Scott Avedisian, Mayor of Warwick

The holiday season is here and 2015 is about to come to a close. At this time of year, it’s easy to get caught up with the hustle and bustle of the season. As we try to balance work, family and holiday obligations, it’s important to reflect on the blessings of the past year, look ahead to the promise, and hope that a New Year brings.

Warwick enjoyed many highs over the past year. With multiple, ongoing projects throughout the city, including the Apponaug Circulator project, the runway expansion at T. F. Green Airport, updated plans for Rhode Island Mall and new businesses popping up all over, the city continues to thrive and grow.

In addition, our hotels experienced record-breaking occupancy rates during the summer months. In August, occupancy soared to an all-time high of 96% on Friday and Saturday nights. These numbers reflect the dedication our hoteliers have to making customer service and quality their number one priority.

Many of our city’s businesses also celebrated milestone anniversaries this year. O’Rourke’s Irish Pub rang in their 10^th anniversary with Viessmann celebrating their 25^th. Warwick Public Library, CCRI, Trudeau Center, Gaspee, and RIPTA all reached their golden anniversary, celebrating 50 years!

In an effort to keep our economy flowing and bring additional business to our local shops and restaurants, on November 1^st we kicked off our annual Shop Local/Dine Local campaign. The campaign, which runs through the end of the year, focuses on bringing additional business from neighboring states to Rhode Island. With a focus on tax-free clothing, the campaign aims to capitalize on females in the Connecticut and Boston markets.

Our Shop Local/Dine Local campaign also coincided with Small Business Saturday, and the grand opening of a Piece of Cake bakery. The custom cake shop offers a variety of sweet indulgences including cakes, cupcakes, chocolate covered pretzels and more. Located in the heart of the city, this new small business is big on taste!

As we wrap up the end of another momentous year, and celebrate the many accomplishments of our city’s businesses, it goes without saying that 2015 set new records, met and surpassed many benchmarks and continued to thrive. None of which would be possible without our many business owners doing their part to make Warwick great!

This is an exciting time for Warwick. If you’re interested in becoming part of our success story, please contact the Warwick Planning Department.

Scott Avedisian is the mayor of Warwick and the chairman of the RIPTA board of directors.