The Latest: Week of October 17, 2025

The Latest is a roundup of the comings and goings of the movers and shakers in NH's business community

NONPROFITS

Shawn LaFrance and Shari Robinson, Ph.D., have been elected to the Endowment for Health board of directors. LaFrance is an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church and serves in parish ministry and pastoral care in Concord, NH. He was formerly vice president for population health at Dartmouth Health-Cheshire Medical in Keene. Prior to that, Shawn served as the founding executive director for the Foundation for Healthy Communities. Dr. Shari Robinson recently retired from her position as assistant vice president of student life at UNH. She is a licensed psychologist and member of the American Psychological Association and the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance.

Tiffany Brewster will be moving on from her role as policy development and advocacy director of NH Hunger Solutions (NHHS) to her new role, director of policy and advocacy for NH Businesses for Social Responsibility. In the interim, Sarah Harpster, NHHS’ community engagement director, will take on all responsibilities related to the NH Food Access Coalition, and Laura Milliken and Riona Corr, NHHS’ executive and deputy directors, respectively, will oversee all policy and advocacy responsibilities.

Catholic Charities NH has received a $25,000 grant from the Alice J. Reen Charitable Trust to expand affordable access to mental health counseling for individuals in Greater Concord. The grant will help make the organization’s Mental Health Counseling Services more available to low-income individuals and families.

Monadnock Peer Support (MPS) has received a $1,200 community grant from Mascoma Bank to support its new initiative, Ride to Wellness. The program will provide six electric bikes, helmets and safety training to residents in MPS’ peer-led mental health center. This project will serve adults living with mental health conditions who face barriers to wellness and mobility, including limited access to transportation, social isolation and the physical impacts of long-term mental health challenges.

The Lake Winnipesaukee Alliance (LWA) board of directors has selected Eric J. Siy as its new executive director, succeeding Pat Tarpey, who is retiring later this year after more than a decade of leadership. Siy most recently served as president of the Lake George Association (LGA), where he led the successful merger of the LGA with The FUND for Lake George in 2021. Siy also helped create the Lake Protector program, a web-based tool that equips property owners and stakeholders with resources to participate directly in lake protection efforts. As an associate director of The Jefferson Project at Lake George — a partnership with IBM and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute — Siy helped position Lake George as “the world’s smartest lake,” using data-driven solutions to tackle critical water quality threats.

Concord Hospital Health System’s 2025 Bridge to Recovery Walk, held on September 21, raised over $50,000 to support critical mental health and substance use disorder programs and services at Concord Hospital Laconia and Concord Hospital Franklin.

HEALTH CARE

Granite VNA recently honored Deb Belanger with the agency’s annual peer-nominated Living Our Values Award, which honors the colleague that best demonstrates the organization’s values of respect, compassion, culture of excellence, leadership and stewardship in their actions with peers. Belanger, of Boscawen, has served as receptionist with Granite VNA since 2022.

Granite VNA President and CEO Beth Slepian has been named to the National Healthcare at Home 2025 Best Practices and Future Insights Study steering committee. The committee is comprised of 22 home-based care industry leaders from throughout the country, and will guide and oversee a comprehensive study on best practices and future insights on the delivery of home health and hospice in the U.S.

 

For its sixth year, the NH Healthcare Heroes initiative has recognized the dedication, courage and commitment of six individuals in the state’s health care community. The 2025 NH Healthcare Heroes are: Amanda Higgins, health care operational support assistance, Dartmouth Health Emergency Department (Concord/Lakes Region); Katie Voudern, postanesthesia care unit RN, Cheshire Medical Center (Monadnock Region); Jessica Thornton-Sherman, director of rehabilitation services, Cottage Hospital (North Country Region); Alicia Rozier, licensed nursing assistant and medication nursing assistance, Rochester County Assisted Living (Seacoast Region); and Michelle Humphrey, nurse practitioner, Crestwood Center (Southern NH Region).

Matthew Carroll, MD, has joined Concord Surgical Associates, specializing in trauma and acute care surgery, critical care and general surgery. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts Lowell before receiving his medical degree from UMass Chan Medical School. He completed his general surgery residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, where he also completed a fellowship in critical care anesthesia, and he is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery.

 

 

FINANCIAL SERVICES

St. Mary’s Bank has welcomed Keri Pappalardo as its new marketing communications manager. She has more than a decade of experience in marketing communications, with expertise in content strategy, public relations, social media, and event coordination.

 

 

 

 

Ted Swimmer, head of capital markets and advisory for Citizens Commercial Banking, has been named head of commercial banking. Swimmer succeeds Don McCree, who will remain at Citizens as chair of commercial banking until his retirement at the end of March 2026.

After undergoing its annual recertification and independent assessment of investment management processes, investment strategy implementation, and other fiduciary practices, Nvest Financial Group, LLC has received its recertification of the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX) certificate from Broadridge. Nvest is now part of almost 250 global firms to have successfully completed the independent certification process.

 

NBT Bank has welcomed two new members to its New Hampshire team representing NBT Wealth Management: Richard Schoepke, as senior trust advisor, and James Landor as senior private banking relationship manager. Both are based at NBT’s New Hampshire headquarters in Manchester.

