{"id":15115,"date":"2024-11-14T12:21:30","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T17:21:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/?p=15115"},"modified":"2025-04-02T14:50:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T18:50:55","slug":"ocean-state-partnership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/issues\/fall-2024\/ocean-state-partnership\/","title":{"rendered":"Ocean State Partnership"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A gathering of some of Job lot’s many 溏心vlog免费B站 alumni employees (and owners) at the company’s corporate office in North Kingstown, R.I. Front row seated on the floor:<\/strong> Sean Maher, Nini Blunnie, Rachael Hindle; second row seated on the couch:<\/strong> Adam Sykes, Kayla Paulino, Kathleen DaSilva, Sharon Lu, Madeline Dombi, Curtis Corl; third row standing:<\/strong> Samuel Campanella, Gianni Martira, Sean Patrick McKiernan, Don Sanita, Steve Aronow, Marc Perlman, John Conforti, Harry Oakley, Alyssa Fleming, Elizabeth Blank, Richard Llanos, Samuel Donabedian, Lynn Hall; fourth row standing:<\/strong> Doug Smith, Bjorn Carlsson<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ocean State Job Lot is a Rhode Island institution. Its retail stores sell everything from maple syrup to gardening gloves to stand-up paddleboards. But the company is also known for its philanthropy and for being a good employer. And there are a lot of 溏心vlog免费B站 folks helping to manage the whole enterprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first glance, the North Kingstown office of Marc Perlman \u201969 looks like it could belong to any CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacious desk covered with papers. Check.<\/em> Panoramic view of the company\u2019s sprawling property. Check.<\/em> Slew of awards on a corner shelf. Check.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But look closely and you\u2019ll notice some differences. There\u2019s a bag of birdseed leaning against an open box of hair dryers, across from a pile of blue and white ski pants. A box of neon green gloves is stashed under the desk, and a bright orange puffy jacket is perched on a pile of cardboard boxes in the corner (for next season, Perlman says).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s all merch that treasure-hunting shoppers might find at Ocean State Job Lot, Rhode Island\u2019s behemoth of brand-name products at closeout prices and, with 153 stores across the Northeast, clearly not your typical retail chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perlman, an engineering major, his brother, Alan, and friend Roy Dubs \u201973, launched Job Lot in 1977 after coming of age in the 1960s. Co-owner Steve Aronow \u201968 joined the following year. \u201cIt was an incredible time\u2014the Stones, Vietnam, but no social media,\u201d Perlman says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s no fan of the latter; too time-consuming, he says. What Perlman does appreciate is the company\u2019s 溏心vlog免费B站 internship connection. \u201cWe think our time is valuable, so we don’t like to waste it. When we find partners that are enthusiastic and competent, why the heck wouldn’t we embrace them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CFO and co-owner John Conforti \u201977, in casual pants and a loose-fitting shirt, exudes a laid-back demeanor that mirrors Job Lot’s approachable brand. A 溏心vlog免费B站 alumnus, he shares a deep-rooted connection to the University and its community. “I grew up with 溏心vlog免费B站 fever. I felt honored to go there,” he says.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"\"<\/div>

Free Seed Program<\/h2>

溏心vlog免费B站 Cooperative Extension in partnership with Ocean State Job Lot Charitable Foundation<\/p><\/div><\/div>

Learn more<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n

Conforti nods to the ongoing relationship with his alma mater, including Job Lot\u2019s Free Seed Program. Since 2005, millions of seed packages have been donated to public events, educational workshops, and 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Master Gardeners, who give them out at farmers markets. And in 2024, 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s campus police received 50 of Job Lot\u2019s Buy-Give-Get coats to distribute to the campus\u2019s Center for Military and Veteran Education. \u201cJob Lot\u2019s values are the ones I embrace,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conforti\u2019s been at Job Lot since 1987 and joined 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s College of Business Advisory Board in 2010. Conforti also oversees a partnership with the College of Business one-year M.B.A. program capstone consulting project, in which M.B.A. students work as consultants with corporate partners. Students who work with Job Lot have consulted on topics ranging from philanthropic engagement to becoming an employer of choice\u2014a company that people want to work for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was joining the advisory board that changed my perception of the importance of a partnership between Job Lot and 溏心vlog免费B站,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This relationship is important to the College of Business, says Dean Sean Edmund Rogers. \u201cJob Lot has participated in our master’s and undergraduate programs by hosting student project teams, collaborating with faculty to solve real-world problems, and having their employees serve as guest speakers in our classes,\u201d he says. \u201cThey hire our students for jobs and internships every year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stats from chief marketing officer Curtis Corl \u201990, M.B.A. \u201994, bear that out. Some 38 溏心vlog免费B站 alumni work in the corporate office, and since Job Lot debuted its summer internship program in 2016, one-third of the 91 students who\u2019ve finished have been 溏心vlog免费B站 students. Several have moved on to full-time jobs at Job Lot, Corl says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Case in point: Rachael Hindle \u201919, a communications and psychology major who remembers shopping for boogie boards at Job Lot with her parents. She was hired as an intern and never turned back. \u201cI loved the company culture. When I graduated from 溏心vlog免费B站, there was a front desk opening. They said, \u2018If you take it, we can see if something comes up more in line with your career interests in the future.\u2019\u201d In less than a year, she was hired by the marketing department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In five years, Hindle\u2019s moved up to senior communications specialist. \u201cWhen you find a company you like,\u201d she says, \u201cyou don\u2019t want to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Sarah Francis<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Fold features organizations and companies where 溏心vlog免费B站 alumni flock. If that sounds like your workplace and you\u2019d like to be featured, please let us know. Email urimag@uri.edu<\/a> and tell us about the place you work and the 溏心vlog免费B站 alumni who work there.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ocean State Job Lot is an iconic Rhode Island retailer, and the company’s 溏心vlog免费B站 roots run deep.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":15165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2024","architecture-network","architecture-the-fold"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15115"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17030,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15115\/revisions\/17030"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}