Timberline expands construction, communications presence in NH

Seeing opportunity in a state he says “is poised for exponential growth,” Steve Kelly and his two companies — Timberline Construction Corporation (TCC) and Timberline Communications, Inc. (TCI) — are enlarging their footprint in New Hampshire.

The new office in Merrimack on the Daniel Webster Highway, which opened in November, supplements Kelly’s base of operations in Canton, Mass., with project managers, estimators, construction superintendents and others. With an initial staff of about 30, he said he hopes to double that New Hampshire presence in the coming years.

“A joint New Hampshire location has been on our radar for a few years,” said Kelly, CEO of Timberline and TCI. “The economy has been thriving in recent years, and we’ve seen indications that the state is poised for exponential growth given its proximity to Boston and business-friendly environment. I am confident this Merrimack location is strategically located for both of our businesses and ultimately will be beneficial to our clients and our employees.”

New Hampshire’s evolving future

Steve Kelly, CEO of Timberline Construction Corporation and Timberline Communications, Inc. (Courtesy photo)

Kelly said his decision to locate in Merrimack was a strategic one, based on his optimism of economic growth along the Interstate 93 corridor, particularly in the science and technology sectors involving life sciences and bio-tech.

“The opportunity there is for New Hampshire to really grow, and I really think we will see that in the whole I-93 corridor certainly over the next seven to 10 years and become really a big contributor to the region,” said Kelly.

According to Kelly, the pandemic — and how it affected the global supply chain — put a renewed emphasis on returning manufacturing to the United States, in particular as they relate to bio-tech and life sciences.

As Kelly assesses his company’s future in the Granite State, he talks about ecosystems — how growth in one sector might spur growth in another sector. He notes that an uptick in bio-tech, with its research and development, along with manufacturing, requires an educated, well-trained workforce and places for those people to live.

“We’ve got the highest average education per capita of any region in the country, and those schools are another growth sector for us,” he said. “There’s actually an intersection between the two, because a lot of the colleges and universities actually have a life science lab component to it, whether it be wet labs, dry labs, electronic labs, mechanical labs, robotics. It’s going to be a big thing, a big growth area in the future.”

“It’s not just about science and technology; it’s growing in general,” he added, “It’s as much about talent acquisition as it is work acquisition.”

Timberline Construction Corporation has done extensive corporate, science and technology, academic, retail, residential, hospitality, health care and civic work in the region.

Timberline was responsible for the overhaul and renovation of the Stratham headquarters of outdoor brand Timberland. The 170,000-square-foot, phased renovation project included new retail space, workstations, a café, coffee bar, fitness center and a lobby with a 30-foot living moss wall and an expansive shoe display.

The New England chapter of CoreNet Global, a nonprofit organization that represents executives who manage the real estate assets of large corporations, awarded the project its Best Workplace Award for 2021.

Timberline Communications Inc. offers a full suite of communication and electrical services, from wireless technology to electric vehicle infrastructure, from repair and emergency response to distributed antenna systems installs.

Kelly’s ecosystem threads also apply to his ownership of the Tenney Mountain ski resort in Plymouth.

“Our goal there is to really create jobs,” said Kelly, and not just at the ski area, which he envisions as a four-season recreation venue of skiing and riding, disc golf, trail bike riding, ziplining and other activities.

“With jobs you need housing,” said Kelly. “From some of the data metrics I’ve seen, New Hampshire has got the lowest available percentage of workforce housing in any state in our country. And I’ve talked to some of the people and at the highest levels of interest, and I know they’re working on solving that problem. But that goes hand in hand with job creation, because businesses are only going to locate when you have housing so their employees have an affordable place to stay.”

In association with his plans for Tenney, he envisions workforce housing, market rate housing and luxury housing over time. As a destination recreation site, he also sees a future for hotels. And he believes that region will be the future home to a science and technology park. And if a park is developed, then the little airport in Plymouth might also grow.

‘Revitalizing a treasured resort’

Kelly has put his initial efforts in that region into retuning Tenney as a ski area, which closed in 2010, reopened in March 2018, then closed again as part of the pandemic lockdown in March 2020.

Kelly owns the mountain as Northcountry Development Group, having purchased the property in April 2022 from Tenney Mountain Development Group for $6.125 million. It reopened to skiing in February 2023.

His phased plans include growing the lodge in size from 14,889 to 22,259 square feet. The lower level will focus on skier services, and the upper level will focus on the renovated restaurant with views of the ski trails and a large patio for outdoor seating. Materials would include sustainable timber construction.

Kelly spent more than $1 million on snowmaking improvements immediately after taking control of the mountain with more improvements planned. He hired former extreme skier Dan Egan to be Tenney’s general manager.

“I’m a big believer in independently owned resorts, as they had a huge effect on my life as a kid,” said Egan, inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2016. He also has his own media production company. “And Tenney is near and dear to my heart,” Egan added. “It has great terrain and a loyal following. We’re revitalizing a treasured resort, and bringing it back online is a viable situation, especially with our new owner.”

Egan managed the resort for a time from 2002 to 2004 and is optimistic about the mountain’s future.

“There’s a lot of work to be done, and the place is buzzing,” said Egan. “The owner is making the capital investment so when people come up the road, they see the infrastructure is being cared for. That’s just the beginning.”

Kelly and Egan hosted a grand reopening in December 2023 with a ribbon-cutting that included New Hampshire Executive Councilor Joseph D. Kenney and New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs Commissioner Taylor Caswell, among others.

“Steve Kelly and Dan Egan are breathing new life into Tenney Mountain at just the right moment,” said Caswell. “New Hampshire’s outdoor recreation scene is exploding, which is having a huge impact on the state economy. Small multi-season outdoor assets are the next big thing here in New Hampshire, and they are right on target.”