Brendan Mann and Lee Petersen, private wealth advisors and managing partners with LPM Advisory Group, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services in Concord, have been named recipients of the 2025 Five Star Wealth Manager award by Five Star Professional. The award goes to less than 7% of the wealth managers in the region based on client retention rates, client assets administered, firm review and favorable regulatory and complaint history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Verlin Gokey has joined Bar Harbor Bank & Trust as branch relationship manager for the Bank’s Hanover location. He previously was store manager at Rent-A-Center in West Lebanon for nine years, and was also general manager for Pizza Hut in Lebanon for 10 years.

 

 

 

 

Ledyard Bank is recently welcomed Sarah Powell as vice president and senior residential banking team leader, bringing over 20 years of experience in mortgage lending. Previously, she served as vice president and mortgage loan Officer at Mascoma Bank. WITH PIC Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB) recently welcomed Travis Shields to the Exeter office team as a universal banker. In his new role, Shields will assist customers with transactions and accounts, online tools and other day-to-day banking needs.

REAL ESTATE

Portside Real Estate Group has welcomed Travis Billingham, Sydney Zeff, Bari Garceau, Kate Curcio, and Dan Freund to the agency in its first New Hampshire office in downtown Portsmouth. The team specializes in the Seacoast market with expertise in luxury homes, new construction, multifamily properties and investment opportunities.

ENVIRONMENT

The Center for Northern Woodlands Education (CNWE) board of directors recently announced that editor Meghan McCarthy McPhaul has been awarded the Society of American Foresters (SAF) 2025 Outstanding Forestry Journalism Award, which recognizes high-quality journalistic coverage of topics that increase the American public’s understanding of forestry and natural resources. McPhaul has been writing for “Northern Woodlands” since 2014 and joined the staff of the Center for Northern Woodlands Education in 2020.

David Roby, of Lyme, has been honored as the Conservationist of the Year by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. The award was presented to Roby for his achievements in land conservation, wildlife protection and habitat restoration in the Upper Valley. He was a founding partner of the Lyme Timber Company in 1976, and later established Bear Hill Conservancy Trust to acquire and conserve forest land. In addition, Roby and his wife donated the 42-acre Roby Preserve to Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust in 2017.

The Cheshire County Conservation District has chosen Wendy Ward as its Educator of the Year for 2025, an award which honors a recipient who has stewarded a conservation ethic and awareness through their personal and professional work. In addition, Manning Hill Farm in Winchester was also named as the District’s 2025 Cooperator of the Year.

BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS

Advantage Truck Group (ATG), the largest Daimler Truck North America dealer network in New England, announces key promotions in its senior leadership team, promoting Christopher Marsh to executive vice president of network truck sales, Christopher Pentedemos to executive vice president of network service operations and Michael Ramian to executive vice president of parts operations. ATG has New Hampshire locations in Lancaster, Lebanon, Manchester and Seabrook.

Slightly Crooked Pies products are now available through Boston Artisan Breads, a distributor of fresh-baked goods to bakery and retail locations in eastern Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, and the coast of Maine. Wholesale pies, available in 9-inch, 5-inch, and handheld varieties, are now produced at Creative Chef Kitchens in Derry, NH. Since first being offered at the Joppa Hill Educational Farm’s farm stand in 2021, Slightly Crooked Pies creations have been recognized with multiple awards at the Great NH Pie Festival and were voted among WMUR’s Viewers Choice for best pie in 2022, 2023, and 2024. The business was also featured in a 2022 New Hampshire Chronicle segment.

Late last month, The Nash Casino unveiled its newest gaming technology, video lottery terminals (VLTs), featuring the debut of VLT games Dragon Link, Lightning Link and Phoenix Link. A recently-passed state law allows venues to operate VLTs under a new revenue distribution model. The Nash will be converting hundreds of historical horse racing (HHR) machines to VLTs over the course of several months. All new VLT revenue will be taxed at 31%. Of that amount, 35% will be contributed to local charities.

The remainder will go to the state’s General Fund, Education Trust Fund and other state programs.

HOME DESIGN

The Home Beautiful, Inc. has appointed Samantha Fournier as its new flooring manager, bringing over 10 years of leadership experience from companies like Genrose Tile and Stone and Ed’s Flooring America to the role.

She was also a sales manager at La-Z-Boy for several years after graduating with both a bachelor’s and associates degree in business and interior design from Hesser College.

Andrew Sidford Architects has been honored with the Rick + Duffy Monahon Award for Design Excellence from the American Institute of Architects for the transformation of the former 1905 YMCA to what is now Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club in Portsmouth, NH. The project balances historic preservation with contemporary design, bringing new energy and purpose to a treasured downtown property.

HOSPITALITY

LaBelle Winery’s Americus Restaurant at the winery’s Derry location has been awarded the DiRoNA Award of Excellence from Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNA), recognizing the restaurant as one of North America’s finest dining destinations that create memorable moments.

ENERGY

EnviroVantage, Inc. a national leader in environmental remediation, demolition and indoor air quality, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Over the years, the company has created hundreds of jobs across the region, supporting skilled trades in demolition, abatement, project management, environmental remediation, estimating and administrative and leadership roles. With a commitment to workforce development, the company has invested in training programs, safety certifications, and career advancement opportunities for its employees.