PAWTUCKET, R.I. (July 16, 2018) – The Rhode Island Trucking Association (RITA) today announced that a major industry conference, the Trucking Association Executives Council (TAEC 2018), originally identified Newport, RI as its preferred location for its 2018 annual event. Instead, due to the RhodeWorks Legislation and its discriminatory truck-only tolling scheme, national executives responsible for planning its flagship 4-day event, refused to hold the conference in Rhode Island. TAEC 2018 was moved to Rockport, Maine and anticipates the conference will generate approximately $1 Million in tourism and ancillary spending.

“As one of the executives involved with 2018 site selection, I was strongly supportive of bringing this event and its substantial tourism dollars to Rhode Island” states Christopher Maxwell, President/CEO of the RI Trucking Association. “The event committee was in unanimous agreement to hold the event in Newport – we were actually ironing out the final event details and finalizing contracts. Unfortunately, the Raimondo administration, through its aggressive attacks and discriminatory policies, made it impossible to justify pumping approximately $1 Million tourism dollars into a state so hostile towards our industry”.

TAEC 2018 started Sunday July 15 and concludes Wednesday evening July 18. The conference books over 1,600 hotel room nights and includes multiple upscale food & beverage and banquet events, substantial meeting space, and hosts several off-site sailing, golf and other recreational events over a four-day period.

Maxwell concludes, “The hospitality and tourism professionals in Newport were exceptional to work with which makes relocation of this event extremely disappointing. That said, The Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine is a spectacular location and we’re looking forward to an outstanding TAEC 2018 conference.”