2011 NHBR Business Excellence Awards winners

Thirteen businesspeople were honored Oct. 27 at the New Hampshire Business Review's ninth annual Business Excellence Awards, which recognize the efforts and achievements owners of companies with 100 employees or fewer.

More than 300 people attended the event, which was held at the Radisson in Manchester.

NHBR also announced two inductees into the Business Excellence Hall of Fame, which singles out people whose entire careers have been marked by a consistent and impressive record of accomplishments, both in their chosen fields, in their communities, and across the state and beyond. These honorees were selected by a separate panel of judges.

The 2011 Hall of Fame inductees were Howard Brodsky, co-founder of CCA Global Partners, one of the largest privately held companies in the United States and one of the largest cooperatives in the world, and the Singer Family, owner of Merchants Automotive Group, a $ multifaceted, $200 million auto company, including a long-term fleet leasing division that is one of the largest in the Northeast.

"Each of the businesspeople who receive these honors has a different story to tell," said Sharron McCarthy, president of McLean Communications and publisher of NHBR. "But what they have in common is determination, industriousness and the ability to come up with innovative solutions that have allowed their businesses to survive and thrive, regardless of economic conditions, and a commitment to serving their communities."

Jeff Feingold, editor of NHBR, said, "We would like to salute all of the nominees, the people who nominated them and the winners themselves for their contributions toward making New Hampshire a great place to do business."

Emcee was Erin Fehlau, WMUR's weekday morning and noon news anchor. A portion of the proceeds from the evening benefited Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, which advocates for New Hampshire children in the state's court system in cases of neglect and abuse.

The winners of the 2011 NHBR Business Excellences Awards were:

• Excellence in Business Services — Guy Sylvester, Absolute Resource Associates, Portsmouth
• Excellence in Construction (tie) — Jerry Kingwill, Cobb Hill Construction, Concord; Jason Foster, Foster's Professional Painting Plus LLC, Claremont
• Excellence in Financial Services — Michael L'Ecuyer, Bellwether Community Credit Union, Manchester
• Excellence in Health Care — Paula Gagne, Regency Nursing Care, Manchester
• Excellence in Hospitality — Emeran Langmaid, A&E Custom Coffee Roastery, Amherst
• Excellence in Media & Marketing — Erik Dodier, PixelMEDIA Inc., Portsmouth
• Excellence in Nonprofits — Brian Young, Nashua Center for the Multiply Handicapped
• Excellence in Professional Services — Thomas Brueckner, Senior Financial Resources Inc., Nashua
• Excellence in Real Estate — Dick Anagnost, Anagnost Investments Inc., Manchester
• Excellence in Retail (tie) — Sy Mahfuz, Persian Rug Galleries, Nashua; Lynda Nelson, Quest Martial Arts Academy, Barrington
• Excellence in Technology — Cheryl Gamst, CCS New England, Nashua

The judges for the 2011 NHBR Business Excellence Awards were:

• Chris Bernard, vice president, business banking relationship manager, Citizens Bank
• Steve Boucher, communications manager, New Hampshire Division of Economic Development
• Mary Collins, state director, New Hampshire Small Business Development Center
• Bob Esau, executive vice president of Wealth Management, Laconia Savings Bank
• Greta Johansson, New Hampshire district director, U.S. Small Business Administration
• Patrick F. McDermott, economic and community development manager, Public Service of New Hampshire
• Dr. Russ Ouellette, managing partner, Sojourn Partners, Bedford
• Michele Petersen, vice president of operations, abi Innovation Hub, Manchester
• Joe Reilly, cofounder and president, Centrix Bank
• Chip Underhill, executive director of public relations and external affairs, Pinkerton Academy, Derry.

Sponsors of the event were FairPoint Communications, Laconia Savings Bank, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of New England, J Maze Design, Public Service of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, Merrimack Street Volvo, WGIR-AM 610 and New Hampshire Public Television. — KATHLEEN CALLAHAN