The momentum at Quonset Business Park, located in North Kingstown, R.I., continued throughout 2024, and the Business Park remains a critical economic engine for the region. 

As we have for many years now, Quonset ranked among the top 10 best industrial parks in the United States and was one of the top 10 auto importers in North America. Today, we are home to more than 14,000 jobs at 239 companies across nearly every sector of the economy, including nearly one of every five manufacturing jobs in Rhode Island.

Meanwhile, the newest building in our flex industrial campus, which serves Rhode Island startups and small businesses, has just opened and is fully leased to expanding businesses.

Our Gateway Office Park, which serves small businesses in need of flexible, customizable office space, is also growing. We’ve recently completed construction at Gateway Building #6, which includes 66 separate offices and four suites.

At the Port of Davisville, we celebrated two major projects in 2024. Construction began on the Terminal 5 Pier and Blue Economy Support Docks – the first new pier to be built at Quonset in nearly 70 years. Further, Pier 1 South reopened to marine traffic after we replaced more than 1,500 wooden logs that had been supporting the pier since 1941 with steel pilings and a new concrete deck, adding another 50 years to the pier’s service life.

We also completed three major railroad infrastructure upgrades throughout the Business Park. The new Seaview Engine House, the Mill Creek Rail Yard and the Davisville Main Line Connector will enhance Quonset’s freight rail capacity and create a more efficient transportation network.

Rhode Island Ready, the statewide initiative backed by the $40 million bond overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2021, continues to support development across the state. Based on Quonset’s successful site readiness model, the program is creating an inventory of pre-permitted properties ready for industrial development, and ultimately job creation, throughout Rhode Island. Applications from 20 sites have already been approved by the Quonset board of directors, and the board has authorized $11.2 million in capital investments that will put underutilized industrial sites across the state to work.

Quonset’s success would not be possible without the steadfast support of our private sector partners and our partners in government at the local, state and federal levels. My team and I look forward to continuing to work together to maintain Quonset’s momentum in 2025, and beyond. 

Steven J. King, PE, is the managing director of the Quonset Development Corp., North Kingstown, R.I.