You may have never heard of Hope Valley Industries in North Kingstown. But on Tuesday, Governor Lincoln D. Chafee and I joined other legislative and business leaders for a special tour of this company which has a great story to tell.  

Led by Tom and Craig Melucci, Hope Valley Industries is a longtime Rhode Island business that manufactures and distributes all-weather automotive accessories, including floormats, mudflaps, and other products. We were joined by five senior executives from General Motors (GM), who came to honor Hope Valley Industries as one of their top Supplier of the Year awards.   

The prestigious Supplier of the Year award is given to less than 1 percent of GM's approximately 18,500 suppliers worldwide. Hope Valley and the other winners are recognized for delivering innovative technology, superior quality, timely crisis management and competitive, total-enterprise cost solutions.  

Most importantly, the visit was another opportunity to see yet another local business that is not only succeeding in Rhode Island but is also among the leaders in their field around the globe. In addition to Hope Valley Industries other awardees this year included the likes of AT&T, FedEx and Union Pacific, to name just a few.

"Suppliers play a critical role in our business and we're thrilled to recognize those we consider to be world-class," said Grace Lieblein, GM vice president, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. "Each winning company consistently exceeded our expectations by being innovative, delivering high quality products and services on time and by creating outstanding value."

When I came back to work at the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation several months ago, I made it clear that our organization should have one goal - create the conditions for Rhode Island businesses in all sectors to thrive. And while there is much work to be done to improve our business climate, we cannot lose sight of the many companies that are able to succeed here and are providing good, quality jobs to Rhode Islanders.  

Their success is a direct reflection of their ability to innovate, their commitment to the workforce, and a core belief that Rhode Island can be a fertile ground for their business to grow.   

As we examine what can be done to improve our economic landscape we can learn a lot from the companies that are growing in Rhode Island, and celebrate their success. I applaud Hope Valley Industries on this award, their success and continued growth. I am confident that similar successes lie in store for many other Rhode Island companies as well.