In her efforts to transform the Department of State into a modern hub of accessible information, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea has set out to create a new culture of cooperation and collaboration with other entities in Rhode Island.
Secretary Gorbea (left) and Dr. Farhadi (right) discuss the Business and Economics Report with Roger Williams University Students.
“In 2016, I challenged my Division of Business Services to improve and enhance the information we receive in our office and transform it into something that can be useful for those looking to start or grow their business in our state,” said Secretary Gorbea.
Over the past two years, the Division of Business Services has been asking annual report filers to identify the six-digit NAICS (North American Industry Classification
System) code that best describes their primary business activity and answer three voluntary survey questions including:
- self-reported demographic information of the business owner
- number of full-time employees
- the gross amount of revenue during the previous year.
To effectively transform that data into usable information, Secretary Gorbea partnered with Roger Williams University’s Mario J. Gabelli School of Business and Dr. Farbod Farhadi .
Dr. Farhadi’s team of students combed through data from the last ten years to identify and reclassify NAICS code errors. The resulting Business and Economic Report provides a look into Rhode Island’s current business climate and provides context around economic trends.