To the Editor,

I am a Warwick resident and own several restaurants in Rhode Island. It goes without saying that the COVID-19 pandemic devastated Rhode Island’s hospitality industry – virtually overnight, our industry was shuttered, leading to an 18-month period of shutdowns, limited operations, and unprecedented challenges.

Two and a half years later, the industry is still on the path to recovery. While business is good, doing business has become harder than ever; but several actions taken by the General Assembly have helped us manage these continuing challenges of the “post-shutdown” world.

Thanks to Speaker Shekarchi, the House of Representatives passed several pieces of legislation that helped us recover. Alcohol-to-Go, expanded outdoor dining, impacted industry grants – all these bills had his support and helped our industry get back up on its feet.

Furthermore, Shekarchi was an integral part of passing legislation that allows hotels to protect their employees from verbally abusive guests. This will help Warwick hotels protect our employees and ensure a safe and pleasant environment for anyone visiting the city.

The hospitality industry is the backbone of Rhode Island’s economy – the State cannot recover until our industry is back on its feet. Thanks to smart, innovative policy decisions by people like Speaker Shekarchi, our industry is on its way back.

Colin Geoffroy

Warwick

Colin Geoffroy is the President of G Hospitality in Providence. He is also the Secretary of the RI Hospitality