Washington, DC – A local contractor whose company has been putting Rhode Islanders to work on projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will attend President Obama’s State of the Union Address Wednesday evening as the guest of U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
Enrico DiGregorio and his company DiGregorio Corporation have signed contracts for three construction projects funded by ARRA, which have so far created 35 jobs. Whitehouse recently met DiGregorio at the site of an ARRA funded Johnston road improvement project. The federal funding for the road improvements there has also helped facilitate the construction of a privately funded retail plaza and hotel project which is expected to support 261 construction jobs in the short term and up to 457 additional permanent jobs upon completion.
“While times are tough in Rhode Island and many are still out of work, I’m glad to see Mr. DiGregorio and his company putting recovery funding to good use by creating jobs and improving our state’s infrastructure,” said Whitehouse.
“The economic recovery bill has provided a helpful boost to my business in recent months,” said DiGregorio. “We all know that there are a lot of Rhode Islanders looking for jobs right now, and it feels good to be able to provide work during these tough times.”
In a recent letter to President Obama, Whitehouse stressed the importance of using infrastructure projects to create jobs. The letter, signed by 24 U.S. Senators, urged the President to focus ongoing job creation efforts on rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, arguing that Rhode Island and many other states have “significant, documented infrastructure repair needs.”
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