEO and Co-Founder of GoLocal24.  Last year Fenton made a resolution to get up earlier in the morning to be more productive. The Providence resident believes he generally succeed by getting up by 4:45 a.m. “I saw a lot of good sunrises,” he says.  For 2016, his New Year Resolution is to spend more time with close family and friends.

Charlie Fogarty, 60, is the Director of the Rhode Island Division of Elderly Affairs.  Last year the Glocester resident resolved to be mindful of his health and wellness. .He made small lifestyle changes, such as adding a 30-minute walk to each day, resulting in improved health. In the New Year he resolves to promote physical, social, and mental well-being. He says healthy lifestyles for seniors, supported by family, friends, caregivers and the community enables these individuals to remain at home.

Attorney General Peter Kilmartin, 53, Office of the Attorney General.  When asked about his 2015 resolutions he responds “I typically don’t make New Year’s resolutions, as I try to work on improving myself throughout the year.”  For 2016, he says, “I will try to work on improving myself and the Office of Attorney General each and every day.  Every morning I read a spiritual piece which is aimed at recognizing not only what is good in our lives, but also how to keep a positive attitude and improve our lives.  It is my goal to continue this practice each day for 2016.”

Nicholas A. Mattiello, 52, is a self-employed Cranston attorney who serves as Speaker of the House in the Rhode Island General Assembly.  Last year the lawmaker resolved to pass a State budget that would include an exemption from the State income tax for many Social Security recipients.  “Retirees have worked their whole lives and do not deserve to be taxed on Social Security,” he said.  He was pleased to see his chamber pass the budget unanimously, and the Governor sign into law.  For the upcoming year, his resolution is to continue to work hard in improving the State’s economy and job climate.  “I want to see the economic momentum we have built-in the last few years continue to grow and to make Rhode Island once again competitive with other states in the region,” he says.

Edward M. Mazze, 74, Distinguished University Professor of Business Administration, at University of Rhode Island.  In 2015, the Narragansett resident’s New Year’s resolution was to lose weight (become more healthy) and be more optimistic about Rhode Island’s Economic Growth.  He believes that he succeeded.  In 2016, he is looking to continue losing weight and hopes to be more patient with Rhode Island’s Economic Growth.

Lt. Governor Daniel J. McKee, 64, a former Mayor of Cumberland who served 6 terms.  Last year he resolved “to be champion of the family’s annual holiday ping-pong tournament.  “Let’s just say there’s a next year,” he says.  As to 2016 resolutions, McKee says, “While many people are resolving to hit the gym and lose weight, I want to build on my “39 Cups of Coffee” tour (one in every city and town) and support our economy by dining at as many local restaurants as I can.“

John J. Partridge, 75, is Senior Counsel at Partridge Snow & Hahn, LLP.  In 2015, the Providence resident worked “on patience.”  When asked if he succeed, Partridge responded “impatiently yes.”  For 2016, the lawyer who has published three murder mystery thrillers plans on publishing his fourth Algy Temple mystery, “Hanger.”

Governor Gina Raimondo, 44, is the highest elected state official in Rhode Island.  Last year the governor’s resolution was to “bring Rhode Islanders together to grow our economy.”  It’s too early to make judgements if she has succeed, says Raimondo, but the signs of improvement are there.  She resolves to come back in January, “re-energized to keep fighting for Rhode Islanders.

“There are crucial challenges ahead, including our under-performing schools, and our crumbling roads and bridges. We’ve just got to keep the momentum going with more work, more action, and more results,” she says.

Scott Rotondo, 42, is the Accounting Manager at Tivoli Audio in Boston, Massachusetts and a radio talk show host.  The Pawtucket resident’s 2015 resolution was to challenge his own assumptions and opinions.  He believes he “mostly succeeded.”  For the upcoming year his New Year’s Resolution is “to be more patient with others and with myself.”

Ron St. Pierre, over 21, is the Morning Drive host for News radio 920/I Heart Media.

The East Greenwich resident’s 2015 resolution was “to make it to 2016.  Was he successful?  He responds, “to be determined by making it to January 1, 2016.   This year’s New Year Eve’s resolution is “to make it to 2017.”

Charles Steinberg, 57, President of PawSox, at McCoy Stadium.  The baseball executive’s 2015 resolution was to help the Boston Red Sox “enhance bonds with fans through experiences and events at the ballpark and outreach to the community.  Did he feel he succeed?  “I hope so, but the fans are the best judge of that.”  As to this year’s New Year resolution, he hopes to help the PawSox, Pawtucket’s AAA Team bond with its fans by giving them great, memorable experiences and events at the ball park and to reach out to the community.

To all my loyal readers, may you have a Happy New Year and a great 2016.