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Rhode Island Commerce Approves Incentives to Support Job Growth and Innovation

Published on Tuesday, January 28, 2025

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — On Monday, the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation’s Board of Directors voted to approve new incentives supporting the relocation of a corporate headquarters to Rhode Island and innovation initiatives.

“Rhode Island’s economy is on the move, and with these investments, we’re building a strong foundation for the state’s continued success,” said Governor Dan McKee. “We’re driving growth in our key industries, supporting local businesses, and creating opportunities that raise incomes and improve quality of life.”

“Investments like these help businesses grow and thrive in Rhode Island,” said Secretary of Commerce Liz Tanner. “By fostering advancements in medical technology, supporting sustainable innovation, expanding business operations, and creating new jobs, we’re building on Rhode Island’s economic momentum.”

Blount Foods Returning to Rhode Island 

The Board approved $3,227,250 in Qualified Jobs incentives for Blount Fine Foods Corp., which plans to relocate its corporate headquarters back to Rhode Island, supporting a minimum of 120 full-time jobs with a median salary of $76,548. Blount Fine Foods Corp. is a fifth generation, family-owned, food manufacturing and marketing company with roots in Rhode Island dating back to the 1880s.

“We are very excited to bring our headquarters to Rhode Island,” said Todd Blount, CEO and President of Blount. “Blount’s roots are in Rhode Island, and our new corporate headquarters will poise us for future growth and strategic opportunities.”

Driving Innovation

The Innovation Voucher program provides funding to Rhode Island companies conducting research and development in collaboration with academic and industry partners. 

  • BrachyClip, Inc.($64,800): A North Providence medical device company specializing in advanced brachytherapy systems for cancer treatment. The funding will refine their innovative seed clip component, enhancing precision and manufacturing readiness. 
  • Moss Pure ($75,000): A Smithfield-based women-owned company that has developed a bioengineered living moss technology that can be used for a variety of applications as air filters and interior décor. With voucher funding, Moss Pure will develop and test its living moss technology in a new product design as turf, disrupting the artificial turf market, and offering a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative. 

“We are grateful to RI Commerce for awarding us this innovation voucher, which will be instrumental in advancing the R&D needed to transition our unique and patented ‘radioactive implant’ also known as IPS brachytherapy to a manufacturable design,” said Greg Mercurio, CEO of BrachyClip. “This funding enables us to further refine our novel brachytherapy implantable device, enabling at the time of surgery, close proximity radioactive treatment to the margins of resected tumors, enhancing its clinical effectiveness and accessibility to patients undergoing minimally invasive cancer surgery. With this support, we are excited to continue our growth and expansion in Rhode Island, driving innovation in the medical device sector.”

“We want to thank RI Commerce for this innovation voucher which will help us with the R&D necessary to disrupt several markets and continue to grow and expand in Rhode Island.” said Jamie Mitri, Founder and CEO of Moss Pure. “This funding will allow us to create the world’s only living moss turf that doesn’t need watering and doubles as an air filter. Our products are exclusively created in Rhode Island and are available to customers nationwide and worldwide.” 

For more information on these programs and more, visit CommerceRI.com. 

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