Providence Business News: "PPS Summer Business Membership event featuring Keith Stokes"

The Providence Preservation Society’s summer Business Membership Event will take place on July 22, 2010 at GTECH (10 Memorial Blvd, Providence). Open to its Business Members of PPS free of charge and to the public for a fee, the event will feature: Keith Stokes, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation. The topic of his presentation will be “Rhode Island's Economic Future After the Recession” which will include a discussion of state historic tax credits and open spaces.

Mr. Stokes has wide-ranging professional experience in business, government, and community planning, including fifteen years as Executive Director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce. His strong background in preservation includes service as a vice president and trustee of the Preservation Society of Newport County and as a state advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“We have taken significant steps over the past few months to develop economic incentives that will stimulate job creation and business growth in our state. We need to continue to build on that momentum to capitalize on new economic opportunities. State historic preservation tax credits could play an important role in promoting economic activity by encouraging the private redevelopment and reuse of historic properties, but we need to fully examine these programs to ensure that their short and long-term impacts ultimately benefit Rhode Island taxpayers,” said Keith Stokes, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation.

PPS Business Members come from fields directly or indirectly related to historic preservation including architecture, engineering, contracting, development, landscaping and interior design, real estate, and consulting.

Event registration and networking begins at 8:00 a.m. The presentation will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. The event is free to PPS Business Members and $30 for non-Business Members. To register for the event or for more information, visit www.ppsri.org.